This is the dawning of the age of Andrew writing wrap-ups on time! Hopefully.
I will be playing some catch-up with writing these wrap-ups over this Memorial Day weekend, with April’s coming soon, and May’s following after that. February-March really illustrates a transition period towards what has been the dominant theme of my reading this spring: horror.
I have been in such a horror mood lately, and the next two months’ wrap-ups will further illustrate that. Sorry for the lateness, enjoy!
Notes on february + march reads
Young Mungo / Douglas Stuart
Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo, where to even begin? Let’s go through our checklist: Sad? Quite! Gay? Yes. Scottish? Very. A book I respected more than actually enjoyed? Yes.
They Both Die at the End / Adam Silvera
Before reading the newly released prequel, I embarked on a reread of Adam Silvera’s immensely popular They Both Die at the End. It has quite a bit of YA clunkiness to it, but it is still an emotionally resonant, well-realized story. I enjoyed it this second time around quite a bit!
The First to Die at the End / Adam Silvera
The same cannot be said about the prequel. This does feel a bit like kicking a puppy, but yikes. YA clunkiness abound, bad dialogue, and references to the first book that are so morbid and unfun. I really didn’t like this one and I feel badly about that.
White Horse / Erika T. Wurth
White Horse was, to be as diplomatic as I possibly can be, uneven. There are a lot of interesting character dynamics in the story, the horror scenes are quite effective, but this book makes more than a few nonsensical leaps that took me out of the story. A promising debut, but not exactly a new classic. That being said, it helped jump start a horror reading kick that is still going on!
Don’t Fear the Reaper / Stephen Graham Jones
If you want a new classic, look no further. Since this site started, I have been dropping hints that I am obsessed with Stephen Graham Jones. His 2021 slasher masterpiece My Heart is a Chainsaw gets its deserved sequel with Don’t Fear the Reaper, and it ups the ante in every way. I adored the first book, but it is the kind of novel that takes a lot out of you. The follow up is just a carnival ride and you figure out early on to tighten your seatbelt. Jones is a master.
South to America / Imani Perry
Last year’s National Book Award winner for Nonfiction, South to America is Imani Perry’s personal history of the American South and a convincing argument for its place in history. You’ll either love or hate the structure, and it really inches right up to the line of being unfocused, but I found the whole exercise fascinating.
The Trees / Percival Everett
Percival Everett had a hell of a 2022, releasing two acclaimed novels: Dr. No and The Trees, a satirical revenge fantasy that opens with the brutal murders of Southern racists and just expands and expands and expands. It’s a true literary page-turner that sits atop a tonal razor, balancing humor and horror in a masterful way.
Oscar Wars / Michael Schulman
I’m an Oscars obsessive, and if you are as well, I highly recommend reading Michael Schulman’s Oscar Wars. Period.
The Maid / Nita Prose
My book club’s pick for February was this cozy mystery, and while it was a bit too tidy and twee for me, it was still an enjoyable diversion.
How to Change Your Mind / Michael Pollan
My book club’s pick for March! Pollan’s whole thing is plants, and this starts out as a (dry) history of psychedelics before becoming a memoir of his own experimentation with them. I found this to be interesting, but I was one of two people in my book club who finished it cover to cover. Do with that information what you will.
How Far the Light Reaches/ Sabrina Imbler
This ended up being an interesting pairing with How to Change Your Mind, a sort of natural history-memoir blend where Imbler explores their queer identity through sea creatures. It sounds strange, but the whole thing works pretty seamlessly and it’s fun to just hear an expert explain the things they love.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi / Shannon Chakraborty
Shannon (S.A.) Chakraborty writes her first post-Daevabad fantasy novel, and it ends up being a rollicking fun time! I was a fan of her Daevabad Trilogy, and I expected this to be the same tone, but Chakraborty has instead written a Princess Bride/Pirates of the Caribbean-esque fantasy, and I enjoyed it so much.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry / Gabrielle Zevin
Zevin is one of the girlies of the moment with her latest novel, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, blowing up everywhere right now. I picked up her breakthrough at a neighborhood Little Free Library and had a pleasant time with it. That’s all!
The Shoemaker’s Magician / Cynthia Pelayo
I read the first of this loose series, Children of Chicago, last year and enjoyed it. It was a compelling horror-mystery, and it was dark as hell. This follow up should’ve been a slam-dunk, but I found myself underwhelmed by the plotting, and the magical realism elements just really didn’t connect.
Kill Joy / Holly Jackson
This is a novella that precedes the events of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and features the characters you love from that series, and well as some fun Easter eggs for fans. It was slight, but fun.
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gorham / and / henry 
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