The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

John Green is a favorite author of mine and yet I was reluctant to pick this one up, simply because of its subject matter. I am NOT a reader of cancer tales, and in particular cancer tales involving children. And yet this one kept calling to me; when my daughter read it and loved it, I knew it was time, assuring myself that with Green, cancer would be a backstory to the main one.

Warning: It's a cancer book.

Other than that minor (not) detail, it's beautiful, full of truth about human relationships and life. Hazel is sixteen and has terminal cancer which has been held at bay for three years, but stealing her lungs' capacity to their work ("crap lungs"). Forced by her parents to attend a support group, she meets the handsome, witty Augustus, who becomes infatuated with her almost immediately. And though Hazel wishes to minimize the destruction of her impending, someday death by not becoming a "grenade", she finds herself falling in love with the dashing Gus, himself a survivor of bone cancer. Together, the two use his Wish to track down the author of their favorite novel, demanding answers to its unanswered questions (A Metaphor For Life? Certainly). Along the way, medical crises ensue and lessons about the fragility of life abound. And Green does all this with his usual funny, endearing, charming flair, making us sob buckets and forcing his characters into our hearts whether we want them there or not.

While I adored the characters, I did feel the necessity of involving cancer in their lives was manipulative and unnecessary, though very realistic. Green did his research; he knew the ins and outs of how medical teams work and what can go wrong. It's a story worth reading and definitely one that involves the reader fully. I do wish Green would move on from the road trip drama, but he's still one of the best young adult writers out there today, my personal feelings about cancer story lines aside. He can make you laugh and cry and realize things you already knew. Beautifully written and recommended.



~taminator40

Looking For Alaska by John Green

When Miles Halter convinces his parents to allow him to attend boarding school, his main goal is to get away from his mundane existence at his former school and to possibly discover his own "Great Perhaps." What he actually gains, however, is far beyond his hopes: a new circle of friends, an entry into the delights of the opposite sex, a nasty taste for cigarettes, and an education that exceeds academics. Oh, and yes, Alaska. Alaska, the girl of his dreams, close yet distant, devious but devoted, sad but confident. But will Miles ever really know her?

John Green is a master storyteller, and Looking for Alaska is no exception. Miles is a fascinating protagonist: his penchant for learning the last words of famous people, his need to belong, his devotion all set him apart from most characters in other writers' novels. The story itself is tragic, hopeful, desperate, funny, and convincing but nowhere does it shine so much as it does whenever Alaska is featured. This is a character so many will identify with and yet feel so distant from, and as her layers are revealed, both Miles and the reader find themselves revealed as well.

One of my favorite things about John Green is that he never writes down for his young adult audience; he infuses his stories with references and statements that will enlighten as well as entertain. Be forewarned, however, that is a young adult novel and as such, is filled with terms and situations that are probably more appropriate for a more mature teen. However, there is so much to be gained from reading Looking for Alaska that reservations about minor content should be set aside. This is a tough look at young love, young loss, and relationships and it is highly, highly recommended.

~taminator40

An Abundance of Katherines

Two funny things about the book An Abundance of Katherines by John Green: 1) We have an abundance of A Katherine in our house with the youngest daughter, who is abundantly Katherine-like at all times, and 2) this is not the cover of the book I read (but I think I might like it better). This is my second John Green novel in a row, and I think my reading of it suffered a bit because of that. Don't get me wrong; I loved this book and I think John Green is ~abundantly~ smart and humorous. But when you read two books about road trips back to back, you start to wonder why the author chose the same device for both books (which I believe were also written back-to-back, but I might be wrong about that). Still and all, this book is laugh out loud funny, poignant, and ass-kicking from the word go. If I just couldn't wrap my mind around a guy (only a senior in high school) having dated 19 girls all named Katherine (I'm sorry, but as the parent of a Katherine, I have to say there really aren't all that many around, and even if you count the minute encounters of smart kid camp, it just *isn't* possible), I still liked the concept and loved the characters. The fight scene might be one of the best actual fight scenes ever written, especially with Muslim but not religious Hassan yelling "Three on one!" and going back in. Genius. Makes me wonder if John Green wasn't a child prodigy himself.

Below is my amazon review, which is much longer and probably a bit more intellectually written...or then again, maybe not. Hope you enjoy it.

I'm now off to really immerse myself in the 1100s and my personal heroine, Eleanor of Aquitaine (don't tell anyone, but in my mind I've named my car Eleanor after said heroine...that woman was phenomenal and packed more living into her 82 years than most of us could in 182).

~taminator40

Picking up a book by John Green is a guaranteed treat; you know you are going to become friends with a host of teens who will make you laugh, make you think, and make you recognize yourself in them. An Abundance of Katherines is no exception, and it's a fun ride from the first pages.

Colin Singleton is a child prodigy who wants to make his mark in the world and prove that he really is the genius everyone's expected him to be. To that end, he's working on a Theorem that will predict how relationships will go, and he has the experience to draw from: Colin has dated 19 girls, all of them have dumped him, and all of them have been named Katherine. So when Katherine #19 dumps him, Colin's best friend Hassan talks him into a road trip designed to clear Colin's head so he can focus. What they actually find, however, is Gutstop, Tennessee, and a girl named Lindsey who is perfectly happy to remain there for the rest of her life. After striking up a friendship with Lindsey, her mother invites the boys to stay in Gutshot and work for her for the summer. What follows is a series of interviews, hornets, new girlfriends, a fight, and a secret hiding place as the boys learn more about themselves than they'd figured they ever would.

Green is a terrific author who knows just how to enliven a story with humor and then bring it back to the original concept subtly. I loved that Green didn't make all the Tennesseans seem like simple-minded hicks (being from Tennessee, this is a particular irritation of mine). Green is obviously a very smart man, and I loved the footnotes that explained the languages used and gave fascinating details about the conversations. My ability to imagine one boy falling for nineteen Katherines was sorely stretched, though; it was the one point of the book that kept sticking me and pulling me out of the story. But other than that, I laughed and enjoyed this book tremendously, and I would give it a solid 4.5 stars. Recommended for readers of all ages who love a good road trip tale.