How to be a Zombie by Serena Valentino + Contest!

Published 2010.

This fantastically freaky look inside the fearsome world of zombies takes you, the newly undead, from first bite to fun-filled afterlife with hands-on hints covering:

Fitting in at home, work, and school as a zombie.

Dressing like a hideous undead creature.

Brains - do you have to eat them?

Get bitten.

Get gory.

Get your zombie on. (book back blurb)

First, let me just say the romanticizing of zombies really cranks my grinder. They're zombies. Undead, rotting corpses. What can possibly be appealing about that? But putting that aside, this was a pretty cute book. Very nicely put together, I loved the visuals that came with all of the tips. My favorites were the musical selections.

I liked how the book outlined each different type of zombie gathered from various sources and stuck to the confines of each zombie; meaning those rage virus zombies didn't have much of a chance for a romantic life since they're pretty much bat shit insane and would rip apart any significant other they came across. As much humor that was throughout the book, there is legitimate lore littered throughout which is a nice break from it all. It helps ground out the extreme that the book is taking zombiism to.

I loved all of the pictures and fonts that went along with all of the text. It complimented the entire feel of the book nicely. A mixture of digitally edited photographs and drawings, they're both heinously creepy and when need be funny at the same time. It was a nice juxtaposition throughout the book. Yes, it's pretty much making fun of romanticized zombies and banking on the extreme that people are taking it to but at the same time it's showcasing just how icky these things really are.

It gives excellent selections for zombie-related music and classic zombie movie choices. You can't really beat that. There's even a quirky comic and a couple of zombie quizzes you can take to see where you rank in the greater zombie-verse. The voice is poignant and portrays what it's trying to say as clearly as possible, with just a little sarcasm. It's definitely catering to a specific audience but at the same time those that are a little more leery of the romanticized zombie can get a kick out of what Valentino is saying.

It's quirky, funny and, yes, cute. There's just no other word for it. I love the make-up of some of the chicks in the photos and I can use other creeptastic photos for excellent triggers for writing. Can't beat that. This book certainly doesn't take itself seriously but it hits upon pretty realistic points concerning zombies that you might not have thought of otherwise. So if you want a good kick out of the zombie world, this book's a good one to do it. It's a quick read that'll have you laughing at points and taking notes at others.

Contest Time!!!

Want my copy of How to be a Zombie? Then just fill out the form below for your chance to win! Open to US residents 13 years of age and older only. One entry per person per email address. Duplicate entries will be deleted. The designated question must be answered for the entrant to qualify. Entrance into the contest also grants me permission to post your answer on this website. Contest ends October 24th at midnight, EST.