Need to Read: The Fault in Our Stars

Where do I even begin with John Green's The Fault in Our Stars? I think I need to make up a word to describe it.... hold on... it will come to me.

It's one of those books that is short, but it has so much dad-gum awesomeness packed in. Not like explosions or honey-badger kind of awesomeness but really reflective "what is life?" kind of awesomeness. Way better than explosions in my opinion.

The story focuses on the romance between two cleverly charming teenagers whose bodies are addled with both hormones and cancer.  This isn't one of those stories about kids versus cancer. It's about how we are all dying, some more visibly than others, and how we learn to live and love in the face of it.

Hazel's and Augustus' love story, I think, is one of the greatest. "Some infinities are bigger than other infinities." Their little fixed infinity is one of the best. Ugh... now I want to read it all over again. They are too old for their bodies, but all they want is a little time.

The Fault in Our Stars consists of classic themes like "why am I here?" "will I make a difference?"

"I believe that the universe wants to be noticed. I think that the universe is improbably biased toward consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it-or my observation of it-is temporary?"

Fantasmyragorical! There you go. I made up a word. It's not a very good one, but I'm not J.K. Rowling.

But seriroulsy, though. Read this book! John Green is a great guy and I'm happy that I got to see him transform into this big-time writer from his and his brother Hank's vlogs. I'll always be a Nerdfighter.

Need to Read: Paper Towns

I am super excited about this author John Green. He and his brother, Hank, are also known all over the internet as the Vlog brothers. They have created a group known as the Nerdfighters who celebrate nerdiness and obscure Star Trek references. I am proud to say that I am one of them, a bookish Nerdfighter battling to defeat World-Suck.

These guys are hilarious and I always keep and eye out for their videos. They started Vlogging instead of texting and their videos just took off. They are witty, original, and have encouraged nerds all over the world to be their awesome selves.

John, the eldest of the two, is also a Young Adult author. He has written books other than Paper Towns, including An Abundance of Kathrines, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (that's not a typo that's the title), Looking for Alaska, and the upcoming book The Fault in Our Stars. I've only read Paper Towns, but the rest are on my list.

Don't let the Y/A genre deter you. These books are packed with humor and truths that adults can appreciate too.

  Paper Towns is a hilarious mystery novel featuring Quentin and the adventurous, mysterious Margo Roth Spiegleman, a girl whose name deserves to be said in its entirety. After a night of adventure, humiliating Margo's ex-boyfriend and scummy ex-best friend, and breaking in to Sea World, Margo disappears and Quentin is determined to find her. With the hardly-helpful clues she gives him, Quentin and his friends ditch graduation (half naked) to see where Margo Roth Spiegleman will lead them.

I read this book in a day. I just couldn't put it down! I haven't read something so funny and yet so meaningful in a long time. Good book. Good, good book.

I am very excited that John is putting something good on the Y/A shelf. Check out some of their videos here:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy1M5VHF3no&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMweXVWB918&feature=related