Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel

I loved the novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I was excited to read the graphic novel after I discovered there was one.  I was given it as a gift.... Then, it was left on my shelf to collect dust for, well, two or three years.  Yikes!

In June, a sign-up post went up for Austen in August from The Room Beam Reader.  Austen!?  In August?! The perfect push for me to tackle an Austen novel or two that I haven't read yet and maybe read one of the inspired/reimagined works I have sitting around.  That brought me back to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel. The excitement I had when I first received the book came back to me. I had to restrain myself for over a month from picking it up right away.  Now, I remembered it was there.  I couldn't help but look at it on my shelf. When August finally arrived, I grabbed the book and devoured it.

I can't believe I waited so long to read PPZ: The Graphic Novel.  It was fantastic.  It brought back all the feelings I had when I first read the novel, with the interesting addition of the artwork.  I'm not completely sure how I feel about the art.  The Graphic Novel was done in black and white.  I've never before read a graphic novel that was black and white.  I thought with all the zombies and fighting, some colour would be nice.  I did, however, enjoy the black and white when it came to expressing the emotions of the characters, like Lizzy and Darcy when angry, filled with telling black shading.  Maybe they chose no colour because there would be too much blood or it would come off too gory and lose that Jane Austen "quality".  I'm not sure.  The lack of colour didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book, it was just something I'm left thinking about.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel has put me in two kinds of moods. One, I want to finish the series.  Steve Hockensmith wrote a prequel, which I own and a sequel, which I do not.  I'd love to read the story of how the Bennet sisters received their training and I'd like to know if the zombies were ever vanquished.  The other mood has me looking to pick up my next Austen in August pick, Emma. Though Emma will definitely come before the zombie books, seeing as I think I should read some actual Austen for Austen in August.  If you're looking for a fun, quick spin-off Jane Austen to read, I would definitely recommend trying Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel, especially if you are also a zombie fan.

Boo! Top Ten Books To Get In The Halloween Spirit

What books get you in the Halloween spirit?  The Broke and The Bookish want to know (and so do I!)  I think the three horror classics are a must for lovers of the genre (Dracula, Frankenstein and Jekyl and Hyde), but there are others that have a pretty big and/or fun creep factor (Stephen King, anyone?).  Here are my top ten books to get into the Halloween spirit, in no particular order.

1. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
2. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
4. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
5. Nightmares and Dreamscapes, by Stephen King
6. The Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells
7. Night of the Living Trekkies, by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stahl (This one is a bit of a cheat.  I haven't read it yet, but I plan on it to get in the Halloween Spirit.)
8. The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice
9. The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
10.Almost any horror novel with Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves or Witches... or maniacal Clowns.

I limited myself to one Stephen King book, not one of his most famous, but still a creepshow.  Also, I think being a Grahame-Smith regency zombie would be a great costume!  I know that Lestat is Rice's second vampire book, but I like it better.  What gets you in the mood for Halloween?

Leaving Myself Hanging: The Top Ten Series I Haven’t Finished Yet

I didn’t think I left series unfinished, but then I started making this week’s top ten list from The Broke and The Bookish.  Oops!  I swear, I plan on finishing them all!  In no particular order, the top ten series I haven’t finished yet:

1. The Undead Series, by MaryJanice Davidson – I’ve read up to book #7.  I love these books.  I read Davidson’s often hilarious blog.  I think I mostly haven’t finished/caught up because I don’t own all the books yet.  I like buying books on sale and I’ve bought almost all of the Undead books I own on sale, so I think that’s what I’m waiting for.  There are eleven books currently published in the series and one more forthcoming.

2. The Legend Of Drizzt, by R. A. Salvatore – I’ve read up to book #13.  I love Drizzt.  I love the characters he battles with and against.  I don’t know why I’m not caught up in this series.  These are my hubby’s books.  He owns all the Drizzt paperbacks (and one signed hardcover).  They’re sitting downstairs, so unavailability is not an excuse.  There are twenty-three books currently published in the series and probably another twenty forthcoming :) .

