Stars with Faults and Towns made of Paper

I'm an avid reader. If you put almost any book in my hands, I'll probably have it read within about 24 hours.

One of my favourite authors has recently become John Green. Yeah, technically he write young adult fiction, but there are some stories that transcend age.  One of those stories is a book that has its theatrical debut this week, "The Fault in Our Stars".

When I was a freshman in college, my best friend growing up texted me one afternoon saying, "Have you heard of TFIOS??" My immediate reaction was, "Ermmm, what?" because I had absolutely no idea what on earth she was talking about. She ended up calling me and explaining to me about this magical book she had just finished about a girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster and a boy named Augustus Waters. Her excitement rendered 80% of her words unintelligible. But at the end of her ramblings she said, "Hold on. I'm going to mail it to you. Promise me you'll read it as soon as it gets to you."

A few days later I was alone in my dorm room, sitting on the floor in the fetal position, crying my eyes out after having finished reading "The Fault in Our Stars".

It truly was a fantastic story. It captured my attention from the moment I picked it up and started reading it. I'm pretty sure I even kept my roommate awake because I was reading into the night. The characters seemed so real, and I found myself irrevocably invested in their lives. I felt their pains and their joys.

As I'm typing this, I'm making plans to see the film tomorrow evening with one of my best friends. Unfortunately I won't be able to see it with the friend who introduced me to the story...she's busy studying abroad in London for six weeks. Fingers crossed I don't turn into a blubbering mess in the theatre.

Back on the topic of John Green... I recently read his book "Paper Towns".

If I'm being honest, I don't know that I can pick a favourite between this book and TFiOS. They're two completely different stories that convey, albeit similar, opposite messages. (Yes, that is possible. You'd understand if you read both books.)

Never have I read a book that I couldn't put down but also had to put down because it was getting to be too much. Looking back, I don't even know what it was that was too much. The first part of the book left me constantly smiling. I loved reading about the different things Margo had planned for her and Quentin. The second part left me feeling puzzled as Q attempted to figure out what Margo may or may not have left for them to find. And the third part gave me a sense of adventure as I tracked Q and his friends' progress tracking Margo down.

I think another reason the book really struck a chord with me was the constant mention of Walt Whitman throughout the story. His poem "Leaves of Grass" plays a major role in the plot. It brought back many memories of being in English class in high school. We spent a great amount of time studying Whitman and this poem.

Anyway, I've discovered that I really enjoy John Green. So far I've read TFiOS, "Paper Towns", "Will Grayson, Will Grayson", and "Looking for Alaska". Next on my list is "An Abundance of Katherines". Hopefully I can get my hands on that soon.

xx