Welcome back Fanciful Friends, to part two of my Favourite Book of the Year Book Bracket! Today we are looking at the books that I read in March and April, and determining which was my favourite of those two months, and why. So, let’s get going!
So, the graph for this one is a little messier, but here we go. As you can see, I read four books in March, and only one in April. So, by default, Serial Killers by Richard Estep is the April winner. Don’t take that to mean that I didn’t enjoy it though. It was a fascinating, insightful look into some of the most notorious serial killers (mostly focused on America and England however). My macabre little heart really enjoyed recapping some of the serial killers I already knew about, and learning about new ones was interesting. The book attempted to connect the similarities between the serial killers where possible, in order to perhaps figure out a determining factor in what makes a serial killer. I read it for research into one of my own short stories, so maybe you’ll see that in the future!
March was a busier reading month for me. I started out by reading the first chapter of Horseman by Christina Henry, but decided to put a pin in that until I had read the original The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. I was of course familiar with the basics of the story, but I wanted to read it for myself and see if that added any nuance to Horseman. I was actually a little disappointed with the original tale, but I do understand why, even today, we are enamoured with the Headless Horseman. I had a more enjoyable time with Horseman, and I’m glad I read the original story first, as Horseman acts as a sort of sequel. Our main character is a trans boy, which is really exciting to see, and watching him gain acceptance, while also trying to solve mysterious murders in the woods is satisfying.
The next book I read was The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson, the second book in the Truly Devious series. Stevie continues attempting to solve the Truly Devious murder and kidnapping from the 30s, while dealing with modern mysteries on campus. I was slightly disappointed by one revelation, but the ending definitely left me wanting more, so I shall be continuing the series (and the newest book in the series, Nine Liars is coming out on the 27th of December).
And the final book I read in March was another sequel, this time Darcy Coates’ The Ravenous Dead, part two in the Gravekeeper series. I enjoyed this one much more than the first entry into the series. I feel like the characters are really coming into their own, and the continuation of a conspiracy-esque plot was fascinating. I am looking forward to reading more from this series as well.
Ultimately, the winner of March for me was The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. And as much as I enjoyed Serial Killers in April, The Vanishing Stair was my overall winner for March and April 2022!
See you tomorrow for May and June, Fanciful Friends!
Rebecka O'Malley 