Such a Novel Idea!

WEEK THREE PROMPT

I'm going to admit the unthinkable: I had never heard of or used NoveList until this assignment.  Yikes.  I can't believe I admitted it.  Do I need to give back my librarian card?  After using NoveList, I wonder where it has been my whole life.  It makes suggestions so much easier!  On to the assignment...

1. The fourth book in the Anita Blake series (of which I read up through Bullet), is The Lunatic Cafe.  It was published in January 1996.  Keep on reading!  The series only gets better ;)
2. If you like the feel of Prodigal Summer but are looking for something a little more fast-paced, you should read Anthill by E.O. Wilson.  Wilson's book is more suspenseful, but it maintains the lyrical writing style of Kingsolver's book.  I think it's a perfect fit!
3. If you like historical books, you might want to try The Painting by Nina Schuyler.  This book is set in 1869 Japan and is very atmospheric.  The main character uses painting to escape her arranged marriage.  The twist?  The painting is of her lover and, after being secretly sent away, ends up with a European young man.  Ultimately, the painting connects and changes the lives of many different people.
4. I would suggest Haunted Ground by Erin Hart. This book is also part of a series and has similarities to the Thomas Linley Mysteries series.  It is set in Ireland (close to England) and is also crime novel.  It might be a little more complex stylistically, but I don't think it will be too difficult (or creepy) for you.
5. I don't even need NoveList for this question!  As a fellow zombie enthusiast, I would suggest he read The Remaining by D.J. Molles.  I loved World War Z because it was straight-forward and really descriptive.  The Remaining is a military-inspired adventure that I think he will really like.

As for how I find books to read, I mostly use Amazon recommendations and Goodreads shelves.  I also really like BookBub's emails.  I subscribe to it based on the type of genres I have chosen, and they email me the current Amazon deals for those genres.  I like a cheap book as much as a good one ;)  Once I find a book I might want, I use Goodreads and Amazon to look at reviews.  I also ask my sister, an English teacher, and my mom, a former English teacher/librarian, for suggestions.  They're always reading something new, but we sometimes have much different tastes.  Overall, I just love to read, so I'm up for anything!

A Different Twist on the Post-Apocalyptic Trend

The Seventh Day by Scott Shepherd
47North; 4 June 2013
Science Fiction

I'm a sucker for a post-apocalyptic book, but I've become a little jaded with the same old formula.  Shepherd's book The Seventh Day takes a trendy but slightly worn-out topic and makes it new again.  Set seven years after The Strangers destroyed Earth and left few resources and even fewer people, this book keeps the reader guessing as to what will happen next.  Shepherd originally wrote this story as a Kindle Serial - books released in episodes - but this version of the book includes all the episodes together.  I'm glad I only just found this book because I wouldn't have been able to wait between episodes!

The characters' adventures through the ravaged world gradually reveal a deep relationship, and the reader sees what happened on The Seventh Day through a series of flashbacks.  Described as a purple light, The Strangers quickly take all technology, valuable resources, and most of the population into their spaceships, leaving only The Remaining behind.  Joad travels on a desperately hopeful journey to find his wife.  Fixer, Doc, and a young girl named Laura only want to be free of four criminal brothers, but the reader soon discovers that The Strangers left The Remaining a little something extra.  Shepherd's book takes the reader on a science fiction adventure and leaves us with a heartfelt message.  Maybe there is a reason they were left behind, and maybe their journey doesn't end here.

READ-A-LIKES

In the After by Demitria Lunetta

HarperTeen; 25 June 2013

Amazing book where the apocalypse is zombie-alien!  Because of the creatures' crazy sensitive hearing, Amy quickly finds a way to survive without making noise - until she comes across a two-year-old. Can Baby and Amy survive in a world where the only sound is the scratching and howling of creatures outside their house?  Read to find out!  I could not put it down!  The main character is young, but the plot is clever.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Putnam's Sons; 2013

If you haven't read this book, you need to read it immediately.  By far one of the best books I read this fall, Yancey's science fiction thriller will keep you at the edge of the page.  The aliens are killing the population one wave at a time, and the book shows us what it takes to survive after the 4th Wave.  This book is a roller coaster of twists and turns.  Although the character is YA, the book works for adults too.

The Stand by Stephen King

Doubleday; 1978

Although not an alien invasion, King's apocalypse is caused by a devastating plague.  A classic tale of good vs. evil, the survivors band together and Stephen King gives us another of his classically chilling tales.  Similar to The Seventh Day because of the setting, this book is definitely more for the horror fan.