Let's Talk About Books I Read in Feb. & March

Hello, everyone! Let's talk about the books I read in February and March. There have been some interesting books I've read over the last two months. Some have been great, some disappointing, and some fantastic. It's a wide variety of things. I meant to do a monthly wrap-up for February earlier, but March flew by and I was quite busy. So, here are the books I read over the last two months.

THE BOOKS I READ IN FEBRUARY:

    

    

   

Blood on the Tracks Volume 7 by Shuzo Oshimi- 5 stars This series is a wild time. It's trauma on trauma. That little boy has lost his mind. Mama done drove him to the brink of breaking. Poor kid. OWN Paperback 

Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford- 5 stars This fantasy horror novella was recommended by BooksandLala. It's fantastic. It's right my alley for fairy tale horror and I love that. It's weird, poetic, and haunting. There's also some V.C. Andrews type stuff here, so be aware of that. Several times, I thought to myself, what in the V.C.? Rainsford went there. OWN Paperback 

I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is a Vegan Terrorist: 6 Deadly Social Media Influencers by Dr. Harper- 1 star DNF @ 41 pages This trilogy is a hot mess, but this book is not it. That first part was ghastly. I refused to continue own and I have no regrets about DNFing this one. Kindle Unlimited

Home. Girl. Hood. by Ebony Stewart- 5 stars I loved this collection. It was raw, honest, gritty, and beautifully crafted. I can definitely say Ebony Stewart is a new favorite poet and one I have on my radar. I loved this collection. Netgalley ARC provided by Button Poetry

Vampire by Richie Tankersley Cusick- 4.25 stars I love a good YA pulp horror and this is one that the cover beckoned me. I was absolutely a fan of this one. It's super gothic and the mystery is a ton of fun. The ending was a little rushed and too happy for the atmosphere and tone that had been set, but I was so impressed by this one. OWN Massmarket Paperback

Rigor Morbid: Lest Ye Become Anthology- 3.5 stars overall I love short stories and this collection was a strong one. "Treats," "We All Scream," "The Latin Queens of Michtlan," (reread) and "Sweet Caroline" were faves from the collection. Kindle Unlimited

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera- 4.5 stars One of my students brought me a copy of her book and told me she loved it so much and she wanted me to read it. This was a suckerpunch novel. It ends like it says, but the journey is so thought provoking and emotionally moving. Highly recommend if you are like me and late to the party. Borrowed/Library Audiobook

Woom by Duncan Ralston- 5 stars Extreme horror is weird because I am embarrassed that I enjoy them. LOL Listen, they are gross. This was nasty, but it was such a good book. I love the niche genre and I will read them if they come recommended. Kindle Unlimited

The Nightmare Brigade #1: The Case of the Girl from Deja Vu by Frank Thillez & Yomgui Dumont- 2 stars I was unimpressed with the story flow and the pacing. The art was also not my style. Unimpressed overall. Netgalley ARC provided by Papercutz

Bunny by Mona Awad- 5 stars (reread) I am obsessed. This is one of my all-time favorite novels and finishing this again years after reading it just solidified how amazing this book is. It's a trip, an absolute acid trip a la Alice in Wonderland with Lovecraftian body horror themes and the obsession with the Body (both the physical and the work of an artist). READ THIS. OWN Paperback

The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper- 2 stars I thought I was going to love this novella, but I wasn't impressed by it. I liked the commentary on homelessness and it was cool to read from the POV of a trans woman, but the cosmic horror didn't hit for me and the writing took me forever to connect to. A short read ending up taking up far too long. OWN Paperback (given away to student)

I only read 11 books in February, which was disappointing compared to my epic COVID January reading of 47 books, but alas, when you have work and life you can't read all day. I did read some great books in February, but the ones that disappointed me really make me sad. 

Not bad for average rating, but February just felt slumpy in terms of reading. Maybe it's because my page count was low?

