confessions of a southside catatonic chataholic

...no apparatus, no appointment of time and place, is necessary. It is the only art which can be practised at any hour of the day or night, whenever the time and inclination comes, that is your time for reading; in joy or sorrow, health or illness.'
~ Holbrook Jackson

In which Tosca works on getting back her broken book mojo by reading a number of books - three horror titles courtesy of SFFANZ for reviewing, and three graphic novels found while generally hanging out in subversive pockets of our library catalogue. Namely, yaoi graphic novels (two with the sex scenes ripped out of them) and zombies (with the horror scenes intact).



It's Monday and this is my 'What I'm reading' post which is, really, just a quick listing of a tiny bit of what I have out at the moment. I'm in the middle of *does a quick count up* thirty-one books. Roughly. All at various stages depending on how 'into' them I am currently. There's a mix of nonfiction, graphic novels and fiction, most of which I'm reading for some of my eNewsletters. So far I'm enjoying them. Even with pages missing *sigh*

Title: Feed - book 1 in the Newsflesh trilogy
Author: Mira Grant
Genre: Science fiction, horror fiction
Publisher: Orbit
Year: c2010
Summary: "The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we had created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives--the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will [come] out, even if it kills them." -- Cover.

Title: Deadline - book 2 in the Newsflesh trilogy
Author: Mira Grant
Genre: Science fiction, horror fiction
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2011
Summary: "Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organisation he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has. But when a researcher from the Centre for Disease Control fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun's relieved to find a new purpose in life. Because she brings news: the monster who attacked them may be destroyed, but the conspiracy is far from dead. Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun." -- Back cover.

Title:Breathers: a zombie's lament
Author: S.G. Browne
Genre: Horror, comedy
Publisher: Piatkus
Year: 2009
Summary: Meet Andy Warner, a recently deceased everyman and newly minted zombie. Resented by his parents, abandoned by his friends, and reviled by a society that no longer considers him human, Andy is having trouble adjusting to his new existence. But all that changes when he goes to an Undead Anonymous meeting and finds kindred souls in Rita, an impossibly sexy recent suicide with a taste for the formaldehyde in cosmetic products, and Jerry, a twenty-one-year-old car-crash victim with an exposed brain and a penchant for Renaissance pornography. When the group meets a rogue zombie who teaches them the joys of human flesh, things start to get messy, and Andy embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will take him from his casket to the SPCA to a media-driven class-action lawsuit on behalf of the rights of zombies everywhere.

Title:Love knot
Author: Lemon Ichijo
Genre: Graphic novel
Rating: M - Mature: Explicit sexuality, sexual full body nudity, mild violence, mild language
Publisher: Piatkus
Year: 2009
Summary: "Tomoya's got good looks and a violent streak to match, but he has one regret, having turned down the feelings of his best friends from junior high with lame excuse, "I dont like guys who are shorter than me!" However, he's in for a big surprise when a tall man he doesn't recognize meets him outside his home...with a big hug." -- Cover.

Tosca's comment: Missing pages. Worse: missing pages with sex scenes. Do you know how awfully irritating that is? It's not that I'm perverted - well, possibly it is, but that's not that only reason - it's more that it's a form of vandalism and it interrupts the flow of the story. Who knows what happens in those pages? Admittedly, I can guess, but that's not the point. And whether it's censorship or kink I have no clue. Gah. Bad people!

Title: Crimson spell - book 1 in the Crimson spell series
Author: Ayano Yamane
Genre: Graphic novel
Rating: Parental advisory, explicit content
Publisher: Kitty Press
Year: c2005
Summary: In an attempt to save his country, prince Valdrigue uses the cursed sword, which once belonged to his father. Now he is slowly turning into a beast and the only person who can save him is the mysterious and powerful wizard Hallwill. In exchange for help Valdrigue must accompany the wizard in his quest for magical devices. When Hallwill sees the beast side of Valdrigue, he finds it quite attractive. But the prince, who is unaware of his actions as a beast, knows nothing of Hallwill's doings. Meanwhile the curse seems more complicated than they've anticipated.

Title: Lover's flat
Author: Hyouta Fujiyama
Genre: Graphic novel
Rating: Parental advisory, explicit content
Publisher: Digital Manga Pub.
Year: c2007
Summary: A bit of Christmas merriment leads to a night of passion between Natsu and Kouno. How do the two plan on handling "the morning after?" Natsu doesn't want to let go and their relationship continues. Kouno begins harbouring feelings of love toward Natsu and every day it gets harder and harder for him to confess his love.

Comment: Pages ripped out. Sex scenes. Again. Why? As above, I'm not sure if it's a form of protest or a kink. Nor which I'd prefer it to be. If it's a form of protest I wish they'd put it in writing and address it to the branch manager. If it's a form of kink...maybe I'd rather not know about that. Please, please don't rip our books. Yes, I might get my HEA (happy ever after) moment and yes, you might think it's formulaic, but I deserve to read the journey in its entirety.