Zombie Appreciation Month has been my first attempt to focus on a particular theme. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the experience or not. I have to admit, I was concerned about spending an entire month reading about only one subject. It turns out my fears were groundless The novels that I have read this month have covered the full gamut of emotions. From the upbeat detective fun of Nekropolis to the gut wrenching fear of Zombie Apocalypse! Everything I’ve read has brought something new to the zombie mythos. I was impressed by different authors’ views and how their ideas were so elegantly expressed. There are quite a number of zombie novels out there and the good news is that they all strive to be unique. I’ve learned a couple of valuable lessons during this month. Firstly, always have a couple of back up book options just in case. I very nearly didn’t manage to get a copy of Handling the Undead and that would have left my carefully planned reading order in tatters. Secondly, pace yourself. When reading for pleasure I can quite happily manage two or three books in a week. If I want to then write about…
Throughout October The Eloquent Page will be concentrating on all things undead. I’ll be reviewing a number of different literary interpretations of zombies. From the latest anthology, via detective novels through to young adult fiction – I’ll be taking a look at how everyone’s favourite brain munchers have re-invented themselves over the last couple of years. You have been warned. Join me if you dare! [fb-share]
When I decided to launch The Eloquent Page I made a conscious decision to try and post only book reviews. Less than three months in and here’s my third non book review related post. Didn’t take me long to jump that shark did it? I’ve lived in Nottingham for the last four and a half years but only discovered FantasyCon in 2009. In fact Mrs Cheesecake and I only discovered FantasyCon 2009 the week before and so only managed one full day last year. This year we were better prepared, booked some time off work, and managed all three days. On Friday night after the opening of the convention we went to the Heavy Metal karaoke hosted by Abaddon Books. I finally managed to meet some of those lovely people from Twitter who comment on my inane ramblings. A genuine pleasure to meet @ALRutter, @Ghostfinder, @Sandra_nz. @GavinGSmith was very pleasant too and I do hope he didn’t end up in a ditch as I didn’t see him again for the rest of the convention. The only disappointment of the evening was that due to all the booze consumed I misplaced my copy of I,Zombie. Over the course of the weekend…
To celebrate the launch today of Angry Robot Books in the US and Canada please enjoy a sample chapter from one of their first releases, the magnificently brutally and action packed, Kell’s Legend by Andy Remic. For the Brits amongst you a review of the forthcoming sequel, Soul Stealers, will be published in the next couple of weeks. Angry Robot books have also just launched an eBook store. If you haven’t already I suggest you check it out. I have had the opportunity to enjoy Sixty One Nails and The Road to Bedlam (see my review) by Mike Shevdon as well as Triumff by Dan Abnett. I can heartily recommend them all.
Last Saturday was my birthday and I was fortunate enough to receive a new PRS600 Sony Touch eReader. This is my second foray into eReader ownership, I have owned a Sony PRS505 since Xmas 2008 and used it daily for nearly two years. In that time I have both loved it and loathed it for a variety of reasons. I always felt the quality of finish was lacking on the PRS505. The metallic front always seemed, to me, almost unfinished and quite sharp round the inner edge. This has been replaced be a nicely smoothed front piece. The various connection points, memory card slots and buttons that appear round the edge remain the same as before. There is one addition, the inclusion of a stylus the slides into a small recess in the top right hand corner of the device. One of the big selling points of the PRS600 is that it has a touch screen interface. You can move through pages on screen by swiping a finger/stylus either left to right (forward) or right to left (back). It is possible to switch this setting and I did so as the default seemed counter intuitive. I admit it takes a little getting…
I learned about this meme via Floor to Ceiling Books and the idea originally came from Un:Bound. These are two great sites and I recommend you check them out. I also thought this would be a good way to provide insight into what I like to read so here goes. One Book That Changed Your Life: The Descent by Jeff Long.I only discovered this book a couple of years ago though it has been around for a while. I love the premise. What if Hell was a literal place and actually existed in the ground beneath our feet. The sequel, Deeper, continues to dissect religion and attitudes toward it. I’m not religious I guess that’s what makes it all the more fascinating for me. One Book You Have To Read More Than Once: The Belgariad by David Eddings.I re-read The Belgariad regularly, normally about once a year. I love it. It’s like a pair of comfortable socks that are always a pleasure to rediscover and slip on. If I have to pick one book from the series then Pawn of Prophecy would a good place to start. One Book You’d Want On A Desert Island: The Reality Dysfunction by Peter…