Thursday, April 19, 2018

An Exciting Buddy Read Announcement


So a few months ago, I featured "Dread Nation" on my Can't Wait Wednesday post.  It seems like I've been waiting for this book forever.  When I did, a regular follower, Maria from A Night's Dream of Books mentioned that she was interested in it too. Now this was somewhat surprising because Maria is not a fan of horror.  Even through she regularly visits my blog, I know horror has never been and will never be her thing.  So imagine how surprised I when she and I committed to doing a buddy read of "Dread Nation" upon it release.  For those who aren't familiar with the book (are there any?) here's the low down.



Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations. But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

So I had an opportunity to ask Maria a very important question prior to starting this book so make sure you hop over to A Night's Dreams of Books to see what she had to say.  In return, she posed this question to me:

"Barb, you and I have both kidded around about the fact that I don't like the horror genre.  In fact, I've even told you that I'm a 'huge chicken' when it comes to reading such books, which you frequently feature and review on your blog. So were you really and truly SHOCKED when I said I was willing to read "Dread Nation" right along with you?  Any guesses as to why I've decided to 'take the plunge' as you put it?"

Well Maria, yes, I was pretty shocked.  I mean, you've made it no secret that horror just isn't the genre for you.   In fact, not only is it horror, but it's zombies nonetheless.  However, I do believe I have a few ideas about why this book interested you.  Firstly, being a YA book, one could anticipate that the horror element will be pretty mild.  Also, I'm pretty sure you enjoy historical reads and it doesn't get much more historical than the Civil War.  Finally, I think you were drawn to the diverse characters in this book and that all of these reasons combined contributed to you wanting to give this book a chance.  Am I right?

So please everyone join with me and welcome Maria to the "Dark Side" and follow us along this journey.  I doubt I reform her to a true horror lover, but I am accepting the challenge!




16 comments:

  1. Oooh, I will be looking forward to MAria's POV on this, especially as you know what big big BIG fan of the horror genre I am.... not. lol

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  2. Hopefully Maria will be happy she took the plunge! I have this to read as well, I'm very excited about it, and I'm looking forward to your reviews:-)

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  3. You will love it over here on the darkside, Maria!

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    1. BWHAHAHA!!!!!! LOL. <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

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    2. Now, more seriously.....AHEM!! I am GREATLY enjoying this book! I can't believe it! But well, I think it's because it's YA. You guessed right, Barb!! Yeah, I figured that, with a YA horror novel, I wouldn't be scared right out of my skin, lol!

      So I wish Jane McKeene were a REAL person, so I could be best buds with her!! OMG!! She's just SO AWESOME!!! And she's SO FUNNY, too!! ROFL!!!

      Now, folks, I will be even MORE serious! AHEM. I don't think I will EVER become "a horror convert". I can still remember reading "The Exorcist" several years ago, and not being able to sleep well for over a WEEK! I actually threw the book in the garbage!! SHUDDERS!!! Also, I still remember a Stephen King short story that I was DUMB enough to read, which involved a family escaping from a GORGEOUS valley where they had bought a beautiful home. The area was like a paradise! Well, everything was hunky-dory because each family living in the valley had to, GET THIS NOW....MAKE AN ANNUAL SACRIFICE TO THE DEVIL. WELL. The family managed to escape in the middle of the night, and started hitchhiking....They were eventually picked up by a couple of old hippies driving a psychedelic van....everybody was having a LOT of fun, singing '60s songs and chatting with the hippies.....when these "benevolent" hippies turned into a couple of DEMONS, and the van turned into a HUGE MOUTH that swallowed up the entire family!!!!! OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! No, folks, I want to stay as FAR away as possible from Mr. King!!!!

      "Dread Nation" will probably be my very last zombie book, too!

      Well, you might think I'm nuts, because I LOVE The Twilight Saga, as well as Vampire Academy. To me, these books do NOT belong in the horror genre. Lol. I do love vamps and werewolves, if they are "good guys" who fall in love with humans, and don't hurt them. LOL. But if they decide to KILL them instead, I'n outta there!!!! And I'll be SCREAMING IN TERROR as I run!!! ROFL!!!!

      Okay, I'm getting off the soapbox now, guys!!! Lol. BWHAHAHA!!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

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    3. I don't remember that King story...now you have me curious.

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    4. I don't remember the title myself, curiously enough. Unfortunately, I DO remember the plot....lol. :)

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  4. It was just an okay read for me but I hope you both enjoy it and I hope she especially likes it since it's her first time on the darkside!! :)

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  5. I'm hearing good things about this book so I hope you both love it and Maria becomes a dark convert.
    Lynn :D

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  6. Oh, Maria, you might find that you absolutely love it :)

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  7. I can't wait to see what you both think of this one! Maybe Maria will become a horror lover after all :)

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  8. Oh I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did! Somehow I must have missed your WoW post where you featured this book because I didn't find out about this book until like a week before its release. The good news though is that I missed all the hype, which might have helped!

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  9. I only read the first sentence in that synopsis because it looks so good. YA? Civil War? Zombies!? YES, YES, YES! I need to see if my library has this. If not, I may have to sneak over to a book store...

    So excited to see someone trying the horror genre out. I think it's a special genre that deserves more love! I hope you both like the book!

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  10. What a lovely idea:). I hope you both enjoy this one, Barb!

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  11. I hope it turns out to be a really fun buddy read!

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