// I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review //

Full Review: http://wp.me/p8IxRn-FN


This was a unique and comedic take on a parenting "survival" guide.

I found myself throughly amused. The do's and don't were amusing, as well as those tables and experiments that I guess the author had to do for this book. It made me laugh just thinking about it.
I also agree with the idea to not add overly cinematographic images to the cartoons as to not distract the readers from what the book really wanted to say.
( )

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Disclaimer: I'm not a parent and I've been reading this book to make sure I can take any advantage necessary should the zombie-apocalypse arrive.

Which is exactly why I can't share any of it with you. ;)

Only Dead on the Inside takes a funny turn from your usual survival guides, adding in a lot of sections on children, while mainly complaining about them but in a funny way. However, there even seemed to be some sound advice in there. I was unaware of the author's twitter (@xplodingunicorn) but it is a nice one to follow.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free book in exchange for an honest review! ( )

Advance Review Copy.

Pretty funny book about how us parents can use our skills to survive the zombie apocalypse in spite of our kids. Comes with helpful tips such as using kids toys scattered about the floor as a zombie intruder defense and a passionate argument for why the Minivan is the ultimate survival vehicle.

This is geared toward parents with elementary school aged kids, but would probably make a good gift for a new dad who is a fan of The Walking Dead.

Only downside I had was formatting for e-readers made all the graphs messed up and the comics non-existent. Probably won't be an issue for actual release of book if it goes digital.

( )

I've followed James Breakwell for some time on Twitter. It was actually a close friend that had initially shared his tweets until I decided to follow him myself. While I haven't read everything he's tweeted, most of what I've come across has been funny. Why? Because while it's hard to go it alone in parenting, it's nice to know there are others out there struggling with the same issues. James has found a way to encourage parents to take a step back and find the humor in the worst of situations. Which is why when I found out he'd written a book, I wanted to read it. Plus, it includes zombies, one of my favorite genres.

The good thing? He didn't recycle his old tweets and publish them in this book. Instead, the author came up with a new concept, wrote about it thoughtfully and put it all together into a comprehensive parenting book, that is, parenting during the zombie apocalypse. There were a couple of funny points, more like the kind that would affect a slight smile, but no laugh out loud moments. And the idea of parenting in the zombie apocalypse, well, it has crossed my mind. Like being in the middle of a very crowded Main street in Disneyland. "We're so screwed if the zombie apocalypse hit," I'd said to my husband while attempting to push a double stroller through a sea of people (It felt like pushing a toothpick through a brick wall).

I think I'd built up in my mind that the book would be a lot, if not exactly, like the humor from Twitter. Instead, it felt more like a parent complaining page after page. And while I still could identify with what he was saying, it almost had a bitter feel...like sarcasm to the extreme. One thing that caught my attention was when he was talking about kids not listening to parents. Typical parent complaints, right? You ask them to wash their hands and you pretty much have to supervise the washing, otherwise, they won't do it. Eat your vegetables (or any part of the dinner) can turn into torture for you and your kid. The other night my daughter cried that she had to eat a spaghetti noodle. Seriously? This isn't the first time she's had spaghetti. Any, I digress. Kids disobey even the littlest of instructions, so the idea of having kids during an emergency such as this seems an impossible task. What caught my attention was when he mentioned: "Children even suck at dying". While I get what he's trying to say, that struck me the wrong way. With that said, I just didn't love this book. It wasn't awful, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to my family or friends. I did share this with one friend and she felt the same.

I still enjoy his tweets. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this book. I did take the opportunity to listen to the audiobook as well to see if perhaps I was missing something by not hearing the intended tone of voice. Perhaps it was the library's digital copy, but the audio quality wasn't great. I hate to say it. I didn't enjoy reading this book nearly as much as I'd expected. Other readers obviously feel differently (91% gave it 5 stars on Amazon), but for me, Breakwell's best humor is on Twitter. I received a complimentary copy from BenBella Books in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

If you have a family and need to keep them all safe and alive from zombies, this is your book. Buy this book now, read it and keep it for reference. It could also be useful for hurricanes, earthquakes, and ordinary human bad guys. It is packed full of helpful drawings, charts, and lists, as well as general parenting advice and philosophy. And humor - good for stress relief! Stock up now on diapers, umbrella strollers, and at least one minivan. Read the book and you'll understand. ( )