Monthly Tally: February 2012

I'm actually typing this up before March is over. I know, I'm as shocked as you are.

I continued my JD Robb re-read, stopping when I finally got Celebrity in Death (#2 on my Ten 2012 Books Worth Exercising For list). I'd made it up to Origin in Death, which was nice because then all the details were fresh in my mind. I really enjoyed Celebrity, especially the Peabody/McNabb scenes. I must have re-read the kitchen scene at least five times. More thoughts at GoodReads.

I also crossed #7 & #9 off my Ten 2012 Books I Would Stay Up & Go to a Midnight Opening For List, Flashfire by Deborah Cooke and Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice, respectively. Flashfire was a bit of a let-down for me. I didn't particularly care for the hero and his emotional tomfoolery. At some point, you have to tug up your scales and be a grown-up dragon. He had trouble with that concept. Nightfire was much more enjoyable, my review here. Aside from some stand-alone Ellora's Cave titles, I'm all caught up with Rice's backlist and while there were some bumpy moments, I definitely enjoyed the ride.

This month, there are once again two top books (I can never pick just one). The first one actually came out in early 2011, Angel's Rest by Emily March. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure how good the book really is, but it was exactly what I needed when I needed it.  The other was a e-book, Defying the Odds by Kele Moon. It was a slightly different sports book and I really liked the hero in this one. I could totally believe that he's walking around the country somewhere. It might go without saying, but the worst book of the month, for me, was R.L. Mathewson's A Humble Heart. I kinda want to read the sequel, A Reclusive Heart, but I'm still feeling a little gun-shy.


Category Totals

Romance: 36
Manga: 1
Nonfiction: 4
Mystery: 5
Young Adult: 2

Review: Thank You Mrs. M by Kate Rothwell

Thank You Mrs. M by Kate Rothwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had this title in my TBR for ages, dating back to when it was published by Cerridwen Press. I was scrolling through my TBR shelf for things to buy during Fictionwise's 60% coupon sale when I clicked on this title. Lo and behold, it's currently free from Smashwords. And quite frankly, you can't go wrong with free.

Thank You Mrs. M is a retelling of Daddy Long Legs, but this time the narrator is an teenaged Latino male, Ben. I have to say, despite some rough patches, I really enjoyed this. Since the entire story is told by Ben to a tape recorder, it's difficult to get to know the other characters, but I liked the fact that when we meet Ben, he's already determined to change his life. He knows he's at a disadvantage, given where he starts demographically & economically, but he doesn't sit around lamenting the situation.

Given my own demographic & economic level, I can't speak as to how authentic Ben actually is as a character, but, for me, the book had a similar feel to Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry series. As in the original source material, a romantic relationship does develop, and Rothwell gives it an unique twist that led me to wanting to see more. We don't really get to know the heroine that well because we only see her through the lens of Ben's words. I would love to see Rothwell do another take on this story, but from the heroine's POV.

I have this categorized as young adult, but the main characters are in their early twenties. I think I felt it was more young adult because it's very much a coming of age story as Ben fights to get his family and himself to a better position in life. So I would recommend this for high school and above.



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