3. The Mortal Instruments, by Cassandra Clare – I’ve read up to book #3.  I own books 4 and 5.  I think I mostly haven’t finished it because I’m taking a break from YA fantasy/paranormal.  There are five books currently published in the series and one more forthcoming.

4. Canongate Myth Series, by Various Authors – I’ve read six of the books in this unique series.  For the most part, I’ve read them in publishing order.  For some reason, I never got my hands on a copy of the fifth installment, so it has been temporarily skipped.  Each book is a retelling/reinterpreting of a myth from a different culture.  Some are the familiar Greeks, but I’ve also read a Celtic reinterpretation and the next one I plan on reading will be Chinese.  I haven’t finished the series because I don’t own all the books (yet) and there are also a couple books not in English or not available in Canada.  There are seventeen books currently published in the series.

5. The Dark Tower, by Stephen King – I was finished this series until King decided to publish The Wind Through The Keyhole this year!  There are eight books in the series.

6. The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis – I’ve read up to book #6.  I’ve been drawing this series out on purpose.  I don’t want to say goodbye to Narnia.  I know I can re-read the books whenever I want, but it’s not the same as reading the books for the first time.  There are seven books in the series.

7. The Vampire Chronicles, by Anne Rice – I’ve read up to book #3.  At first, book 4 just looked so long, I kept picking shorter books.  I don’t know why.  It’s not like the first three were short.  Then… stuff… Anne Rice… No more vampires… she takes it back… I don’t know.  Sometimes an author’s behaviour can put me off their books.  But my hubby really enjoyed the books (again, they’re downstairs on the shelf), so I should really finished them.  There are ten books in the series.

8. The Wicked Years, by Gregory Maguire – I’ve read the first book.  I read it when there was only the one book.  I loved Wicked.  I’ve seen the musical.  I was so excited that there was a sequel, then a third book.  I’ve got them both.  Why have I never get around to reading them?  I don’t know.  Now there is a fourth (and final) book.  Should I read the two I have or wait until I get the last one and read them all together?  We’ll see.  There are four books in the series.

9. The Millenium Trilogy, by Steig Larsson – I’ve read the first book.  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was great.  Beyond great.  I don’t know why I haven’t read the second and third books.  I know people who have read and loved them.  I own them.  I just don’t think I want Lisbeth’s story to end and (sadly) Larsson isn't around to write more.  There are three books in the series.

10. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and others - I've read the first book.  I loved Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  When I read it, it wasn't a series, it was just a hilarious mash-up.  Then the prequel came out (which my hubby won, so it's on the shelf) and then the sequel, which is yet to be purchased.  I think, maybe, I don't want the first book "ruined" for me, especially since the other two books were written by Steve Hockensmith, not Seth Grahame-Smith, author of the first.  (Not that there's anything wrong with Steve Hockensmith, I've just never read any of his work.  It's more that it's a different author.)  There are three books in the series.

Really?  I haven’t finished all these series?  I thought I was better than this.  Maybe 2013 should be the year of finishing series?  I think some of it comes down to the same reason why I haven’t finished the Narnia series.  I don’t want to say goodbye to characters I’ve grown to love.  Which series should I tackle first?

I Want To Be In Your Club!

What are your Top Ten Book Club Picks?  This week The Broke and The Bookish want to know.  I’m not sure if my books are going to work.  I’ve never been part of a book club, so I don’t know what kinds of books are normally chosen.  So, I’ve decided to theme my book club picks.

1.     If the book club read Zombie books:  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Graeme-Smith.

2.     If the book club read Vampire books:  Dracula, by Bram Stoker or Interview with a Vampire, by Anne Rice.

3.     If the book club read Dystopian books:  The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood.

4.     If the book club read Young Adult fantasy books:  Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling or The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

5.     If the book club read Fantasy books:  The Crystal Shard, by R.A. Salvatore.

6.     If the book club read Classics:  Flush, by Virginia Woolf.

7.     If the book club read Mysteries:  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson or Murder On The Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.

