This Day in World History - Why does most every country in the world agree on how to determine what time it is? You can thank the International Prime Meridian Conference, which began on October 13, 1884, and lasted nearly ten days. The twenty-five countries that gathered in Washington , D.C., agreed to accept the line of longitude that passed through Britain’s Royal Observatory as the prime meridian—the line of 0° longitude (just as the Equator is 0° latitude). The nations also agreed that the time at Greenwich would be the standard time against which all other times would be compared—Greenwich Mean Time.
Synopsis
Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.
Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain.
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.
I thoroughly enjoyed this paranormal romance. I read oodles and oodles of speculative fiction and this one really stood out with me. The storyline is completely unique, fast-paced, well-written, the characters are engaging and the romantic element, while underplayed, was sigh-worthy. Some readers may be put off by the religious element--particularly the villian being a bible-spouting pastor--but I was completely caught up in this light and dark war that challenged my thoughts about death. I can't wait to read the companion novel!
Synopsis
Perfect for zombiephiles, video game addicts, grindhouse nostalgists, and horror movie fanatics, Zombie Haiku is the touching story of a zombie's gradual decay told through the intimate poetry of haiku. From infection to demise, readers will accompany the narrator on a zen journey through deserted streets and barracaded doors for every eye-popping, gut-wrenching, flesh-eating moment right up until the inevitable bullet to the brain. Plus the book is illustrated with over 50 photos from the zombie's eye and designed with extra blood, guts and pus!
A co-worker turned me on to this little gem. She suggested I read it and use it as an excercise for my creative writing club. (Thanks, Monica!) Zombie Haiku is a quick, hilarious read that had me giggling and groaning. It can easily be ingested in an hour's time, but it's a fun read that's perfect for Halloween, reluctant reader's and zombie fans like me. And the most amusing part? It was written by a youth pastor. Bet his kids love him!