Here are my 4.25 star, 4.5 star, and 5 star reads:

7. Vampire

6. They Both Die at the End

5. Home. Girl. Hood.

4. Woom

3. Blood on the Tracks Vol. 7

2. Follow Me to Ground

1. Bunny

THE BOOKS I READ IN MARCH:

    

    

    

  

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby- 5 stars This book was so good. I know it has its issues and it's not perfect, but I loved the gritty noir revenge story. I loved Buddy Lee so much and highly recommend it to fans of John Wick. OWN Hardcover

Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke- 4 stars This was a cosmic horror novella that worked for me. It was weird and the lines between reality and insanity were blurred. It was dark and creepy. I enjoyed it and novellas are meant to be read quickly. OWN Paperback

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegleman- 5 stars This took me a long time to read and it's a hard-hitting story about Art's father who survived Auschwitz. It's terrifying and sad. OWN Paperback

Bible- 5 stars (3rd reread) This was my third time reading the Bible all the way through. I've read some books multiple times, but I only count the entire readings. Bible App

For Every Me by Crystal Joelle- 5 stars This is a fantastic collection of poems about childhood, hurt, trauma, and healing. I worked with Crystal and I found these poems to be excellently crafted and the heart behind them was heavy and passionate. Loved it. OWN Paperback

BloodFresh by Ebony Stewart- 4.5 stars This poetry collection took me longer to read because I took a break. I didn't love the beginning as much as the second half. I enjoyed it though and I plan to reread it at some point. ARC provided by Button Poetry

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells- 3.5 stars I am enjoying the Murderbot series. I thought this one was much better than the first novella. I enjoyed the plot and action more. Library Audiobook

Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark- 5 stars This book is amazing. It's an intense horror novel about a group of demon hunters who hunt Klu Kluxes (demons who are transformed from members of the KKK due to a Lovecraftian type ceremony during The Birth of a Nation). This story made me sob. I wasn't expecting a huge character death. Such a great audiobook and the singing was so well done. I need a sequel about them stopping Lovecraft in Providence. OWN Hardcover/Library Audiobook

The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, and Jordie Bellaire- 2 stars I am disappointed in this one. It was not that good. The art was not  my style and the story lost its lackluster. I am also not really wanting to read about atomic explosions while war is occurring with Ukraine and Russia. Netgalley ARC provided by DC Comics

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier- 3 stars This is not a bad short story and the commentary on natural instincts and destroying animals' habitats and them attacking. It's an interesting concept, but it's not memorable. I will think of the movie before I think of the audiobook. Library Audiobook

Serenity by F.S. Yousaf- 4 stars This was a solid poetry collection and I loved the part on Acceptance. It was wonderful, but the rest didn't follow up as well. Netgalley ARC provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing

Desperation by Stephen King- 4.5 stars It was nice to be back in the world of Stephen King and I enjoyed this one a ton. My biggest problem was the section in the movie theater went on for way too long. It was never ending and it drug, but once we were out I started to love it again. OWN Paperback

Dirty Heads by Aaron Dries- 4.25 stars This was a good coming of age novella about a boy struggling with his identity as gay and the lurking cosmic horror that has grown in his house and taken over. It's told backwards from the main character as a homeless nineteen and flashing back to the time he was in eighth grade and everything changed. Kindle Unlimited

Winter Roses After Fall by r.h. Sin & Robert M. Drake- 5 stars I loved this poetry collection and the emotions it evoked. There were so many great poems throughout. My favorites were by Robert M. Drake, but I loved r.h. Sin's as well. Highly recommend. Borrowed

I read a total of 14 book in March which was better than February. I just felt like my reading was heightened in March. I was in a bit of a reading slump in February and March reinvigorated me. I didn't read everyday in March, but I am proud of myself for finishing a 700 page Stephen King novel in three weeks. I DID IT!! 

My average rating was a 4.25 which is pretty good and my page count was over 3K which proves that reading page count can help me to feel less in a slump. I didn't realize that until, so that's interesting to note.

Here are my 4.25 star, 4.5 star, and 5 star reads:

8. Dirty Heads

7. BloodFresh

6. Desperation

5. Maus I

4. For Every Me

3. Winter Roses After Fall

2. Ring Shout

1. Razorblade Tears

Note: The Bible counts as number one technically, but not on the list.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know if any are your favorites or least favorites. April is National Poetry Month, so I am planning to read tons of poetry books!