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World War Z
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War | Max Brooks
Now a major motion pictureThe Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War. Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, By excluding the human factor, aren't we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn't the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as 'the living dead'?Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.Eyewitness reports from the first truly global warI found 'Patient Zero' behind the locked door of an abandoned apartment across town. . . . His wrists and feet were bound with plastic packing twine. Although he'd rubbed off the skin around his bonds, there was no blood. There was also no blood on his other wounds. . . . He was writhing like an animal; a gag muffled his growls. At first the villagers tried to hold me back. They warned me not to touch him, that he was 'cursed.' I shrugged them off and reached for my mask and gloves. The boy's skin was . . . cold and gray . . . I could find neither his heartbeat nor his pulse. Dr. Kwang Jingshu, Greater Chongqing, United Federation of China'Shock and Awe'? Perfect name. . . . But what if the enemy can't be shocked and awed? Not just won't, but biologically can't! That's what happened that day outside New York City, that's the failure that almost lost us the whole damn war. The fact that we couldn't shock and awe Zack boomeranged right back in our faces and actually allowed Zack to shock and awe us! They're not afraid! No matter what we do, no matter how many we kill, they will never, ever be afraid! Todd Wainio, former U.S. Army infantryman and veteran of the Battle of YonkersTwo hundred million zombies. Who can even visualize that type of number, let alone combat it? . . . For the first time in history, we faced an enemy that was actively waging total war. They had no limits of endurance. They would never negotiate, never surrender. They would fight until the very end because, unlike us, every single one of them, every second of every day, was devoted to consuming all life on Earth. General Travis D'Ambrosia, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
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RedCurly
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Pickpick

This is my go-to-book. I read it like 10 times. What is yours?

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Coffeymuse
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I've seen the movie but have yet to read the book...too many books not enough time!

#wickedwhispers
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

Eggs Excellent 👌🏼 2mo
Karisimo They are very different! 2mo
26 likes2 comments
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Karisimo
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#wickedwhispers #zombie
I liked the epistolary style of this one! (Nothing like the movie that followed)
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs Perfect 🖤❤️🖤 2mo
31 likes1 comment
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bibliothecarivs
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Pickpick

★★★★☆

Ingenious. So completely outside my normal reading. Recommended by my friend, Shawn.

#fREADom #UniteAgainstBookBans #LetUtahRead

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MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
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My October choice is (surprise) World War Z. It continues to be one of my absolute favorite books. I really wish the movie had done it justice. I would 100% read another book if Brooks ever decided to do a follow up. Probably one of the most imaginative zombie stories I‘ve come across in any media.
#12Booksof2023

Andrew65 A very popular book. 11mo
28 likes1 comment
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BookwormAHN
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Pickpick

I so loved this audiobook. It was absolutely fantastic ♥️
It is the story of the world after the zombies attack. It's rather scary in its realism though.
#GhostsOfXmas #WinterGames #NoShameReadathon2023 #Dystopia @Nessavamusic
#DashingDecember @Andrew65 #Rushathon @GHABI4ROSES @DieAReader #ScaryChristmas @Patchshank #LittenListen @aperfectmjk #AToZ @Texreader

Nessavamusic This is a fun read! 11mo
Andrew65 Brilliant 🎄🎄🎄 11mo
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 11mo
49 likes3 comments
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MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
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Pickpick

5 ⭐️s
I‘ve reread this book more times than I can count. It still holds up as one of my absolute favorites. It‘s interesting to read it now with the Covid pandemic and the political unrest sweeping the planet. Many scenarios that Brooks proposed in the novel have eerily similar real world parallels. Just minus the zombies. I still wish Hollywood had done this book justice instead of just stealing the name for their own zombie flick.

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BookwormAHN
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Bookworm54
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I quite like #Zombie books, but this one is a classic. I quite enjoy the interview style for a certain type of book, and Max Brooks is sooooo good at this! (Devolution has a similar style for a Bigfoot story and is also amazing).

#ScarathlonPhotoChallenge #Scarathlon #MagicalMonsters

AmandaBlaze Fantasticland has a similar format. 13mo
Bookworm54 @AmandaBlaze yes! I am listening to that at the minute and really enjoying it 13mo
34 likes2 comments
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bibliothecarivs
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Started this. Reading with my friend, my daughter, and my son-in-law.

