May was a fun reading month for me because many of the books I read were related to ZOMBIES. May is Zombie Awareness Month and in celebration I usually go a little overboard reading zombie books and watching zombie movies and television shows. More so this year since I hosted Zombiethon on my channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I completed nine books. Of those nine books, I read six for Zombiethon with one of the zombie books being chosen for May’s Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club selection. I finally got around to reading Rise of the Princess by D.A.L. which was a book on my 23 Books for 2023 and Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian for the FOMO Book Club. Lastly, I read the first selection for the Middle Grade March Book Club called The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. In addition to Zombiethon, I also read 5 short stories about zombies for Horror Mayhem. May was another month of reading a variety of genres and discovering new authors; and, I revisited characters from a middle-grade zombie series I started last year.
ZOMBIETHON READATHON
Zombiethon was created by ME. This month-long readathon/watchathon was my second event on my channel, and it fulfilled #14 on my 23 for 2023 List. I could not be more pleased with the zombie short stories and books I read throughout the month of May. In addition to reading prompts, there were movie prompts, live chats, and reading sprints. I selected a group read, Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall. I created seven reading prompts which inspired my Zombiethon TBR.
Zombies can be __________________, so…
- Zany: Read a humorous zombie story. (Kate Walden Directs: Night of the Zombie Chickens by Julie Mata)
- Open-Minded: Read a zombie story with romantic vibes. (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith)
- Moody: Read a middle-grade zombie story. (Blue Moon by James Ponti – Book 2 in Dead City series)
- Brainy: Read a nonfiction article, an essay, or book about zombies. (“Do Zombies Feel Pain? Exploring Sensory Neuropathy” by Luke W. Boyd)
- Imaginative: Read a comic book, a graphic novel, a manga, or a picture book related to zombies. (Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty)
- Enterprising: Read a zombie story that made it to the little or big screen. (The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey)
- Spontaneous: Mood Read (Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall)
I loved that my zombie literature varied with some middle-grade books, humourous undead books, articles and essays, short stories, and even a picture book about brains.
Kate Walden Directs: Night of the Zombie Chickens by Julie Mata is more about the ups and downs of friendship in junior high than zombies, but it was still a fun read. Kate is a young filmmaker who hits a roadblock filming her zombie movie when her best friend decides to snub her for the popular girl in school.
Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith is the entertaining sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Elizabeth Bennet and her husband, Fitzwilliam Darcy, are enjoying wedded bliss when an unfortunate encounter with an unmentionable threatens their happily ever after.
Blue Moon, the exciting sequel to Dead City, by James Ponti is zomberific. Tagging along with Molly and her Omega friends for another action-filled zombie adventure in New York City was enjoyable. The group discovers the origin of zombies in “The Big Apple” as well as the identities of the Unlucky 13 and which ones hold the power in Dead City.
I read the article, “Do Zombies Feel Pain? Exploring Sensory Neuropathy” by Luke W. Boyd on the Zombie Research Society website. According to Boyd’s research, “Zombies have most likely experienced nerve damage that contributes to the common notion that they experience little to no physical pain. It could just be due to trauma, injury, infection, or Trioxin. But they most certainly seem to ignore discomfort in their ultimate pursuit of human flesh.” Interesting article about zombies with a scientific approach of whether or not they can feel pain.
Brains! Not just a Zombie Snack by Stacy McAnulty is a cute and informative picture book about brains. A friendly zombie girl informs readers about the importance of the brain, its parts and their functions, and the comparisons of the human brain with other animal brains. I love this whimsical way of teaching a science concept to children of all ages.
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey is a refreshing new take on zombies which are called “hungries” in this post-apocalyptic novel. Melanie is a zombie girl; however, it is not evident just by looking at her or talking with her. She is highly intelligent, experiences emotions, and enjoys reading. However, she also craves the flesh of animals (including the human ones) when their scent triggers her. An unexpected and vicious attack at the military base where she lives propels her and a small group of people beyond the base’s border and into a wasteland. Now, humanity hangs in the balance. 5 stars for this well-written novel with well-developed characters and its fresh approach to the genre of zombie fiction!
Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall was chosen as Zombiethon’s group read as well as May’s selection for the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club. I love zombies and comic cons, so I thought this comedy-horror book would appeal to me. Jim Pike is an assistant manager at the Botany Bay Hotel with no real aspirations in life. He is on duty for the annual Star Trek convention where a strange virus is attending along with loads of Star Trek fans. Night of the Living Trekkies has humor, heart, and hordes of zombies along with plenty of action, gore, and a twist. It was well-written, so much fun to read, and would make an excellent zombie film. I gave this zomberific good time 5 stars!
