On the Bookshelf

It's a new year and Sookie resolves that this year she will not get beaten up. Having split up with Bill, who has also now gone to Peru to continue working on his project, it might just be possible that Sookie can make that resolution come true. That is, until Sookie spots the vampire Eric running half naked down the road in the middle of the night having lost his memory. Sookie agrees to hide Eric while Pam and Chow investigate, believing that a group of witches have placed a hex on Eric. Stripped of his identity, a sweet and vulnerable side of Eric is revealed that Sookie finds hard to resist. But hiding the attractive Eric in her house isn't the only problem that Sookie has to deal with. Her brother, Jason, has gone missing and Sookie is worried that the witches may have something to do with his disappearance.

Okay, so I know that I said that I wouldn't be reviewing any more Sookie books for awhile but after bumping into a high school friend and her telling me how good a book Dead to the World is and then reading the back cover and realising that it was filled with lots of Eric then I just had to read it without delay.

Dead to the World is your usual fun romp that the Southern Vampire Mysteries usually offer. Boring, dodgy (now ex-)boyfriend Bill hardly gets a look in while the far more interesting Eric gets the chance to shine and showcase an entirely different side of his character. (In fact, sending Bill over seas was probably a convenient way to make sure that he doesn't step in on Sookie/Eric time.) It will be very interesting to see in the next book the effects of how Sookie and Eric's relationship developed while he had amnesia. (Amnesia plot lines sound so soap-opera...) We get to see Alcide again, who still gets my vote as best boyfriend material out of Sookie's potential choices. Previously I had complained about Sookie getting too many admirers too easily. She does acquire another in Dead to the World but he is not a character right up in the forefront of the storytelling all the time so it's not so bad.

I found myself genuinely concerned about the fate of Jason but to be perfectly honest I don't know if my investment in the character is due to Harris's writing of him and his loss or because we got to see so much more of him in the televised version of the novels, True Blood...

The way Charlaine Harris chose to represent Wiccans was also extremely disappointing. I read the acknowledgements at the beginning of the book before I began to read the actual story. She goes on about thanking the Wiccans who helped her to do her research and names a few specifically so my interest was definitely piqued and I hoped for a well informed portrayal. What I got instead was a character who suddenly became anorexic, decided to spike her hair and die it black, and get multiple piercing in her ears to fit a supposed Wiccan image who goes on to give an awkward and ill informed definition of the religion of Wicca. Sigh. If Harris wanted to include witches in her supernatural entourage then that is perfectly fine by me but if this is the result of her supposed research then she should have left the religion aspect out of it. Maybe her intentions were good. She may have have been trying to use Wicca to introduce nice witches so that she couldn't be interpreted as labelling witches as bad people as there are people who practice witchcraft in real life but this just came out terribly by making them look like wanna-be goths instead. (Not meaning to insult any goths who may happen to be reading this.)

After meeting our supposedly Wiccan friend, Holly, Sookie comes out with this little doozy of a line:


I also sometimes feel that Harris let's the whole telepath thing fall too far to the wayside. It's a constant part of Sookie and she has to consciously keep it in check but she didn't mention much. Here it mostly came up as a device to involve Sookie in the battle at the end where she otherwise had no place attending. Sookie did once again refer to it as her disability which might be credited as the result of no Bill around to talk it up as being her gift.

The book was still enjoyable but I don't think it was too well thought out. You may want to switch your brain off while reading this one lest the little details start to annoy you.

Terra

Margot had sworn to herself that she would make high school a much better experience than junior high had been. She and her best friend, Sybil, had together carefully planned the perfect high school career. However, three years into high school and Margot is still yet to achieve any of the goals outlined in her manifesto. She a Sybil aren't popular, they don't go to cool parties, and they don't have boyfriends.

Then one day Margot and Sybil go to school as usual only to find that their fellow students have become zombies. Sense memory seems to compel the zombie students and teachers to attend school as normal. Principal Taft urges the girls to coexist with zombies and continue attending school for the rest of the semester as though everything were perfectly normal. Being the only two living students left in the school, the girls realise that this is their opportunity to live out their manifesto and become the it-girls of Salesian High.

I don't think that I've ever read a zombie book before that I would call cute but there is a first time for everything. Never Slow Dance with a Zombie makes for easy, light hearted reading.

In some ways, I suppose you can say that NSDWAZ can be called Mean Girls meets Dawn of the Dead. The focus of the story, though, is more on the path to becoming a Queen Bee and the ugliness that it can bring out in a person. How far would you go to become the it-girl? Would you lie? Hurt your best friend? Take advantage of the mindless zombie state of your crush and make him be your boyfriend? In exploring the it-girl theme I thought that a number of cliché themes were also used but this didn't necessarily detract from the book. They were used, for example, to set up the tension between Margot and Amanda Culpepper, Queen Bee at Salesian High.

