Last night I finished reading Amelia Beamer‘s The Loving Dead and I really enjoyed it.  It’s a romantic comedy (sort of) featuring zombies, zeppelins, and employees from a popular U.S. retail chain. There are all sorts of reasons I liked it so much. Some are probably unique to me, but some aren’t. The book is funny, sexy and a bit off-putting at times (there are flesh-eating zombies here, after all). It’s also, for me, a real trip down memory lane. Part of the story is set in a friend’s house where  I used to spend a lot of time and part of it in an area of Oakland where I lived for a year. It’s also told in Amelia’s voice. I can hear her reading this out loud, telling the jokes that her lead character tells, and being brave and kick-ass in pretty much the same way.  Those personal things only add, though, to what is a very good first novel.  Even if you’ve never been in the Oakland hills, wandered through Piedmont, or worked in a retail outlet, The Loving Dead has a lot to offer you.  Highly recommended. (You can read the book online for free now at ameliabeamer.com, but you’re going to want to own your own copy – trust me.)