Book #4: The Fetch (Laura Whitcomb)

Reading time: 8 Days
Pages: 379
Genre: Historial Fiction/Fantasy/Romance/Drama

"Fetch" covers ground in a lot of genres, so it should be fit for lots of different tastes. To sum it up, it focuses on Calder, a spirit who guides souls to heaven after the moment of death. Once human, he's been doing his given task for over 300 years when he sees a woman with golden-red hair he nicknames "Glory." His infatuation leads him back to the human world and a bargain with Rasputin. I didn't see the historical twist coming until finally realizing Calder has indeed fallen in love with Alexandra, the last Czarina of Russia, right before the Russian Revolution too (Ruhrow Raggy...). After this painful blow, Calder finds himself with the youngest two Romanovs, a lost key, and unruly Lost Souls gaining power. It's an extensive journey around the world to right his mistakes, bring Alexie and Ana to heaven, all the while hoping Rasputin gets his butt back to Calder, his Fetch, before too much rebellion in the Land of Lost Souls. So who ya gonna call??


Of the four books this year, I'd say this was one of the best. Again, this is for young adults but Whitcomb doesn't necessarily right in a dumbed down or censored way for a younger audience. I even recommended it to a woman at my dentist when she started to poke around my book on the table. Calder was 19 at the time of his death, but while he's guiding Alexis and Ana he borrows Rasputin's body like a possession almost. I will admit, I almost put it down when he discovers his love-at-first-sight-governess is actually the Czarina, just because I really wanted this to be a love story. Buuuut, I decided to hold on and was glad I did. Whitcomb has a great interpretation of her fantastical spirit world and the laws that govern it. Nothing really felt 'corny' or cheesy regarding spirits, 'borrowed bodies' or even Alexie and Ana, who I am not sure how to describe... Another part I loved was that Whitcomb found some seriously cool events to interpret another way. During the Revolution, Alexie and Ana's bodies were not recovered for decades, so some speculated they escaped the family massacre. Here, it's because Calder gave his "key" to Alexie, who gave it to his sister, protecting them from death, but also changing them to part human/part immortal spirits. Rasputin's supposed death was also extremely creepy once I looked it up, and I give kudos to Whitcomb for using that too, it could not have been more perfect to write with! Just wiki it and you'll see what I mean. MAYBE HE REALLY WAS A FETCH?? DUN DUN DUN....

RATED: A-

+Excellent writing, setting, historical ties. Really believed she knew her stuff.
+Creative in not only plot, but with the afterlife too.
+I was never bored of her writing style, or skipping parts, and found I couldn't predict many events, which means you will always be pulled into reading it. Woohooooo!
-It was promoted as a love story, so let's be honest and re-designate it properly as drama, not "a tender love story." And that means you, critics on the back of my book.

Book #3: Never Let Me Go (Kazou Ishiguro)

Let's try something new...

Reading time: 1 week
Pages: 288
Genre: Science Fiction?

So, "Never Let Me Go"....

Ishiguro's story centers around three students at a school in England called "Hailsham." Hailsham is actually a school for genetic clones in an alternate late 1990's setting. While growing up, the students know they will one day become "carers," or those or care for "donors," students completing organ donation. This is their purpose as clones. Seems like a normal enough boarding school setting. Kathy is the narrator and follows her experience with friends Ruth, and Tommy.

Ruth and Tommy date as teenagers but Kathy maintains close relationships with both of them. There's a rumor going around that those who find themselves in love and are from Hailsham can get their donations deferred so they can spend more time with their loved one. After Ruth "completes" her donations, Tommy and Kathy *finally* get together, and discover the truth about deferrals.

My thoughts....

Well, in the beginning I was really struggling to find out what was going on because the back summary was only filled with comments about it being the best book of the decade, a "tour de force," etc... I slowly figured out they must be clones for organ donations and wondered why Ishiguro never really centers on such an interesting topic. One reviewer commented that no student tries to escape their fate at Hailsham, and basically, what's up with that!?

I said this was "science fiction" but it's only by default of the topic of cloning humans for organs and shipping them off to little organ donor schools. I was actually putt off by the novel almost the entire time because it's one of those "deep" static novels, I'd say. Where the plot stays very flat, and the most drama that happens is someone steals Kathy's tape that has the title song "Never Let Me Go" sung by Judy Bridgewater. OOO! Ugh...

I think it's safe to say nothing really happened until she throws in the towel to become a carer, leaving Tommy and Ruth at the cottages where students go after sort of 'graduating' from Hailsham. Then it started to get good when Ruth urges Tommy and Kathy to get together as she's doing her donations. Hooray! Finally some LOVE in this "Provacative" novel.

That's another topic in here... there's the whole rumor of being in love will get you deferred, and many students couple up. It's a big deal in their lives I assume. But even when Tommy and Kathy finally get together, I never believed it was love. I had to wonder if the author had ever been in love because I'm sorry, I don't think I could leave my sweetheart at the hospital, waving goodbye to me, knowing he's doing his fourth donation and that's kind of the limit (also how many times can you give up organs and be functional!? Jeeze Louise...) and not bawl my brains out. I just wished there was a little passion thrown in there as they go about "learning to live their lives" as Ishiguro wanted to focus on. Meh.