#fREADom #UniteAgainstBookBans

Melaniedomenech Why is this book banned? 14mo
bibliothecarivs @Melaniedomenech I don't know if it is. I add that hashtag to all my posts to make people aware of the issue of book banning and to show that people read all kinds of books. 14mo
Melaniedomenech Oh! I love that!!!! 14mo
13 likes3 comments
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bibliothecarivs
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Recent acquisitions (gifts from my good friend and fellow bibliophile, Shawn):

📖 World War Z by Max Brooks
📖 The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
📖 Robin Hood by J. Walker McSpadden

#fREADom #UniteAgainstBookBans

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Hilary427
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Pickpick

This book was so unique and nothing at all like the movie (which I really liked as well). Interesting way to tell the story of the zombie war! Only thing I didn‘t like was the fact that in the end, he went back and had little blurbs from people previously quoted in the book, but I couldn‘t remember who was who because he interviewed so many people!
⭐️: 4/5

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LaraS
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DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 2y
TheSpineView Awesome 2y
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼👻🧡 2y
17 likes3 comments
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Suet624
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Pickpick

Well you can‘t beat the audio version. With a full cast, It‘s pretty great. I thought I‘d try this out because it was available on Libby, but it‘s not a genre I like. I‘ve just never experienced the thrill that others get from zombie stuff. I bet it was pretty cool in 2006 when Brooks wrote it though.

Kimberlone This is such a good book and the full cast audio is amazing! 2y
Suet624 @Kimberlone The more I think about this book the more I appreciate some of the nuances and the originality of thinking. I think my issue is always whether I can absorb the story fully when I'm listening to it. I have troubles with audiobooks. I keep trying to enjoy them - and this one with the full case was definitely enjoyable - but the impact of the story is lessened when I listen. 2y
60 likes2 comments
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galueth28
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Been wanting to reread this for a while

#scarathlondailyprompts #teamslaughter #scarathlon2022

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TheSpineView
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bthegood
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Not on my TBR - zombies are not my thing - but good for #zombies #ScarathlonDailyPrompts #Scarathlon2022 #TeamMonsterMash

Make a great day everyone 🎃

PageShifter I have read this 🤣 2y
26 likes2 comments
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Traci1
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a relisten to my favorite zombie book and one of my faves of any genre. The full cast audio is the best audiobook I've ever heard. Every narrator is amazing. It's just so good. If I had influence with HBO or prime video, I'd be having them do a Band of Brothers type docu-drama movie with the interviews interspersed within it. The one they made was entertaining for what it was but it in no way reflected the book.

Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🎃🖤 2y
TheSpineView Great job 2y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2y
48 likes4 comments
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Roary47
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3✨ This was not what I was expecting, but the audio version of this book was excellent. They had a full cast to help with all the interviews. Zombies have appeared and witnesses all over the world tell their experience when it all started. #Scarathon #TeamSlaughter @Clwojick

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Roary47
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Audio coloring while working on #OutstandingOctober readathon along with catching up on #OminousOctober @Andrew65 @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks #Scarathon #TeamSlaughter @Clwojick “Orange”

Eggs Pretty 😍 2y
Andrew65 Looks good. 2y
18 likes2 comments
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MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
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Tagged! Hmm…I think I‘m up to 4-5 times… Not sure. I love everything about it. The style it‘s written in, the scope of the story, the horror, the humor, everything. I even let my brother borrow it, then immediately wanted to reread it and so I went ahead and bought a second copy. 🤣 It‘s seriously one of my favorite books ever. ❤️ 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️ 🧟 ❤️
#LittensWantToKnow

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Wow!!! 🙌🏻📚 2y
23 likes1 stack add1 comment
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MaleficentBookDragon
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I‘d never cared for fiction in #audiobook format, but this full cast production changed my mind. 😍🧟‍♂️😍🧟‍♂️😍🧟‍♂️
#alphabetgame #letterW

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 😱😱😱 2y
Avanders I‘m so far behind on Litsy!!! 2y
42 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Karisimo
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I love interesting formats so I enjoyed the news report style of this #letterz ! (Very different from the movie!)

