World War Z by Max Brooks

This book is quite different to the usual things I read, where there's just one person narrating and the plot is very much more close to our current reality than in World War Z. And I don't know why, because I've always been hugely in to all sorts of apocalyptic scenarios and enjoyed films like 28 Days Later. The problem with films, so often, is that they just don't give enough of a back story. It's all about the gore and the action but I just love an explanation that I can dive in to. This is why I absolutely loved this book, it was so well thought out and it described, in detail, the events that lead up to the Zombie apocalypse, what happened in the war against them and how it all ended up. It is written in the format of different interviews by a bunch of different characters all over the world - soldiers, civilians, politicians etc. Together they all build up a perfectly satisfying story of the Zombie apocalypse, while still leaving enough mystery to it all.
My brother started reading it just after I did so we had some great discussions around it. There's a film version coming out soon and to be honest my hopes aren't very high, it'll probably just be a zombie version of 2012 or The Day After Tomorrow, and it'll probably focus too much on the action and special effects rather than the most interesting parts of the book (in my opinion) such as the psychological effects the war had on people and how it came around in the first place and how people in power reacted at first, and how everyone responded differently to try and save themselves.

I absolutely recommend this book. It's not the best writing style you will ever come across but it's so interesting and exciting and detailed, I really couldn't put it down.

An update, finally!

I started this blog way back in September last year, with plans to keep it regularly updated with detailed posts about my life and interests. Didn't happen, thanks to university, a six month work placement, and my laptop going to shit.

My summer has now started - I have 0 responsibilities for the next three months and so I am going to make the time for some proper blogging. I haven't been this excited about a summer in years, in fact, I can't remember the last time I was actually this excited about life. I don't know if this is just unrealistic childish excitement and if things aren't even going to be that magical, but it's the looking forward to it part that's almost the best part, anyway.

At the end of this month my boyfriends band is supporting none other than Bruce freakin' Springsteen, my absolute hero and I couldn't be more excited. Some time ago, my boyfriend and I wrote a "Life list of things we need to do before we die", and one of them was to see Bruce Springsteen play. And now not only is that happening, but he is actually opening for him at Hard Rock Calling. This is a life goal accomplished and I am so happy for him. I wonder if I'll actually get to meet Bruce, shit, that would be unreal. Anyway, so the day after that we are going to the states - me and James have always dreamed about travelling together and now we're actually properly doing it, I can't believe it! While we're there we're going to Florida, Louisiana and Nashville, Tennessee. Me and James (boyfriend) have this obsession with all things country music and our favourite TV show right now is Nashville so we are totally going to be in our element. He is planning to bring his guitar and hopefully we'll find some cool bars and he'll have a chance to play an open mic night or something. If only I had some sort of talent myself, we could be like a musical dream team out there but alas, I am a potato and possess no such thing. Although, one thing I am rather proud of is the fact that I wrote the lyrics for one of the songs on his bands' new album. Not because I think they're the greatest lyrics ever, but just because they actually made it on to something that can be preserved forever and because James was able to write beautiful music to it. I can't wait for everyone to hear it.

I'm currently at my parents house in Germany, and it is very very hot. Right now I'm hiding out in the dining room because I was out for the afternoon, sitting in the sun, and now I'm basically a limp vegetable. Last weekend I went to a festival called Greenfield in Switzerland, and I brought my family with me to come and see James play there. It was in such a beautiful place, called Interlaken right in the alps. The weather was amazing and I got my first sunburn that I can even remember. I didn't actually watch any bands apart from Deaf Havana because I spent a lot of time in the town, but I had such a good time. It's such a nice place, pretty touristy (so many Chinese people) but it's not really surprising considering the kind of scenery that was around. My brother and I camped out at the festival for two nights, and I had such a good time the first night. It was just us two, which was strange because at every other festival I've been to I've always been around so many friends. So I was out of my comfort zone but it was cool because as soon as I got drunk, like magic, I just befriended a bunch of American and Swiss people and spent the night hanging out with them. It was a lot of fun but I didn't get any of their numbers of Facebook names or anything like that, and I kind of like that because at the time these things are great but 99.99999% of the time they just end up being someone on your social networking sites that you never speak to again, and that kind of thing even makes me sad sometimes. By the second night I was so tired that I just went to bed, I couldn't be bothered to do anything else. We'd been out in the town with James for the whole day and I was just massively tired for some reason. Falling asleep with thousands of metal heads partying around you isn't the easiest thing, and I kind of felt bad for not making the most of the last night there but I always find that when you force things like that when you really don't feel like it, you end up having a thoroughly average time anyway.

Anyway, here are some pictures from our time in Switzerland:

James and I

James, Wilson, Matthew & me

Me and my brother, Kenny