LadyBug Rating:

C-
--Once I started SKIMMING chunks of pages, was I entertained by the dialogue. But, not sure if it's a British English thing/difference, but I felt a lot of the dialogue would never happen. No one actually talks that way. Unless... everyone's really a clone-ROBOT! Woah! Plot twist!
--A couple good scenes, such as a young Kathy pretending to sing to a baby (Never let me go!) and confronting the Hailsham Madam at the end (deferrals? Yes? NO?!)
--I really detested the transitions. Every break would be a one sentence cliff hanger, followed by the next passage picking up on it, then beating around the bush a page, maybe two, before getting back to the point. Every. Single. Time. Dull please!
+Oh, and I'd say a C- is generous.

However I hear the movie is great?? Congrats. Watch it instead.

Book #2: Dark Moon of Avalon (Anna Elliot)

Well it took me a while to read this one since I was interrupted, which I just hate since it takes away from the flow of a good story. This particular book falls somewhere between fantasy and historical fiction I reckon. It's a take of the Trystan and Isolde legend but, to be honest I didn't see much of it in there.

I picked this because I absolutely adore the Tristan and Isolde myth. I even wrote literary analysis on parts of it--woohoo! But as a writer, you can play with that kind of stuff all you want. That is, if anybody else cares to read it.

The novel begins as part two of three, which I'm glad I skipped the first one. I got plenty of lowdown from Isolde about her childhood and past. What threw me for a loop was tying King Arthur and Camelot into her gene pool. Here she is the daughter of Mordred (for those of you rusty on King Arthur and knowing only the Sword and the Stone Disney film.... King Arthur had a son by his sister [whoops, sorry didn't know it was you sis!] and had Mordred) AND Gwenevere (spellings may vary*). So for nerds like me I had to stop and say "WHAT? NO!" before letting it go and keep reading. Morgan, her granny and King Arthur's sister, raises Isolde to be a gifted healer after her mother runs off to a nunnery. What I did like was how Elliot made Isolde and Trystan childhood friends and sweethearts (aw). So no love potion here friends (again, see original myth).

I was impressed by Elliot's details and historic knowledge/research that helped to really ground the story. Especially writing with battle motifs for all the war-lords, mercenaries, and fighting parties because of course no one gets along in Britain after the fall of Arthur. The story mostly follows Isolde's journey of healing herself with Trystan's thoughts on and off. Trystan I feel didn't really change so much as just man-up into maturity. Or at least getting smarter in his reckless warrior behavior.

LadyBug Rating....

B

+Details, details, details! Way to make a suspension of disbelief! I'm there!
-Details...details....neh... I found myself bored and skimming down to the dialogue, the good stuff.
+Creative new twist on a story that's been done!
-LONG twist.... glad I skipped book one and I cannot tell you my relief when that romantic tension gave in with 60 pages left in the entire novel. I guess that's where book 3 comes in but let's be honest, we all know they end up together Elliot. [Well, more or less. See myth]
+Fun without being too fantastical or historical for those readers who just don't like good ol' knights, magic, quests, etc... Battles!! Argggg!!

Book #1: M or F?

The first novel I officially *FINISHED* was M or F? by Lisa Papademetriou and Chris Tebbett.

This is a teen/young adult novel for starters, but I knew that and sometimes I like that. They tend to move faster and more dramatically than adult 'fiction' and I say 'fiction' with my nose tilted a little. Anyway, M or F? is about a love-triangle/square with three teens. Marcus and Franny (M and F) are best friends, but Marcus is gay. No problem. They are "brain twins" as in that best friend that finishes every thought and sentence out of your  mouth. I think we've all had at least one 'brain twin' relationship, even if it wasn't a BFF/long term one.

When Franny crushes on a guy she can't manage to talk to, Marcus is able to talk to him online through chats and instant messengers easily, of course with Franny standing by. The trouble starts when they begin to question Jeffery's sexuality as well as who's he actually starting to like? Franny? Or Marcus? OOOO!

I will say first, this reminded me of a modern Shakespearian-style love story with the mistaken identity part. Imagine if As You Like It had IM's and the internet...hmm... Then the cross-dressing Rosalind wouldn't possibly have needed her disguise after all. Something to think about in that aspect. Although I was a little let down with the action. Sure, not a lot of ups and downs can happen when the plot is a he-likes-her-but-she-likes-him-who-likes-him!? kind of idea. But then again, sometimes YA novels do reach deep levels of drama/betrayal (oh hormones, puberty, and decision making! what fun). Overall though a fun, I don't like to say 'junk food' because it's not. It's a book but, fluffy without a ton of deeper comprehension. Which is sometimes exactly what you need in a book.

LadyBug rating??

C+
--Average plot
--Average characters with some good right-ons
--Not bad but not the greatest.

Story of a Story

Hello and Welcome :)

Years and years ago a little girl was in the library, pouring over what book would be best to bring home. All her classmates had already selected books, and the teacher had even taken everyone back to class, except for this lost book worm.

She was so distraught about which was the best choice, which book would she invest valuable story time in?? She didn't want to chose the wrong one... until the teacher came back to find her on the floor of the library crying.

Finally, she sent her back to class with a popular children's book and the little girl learned the more she read, the more chances of finding the good books. Problem...mostly solved.

Flash forward many years into the future and she is still a book junkie, library slut, but now with a bachelors in literature. Congrats. So what's the point? I propose I will read ONE BOOK a WEEK and then blog my thoughts about it here. While my personal tastes have been refined, I will do my best to break my mold and read things I normally would not. So perhaps you too, can save yourself the AGONY of decided WHAT the HECK do I READ?????

....small disclaimer: while I promise to read one a week, sometimes life gets in the way and laughs at that.  However, my guilt and perfectionism (heeeey I'm not crazy!) got married so now I feel guilty if I don't do what I say. But as I've learned: DO YOUR BEST.