Amy is the key in THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin

Post-apocalyptic novels are hot right now.
Some of these books make me think, "Wow, this is fun.  Glad it could totally never happen."
Some of these books make me think, "Ooh depressing.  I hope I'm not around if this ever happens."
Then there's The Passage by Justin Cronin.  This book made me want to buy a shotgun, hoard water, and start digging an underground shelter.

The story starts about five years in the future, in a crappier but predictable version of the U.S.   A grieving scientist has discovered a unique virus in the South American rain forest.  This virus can cure cancer and reverses the aging process, along with some other side-effects that the military will kill to get its hands on.

The virus is brought back to a secret compound hidden in the Colorado rockies.  The virus is tested on those who society won't miss, death-row inmates.

It's Brad Wolgast's job to find the inmates, get them to sign their lives away, and bring them back to Colorado.  He's pretty much ok with this until he's asked to bring in Amy, a six-year-old girl.

Of course, something goes wrong and the infected inmates escape.  The virus and its violence spread rapidly across the U.S.  Amy may be humanity's only hope.

OK Junkies, I'll stop myself because I really don't want to spoil anything.

But you must read this book.  I know, it's like 800 pages and you could probably throw your back out from carrying it around.  But it's so worth it.

Did I mention it's jam-packed with bad-ass heroines?

There's Alicia, the ruthless fighter who kicks viral ass better than anyone.
There's Sara, the strong nurse who never flinches away from death.
There's Mausami, willing to risk everything for the man she loves.
There's Sister Lacy, willing to die for her cause.

And of course, there's Amy.

Read The Passage and stop by to tell me what you think.

Oh, for those of you who've already read it, check out this site with Blair Witch type videos.

Vampires do it best in BLOOD SUCKING FIENDS by Christopher Moore

Hey there Junkies, I'm bending my own rules a bit.  Although Blood-Sucking Fiends: A Love Story is not YA, anything with vampires attracts the attention of teenagers, so therefore it totally counts.

Christopher Moore is a genius.  I don't know why no one gives him credit for starting the whole paranormal romance craze.  Blood-Sucking Fiends was published in 1995! (A man WAY ahead of his time!) I still think it has the best vampire sex of any fanged book out there. 

OK, so Jody is a ho-hum gal until she wakes up beneath a dumpster with her exposed hand burnt to a crisp.  But that's ok, because after she gobbles a critter, it heals itself.  Eventually Jody figures it out.  Oh crap, she's been turned into a vampire.  Which sucks because that means she'll NEVER lose those 5 vanity pounds.

But Jody is a smart chick and she knows the first thing any good vampire needs is a human sex slave.  Or at least someone to find her an apartment and pick up her dry cleaning.  This is where Thomas Flood comes in.

Tommy is a mid-western corn-fed young man who came to San Francisco to pursue his dream of writing the great American novel.  So naturally, he spends his time turkey-bowling as an after-hours stocker at Safeway.  Jody meets Tommy and ya know, vampy shinanigans ensue.

You Suck: A Love Story is the awesome sequel and I can't wait for Bite Me: A Love Story to come out 3/23/10.

These books are so refreshing because they don't take themselves too seriously.  One of my favorite parts in Blood Sucking Fiends is when Tommy and Jody test out all the old vampire myths.  Jody does have a reflection in a mirror, who knew?

Moore creates a hilarious world with memorable characters.  The city of San Francisco almost serves as a character itself, and anyone who has spent a decent amount of time in the city will appreciate these books so much more for the setting's idiosyncracies.

Of course, my favorite character is Abby Normal.  She started as a minor character in Blood Sucking Fiends, narrates some of You Suck and I believe she is the central character in Bite Me.  Abby is a gothic teenager who wears Converse tennis shoes, reads Anne Rice, and fantasizes about meeting a vampire.  But you see, Junkies, Abby's real name is none other than, Alison Greene.  Her parents named her after the Elvis Costello song.  I wear Converses (my maiden name IS Converse), I read Anne Rice and fantasize about meeting a vampire (well, I did when I was a teenager).  My name is Alyson Greene and my parents named me after the Elvis Costello song.  I AM Abby Normal!

So, I told Christopher Moore this when I met him at a signing and he just looked at me, looked back at my name written on a post-it, and said "It's spelled wrong."  Sigh.  Well, at least he signed my book "To the real Abby Normal."

OK Junkies, so we're counting down the days until Bite Me comes out.  Remember, if you're going to read a vampire book, let it be one that makes you laugh.