Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen

Quirk Classics: 2009, 319 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

In an interesting retelling of a beloved classic, this version of Pride and Prejudice is set in the same time and place as the original, just with the exception of the world having zombies. The lovely Bennet sisters are trained warriors, having studied in China under the expert tutelage of Master Liu, and have vowed to the King to keep their home and surrounding area free of the "unmentionables."  Lizzie is a most determined warrior, believing herself never to marry and relinquish her beloved katana sword.  However, the arrival of Charles Bingley and his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy is putting everyone in a tizzy, and Lizzie is no exception, even if she can't stand the proud and standoffish Darcy.  Readers of the classic story will notice how similar this retelling is to the original, with the exceptions of the brain-eating zombies, of course.

Into Thin Air

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Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Jon Krakauer

Anchor: 1997, 337 Pages

Reviewed by Tori Lyons

Krakauer chronicles climbing Mt. Everest on a guided expedition in May 1996 while researching an article for Outside magazine.  Clients on Rob Hall’s Adventure Consultants guided expedition each paid $65,000 for the opportunity to ascend the world’s tallest mountain.  While Krakauer is able to successfully reach the summit, he is all too aware that reaching the top is only half the battle.  A strong storm hits the upper reaches of Everest as the climbers are returning to camp and claims the lives of multiple climbers.  Into Thin Air provides a first-hand account of the weeks leading up to the tragedy as well as the aftermath for the guilt-ridden survivors.     

Pennyroyal Academy

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Pennyroyal Academy

M.A. Larson

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers: 2014, 320 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

A girl, later named Evie because she has no name, leaves her family in a far away place, traveling through the haunted forests to come to the bustling city in order to enlist at Pennyroyal Academy.  Pennyroyal Academy trains future princesses and knights in order to fight the war against the witches and dragons.  Ever fearful of being cut and having to leave the Academy, Evie must survive the rigorous training by the Fairy Drillsergeant while also navigating this new world of friendships and enemies, of mean girls and cute boys.  The outside war continues to get closer to the Academy while also becoming closer and alarmingly personal for Evie.  She must draw on all her strength and courage in order to not just stay at Pennyroyal Academy but also to just stay alive.

Grin and Beard It

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Grin and Beard It (Winston Brothers #2)

Penny Reid

Cipher-Naught: 2016, 389 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

The second in Penny Reid's Winston Brothers series, this book focuses on oldest brother Jethro.  Jethro made some mistakes in his past but he's moved on and became a better person.  He feels like he's still making amends to his family but he knows he'll never go back to the way he was when he was trying to be a big shot in the local biker gang.  As a park ranger, Jethro finds a very lost but very beautiful woman who is part of the production company that's shooting a movie by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Jethro doesn't realize, at first, that the lost woman is Sienna Diaz, the famous A-list comedian and writer.  She's America's sweetheart who is a workaholic but can't help but be captivated by Jethro's good looks and charm.  Will they be able to date like normal people?  Will Sienna's fame and Jethro's past ruin their future?  Readers don't necessarily have to read the first book in the Winston Brothers series but it is highly recommended.

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics

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Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics

Chris Grabenstein

Random House Books for Young Readers: 2016, 288 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics is the sequel to Grabenstein's Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.  Kids from all over America are upset at Mr. Lemoncello for not giving them a chance to escape from his library.  So what does he do?  He creates the first ever Library Olympiad!  Teams from across the country battles the hometown heroes as the winning players will receive a full scholarship to the college of their choice.  But something funny's going on.  Books are starting to disappear and a very persistent group of Alexandriaville natives are trying to wrestle control of the library away from Mr. Lemoncello.  Can Kyle and his friends win the game and figure out what in the heck is going on?