August books

[clare_dragonfly]

The pattern of the stars is interesting this month. Five stars for the first and last books completed, four stars for the next ones in, three stars, and two stars for the middle book...

64. Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear - *****
65. Averno by Louise Glück - ****
66. Identity Crisis by Debbi Mack - ***
67. The Memoirs of Fanny Hill by John Cleland - **
68. The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck by Sarah Knight - *** 1/2
69. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey - ****
70. Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola - *****

Comments

[clare_dragonfly]

I really enjoyed it--the characters are really interesting and really well drawn. The zombie "science" drove me nuts, though! I loved the idea of zombies caused by a human version of the cordyceps fungus, but it mostly didn't make sense to me, especially the big twist at the end. But I definitely think it's worth reading, especially if you are generally a zombie fan, unlike me.

[lb_lee]

I'm actually NOT a zombie fan, which is part of why I asked. Unless it's doing something new and interesting with the premise, I'm generally not interested, so I was wondering if the book was worth it without that hook.

[clare_dragonfly]

Well, I think it's still worth reading if you're interested in the psychology of the characters--a zombie child, her teacher, a sociopathic scientist, and a couple of soldiers--or if you like apocalypses as much as I do, because the ending is one fantastic apocalypse.