"Day by Day Armageddon" by J.L. Bourne

199 pages

A plague has suddenly swept across the globe, turning most of the world's population into flesh-eating zombies in a matter of weeks. This is the diary of a young U.S. Naval Pilot who chronicles the disaster from the beginning of the outbreak. He turns his home in San Antonio into a fortress but soon has to go on the run to escape the growing population of undead and to find new supplies. Along the way, he pulls together a small group of survivors and discovers that the state of the world has become far worse than he could have imagined.

I can't decide how I feel about the diary format in general. I like the personal tone and that it helps keep chronology straight. On the other hand, I think it's hard to do well because there are some details that readers want to know but wouldn't realistically be in a diary (for instance, you wouldn't write "my mom, Janice"; you would just write "Mom"). I suppose you might give the extra info if you are writing something as a historical record for future generations, but in this case the writer starts the journal before the outbreak of the plague and was just writing to get his feelings out. I know that's not a big thing, but it still bugs me for some reason. At first, it bothered me that the diarist is so prepared for the disaster--as a military man, he's got tons of weapons and knows how to fly a plane, and he has solar panels on his house. But then it started to make sense: if anyone would survive long enough to document a zombie apocalypse, it would be someone who had advantages over the average citizen. All in all, I enjoyed this story. It moves quickly, kept me guessing, and held my interest throughout. Zombie lit fans like me should not be disappointed. The sequel, "Beyond Exile," came out in July and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Alpha by Rachel Vincent

This book is the sixth from the Shifters series. It is the end of the story of Faythe and her Pride. Faythe unexpectedly needs to step up as an alfa and defend her Pride. The Pride and its allies are attacked politically and physicaly and there is a strong chance that they won't survive.

The book is really interesting. When I started the book couldn't put it down.

Waking the Witch by Kelly Armstrong, pages 309

This book is #11 from Women From The Otherwold. I haven't read the other books from the series, but the plot is still easy to understand. Savanah Levine, daughter of two dark and powerful magical parents works in detective agency and she is investigating her first solo case. Three girls are murdered in a small town in Washington and there are traces of magical rituals. Gradually the plot thickens and she realizes that somebody is trying to kill her.

I think that the book is very interesting. I like the main character because she always seems strong and confident. She rides a motorcycle and understands a lot about cars.

I also like the plot. The case turned to be more complicated than I thought. There are many suspects who could have killed the women.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle: Volume 19

by CLAMP, 183 pages

!!More stuff happens!! The drama continues unabated as the companions suffer yet another complicated "loss," although, just as last time, whether or not that will actually decrease their physical number has yet to be seen.

Terminator's "Fight the Future" line comes to mind here as the characters, without always consulting one another first, run from or face or attempt to alter what they believe may or may not come to pass. I hope their own strengths combined with whatever cosmic advantage Yûko's support brings them is enough to see them through. Next volume! I need it!

Black Bird: Volume 7

by Kanoko Sakurakoji, 190 pages

Misao and Kyo are together but they aren't "together"--yet. Not that they wouldn't like to be. But there's the small matter of Kyo being a tengu, a type of winged demon, with some major clan responsibilities hanging over his head, and the fact that Misao is the prophesized "Senka Maiden" whom every other demon in the area would like to consume in order to gain immortality and the upper hand over their rivals. The couple have survived conspiracies from other demon clans and from Kyo's own brother, but now there's a new threat to their lives as well as their love: a very human yet powerful exorcist who believes all demons are evil things to be eliminated and whom Kyo cannot harm (due to his being a not-evil, though admittedly cranky and sadistic, demon).

This series is fun-ish, but it's rather light on the qualities that encourage real reader investment. Misao is a besotted weakling and almost completely dependent on the protection of her lover, Kyo, who is himself a bit too much the mean-and-detached-but-actually-nice-with-emphasis-on-the-detached romantic lead to be all together likeable. The will-they-or-won't-they tug of war is wearing a little thin by this volume, as well, but I don't think there's much left to the series, so they can't drag things out much further. There are moments when elements work really well--as when in an earlier volume Kyo unhappily executes another charismatic demon he knows will otherwise only attack his beloved again--but there aren't enough of them to make the whole consistently satisfying. I like the story concept just fine, but the end result is a little lackluster. Still, I'll be waiting to see how they overcome this latest, and very nearly last, obstacle to happily-ever-after (I'm assuming it's going in that direction, but I've been wrong before...).

Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee: Volume 1: Letter and Bee

by Hiroyuki Asada, 197 pages

Gauche Suede is a letter carrier, or Letter Bee, in the sunless world of Amberground. He's on his last pick-up before his long-sought transfer to the capital when he discovers that his designated package isn't a heart-filled letter. It's a child. Lag Seeing, a small, emotional boy who's recently seen his mother carted off and his home burned to the ground by mysterious men from the capital, initially trusts the capital-idolizing Gauche about as far as he can throw him--and considering how tiny Lag is, that's not far. If Gauche is going to deliver him safely to the address on the mailing label on his arm, the two will have to cooperate and count on each other's strengths--especially the strength of their hearts.

Giant, armor-plated bug monsters called gaichuu roam the less populated regions of Amberground, attracted to the "heart" of humans. The only way to destroy them is to shoot them with a heart-powered weapon right between the plates of their protective shells. All Bees are so-armed and draw their power by resonating their hearts with a piece of spirit amber, a bead of hardened amber containing an ancient insect. As long as they don't expend too much of their heart at once, they'll eventually recover the bits they spend in ammunition. When a weeping Lag accidentally powers up Gauche's gun to eleven just by picking it up, the older boy knows there's something different about this crybaby package. And as Lag observes Gauche's dedication to his mission regardless of the personal cost, the child vows to someday follow in his footsteps.

I quite like the animé based on this series, so I'm giving the books a read to see how the two compare. So far, so good. The visuals feel a little cramped by their frames, but I think that's just because I'm used to seeing them full-color, in motion, and in a "frame" the size of my monitor. :P Otherwise, they are plenty pretty. Lag is a tear and snot factory, poor thing, but his meltdowns never get annoying. And his hero-worship of Gauche and the Bees is naive and sweet. This volume only just touches on the mystery of Amberground and its capital Akatsuki's artificial sun, but there'll be much, much more to come.

XxxHolic: Volume 3

by CLAMP, 182 pages

Watanuki and Dômeki investigate Himawari's concerns about unsettling events at another school. And the shop has a new customer, who decides--contrary to Yûko's recommendation--to walk away with what turns out to be a monkey's paw. Anybody's who's read the W. W. Jacobs story knows that's not going to end well.

I'm enjoying the addition of Dômeki to the story. His calm, quiet demeanor is a nice contrast with Watanuki's high-strung, manic nature. Yay for frenemies! Also, sheesh, lady--hello? monkey's paw? baaaaaad idea? *sigh*