I did a Zombiethon wrap up video on my Youtube channel which not only included my readathon but also included my watchathon if you are interested in the zombie movies I watched throughout May.
HORROR MAYHEM
My friend Mindy @ Mindy’s Book Journey was one of the hosts for the month-long readathon, Horror Mayhem. The criteria for this readathon was to read short horror fiction that was less than 250 pages. I wanted to support her reading event, so I chose to read 5 zombie-related short stories from Zombies: A Compendium of the Living Dead edited by Otto Penzler. I am always looking for an excuse to incorporate more short stories in my reading life.
- “Eat Me” by Robert McCammon ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- “Jumbee” by Henry S. Whitehead ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- “The Outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- “Home Delivery” by Stephen King ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I did a Horror Mayhem wrap up video on my Youtube channel if you are interested in hearing more about these short stories and my thoughts on them.
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FOMO BOOK CLUB
Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian was the March/April book club selection for the FOMO Book Club. Since the lovely ladies who run this book club did not meet until 07 May, I was able to complete this one right at the beginning of May and join their discussion. This middle-grade novel is my first ever by Michelle Magorian. Despite heartbreaking moments in the novel, I absolutely loved the story, many of the characters and their relationships, as well as the amazing setting where the majority of the story takes place.
Good Night, Mr. Tom begins on the threshhold of World War II. Willie Beech is sent from London to Little Weirwold in the English countryside to live with a kindly old widower named Mr. Tom. Willie is skinny, apprehensive, and terrified of all the new sights and sounds of country life. Mr. Tom soon discovers that William comes from an abusive home, and William soon discovers that Mr. Tom is a kind and patient old man. Together, they form a close relationship that makes them learn to love the world again. This literary gem is a compelling and heartbreaking historical fiction story that tugs at the heart strings and shows the triumph of the human spirit during challenging experiences. This new favorite of mine easily earned 5 stars.
23 BOOKS FOR 2023 (Reading ARC)
Rise of the Princess by D.A.L. was the Reading ARC (advanced reader copy) sent to me by the author Daniel back in December. I already had a full TBR in December with the three readathons that I was participating in that I did not get to it. It is one of the books on my 23 Books for 2023 list which ended up on my TBR for February, March, and April. I finally started it at the very end of April and finished it the first week in May.
It is a terrific fairy tale adventure about two princesses, Lizzy and Ruby, who go on a quest with a fairy named Blake to rescue
Ruby’s sisters from a few impolite trolls. They experience all sorts of magical creatures along the way. Rise of the Princess has heart, humor, and heroics to make for a worthwhile middle-grade read. This whimsical reading experience earned 4 stars from me.
MIDDLE GRADE MARCH BOOK CLUB
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill was the first book club selection for the Middle Grade March Book Club which launched in May. This online book club is run by four wonderful booktubers: Krista @ Books and Jams, Amanda @ The Curly Reader, Katie @ Life Between Words, and Jenna @ Jenna Reads n Writes (Instagram).
The Ogress and the Orphans is a beautifully written middle-grade fantasy with a fable-like quality. Once there was a lovely town called Stone-in-the Glen where warm-hearted citizens lived and worked together as a harmonious
community. Then, several tragic events cause the idyllic town to fall on hard times and neighbors no longer act neighborly.
The Ogress and the Orphans was my first experience reading Kelly Barnhill, and I absolutely loved it so much. It is a long book and is a slower paced story; however, I did not mind that at all because the story kept me engaged with its lyrical prose. This story is about kindness, empathy, the importance of books and family, as well as what it means to be a good neighbor. “The more you give, the more you have” is a theme that runs throughout the book. While there are some heartrending moments, there are many tender moments that made reading this story enjoyable. It was a fabulous 5-star fantasy for me!
If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this book or the other books I read in May, please check out my May wrap up video.
Dear reader, June is nearly wrapping up. I completed 4 books for Kelsi’s Killer Corn Slasherthon, a patreon exclusive reading event held at the beginning of June. I have also completed 3 books for a reading project and book clubs. I am currently reading The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson for the Middle Grade March Book Club and Her Perfect Hero by Emma Bennet for Summer Book Bingo. In addition, I have Beloved by Toni Morrison still left on my TBR which I’m hoping I will be able to get to before the month ends. So much fun reading going on in June. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!
“A library is a medicine cabinet. What can heal one person may not work at all for somebody else.” ~ Sandra Cisneros, A House of My Own
The Kat Files 