#alphabetgame
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing!! 2y
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BilboBookends
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“Most people don't believe something can happen until it already has. That's not stupidity or weakness, that's just human nature.”

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CindyMyLifeIsLit
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Pickpick

I saw the movie before I got to read the book and was shocked at how very different they were! I love the book‘s documentary-style presentation with a variety of voices giving different perspectives and experiences. It creates a rich experience of the event for the reader. The stories cover different countries, different timelines in the apocalypse, and the event from the perspectives of different kinds of people—some you like, some not so much.

Readergrrl While I enjoyed the movie, I had to separate it in my mind from the novel. I thought the novel was fantastic in its design. I loved the differing perspectives and the slow realization about who some of the interviewees were (Nelson Mandela, Prince Charles) without ever being told whom they explicitly were. Great premise! I recently read Brooks‘ novel, Devolution. It was a lot of fun too! 3y
Readergrrl And I also discovered that Max Brooks is the son of the comedian/filmmaker Mel Brooks! 3y
CindyMyLifeIsLit I found out the familial connection while reading. I haven‘t heard of Devolution—definitely adding it to the list! Thanks! 😁 3y
41 likes3 comments
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SarahBookInterrupted
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Check Lindsay‘s Book Review of World War Z on Book Interrupted‘s Manuscript Monday Blog Post. https://www.bookinterrupted.com/post/manuscript-monday-world-war-z

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TamTracy
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Panpan

I liked the idea of this book but it didn‘t hit home for me. Not enough zombies or something. I‘m not a fan of war stories but I thought I‘d like a zombie war better. ⭐️⭐️

RamsFan1963 I liked the book more than the movie. 3y
51 likes1 comment
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Sleepswithbooks
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First New Read of 2022 - Happy New Year!! Thank you @iread2much 💛

MaleficentBookDragon This was also fantastic as a full cast audiobook. 3y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm One of my all time favorite books! I hope you enjoy it! 😍 3y
iread2much I hope you enjoy it! It‘s one of my favorites! 3y
53 likes3 comments
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Traci1
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#12booksof2021

My #March pick is specifically the audiobook. I'd read this one previously and loved it, but I wanted to experience the full cast audio, which was spectacular. Mark Hamill's performance was particularly memorable.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Gets a lot of positive comments. 3y
62 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Reggie
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#21DaysofHorror Day 21. Ever since I read Yo! by Julia Alvarez, I‘ve been a sucker for interconnected short stories. And in here it‘s basically a man collecting stories from all over the world from before, during, and after the Zombie World War. There have been stories from when I first read it over 15 years ago that still talk to me. One is a woman who falls out of an airplane into zombie trouble when a woman over the radio leads her to 👇🏼

