Books of February 2012

Yowza, look how short that list is!! And I can't even blame it on a short month because I know I wouldn't be able to finish another book even if I had an extra 2 days. So what have I been doing? Writing. Yes, writing. Which I suppose is a good thing. I'm about 75% done with my first draft of Rum Runners (new title!!) and hope to finish it by the end of next month. Then it will be revising and sending off to beta readers and more revising. Hopefully by summer I can start querying again. Hopefully. Until then I think my reading lists are going to suffer a bit, but I'm going to make an extra effort to post more reviews so I hope you stay tuned for those!

12. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab* This is a very different sort of witch story, told in a simpler time and setting. Given all the contemporary-setting witch stories out there, I appreciated that change of pace. I loved the flow, the prose, and the heroine is pretty tough. I thought the romance came a little too quickly and for little reason, but overall it was a fine read.
13. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater* For those of you who've read Stiefvater's Shiver series, this is VERY different though it still has the rich description and slower pace of MS's works. I personally loved the concept of the water horses and the love interest kept me sighing, but I know that others have been just luke warm to it.
14. Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams Okay, I read this about 3 weeks ago and looking at the title now, I can barely recall what it was about. Obviously it left a big impression. :( ..... Oh, okay, now it's coming back to me. *sigh* I really loved CLW's The Chosen One, but this story doesn't pack that same edge of your seat pow as that one did. It's basically about a girl whose mother is a bit crazy and she's left on her own to deal with it. Some of the prose is lovely, but the overall story just didn't do it for me. Still, I will probably check out more from this author.

15. Babe In Boyland by Jody Gehrman* This was such a fun read! It's about a girl who decides to dress up as a boy and enter an all boy's school so that she can write a first hand account of what boys really mean when they say things like "I'll call you". The plot was fairly predictable, but the voice really snagged me. I loved some of the awkward scenes, like when the MC describes how she felt going into a boy's bathroom and having to pretend that she was all cool with some urinal small talk. I seriously lol'd sometimes. Awesome, fun read.
16. Twin Cities Prohibition, Minnesota's Blind Pigs and Bootleggers by Elizabeth Johanneck Another book for my research that showcased many things I already knew. I appreciated learning a few new things though, like about the Federal Reserve and some early, early MN history (pre-20th century), but overall, I thought it was quite repetitive of what's already out there.  I do appreciate the author's enthusiasm for MN history though and she seems to have a pretty awesome website that I will be frequenting.
17. Crossed by Ally Condie* The sequel to Matched is very much a middle book. Our heroine shows more of her strength and we learn a bit more about the dystopian society outside the city. The ending was the biggest surprise to me, but I won't say why unless you ask. Still planning to read the last book.

18. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson ** Wow, is this my only double star book this month? Hmm... didn't even realize that til just now. I LOVED the main character of this book. I felt like I could relate to her despite the fact that she was a princess, and I admired her strength. I LOVED the setting and the description, and I LOVED the messages about religion and  wars that trickle through. My full review is here.
19. The Weepers by Susanne Winnacker This one had a pretty huge creep factor going for it, but overall it just wasn't for me.