The Last Hurrah: Zombies vs...

Yard gnomes!

In this, the last day of Zombie Month, Velvet, the grand master of Zombie Month, has tasked us with finding an opponent that zombies could womp with one hand tied behind their back. Or, as is more likely, one hand severed.

So I give you...



Gnomes have their own weapons



            

VS

You might say that this is an unfair match up, but yard gnomes aren't as helpless in this epic battle as you might think.

For one, they're ever vigilant, never even blinking as they keep watch over their turf.



Well, ever vigilant might be a stretch...



Second, they're always cheerful, and we all know how important it is to keep your spirits up during a zombocalypse.

Forget zombies, thsi guy will die from laughter.

Thirdly, they all come equipped with yard tools such as shovel, hoes, and pitchforks, the perfect weapons against the undead.

And lastly, the gnomes travel in packs; when have you ever seen just one yard gnome? Having back-up is vital!



This horde is looking a bit undead themselves.

Their weaknesses, however, out weigh their strengths. Firstly, they're rather stiff. Agility is key to surviving a zombie fight. They're also rather small and can't, for this reason, run very fast. In a zombie battle, the ability to run away is second only to the ability to keep your head (literally and metaphorically). And lastly, they're just not tough enough, and without nerve, you got nothing.

The innevitable end.



Happy Zombie Month, y'all! It's been a blast.

Progress Report for Zombie Craft Fair

Here's a somewhat step-by-step progress update of my needle point zombie craft for Misty's Zombie Craft Challenge. It's not all that clear what I'm making in the first pic, but I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out by the end. Happy crafting, y'all!

Don't Forget to Remember

The best memorial for those who lost their lives nine years ago is to never forget them. Forgive, yes. But not forget.

My take On: Feed by Mira Grant

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

Firstly, I'd like to send my deepest thanks to Stormi of Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh, My! because it is due to her and a great contest that she hosted that I had the pleasure of reading this book. Thank you, Stormi!
 
This really was a pleasure to read. The story was told by one Georgia Carolyn Mason, called George by her beloved brother Shaun, and she was witty and insightful and a real treat. One of my new favorite characters right off the bat!
The world, which was revealed with, seriously, perfect pacing and just the right amount of detail at just the right times, was a post-zombie apocalypse world, but it wasn't the one you're used to reading about. The zombies were caused by our own hubris, as is typical, but the world went on almost as usual (aside form the innumerable, and painful, virus scans that the government as well as private citizens rely on to keep them safely separated from the Infected and the zombie-proof security standards to which every post-Rising building, from homes to schools to hotels, was built.). There was still internet, still government, and still bloggers. In fact, blogging had taken on a big roll in the society after the Rising. In the wake of the dead coming back to devour the living, bloggers had been the only ones paranoid enough to believe that it wasn't a hoax and report the news accurately and honestly, and they helped a lot of people survive the first horrendous weeks with constant updates and tips shared from George Romero movies.
As a result, most of the media is now online, though bloggers still catch a lot of flack from the print media.
George and her intrepid brother are news bloggers and report for their site, After the End Times. Goerge is a newsie, a blogger who reports the truth as it is with no spin, and she has a passion for finding telling the truth. Shaun is what's called an Irwin and takes great joy in poking zombies with sticks (you can see why they're called Irwins now, right?) and posting his footage on the web. There's one more category of bloggers, and that's the fictionals who make up stories and write poetry to keep the house-bound populace from getting cabin fever.
I loved the the different strata of bloggers and how their field mirrored their personalities. George was a very cut and dry character, but she still had a wicked since of humor; and Shaun was... he was a wild man! He was like a chihuahua hopped on Mountain Dew, but he also had an incredible soft spot for his sister. That brings me to my favorite aspect of this book: the relationships. George and Shaun were what the average person would call "co-dependent," but the way they always had each others backs no matter what, and in the world they live in "no matter what" comes with a heavy price tag, moved them up the ranks to being two of my all-tie favorite characters.
The story takes off fairly early when the Mason's, plus their resident fictional Buffy, nail a job as the first bloggers to report on a campaign trail. They follow the campaign and. along the way, uncover a conspiracy that strikes close to home, but could also have global implications.
With a good deal of mystery, political intrigue, and enough zombies to shake a stick a stick at, I give Feed...

...Five Zombies!

For me, this book had everything! I laughed, I cried, I threw up in my mouth a little bit, I cried some more... It was the closest thing to a perfect zombie book and I truly cannot wait to read the next installment of the Newsflesh series.

