"The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green

"I'm a grenade, and at some point I'm going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?"
-John Green, The Fault In Our Stars

John Green again, yes. But, come on, you can't read a book by John Green and NOT read The Fault In Our Stars! It's what all the cool book nerds are raving about, so I knew I needed to add it to my site. Fun fact: the movie comes to theaters on June 6, 2014, according to IMDB.

Most of us don't know what it's like to be sick. Sure, we've all had the cold, a virus, or some weird infection now and again, but those things go away. Cancer doesn't go away. Some cancer does, but not the kind that Hazel Grace Lancaster has. Her cancer affects her lungs to where they fill up with liquid and she has to get them drained periodically just so she can sort of breathe. Without her cannula, the tubes always resting in her nostrils, she wouldn't be able to breathe efficiently. Her oxygen tank is always with her in a cart she has to roll with her anywhere she goes. Hazel gets out of breath when she walks up a flight of stairs because her lungs fail to work the proper way. Most of us don't know what this feels like.

There ARE people who know this pain of having a sickness that takes a lot of life's joy from them. Hazel met these people in a support group. Hazel HATED going to the support group, but her mom wanted her to go so she could make friends. Ugh, okay mom. She went, just to please her, but she did end up making friends there, like Isaac. He lost one of his eyes to a cancer and wears an eye patch. Isaac is really Hazel's only hint of sanity in the group.

Isaac brought a friend once, and Hazel would have noticed him even if she was the one with only one eye. The weird part about it was that this boy was noticing her. What is there to notice about a skinny sick girl who didn't care about her appearance at these meetings. Why was he looking at her? She noticed he only had one leg, so she knew he had been sick at some point. Soon enough, she learned his name and his story.


Augustus Waters was the air her lungs could never let her breathe. He was real, he was handsome, and for some reason, he liked her. And she was determined to find out why. Hazel was afraid to like him because she knew any day could be her last, and she didn't want to hurt anyone she didn't have to. It's bad enough seeing the pain in her parents' eyes every day. But there was something about him that she couldn't shake.

The quote I chose was not one that I had originally planned on using. This one continued to stick in my mind because it was a constant struggle for Hazel, and I think it's something that a lot of us can relate to in many ways, even if we aren't sick. For those of you who have already read it, leave your favorite quotes in the comment box below!


To steal from the people creating the movie, it is "one sick love story." I love the play on words there, and it fits this book perfectly. This is a story you won't want to miss. It's not a mushy love story or anything like that. It's actually very moving. The way they deal with their sickness is comedic relief in their lives. It shows how both healthy and sick people should appreciate every second, because (healthy or not) no one knows when the last day is.


Read The Fault In Our Stars, and I guarantee you'll fall in love with this book. It's a book for both genders! I love books with humor, and this book is PACKED with it! I laughed so much while reading it! Although you would expect it to be a sad book, I actually closed the book with a warmth that surprised me.


I know many of you have already read this, and I would love for you to add your thoughts and comments below so that my other readers and I can see your opinions!

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"Looking For Alaska" by John Green

"You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present." - John Green, Looking for Alaska

I never would have even picked up this book if it wasn't for my friend, Cameron. So, Cameron, I owe you big time, because this book was definitely something I needed!

Miles is about to be a junior in high school, but public school just isn't doing it for him. He is ready to discover the "Great Perhaps" and he hopes it lies within the campus of Culver Creek Boarding School, in Alabama (whoop whoop). Currently living in Florida, Miles hopes that, at least, a change of scenery will jump start his new journey.

Miles moved into his dorm to meet his new roommate (and soon-to-be best friend), Chip. No one called
 him Chip, he goes by "The Colonel." He is a short stocky guy, just the opposite of Miles' tall, lanky, scrawny self. Demonstrating his nickname, The Colonel basically took charge and began to tell Miles how to survive at Culver Creek, and also told him who to be friends with, and vice versa. He even gave Miles a nickname of his own, "Pudge," because he was just the opposite. The Colonel introduced him to all of his friends, including Alaska, the hottest and most beautiful girl Miles had ever laid eyes on.

This group of friends was just the kind of people that parents always tell their kids to not hand around: "Don't smoke, don't drink, don't cuss, etc." The Colonel, Alaska and the gang did all of this and lived by it. Even though they did all of these things, they were the best friends Pudge could have ever asked for. And some of the smartest people. Alaska's room is literally filled with books stacked upon books stacked upon more books. The Colonel memorizes capitals for countries all over the world. Pudge learns things from them that he could never learn sitting in a desk within the barriers of a classroom.

Between hanging out with his new friends and pulling pranks and having fun, Pudge actually had to go to his classes and study. His religion class was a class he particularly enjoyed, and it made his mind stretch and mold more than any other. Pudge wasn't exactly religious, but the class made him look within himself to unfold his "Great Perhaps" among his struggles, fears, and failures.

The book is divided into two sections: BEFORE and AFTER. Before what? After what? That's for you to discover. You never actually know until POOF it happens. Which is a lot like life, usually. Between all of the shenanigans they partake in and the pranks they pull, Pudge and his friends learn a lot about what's important in life all within one short year.

I finished it last night, and I still can't get over how incredible this book was. Not only were the plot and characters so perfect, the words used throughout the book blew me away. John Green writes in such an elegant way. It's not over your head at all, but it really seeps inside you, and stays. This IS a sad book though, but the sad that makes it an outstanding book. Just make sure you keep tissues nearby.

AGE RESTRICTIONS: I do not recommend this book for anyone under 16. Some of the content is mature, especially the event that the BEFORE and AFTER describes. I don't know that I would have wanted to read about something like that before I was 16, but that's just me. The mature content includes drinking, smoking, profanity, and sexual content.

Read it for yourself to see if Pudge finds his "Great Perhaps" and what event makes the BEFORE and AFTER. You might just find out something about your own labyrinth..

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