Being set in an American high school, the book also addresses cliques and that people should socialise outside their set social groups. I always find cliques weird to read about as part of the student experience. Maybe it's because Australian public schools mostly have uniforms, or because we don't have such large student populations in our schools, but I never experienced such defined cliques. Oh, sure, there were people who were popular or athletic or nerdy and we had a few people that were into punk in my grade, but they didn't divide themselves into social groups and shun others who didn't fit in. I remember someone once actually getting offended when she was called popular because of the stereotype it implies!

I quite liked Margot and how E. Van Lowe has channelled a teenage girl. I liked Margot's attitude towards herself and her body image, that she could admit that she was not skinny but still call herself cute and dress in flattering clothing. I thought that opening with her application cover letter to a college was a nice opening and I loved her sick letters that she forged from her parents to get out of P.E. Oh, how I too hated phys ed.

Never Slow Dance with a Zombie is a cute and quirky approach to both the zombie genre and the high school experience. I have seen some mixed reviews for this one but if you are looking for a light hearted, easy read to relax and have a little chuckle over this one is worth a try.

You can also go to the author's website to check out lots of extras such as his blog (including an aleternate/deleted scence!), Margot's blog, contests, and more.

Thanks again go to Velvet for the signed copy.

Terra

I have a confession to make. As I mentioned, the other week I was pretty flat out. When things slowed down again I made the big mistake of sitting down and playing a video game to relax. A terribly mindless yet shockingly addictive game. Yes, it is true. Over the past week the reason I disappeared is because I have been playing The Sims 3. Don't ask me how or why, but there is something terribly addictive about controlling little pixel people as they go about their daily lives doing the things that you are supposed to be doing in real life instead. Yeah. Absolutely shameful.

In other news, the Zombie Bag o'Goodies that I won from the Zombie Challenge arrived this morning. A massive thank you to Velvet for the prize and for running such a great challenge. How awesome is this?


Seeing as the t-shirt is a large and hence quite big on me, it has now been designated as my new favourite to wear to bed. =D

My review for Never Slow Dance with a Zombie will probably be up tomorrow. So far it's a great book. In the next couple of days I also hope to get up some other long overdue reviews as well.

Terra

I finally managed to go see District 9 yesterday and boy am I glad that I did. Directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced by Peter Jackson, District 9 is adapted from a short film that Blomkamp made in 2005, titled Alive in Joburg. The film is inspired by Apartheid, particularly District 6 of Cape Town. I've tried to say my piece about this film hopefully without giving away too much for those yet to see it.

District 9 gives us an alternative history where, in 1982, a large alien spaceship stops above Johannesburg, South Africa. After three months of simply hovering, we humans force our way in to discover a malnourished population of extraterrestrials stranded on board. These alien creatures, given the derrogatory name of prawns, are taken from their craft and housed in a government camp called District 9, which soon becomes a slum. Fast forward to the year 2010 and the government has hired a private military contractor, Multinational United (MNU), to handle the policing and relocation on the alien population to a new camp. Wikus van de Merwe (played by Sharlto Copley) is a MNU agent assigned to lead the operation, starting with giving eviction notices to the alien residents. During this process, Wikus is injured and exposed to a strange black liquid. He later falls ill from the exposure and is taken to hospital where it is discovered that the substance is altering his DNA. All the alien technology is tied in with their biology, making it inoperable to humans, and Wikus has just made himself the key to gaining human access to alien weaponry.

The film opens with a sequence of documentary footage and interviews but does not remain in this format. However, when it does break away from it, they do continue to use "shaky cam." While the camera work has been compared to that of Cloverfield, the majority of the film is not from the perspective of a hand held camera. Rather, the shaky nature of the camera work has been used to add to the gritty realness of the film. Some people have complained of experiencing motion sickness. I did not have any problems with the shakiness and was surprised that it was enough to make people feel sick, to be honest.

As good science-fiction does, District 9 has us explore the nature of humanity, drawing the conclusion that we are a pretty horrible lot. We are unnaccepting of others and their differences. We are cruel and we are greedy. We are selfish and care little for others that or not like us. Being intolerable of alien culture, we have them take human names. This intolerance is further reflected in that we never learn the name by which the alien race calls themselves, only ever hearing them referred to as "prawns" and "non-humans". The alien population that was rescued are overall unintelligent, believed to be a manual workforce that lost it's leadership in the events that lead to them being stuck on Earth. (This, presumably, explains the lack of resistance to the way they are treated by humans.)

Wikus, the main character, starts off pretty unlikable. He is bumbling, foolish, and naïve. Like the rest of his co-workers at MNU, he doesn't see the alien lives as having the same worth as human lives. He has a hut of alien eggs set ablaze and, seemingly enjoying the slaughter, comments how the burning young crackle and pop like corn. When he is being hunted by MNU and the government he seeks refuge in District 9 and selfishly places his own condition above the suffering of an entire race of beings on Earth. It is only as he is becoming more alien that he begins to develop likeable qualities, learning to be self-sacrificing and connecting with the alien, Christopher and urging him to survive for his young son.

