I recently read an interview with Ann Patchett where see was asked about how hard it was to scrap a piece of writing that wasn't working, and to start again. The interviewer thought it might be like a little death to let go a hard-won piece of writing, but Patchett was more pragmatic. Her reply … Continue reading The End of the World is Bigger than Love | Davina Bell #AWW
Photo by Viktor Forgacs on UnsplashJennifer @HoldsOnHappiness wrote a post recently about keeping calm in a world suddenly gone mad. Her simple solution was to stockpile books, not toilet paper. And tea.It would seem that all the end-of-the-world stories I've read over the years, have seeped into my subconscious, as I would have to self-isolate … Continue reading #JustSaying – Stay Calm & Read
What a powerful reading experience! On the Beach is a modern classic set in Melbourne in the 1950's about the end of the world. The Northern Hemisphere is gone. A nuclear war between China, Russia and the USA has obliterated everything north of the equator. Australasia, South America and South Africa are now simply waiting … Continue reading On the Beach | Nevil Shute
One of the books I had to read (way back when) at school was Z For Zachariah by Robert O'Brien. I approached it reluctantly at the time, but ended up loving it.I think it's when I realised that my love of reading was bigger than genre or topic. As long as the book was well … Continue reading The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn
How many teen dystopian novels with an alien twist do we really need?I for one am a little over the whole genre.But this one looks a little different.An initial quote from Stephen Hawkings...“If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn … Continue reading The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
All Fall Down is a heart-breakingly sad story, beautifully written and crafted. It tells the story of a small village in the north of England in the 1300's through 14 year old Isabel's eyes. The Black Death is coming closer and closer to their little village. Rumours are spreading like wildfire. Anxiety and tension increase as … Continue reading All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls
Shadows is book two in the Ashes trilogy. I enjoyed the first book immensely. It raced along with lots of action, suspense and left us with a fabulous cliff-hanger ending. I was looking forward to Shadows release date with great anticipation.And... well... it's okay.Sorry, that's the best I can do.Shadows is so full of action and drama and … Continue reading Shadows | Ilsa J. Bick
I approached Crewel with some trepidation and an "oh no, not another dystopian YA novel" attitude. So I have to say up front that I loved this book from the first page. I loved the whole weaving of time concept. It captured my imagination and drew me in. It felt original, new and exciting. It was a … Continue reading Crewel | Gennifer Albin
Warning: this is not a book review! Mr Books and I have become hooked on a new TV series from the US. It is not for the faint-hearted. It is bloody, gory and freakin' scary! During season one I hid behind the pillows several times an episode. Season two has had lots of OMG-I-didn't-see-that-coming moments … Continue reading Watching Not Reading – The Walking Dead
The Way We Fall is an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it book. A virus suddenly takes hold on an island population. They're quickly cut off from the mainland and left to fend for themselves as one by one they die, go hungry and become desperate. Only 6 people survive the virus. One of them is Kaelyn and this is … Continue reading The Way We Fall | Megan Crewe
The end of the world is nigh! At least, according to the latest crop of teen books to hit my radar we don't have long to wait. Will it be a mutant virus? A nuclear dome? Or in the case of Ashes - electro-magnetic pulses that destroy every electronic system, fry healthy brains, and change … Continue reading Ashes | Ilsa J. Bick
If you enjoyed 'The Hunger Games' "Tomorrow When the War Began' and 'I am Number Four', then I'm sure you will love POD too. Aliens come to earth and wipe out anyone who happens to be outside at the time. That only leaves pockets of survivors who were inside their homes or shops at the time. … Continue reading POD | Stephen Wallenfels
I'm still not sure about this one. The beginning didn't grab me, but I kept going to see what the disaster was going to be. I love a good disaster/apocalyptic story and the disaster that occurs in Alone: Chasers is pretty catastrophic and dramatic. However the pace throughout was very slow and I struggled to engage … Continue reading Alone #1 Chasers | James Phelan
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