Reggie safety. Only later she finds out there was no woman on the radio and it was only her psyche. There is a man in a wheelchair who wants to sign up for his neighborhood zombie patrol who almost gets told no cause of his wheelchair. But then he reminds them of what situation they‘re in. Also, the same man talks about his huge house and how he‘s not so lonely now because they have placed a family in the two rooms he doesn‘t occupy. Wondering before👇🏼 3y
Reggie the outbreak what we were all doing with such big houses and no one living in those extra rooms. There‘s a job re-education program that is happening for all the people like entertainment lawyers whose jobs aren‘t needed anymore. And that particular lawyer is now being taught by their old maid how to clean. Brooks says so much about the world we still continue to live in while using zombies while still serving up some zombie dread. I love this👇🏼 3y
Reggie book. Thanks Scott @vivastory for this. It‘s been so much fun! Happy Halloween, everyone! 3y
See All 15 Comments
Blueberry Interconnected short stories...have you read Anthony Marra's books? So good. 3y
Reggie @Blueberry I have not. But I‘m pretty sure I have him stacked. Just never enough time. 3y
vivastory This remains my favorite zombie book. I too still think about certain scenes in it from time to time. During the start of the pandemic I would have random scenes pop into my mind. I typically only listen to nonfiction audio books, but I have been really tempted to listen to this one. I've heard that it's worth it just to hear Mark Hamill's performance. Happy Halloween! 3y
Reggie @vivastory I wish I was an audiobook listener. My mind just flies away onto other things. But everyone who has mentioned the audio on here has loved it. 3y
Bookzombie A great choice! I have so enjoyed both yours and @vivastory ‘s posts. You have reminded me of great ones I already read, some I need to get to, and given me some new ones to look for. 💗 3y
DivineDiana TBR list for next Halloween! 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️ 3y
Suet624 @Blueberry thank you for mentioning Marra. Love him even if he is super depressing. 🙁 3y
Rissreads Loved this book! ♥️ 3y
Reggie @Rissreads ❤️Me too! 3y
Suet624 I just finished listening to this audiobook. Exactly a year ago you wrote about some of your favorite parts of the book and I would completely agree. Those are the ones that stood out for me too. This isn't my typical genre and I really don't care for current day zombie stories (i.e., The Walking Dead) but I appreciated that this one was written in 2006 and surely must have led the pack in zombie material. 2y
Reggie @Suet624 Yayyyy, Sue! I‘m so glad you liked it. The part I think about lately is the interpreters on the ship speaking all the languages India. And how they had to inform people because there was a lot of misinformation out there. Reading that then J thought, it wouldn‘t be that bad. And look at us today. Glad you liked it! 2y
Suet624 The more I think about this book the more I appreciate some of the nuances and the originality of thinking. I think my issue is always whether I can absorb the story fully when I'm listening to it. I have troubles with audiobooks. I keep trying to enjoy them - and this one with the full case was definitely enjoyable - but the impact of the story is lessened when I listen. And you're right about the misinformation piece. Ugh. When will it stop! 2y
65 likes2 stack adds15 comments
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Fortifiedbybooks
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Listening to the chapter "Blame", I just about crapped myself given the state of the world we currently live in. #readarhon

20 likes1 stack add
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Fortifiedbybooks
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#audiowalking at a local park during #readathon

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Author_Chelsea_Warren_PA
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Another addition to my Spooktober TBR! 😍

Zoes_Human Absolutely love this one! 3y
24 likes1 comment
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jackilynn
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Pickpick

Overall a good read. I really wish I could've listened to the audio though because I think I would've enjoyed it even more that way.

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jackilynn
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Book club is meeting in a little over a week so I guess I best get started on actually reading the book. I really wanted the audio but neither of my library apps (Axis360 or Libby) offered it 😩

marleed Oh dang- the full cast audio is great - I did print and audio simultaneously. I really liked the approach to this book. 3y
jackilynn @marleed I have heard such wonderful things about the audio and that I why I really wanted to go that route but alas it just wasn't meant to be. 3y
16 likes2 comments
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jackilynn
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October has some great book club picks at the library. Even though I am never able to actively participate in the discussions (the meetings are always when I work at the school) I still enjoying picking up the books. I have already read the Silent Patient & The Girl who loved Tom Gordon but a reread of at least 1 (Tom Gordon) may be in order. I really wish Libby/Axis/Scribd had World War Z on audio because it is supposed to be fantastic!

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FelinesAndFelonies
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Pickpick

Max Brooks' book Devolution was so good that I had to read his claim to fame World War Z.
The story is told through a series of interviews with survivors of the Zombie apocalypse from all over the world. Each individual provides a micro level glimpse into the macro level issue. Brooks does a great job including the political and media dynamics that are entwined in modern life. I enjoyed this book but I liked the journal style of Devolution more.

FelinesAndFelonies @NikkiM5 thank you for the recommendation! Now to wait for his next book!! 😎 3y
sharread Cool photo. 3y
NikkiM5 @FelinesAndFelonies glad you liked it. I need more Brooks book 😂 3y
72 likes3 comments
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IsaRA150
Pickpick

Súper entretenido, impactante para leer después de vivir una pandemia.

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sarahlandis
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Pickpick

Wowowowooww. What a fantastic book. When I was told this was “absolutely nothing like the movie” I believed it, but was still a little surprised that it was actually 0% correlated. this is a book of interviews with people recounting times before, during, and after a zombie war. It was.... amazing. And a very cool book to listen to. Kind of felt like a podcast in some ways! Loved the female pilot chapter the most.