Christopher Johnson, on the other hand, being an alien with apparently higher intelligence than what is average among those trapped on Earth, is by far the most likeable character in the movie. He is a loving father to his son and seeking a way to return his people home. I thought that a great job was put into giving his character depth, and enjoyed watching the emotions on his face and in his eyes.

I have seen some people call this movie racist due to the representation of African people but that wasn't the vibe that I got from this. Not only did I find it refreshing that this movie was not set in the United States (with humour they mention how, much to our surprise, the aliens did not sail their ship over Washington or New York) and I think that it would have lost it's impact if it was. There is a Nigerian gang in the movie that is exploiting the alien population and stockpiling alien weaponry but again, I would like to point out that there are no particularly likeable humans in this movie to say that any race is being shown favour. The Nigerian Warlord is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. He has turned to superstition to seek alien strength and power. The Warlord and his followers are just another example of human cruelty and selfishness, willing to see others suffer to achieve their means and placing their own survival above that of others.

District 9 is a great look into Xenophobia, segregation, and stereotyping and I definitely recommend it. It's not all hardcore social commentary either, there is a fair good balance of action including explosions, a mecha, and guns that make people go splat! It is all the more impressive to hear that Copely improved a great many of his lines. Also, all of the shacks in the District 9 slum were real shacks in Johannesburg from which the residents were being evacuated by the government to be moved to better housing, mirroring the events which take place in the movie.

Check out the trailer below!

Terra

Okay, What's on the Bookshelf will officially be on Monday's. I know I said Fridays but I decided that I like Monday's better. Just because.

A friend let me borrow some books to read and I really have hung on to them for far too long. So, by posting them here on the Bookshelf, I officially promise to finish them asap! Last week proved to be a pretty busy one for me and I am sure that people noticed that while I squeezed in some hit and run posts for the Zombie Challenge, I didn't get much reviewing done. Time to pull up my socks, methinks.

Coming up we have:
Even though the Zombie Challenge is now over, I also may try to post up my reviews of World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks.

Terra

I decided that the Zombie Challenge is the perfect opportunity to introduce everyone to my favourite podcast.

If you are a geek who plans on surviving vampires taking over your town, werewolves in the woods behind your house, homicidal maniacs who just don't die, the invasion of aliens who first impregnate you with a human/alien hybrid, the inevitable zombie uprising, bad movies, or just being the poor unfortunate in the red shirt then the Geek Survival Guide Podcast is for you.

All the way back in 2006 we were gifted with our first lesson in geek survival. Listening to this first episode of Geek Survival Guide will teach you some of the important basics of zombie survival. For example. how do you identify a zombie? Ricks suggests that you try tossing a Twinkie. If they go for the Twinkie they are human. If they lunge for you then it is time to contact your local chapter of the Zombie Squad.

So, say you have positively identified a zombie. The flesh craving shambler is dragging itself towards you moaning for your brains - what do you do? As he reminds us when it comes to self-defence: You are not a ninja. Also, memorise this mantra: Head shot. Head shot. Head shot.

I highly recommend this podcast. It is the only podcast that I properly follow. Ricks will both entertain you and save your geeky little life all the while putting on his best host voice which sounds absolutely fantastic and most certainly gives to the shows individual edge. Some of my favourite episodes would have to be Daikaijuu, Surviving the Loss of a Beloved TV Show (Firefly, Tru Calling, and BSG D=<), Raising an Alien/Human Hybid, Working for a Super Villian, Bad Movie BINGO Redux, and... oh, heck! I have truely enjoyed all of his episodes. You can follow and download GSG on Rick's Blogger or you can subscribe via iTunes.

Terra

Over the last couple of days, whenever I sit down to try and make a post, something comes up. Finally I would like to thank Faye for this Lemonade Award. Everyone should go check out her blog, The Rambling Teenage Bookworm, for some great reviews. It is now with great pleasure that I pass along this award to ten other bloggers who "show great attitude or gratitude".

Books and Things
Find the Time to Read
Trisha's Book Blog
The Book Pixie
Becky's Book Reviews
Accio Brain!
What Book Is That?
The Reckless Reader
My Overstuffed Bookshelf
Good Books and Good Wine

Terra

At this rate, I am never going to recover from the case of warm fuzzies I have head ever since last Tuesday. This award has been bestowed upon me by Rachy (Parajunkee). She runs a great blog and has a super cute layout. Go check it out!

Now I get the joy of passing this award along to...

BEAUTIFUL Feed Your Imagination
INFORMATIVE A BookLover's Diary
NEIGHBOURLY vvb32 Reads
GORGEOUS All About {n}
OUTSTANDING The Neverending Shelf

And Bingo was his name-oh!

Terra