Ashley

This book sounds like it is written for me; zombies, talking animals, general hijinks. Unfortunately, I could not get into it! I just didn't care about any of the characters or what they were doing. It was also trying very hard to be funny and the humor just didn't land for me. The premise behind the zombies was very silly, although not very important to the plot so not a big deal.

My other issue was the writing itself. I felt like half of this book was just a list of different animals and the names for groups of animals. That combined with all the adjectives, similes, and metaphors, made this read like a high school English paper that had a very specific science prompt.

I really thought I was going to love this book, but it just didn't work for me.

Sherlock Holmes with kids and ghosts! Fun story and deeper than I expected.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was like a collection of black mirror episodes that dove deeper into the science or technology that it would take to get to these points and then explored the limits of these scenarios morally and ethically. I enjoyed it even though sometimes I struggle with the science part of sci-fi and I can easily recommend it for sci-fi fans who enjoyed Black Mirror.

Difficult to read, because of some of the trauma that these characters have experienced, but well worth it, in my opinion. Roxanne Gay's writing style is excellent and I'm excited to read more from her.

I had previously put this down and just recently picked it up again and I'm so happy I did! I have enjoyed Mary Roach's writing in the past and this was no exception. She is a curious person and instead of just looking something up on Wikipedia, she goes straight to the source to answer her questions. She is also funny and makes a subject matter that may be dry or uncomfortable and makes it approachable. I recommend any of Mary Roach's books, but if you read this one, know you will never think about eating or defecating the same way again!