Zombie Books - Do's and Don't Bothers

With all of my Zombie reading I have to admit that I didn't get to everything I've wanted to. I have a a couple that I'm still reading and another I'm waiting for but I've also passed on a number of them. What makes a good Zombie book has been the question that has really plagued me since I came up with the idea of Zombie week. 

When I think of Zombie movies I've always categorized them as either dark and violent, or humorous and bloody. With books it's obviously a little harder to classify them. Especially with YA there seems to be the assumption that a humorous telling shouldn't include any real violence (a few minor exceptions) and while the darker books have the gore, the humorous ones have been falling flat. It's almost as if the author's are trying to make Shaun of the Dead for teenage girls, but without any of the fun violence that should ensue when being chased by Zombies! So, while I still have a few more reviews to go, I'm going to go ahead and post a short list of some Zombie books I'm reading, waiting on, or gave up on.


What I'm Reading with Hope: 

Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby 
Witty and enjoyable so far, with an interesting twist on how the zombies are created and how they react to the virus. However, I'm on chapter 8 and not one hint of blood yet. The plot seems vaguely similar to that of I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked it and I find it a bit sad that these female protagonists are so insecure and obsessed with popularity that they would do nearly anything to obtain that perfect prom/dance to secure their place in the soon to be faded memories of high school.
 
What I'm Waiting On:

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris   
The cover alone makes me excited to read this one! What I like about this one is that it's not portraying the protagonist as the originator of the virus, nor is she interested in keeping anyone that way just for the sake of boosting her popularity. Although, I have yet to read it so I could be wrong. Look for a review near the end of October!


Generation Dead by Daniel Waters  
This seems to be an slightly more serious take on the love with a zombie tale and I hope that it ends up more appealing than the others I've read. For me the idea of kissing a zombie is extremely revolting, but maybe this will be the one to change my mind. 


Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry
This is the sequel to Rot & Ruin which I'm review later this week, so I'm not going to say why I'm looking forward to this one, but the fact that I'm going for the sequel should tell you something about the first in the series.


What I Gave Up On:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen
I've never been interested in reading anything by Jane Austen and I thanked God every day during high school that I was never forced to read her work. It doesn't appeal to me. I love romance, and I love historicals, but I have no desire to read a romance that at it's time was considered contemporary. I've never even watched a movie based on her books, although I think Bridget Jones' Diary is inspired by Jane Austen's work (not something that inspired me to go out and pick up one of her books). But this had ZOMBIES!! I was so excited when I picked it up, and although the cover was boring, I loved that there were pictures spread throughout the novel. Sadly it wasn't enough to keep me interested. Even with the added action of the Zombies, it was dry and boring and felt so stuffy in the actions of the character and the dialogue. I know that it was true to how they behaved and spoke back then, but still it bored me to death, well, almost. The only people who would love this are people who have a love of Zombies and Jane Austen. 


Feel free to comment or email me with recommendations for YA Zombie books!