8.     If the book club read Horror:  The Stand, by Stephen King (even though I haven’t read it yet…)

9.     If the book club read Historical Fiction:  The Wars, by Timothy Findley.

10. If the book club read Paranormal Romance:  Undead and Unwed, by MaryJanice Davidson.

What is your book club going to read?

Halloween Reads

I know it's late in the day, but I still want to get my list out there.  Today The Broke and The Bookish want to know, what are your top ten books to read around Halloween.  In no particular order:

1. Dracula, by Bram Stoker (*note:  currently reading)
2. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
3. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
4. Anything by Stephen King
5. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith & Jane Austen
6. Interview with a Vampire, by Anne Rice
7. The Sookie Stackhouse books, by Charlaine Harris
8. World War Z, by Max Brooks (*note:  planning on reading this soon)
9. Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
10. How To Survive a Horror Movie, by Seth Grahame-Smith

I don't know how Seth got two books up there....

Doing What You Believe In

This week, the Broke and The Bookish want to know who our Top Ten Rebels In Literature are. They can be characters or authors. So, like my Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Book Blogger/A Bookish Person post, I’ve split this into two sections. They aren’t five and five like the last one, but I think they’re all great rebels, characters and authors. The list also isn’t as detailed as I normally make it, but hopefully the links answer anyone’s questions as to why I picked these particular people.

Characters:
1. Gale & Katniss from The Hunger Games trilogy (for different reasons).
2. Drizzt from The Legend of Drizzt series.
3. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice / Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
4. Laila & Mariam from A Thousand Splendid Suns.
5. Elphaba from Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
6. Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series.
7. Horton from Horton Hears A Who!

Authors:
8. Salman Rushdie: Bounty on his life.
9. Margaret Atwood: Oh no! A Feminist!
10. The Romantics: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, etc.

Hope you liked the list. Who are your favourite rebels?

Also, I hope I’m having a baby today. I’m more than ready. Ugh.

How To Survive A Horror Movie: All The Skills to Dodge The Kills

I was in the mood for something fun and something that wasn’t going to make me think too much. Pure entertainment. That’s what I got from Seth Grahame-Smith’s “meta-fictional” book, How To Survive A Horror Movie. What do you do if you suddenly realize you’re stuck in a horror movie? This book is your guide.

How To Survive A Horror Movie goes through how to identify if you’re in a horror movie (having this books is one of the signs). It then proceeds to help the reader discover what kind of horror movie they are in, then it gives you instruction on how to survive. The book is written as though it is speaking to someone who is in a horror movie, all escape methods are about being in the horror movie. The book is hilarious. My favourite part comes at the end, when Grahame-Smith tells you the only way to defeat the biggest bad guy of all horror movies. I also really like the selection of movies to watch at the back. Some of the movies I’ve seen, some I haven’t, but this book makes me want to see them all. The art was also a lot of fun.  I don’t think the book would have been the same without it.

This book is for anyone who loves horror movies or even for anyone who just wants a good laugh.

Time For A Vacation! The Top Ten Beach Reads!

This week, the Broke and the Bookish want to know what are the Top Ten Books That Should Be In A Beach Bag (your perfect beach reads!). I think this list is going to be a bit different for everyone. My idea of a beach read and yours might be completely different. In no particular order, here is what I’d read if I had all day to lay outside.

1. The Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris. – I love Sookie and all the characters in these books. I’d breeze through them, hoping the entire time that Sookie finds happiness.

2. The Undead series, by MaryJanice Davison. – I love Betsy! She’s irritatingly wonderful.

3. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins. – I love Katniss and Peeta. The books are exciting and sure to make me feel like I’m doing more than lying around.

4. The Shopaholic series, by Sophie Kinsella. – Plus anything else I’ve ever read by her. Kinsella’s books are quirky, funny and light. Just what I’d need after reading about all kinds of supernatural creatures and teenagers killing each other.

5. The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. – Whenever I think of this book, I can’t help but smile.

6. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. – I’d also likely want the other two books in the series, I just haven’t read them yet.

7. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith – What’s a vacation without some Zombie Mayhem?!