Happy Zombie Month!

Zombies vs Unicorns: Choose Your Team Wisely

(Contest deets at end of post)
In this, the battle of the century, two teams have arisen (one from the grave) to compete for surpemacy and the right to say that they are the bestest.
On one side we have every little girl's dream: they're sparkly, they smell like cupcakes, and their hair rains glitter, it's Team Unicorn!
Opposing Team Unicorn is your worst nightmare: they're rotting, rank, and not afraid to play dirty, let's hear it for Team Zombie!!!

The two teams take their places at opposite ends of the field, the unicorns stamping and pawing the earth that their fearful opponents arose from; the zombies moaning and gnashing their teeth at the delicious smell of horsey fear.
The honorary official of this clash of the Titans is former Idol judge Paula. She prances out to the center of the field, sings a little song, and fires the starting gun. The unicorns flance at the sound, but soon recover their composure, and take off racing across the pitch toward their enemy, but what's this? Half of the glittering herd rears up as the wind shifts directions and blows the stench of the undead legion into their faces! They wheel around and gallop back to the starting point, narrowly missing the official, and stand together, quivering with fear, by the fence.
Team Zombie didn't get as a good a start as their opponents, and is soon over taken by the braver members of the herd, many of them falling as the mercilessly sharp hooves crush their skulls. But the zombies aren't out of it yet! As one, they lurch forward, grabbing whatever their hands meet first and tearing their bony sharp fingers into flesh. Paula, too mesmerized by the glittery ponies, is soon overwhelmed by a small contengency of zombies and is "recruited" for Team Zombie. The ranks of Team Zombie continue to swell as even more desicated corpeses clamber from the earth. Moondancer, the captain of Team Unicorn, whinnies his displeasure and claims foul play, but the official has swallowed her whistle and doesn't seem to care for his tone of voice. Zombie Paula shambles toward the head of the herd, who is still neighing his discontent, and lunges at his throat. Her fellow zombies join her and they bring down the leader of the herd.
Team Unicorn watches in horror as their brave leader is enveloped by Team Zombie. The battle seems to have frozen for an instant, and then the zombies are thrown off as Moondance rises from amid the dog pile. The unicorns cheer their valiant leader, but too soon. Moondance moves toward his co-captain Glitteringfalls with none of the grace he usually possesses, and too late to save herself, Glitteringfalls realizes that Moondance has been turned into a zombicorn!
The battle takes a drastic turn for the worse for Team Unicorn as their herd is either devoured or infected, with only the winged unicorns managing to escape, if not with their pride, then at least with their lives.

In conclusion! Team Zombie wins because they didn't play by the rules and because everyone, in the end, was on their roster.

Now for the fun part, my lovely horde! Velvet of VVB32 Reads is having a zombietastic contest in honor of Zombie Month! All you have to do is plendge your allegiance to Team Zombie or Team Unicorn (and follow a couple other steps) to be entered for the chance to win! One winner will even be chosen from the comments of this or another of her contestants blogs, so your comment on this post gives you a chance to win as well! The winners will receive their very own copy of Zombies vs. Unicorns, the much discussed anthology that has sparked this war between the pretty ponies and the undead.
Contest ends September 30 and is open internationally. Good luck!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

No, I'm not celebrating Christmas super early--though, I suppose that is the true holder of that title being as how it's Jesus' birthday and all and we'd all be in a way worse way without Him and His love, but I digress.
It's the second most wonderful time of the year! Zombie Month! *I'll pause here to allow y'all a moment to get all happy out of your systems. Are we good? Okay.*
Yes, September is my favorite time in the blogosphere because that's the time of year when the zombies come out to play! Sadly, however, I won't be playing such a big role this year due to time constraints. T_T But I will be dazzling y'all with zombie craftiness as I post a step-by-step progress update of my latest project spawned from the gooey depths of my not unsubstantial imagination (so humble!). I'll be embroidering a zombie sampler for Book Rat's Zombie Craft Challenge! I gotta give Misty credit for coming up with this challenge; I have total challenge envy. If only I'd come up the brilliant idea of pitting zombie fans against each other in a to-the-death craft battle myself! Oh, well. I'm just glad someone had the idea! Thanks, Misty!
So anyhoo! Go forth, my lovely horde, and share your hidden talent, and love of the undead, with the world! Oh, and, you know, you could also win some awesome stuff, like the zombie or unicorn book of your choice if you enter your craft before Oct 31 and are a citizen of this planet, because this challege and contest is international.

Happy crafting!