Thursday, June 9, 2011

BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris (And a Poultry Battle)

This requires no introduction. Seriously. But it is a Bookanista video for Veronica Roth, NYT bestselling author of DIVERGENT. What faction are you in?



And neither does this book, but it's going to get one. BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris. Let's examine:

Someone's been a very bad zombie.

Okay, we can stop there. I mean, that is just seriously awesome. This is not your typical zombie book, either. It's zombies on the football team.

Let's continue: Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steriods are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate! She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town . . . and stay hormonally human.

Things done well:
1. The characters. Kate is a smart girl, who uses her brainz to solve the mystery. She's not above physical activity, but she definitely has more brain than brawn, and isn't afraid to use it.

Jonah is also well-done, a perfect little brother for Kate. I just realized this is the second week in a row that I've talked about sibling relationships. They just mean a lot to me, I guess.

2. The writing. Carrie does an amazing job with the humor and wit. And that kind of funny writing is hard. Trust me, I've tried. The storytelling pulls the reader along, guiding without the reader knowing. And that takes talent.

3. The concept. I mean, did you read that first line??

This is not your typical zombie book. Get it (it's not out until July 12, so pre-order it). Read it. Love it.

And I hope you'll forgive me, but it's 1:00 AM after my launch party, so I'm not going to do the links for the other Bookanistas today. If you're dying, go here.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Carrie is Zombie Queen and I have July 12th marked on my calendar for this special occassion. Everyone in the world will know about these zombies and their awesomeness!!

Thanks for rubbing the awesome in our face. I'm officially jealous.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is a twist on zombies, isn't it? Sounds interesting.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I love the first line and the cover. Sounds like a book I should check out.

Matthew MacNish said...

I'm pretty sure that by the time all is said and done, Lisa and Laura will have had their faces photoshopped on to more bodies than anyone in the history of history.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I want Bad Taste in Boys! I want it BAD! :-)

I had so much fun following your launch party on Twitter last night, Elana. That right there made joining Twitter worth it!!!

Tere Kirkland said...

Feel like I've been waiting for this one almost as long as Possession. Through name changes and cover reveals and finally... almost... release days!


Thanks for the review, Elana! I can't wait until July 12!

Michelle Merrill said...

Thanks for the book review!

I loved the video. I actually got to see and take a picture with Veronica Roth last night! Very surreal and very nerve wracking. Who knew meeting published authors would make me nervous? It was my first book signing and there were five, count them, FIVE fabulous authors! And I lost my voice for the event. And the only friend I could find to go with me went shopping in the mall while I stayed in line to meet the authors. And then I might have stayed until the line was gone so I could gawk some more...and get more pictures. Yes, I gushed a little and squealed (with a squeaky lost voice), and the authors probably thought I was a child in a grown up body. Oh wait. I am.

Haha. Sorry for the rant. I was glad to see this celebration for her, though! Thanks for sharing.

Theresa Milstein said...

I need to return to this post to watch the video when I'm not working. It's my prep, but I'm in the tech lab with a room full of students.

Love the cover. But I'm too scared of zombies!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Hope the launch was a tremendous success!

Great review. Looking forward to reading Carrie's book.

S.B.Niccum said...

Congratulations on the launch!!!
S.B. Niccum
Author Website
Blog

K.V. Briar said...

Ooh, Bad Taste in Boys looks awesome! Great review, can't wait to read this one. Sibling relationship in books is a big thing for me to--there aren't many books out there with great family dynamics.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Great review Elana,

I am so hoping you're enjoying your launch week! I sounds like you are flying high!

Leslie S. Rose said...

The video is a total crack up! Congrats on taming the wild uncooked chicken and launching your fantastic book. L-O-V-I-N-G Possession. Gotta get back to reading.

Shana Silver said...

The humor in this book was wonderful! I seriously laughed out loud tons of times!

Krispy said...

This sounds like a fun book. Will definitely look out for it. Plus, I love the cover.

Congrats on the successful launch! I saw some pics on Twitter. :)

Jennie Bailey said...

The cover alone makes me want to read that book! I think I have a lips on covers fetish. I love Amy Holder's cover for Lipstick Laws as well. Obsessed with lips. On covers. Because real lip obsession would be weird.

And speaking of covers...yours makes me want to get a butterfly tattoo! I wonder if they could do the cube as well. How cool would that be?

Jo Schaffer said...

The title intrigues me. (=

SO good to see you all triumphant and fabulous last night! Seriously gratifying to be there to bask in your awesomeness.
You rock. xo

Jemi Fraser said...

I've got this one on my wishlist - love the cover! I've never read any zombie books, but this one sounds awesome!

LOVE the video!!! :)

JenWriter said...

Can't wait to read this one!

Anonymous said...

I'll be getting Bad Taste soon.

Anonymous said...

I had no idea that's what BAD TASTE was about. I've only seen the cover and never thought: ZOMBIES! But now...I'm going to have to read it. Zombie football? Touchdown!

Rebecca Gomez said...

My daughter loves zombie books, so I'll pass this on to her.

We already read Divergent and LOVED it!

Claire Dawn said...

Re the vid, why is it that noone's Abnegation? Could it be that writing is self-indulgent? lol.

As for Carrie's book, I been pre-ordered!

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