Circus of the Dead

I don't know about you but nothing chills my blood more than the thought of zombies and a circus! Circus of the Dead is a free book on Barnes and Noble for the Nook. I stumbled across this one while checking out a friend's Lend Me books. We both have a morbid taste in zombie lit and I just couldn't pass it up. Here's what Goodreads has to say:

Circus of the Dead
by Seth Blackburn
3.43 · rating details · 21 ratings · 4 reviews
Twenty years ago, the dead destroyed the world of the living. The survivors scattered in the wake of the Scourge, erecting small towns in the worlds' most sparsely populated areas.

For young Gabriel, the walking dead are merely the memories that haunt the eyes of those old enough and lucky enough to have survived. He is more concerned with his hard life in America's desert, where his chores keep him busy and the husks of books stashed beneath the cellar of the library are his only freedom.

Until the circus comes to town.

"Circus of the Dead" is a novelette of approximately 10,748 words

Do clowns scare you? They sure as heck scare me...especially the Stephen King kind from IT. I will follow up with a full and complete review on this. It's a short one- just 64 pages on my Nook:-)

Where Darkness Dwells

Where Darkness Dwells by Glen Krisch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From Goodreads

During a hot summer night in 1934, tragedy strikes when two local boys search for the truth behind a local legend. They stumble upon the Underground, a network of uncharted caverns just below the surface of Coal Hollow. Time holds no sway in the Underground. People no longer age and their wounds heal as if by magic. By morning, one boy is murdered, while the other never returns home.

As a fan of the zombie genre I was delighted for the opportunity to read a new tale about the undead. After reading the summary I could hardly wait to sink my teeth into Where Darkness Dwells. It did not disappoint! Underneath Coal Hollow there's a network of tunnels leading to a paradise for the dark hearts of men. Two boys in search of adventure stumble across something so sinister it will leave one family heartbroken and the other searching for the truth.

Ellie and Jacob are such memorable characters. Their innocence and perseverance was refreshing. They know the pain of loss and disappointment yet they still reach out and connect with those who can offer them hope. It's been awhile since I cared so much about the characters in a novel. Ellie and Jacob kept me racing to the end, holding my breath, needing to know their fate- good or bad.

Having read so many zombie novels I've started to look for concepts that make a novel stand out from the rest. I often wonder if the next author will bring something to the table that hasn't been done before and will they be able to convince me it could really happen! Glen Krisch did just that. Where Darkness Dwells is a new spin on the zombie genre or to be more accurate- the undead and the cost of immortality.

I would highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy dark tales and sinister small towns. As a side note...I'm from Illinois and my great grandfather was a coal miner. I was delighted to see local towns I've been to mentioned throughout the story. I have every intention of reading more written by this author and have my sites set on his novella Loss.

I received this e-book for review and boy am I glad Glen Krisch stumbled across my little universe in cyberspace!


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Nook Color Review

     It's been 3 months since I became a Nook Color owner and the results are in. I love it! I'm also a Kindle owner so I have something I can compare the NC to. I'm sure you're asking the question, "why buy another e-reader when you already own one?" Reason A- I'm a gadget nerd. Reason B- color and a touch screen. Reason C-magazines in full color.

The shopping experience on the Kindle left something to be desired. I usually did the shopping for new books on my laptop and sent the book to my Kindle. You could barley see the covers, no color to entice me, and constantly having to hit the back button to get back to the list of books. Shopping on the Nook Color is a joy:-) Colorful covers, ease of reading reviews and book details, and navigating the store is just a better experience. Recently my local library started loaning e-books and now I can check out books to download to my NC (something I am unable to do on the Kindle). PDF files, Microsoft Word files, and photos are all easily viewed on the NC and there's even an SD card slot to store more stuff. I like it that I can read the NC in the dark without having to attach an external night light. The brightness of the screen can be turned up or down.
   
      Wait! There's more! Coming this April, NC will be receiving a software update that will turn the NC into a more tablet-like gadget:-) Barnes and Noble will be adding an app store and it's rumored they will have an Angry Birds app (for those who like that kind of thing). To me, the apps are like icing on the cake. I purchased  the NC color because I'm an avid reader and I wanted a gadget that was tailored to the reading experience. If I had wanted a tablet I would have bought an iPad.
    
     With all the above said...I think the Kindle is a good e-reader too. I recommend it to people who experience eyestrain from a backlit screen. The Kindle is much more portable as it is very light (especially the latest Kindle 3). The battery life is far better than the NC ...my number one complaint. Barnes and Noble claim 8 hours on the NC but I disagree.
    
     I'm hoping with the NC software update some improvements will be made. I would very much like the ability to delete books and samples directly from the device. I would like the ability to password protect certain shelves in the library. I would also like to see "book picks" from someone new once in awhile instead of Sessalee month after month. Those of you who already own a NC know what I mean:-)