Best and Worst of March, aka I REALLY need to read these library books

It happens to the best of us. We get caught up in other books and before we know it, BAM: The library rentals are late. Not "normal late" either. Like....4 months late (oops). Ok, so maybe this only happens to me. I also had some ARCs to go through. It was an interesting mix this month. Everything from Wrath James White's Voracious to Steinbeck's East of Eden.

I only read 6 last month, so this is a huge improvement, quantity-wise. Here they are:

1: Abbott, by Saladin Ahmed (graphic novel). very unique supernatural mystery. Grade: B
2: He Who Types Between the Rows, by Mark Sieber. must-read essay collection from horror's historian. Grade: A
3: Savage Mountain, by John Quick. Laymon-esque, but not quite on par with the master. Grade: C
4: Jackpot by Cesare, Bernstein, Rufty, and McKenzie. I think each of these guys could've individually written it better. Grade: D
5: I Never Liked You, by Chester Brown (graphic novel). Reminded me of Blankets. Grade: B
6: Slashvivor!, by Kozeniewski/Kopas. Like candy: fun, but not enough substance. Grade: D
7: Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire (graphic novel). Really dark horror comic! Grade: B
8: Fantastic Earth Destroyer Ultra Plus, by Pierce/Agpalza. Bizarro's fairy tale? Grade: C
9: Voracious, by Wrath James White. Not bad, but not his best. Grade: C
10: Master of Pain, by White/Rufty. BDSM extreme horror. Grade: C
11: The Neon Owl, by Chad Lutzke. He's done it again. Mystery this time. Grade: B
12: The Fourth Whore, by EV Knight. Nice go-for-broke approach, but ultimately average. Grade: C
13: Blood Relations, by Kristopher Triana. Triana keeps the winning streak alive with this collection. Grade: B
14: The Auteur, by Rick Spears (graphic novel). So fun! Grade: A
15: The Rats, by James Herbert. Good in small doses. Grade: C
16: November Road, by Lou Berney. Historical fiction with JFK assassination as a backdrop. Grade: B
17: East of Eden, by John Steinbeck. I know I know. I'm a heathen for this. Grade: D
18: Fatale, by Ed Brubaker (graphic novel). Not my fave Brubaker. Grade: C
19: Strange the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor. YA fantasy. Grade: D

WORST: Strange the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor

This book is not bad, and I understand why so many like it. It checks all of the boxes that young adult fantasy novels typically check. But I just did not connect with the protagonist, which is always the death of a read for me.

*drum roll*….

BEST: The Auteur by Rick Spears

This was essentially a toss-up with He Who Types Between the Rows. It's the best graphic novel I've read so far this year, and I believe it's the first that has ever won "best of the month" honors from me. I don't want to give anything away, but it's sort of like a Troma-fied Transmetropolitan. It's basically a gore comedy, and who doesn't like those?! Word on the street is that Taika Waititi (Thor Ragnarok, JoJo Rabbit) is developing this for Showtime.

Reviews by Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com
Twitter: @pinheadspawn