You know, I never finished "Oyster." I'm not finished with "Oyster" and I'll return to it when I require less drama in my reading life.
Right now, though, I'm reading Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry.
It's got the cliches: strong-jawed ex cop recently widowed, beautiful female soldier, a crew of special ops guys with remarkable skills and a villain that has endless resources... but it's got zombies!! And you know how I feel about zombies! And the writing zings! And the strong-jawed ex-cop isn't always so strong-jawed.
And that, my friends, is good writing. Taking something that will make a reader roll her eyes and twisting it into something enjoyable. Joe Ledger of "Patient Zero" isn't perfect, but he's human and his dark past ain't all that dark so much so that his name is dark... (I'm looking at you, Level 26). It's not in the same vein as World War Z by Max Brooks (District 9 reminded me of that), but more of a smarter Michael Bay movie (not Transformers, but more... Con Air).
Pick it up if you want something cool to read.
Oh! I finished Columbine by Dave Cullen and... Wow.. Damn... How awful... How strange... Tragic... Compelling... Really?... I'm reading it again.
Glad you're back! So happy when your slot in my Google Reader fired up again.
ReplyDeleteBut! It's World War Z. I'm kinda obsessed about his work. Z. Not X.
:) :)
Pam
From the Place You Used To Be
On Nov. 21, 2008, the Harris and Klebold parents were sent the same letter requesting cooperation. "Your stories have yet to be fully told, and I view your help as an issue of historical significance," it said. "In 10 years, there have been no major, mainstream books on Columbine. This will be the first, and it may be the only one." The letter came not from Mr. Cullen but from Jeff Kass, whose Columbine: A True Crime Story, published by the small Ghost Road Press, preceded Columbine by a couple of weeks.
ReplyDelete"Mr. Kass, whose tough account is made even sadder by the demise of The Rocky Mountain News in which his Columbine coverage appeared, has also delivered an intensive Columbine overview. Some of the issues he raises and information he digs up go unnoticed by Mr. Cullen." --Janet Maslin, New York Times
"A decade after the most dramatic school massacre in American history, Jeff Kass applies his considerable reporting talents to exploring the mystery of how two teens could have planned and carried out such gruesome acts without their own family and best friends knowing about it in Columbine: A True Crime Story. Actually, there were important clues, but they were missed or downgraded both by those who knew the boys best and by public officials who came in contact with them. An engrossing and cautionary tale for everyone who cares about how to prevent kids from going bad." -------Ted Gest, President, Criminal Justice Journalists
Hey, Pam!! Yes, Z. I always screw up when something excites me. I hope the crew who works on the movie doesn't follow in my steps...
ReplyDeleteHi, Ted. Thanks for sharing this with me. I will look for Jeff Kass' account and read it -- this subject fascinates me and horrifies me. Dylan's mother recently wrote a column for 'O' magazine and she still can't understand how she missed this... Thanks again.
ReplyDelete