DogMomIrene The female pilot was one of my favorite characters too. I should reread or relisten to this one. 4y
22 likes1 comment
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Amiable
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It‘s snowing outside and it‘s a lazy Sunday—perfect time to start a book about a zombie plague pandemic, right?

TEArificbooks Good book and a great view! 4y
Gissy Beautiful view❄️❄️❄️ 4y
79 likes2 comments
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Mangelli
Pickpick

Absolutely incredible from start to finish. Brooks writes this fictional oral history in a way that makes it all feel so real. WOW.

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bookseller_cate
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Pickpick

This is one that‘s been TBR for a long time. I was reminded of it before Christmas when I returned to bookselling for the seasonal rush and saw that Brooks has a new book out.

This was an especially interesting time to read it, as there are a surprising number of parallels between fighting zombies and fighting Covid-19.

While I enjoyed the story, I wish there had been more variety in the way the individual voices were recorded...

bookseller_cate ...It would have added another layer to the story to include transcripts and other records of in media res events, rather than all interviews occurring at the end of the war. 4y
marleed I just finished this too. Unfortunately, the way this pandemic has been handled added to my reading experience of this one, as well. 4y
35 likes2 comments
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marleed
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Pickpick

Several years ago my boss was a full-bird colonel, and to my complete amusement his favorite off-topic was zombies- to which I knew nothing. As he deployed to Iraq, and out of concern for my ignorance, he provided me a list of movies to watch in sequence - so I‘d learn the zombie rules in order. Because there are rules! I can‘t wait to DM him to let him know my 2020-21 pandemic reading showdown was with my first zombie book!

Cathythoughts Nice pic ❤️ 4y
marleed @Cathythoughts Thank you! 4y
Amandajoy I live that! I read this because my boss (a Major at the time) told me it was required reading to be in the shop. They wanted to ensure I would survive the zombie apocalypse. (This was in ‘07 or ‘08.) 4y
See All 6 Comments
marleed @Amandajoy That‘s hilarious. Mine was ‘15 and ‘16. So if we do the math right we could imagine that we had the very same boss! 4y
Reggie I love this book and smiled so hard at this post. 😊 4y
marleed @Reggie Haha! I still smile when I think of all those zombie lessons! 4y
70 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
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A day late, but couldn‘t pass this one up!!

1. Tagged. Y‘all know it‘s my fav at this point, I‘ve posted it about ten times. 😂🤣😂
2. Oooh, favorite? Either the original Night of the Living Dead or the 28 Days/Weeks Later duo.
3. Oh my...so many good ones to mention...I can‘t do just one! 😱
Train to Busan
Fido
Dead Snow
#Alive (that‘s the movie, not an actual hashtag 😅)
and of course, Shaun of the Dead.
#SpookySaturday @TheNeverendingTBR

TheNeverendingTBR Excellent, choices!! So many great ones here!! Thanks for playing along!! 🧟‍♀️☢ 4y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @TheNeverendingTBR Thanks! 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️❤️ 4y
12 likes2 comments
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MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm
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-Indiana
-I can‘t handle this question, and refuse to answer. 😰 (*sigh* tagged is a major contender though... 🙄)
-Wheel of Time
-Just about as hard as choosing a single favorite book, and it changes all the time, but right now it‘s 1917
-Black Books
-Freddie Mercury
-Black
-If I had to choose only one, it‘d be fantasy
-School cafeteria and thrift store
-A cat, hedgehog, gargoyle gecko, four guinea pigs, and a dozen chickens
#MeetTheLittens

Amandajoy I couldn‘t answer 2 either, ridiculous prompt. It should be top 3 books you‘re really loving right now. 4y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Amandajoy Lol, agreed! 😅 Although even then I‘d probably have a problem choosing. 😂🤣 4y
AmyG I want to come play with your pets. Amazing. 4y
MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @AmyG Lol, I always joke that we have a “mini zoo”. 😅 The goal is to have a little homestead someday with sheep, donkeys, ducks, goats, dogs, etc. added to the list. Also, if it hadn‘t have been for Covid, I had plans this past year to get several more lizards and even a tarantula or two at a reptile convention we go to every year. I have empty habitats just waiting for more babies to call them home. 😊❤️ 4y
39 likes1 stack add4 comments