8. The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood. – A little more serious, but an easier read than some of her other books. It can’t be all love affairs and bloody violence. I wouldn’t want my brain to go mushy.

9. The Gum Thief, by Douglas Coupland. – Again, another more serious choice, but it’s an easy read and I find the style of the book fun and interesting.

10. The Legend of Drizzt series, by R.A. Salvatore. – When I feel like a hero, Drizzt is there. He’ll fight for what’s right and save the day!

I almost included Buffy Season 8, but the problem I think I would have with graphic novels is that I would finish them too fast. I also nearly included the Twilight series, but they’re huge! I don’t mean it would take me long to read them, just that they’d be heavy. This is the only list that’s ever made me kind of want a Kobo or Kindle or some other kind of eReader. I like the idea of taking 40 books with me to the beach. I know I cheated a bit with this list. There are 5 different series on the list. Oh well. What books would end up in your beach bag?

Top Ten Tuesday: REWIND! -- A Past Top Ten Tuesday Topic (or Two)

It was so difficult for me to choose. I didn’t start participating in Top Ten Tuesday until the 13th topic. Then, for about 6 weeks from December to January I was feeling a bit rough from my pregnancy, so I missed a bunch of topics there too. I don’t participate every week either; sometimes the topic doesn’t grab me or I don’t have enough time. That left me with a few appealing options. So I decided to do two.

This is the first list: Top Ten Books of 2010. They’re pretty much in order (this is probably the only time that will happen). I didn’t do any kind of year-end wrap up. It wasn’t ever something I was interested in doing. However, after seeing What Red Read’s quarterly post, I might change my mind. Anyway, List One.

1. Dead and Gone, by Charlaine Harris
2. No Future For You, by Joss Whedon, etc
3. The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
5. The Dark Tower: Treachery, by Stephen King, etc
6. The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
7. Under The Dome, by Stephen King
8. The Helmet of Horror, by Victor Pelevin
9. The Gum Thief, by Douglas Coupland
10. Android Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy & Ben H. Winters

This is the kind of list I’m usually more interested it. Characters are so important in a book; an okay plot can be propelled upwards by an excellent character. I actually found this one a bit difficult because I ended up with more than ten. So here are my Top Ten (Thirteen/Fifteen) Favourite Book Characters in no particular order.

1. Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
2. Elphaba from Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch Of The West, by Gregory Maguire
3. Drizzt Do'Urden from The Legend of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
4. Danica from The Cleric Quintet, by R.A. Salvatore
5. Katniss Everdeen / Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Game Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
6. Sookie Stackhouse / Pam, from The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris
7. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice / Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen / Seth Grahame-Smith
8. Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
9. Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but Stieg Larsson
10. Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
11. Princess Elizabeth from The Paper Bag Princess, by Robert Munsch
12. Violet Baudelaire from A Series Of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket
13. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling

When I hit 13, I had to stop myself from typing. There are so many more great characters I could have come up with. Oddly enough most of my favourite characters on this list are women. Is it a coincidence? I thought of Darcy and Colonel Brandon, but opted for the female leads instead. I also thought of Eric from the Southern Vampire Mysteries / Sookie Stackhouse series. There’s also Harry & Ron from the Harry Potter series. There are several fantastic characters from Lord Of The Rings… Okay. I’m just going to stop.

 

Top Ten Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies

This week, the Broke and The Bookish want to know, what books we'd like to see made into movies.

1. Oryx and Crake, 2. Year of the Flood – I’d like to see both books made into movies. I think they’d be horrific and disturbing and fantastic films. They’d (hopefully) be the kind of movie that makes an impact, where you never really forget the story, just like the books.

3. The Hunger Games – Oh wait. They’re already making this into a movie. Yay! It better be good.

4. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Oh wait. They’ve already made a Swedish movie, now we’re just waiting for the “Hollywood Blockbuster” to come out. I’ve heard the Swedish movie is amazing. The Hollywood movie better be good.

5. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Though parts of the book dragged, if you take some of it out, this would make for an exciting movie.

6. Wicked – It’s a musical already, but it’s not as close to the book or as dark as the book. I think a movie could really show Elphaba at her best and worst.

7. Remember Me? – This one might make up for not having a great interpretation of Confessions of a Shopaholic I think the premise and outcome are unique and interesting. It wouldn’t be another formulaic chick-flick.

8. The Paper Bag Princess – If they’ve done Where The Wild Things Are why not The Paper Bag Princess? Let’s give the girls someone fantastic to look up to. It’s one of my favourite children’s books and I think a movie of it could be wonderful.

9. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – This would be so awesome.

10. A Series of Unfortunate Events – I know they did a movie encompassing the first three books, which was fantastic. I enjoyed the performances of Jim Carrey, Glen Close and the actors who played the Baudelaire siblings. They’d probably have to start over since the actors have aged so much, but they’re such wonderful books, I think it would be worth it.

I wanted to add that I’ve wanted to see a movie or movies based on the Dark Tower series by Stephen King for years. Now that I’ve discovered what they’re doing, I hope they don’t mess it up.

I also considered adding A Thousand Splendid Suns but I think I’d cry the whole time. It’s probably why I haven’t seen the film version of The Lovely Bones.

Top Ten Fictional Crushes

Thanks to The Broke and The Bookish for hosting such a fun meme.

Except for number one and two, they are in no particular order.

1. Roland Deschain from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I’ve loved him since The Gunslinger and will hopefully continue to love him, even though they’re doing some crazy movie/television thing with the books.

2. Drizzt Do’Urden from R.A. Salvatore’s Legend of Drizzt.

3. Lestat from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. It started with Interview with a Vampire and grew with The Vampire Lestat.

4. Mikael Blomkvist from Stieg Larrson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. He’s my new crush.

5. Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudices.

6. Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen (but really Seth Graeme-Smith’s) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Everything I liked about Lizzy in the original, plus she can kill zombies and kick ninja @$$.

7. Eric Northman from Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Series. I think I always liked him, but Dead to the World really made me fall for Eric.

8. Wolverine/Logan from the X-Men.

9. Danica from R.A. Salvatore’s series The Cleric Quintet.

10. Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

I thought this was going to be difficult and it was a bit. I’m not a swooner (except for Roland, I’ll always swoon for you), so I had to think about some of these guys (and girls) for a while. Each person on the list has qualities that make me happy.

When I told my husband what this week’s top ten was, he wanted to share a few crushes with me too. He didn’t reach ten, but here are my husbands top six.

1. Storm/Ororo Munro from the X-Men.

2. Hermione from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

3. Catti-Brie from R.A. Salvatore’s series, The Legend of Drizzt.

4. Danica from R.A. Salvatore’s series, The Cleric Quintet.

5. Arwen from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

6. Buttercup from William Goldman’s The Princess Bridge.

My husband reads a lot of fantasy. These are six great females and I like them a lot too. One even appears on my list!

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

If you loved the original… well, I hope you’ll love Seth Grahame-Smith’s reworking of Jane Austen’s classic. I certainly did. The story still centres on Elizabeth Bennet. However, instead of her and her sisters being English ladies, they are great warriors as well. Elizabeth and Jane are in fact, the two best warriors in Hertfordshire. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies really shows off women as strong individuals, fighting to save their country.

I really enjoyed how Grahame-Smith took the character development a step further. Elizabeth was a strong individual in Austen’s classic, but in this new retelling, she is also physically strong. If you thought Mrs. Bennet was silly before, she’s especially silly now. The antagonists are even more vile. Grahame-Smith is a bit more obvious with how troublesome Mr. Collins is, but alas, poor Charlotte… The punishments for the antagonists are probably things you wished would happen to these characters originally. Oh, Mr. Wickham…

Having recently read Austen’s Pride and Prejudice many of the passages were fresh in my mind. I loved how little words like, “zombies” and “Satan’s army” can change the meaning of an entire chapter. The zombification seemed seamless. For people who have read Austen’s work, this is a fun change. For those who haven’t, this might be a nice introduction into a classic…just make sure you read the original after.

Did I mention they’re going to make it into a movie? I can’t wait!