Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer (30 Day Book Challenge #2)

I’m only like a bazillion days behind on this book challenge, and with less than 2 weeks in the country and therefore 2 weeks left to finish these posts, it’s catch-up time!

As I remember stating two years ago when I completed this post, this answer should not be mixed up with the final topic, my favourite book of all time. My favourite book is written by a writer who I otherwise struggle to care for (I’ve read a couple of his other novels and they didn’t blow me away). So this is just my favourite book by John Green, who was my answer for the (current) favourite writer topic from the last of these posts.

Although I haven’t finished all his posts, and although my favourite was the first book by John Green I read, I have no doubt in my mind that The Fault In Our Stars will remain my favourite book by him for a very long time to come. He approached such a difficult and sensitive topic, cancer, a topic which affects everybody in some way and which has certainly affected too many people I’ve known and loved over the years, and somehow he brought out a beauty in the way people cope with this. As always, he kept the focus on the characters, not on what was wrong with them, and it is this humanistic focus which makes his stories so powerful, his characters so likeable and his writing so memorable. I laughed so much in this book and then cried a very big ugly cry or two towards the end of the novel, and frankly if a book than can pull you through such a range of emotions isn’t an amazing book, I don’t know what is.

If you haven’t read The Fault In Our Stars, get off my blog and go read it. Now. Right now. It was my favourite book in 2012 for a reason, and I am yet to meet a person who didn’t love it as soon as they read it. An absolute gem of a book.

What are your thoughts on this book?

What’s your favourite book by your favourite writer, and is it the same as your favourite book of all time?

Day 13 – Your favourite writer (right now) (30 Day Book Challenge #2)

In the list this topic just said “your favourite writer”. However I remember my answer from a couple of years ago, and I guess really I just have several favourite writers now. So I’m going to choose one who I am currently reading a lot of – John Green.

John Green writes young adult fiction, alongside being a world-famous Youtube vlogger and a generally awesome and likeable person. He is most famous for the occasionally controversial Looking For Alaska and the absolutely beautiful and brilliant The Fault In Our Stars, which is currently being made into a movie as well.

As some of you may remember, TFIOS was my favourite book last year – it quite literally took my breath away. John Green has this knack for approaching sensitive subjects in such a way that he brings them to life, makes them possible to relate to as a reader, and illustrates the beauty in all parts of life, most notably through his characters simply being very human. His books are easy to read and impossible to put down, which is the best combination really.

At the moment I am working my way through his other two novels, An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns, before I move on to the two novels he has co-written, Let It Snow and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It is nice to have found an author I am so eager to explore, and I urge you to try him if you haven’t already.

Check out the Youtube channel John shares with his brother, Hank, here (and see why they have hundreds of millions of views):

http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers

Who is currently your favourite author? What is it about their writing which draws you in?

Looking For Alaska – about as good as a debut novel gets!

It seems with John Green I’ve approached his written work in reverse – I started out with his brilliant work The Fault In Our Stars, which long time readers will remember was my favourite book from last year, and only this year, on a plane to Sweden, did I finally read his debut novel, Looking For Alaska. I’ll discuss how this in itself affected my perception of the book a little later, but first I want to discuss Green’s debut on its own merits.

I’ll start off by saying that for me, Looking For Alaska, a young adult fiction novel of just over 200 pages, is a 5 star novel. The main character, Miles Halter, quickly nicknamed Pudge by his room mate The Colonel, begins the novel by leaving his Florida home to attend a Preparatory High School in Alabama, and we learn of his passion for famous last words, in particular those of Francois Rabelais: “I go to seek a great perhaps”. Before long, Pudge is introduced to a friend of The Colonel’s, Alaska Young, and then the story really takes off, both in plot and character development.

The book is divided into a Before and After, with a mysterious but pivotal event (which I won’t reveal and which you must not skip ahead to when you read the book because that’s silly and you’ll ruin it for yourself) separating the two. Naturally, Alaska Young is at the centre of said pivotal event, as the title of the book perhaps suggests, and no doubt you’ll spend the first half guessing what it might be, and the second half reeling in the aftermath of it all, along with the characters themselves. Because of this structure, the plot is quite simple, and the theme, which is hard to reveal without spoiling the story, is also one which is addressed quite head on and in a style that we have later come to expect from Green.

But, as with The Fault In Our Stars, it is the characters that are the stand-out of Looking For Alaska. Many of the characters you just feel sorry for, particularly Pudge and his constantly unrequited feelings towards Alaska, but also The Colonel once you start to see all the aspects of his life. But while the main character might be Pudge, the story does revolve just as much around Alaska, and she herself is an utterly fascinating character – volatile, unpredictable, fierce, and self-destructive, yet lovable and loved by those around her. Most importantly, she is a deeply layered character, and we find ourselves as readers trying to pierce through her complexity right up until the end of the story, much like her friends within the novel. As I read this, I found myself thinking that everybody has had at least one Alaska Young in their lives, at least one friend or person who was similar to her, and if we had this friend when we were younger, in our teens like these characters, we probably also didn’t know how to handle them. I sure know I didn’t at that age. And that is something John Green is so good at – getting under our skin by talking about truths that are so universal and yet feel so personal and intimate.

So, as I said, I gave this 5 stars. I also gave The Fault In Our Stars 5 stars, but, really, if I could, I’d give the latter 6 stars. While Looking For Alaska is a good novel, and an amazing debut novel, it is still clearly a first book, and John Green’s ability to weave a tale, his way of exploring characters and all their humanity, and his knack for making confronting topics so real and accessible – these are all things that developed considerably by the time he wrote The Fault In Our Stars. Looking For Alaska is a great novel, but The Fault In Our Stars is a masterpiece. And yet, I am glad I read them in the order I did, as I feel I can appreciate that aspect of Looking For Alaska – watching an amazing writer finding his feet already, and knowing where he will go with his voice in the coming years.

I now need to keep working through Green’s books. Next on the agenda is Paper Towns, mostly because it’s the only other one I have and as many of you know I am on a serious book ban at the moment. But I have heard differing opinions about this one, so I am quite curious!

What are your thoughts about Looking For Alaska, and John Green as an author in general?

My Top 5 Books of 2012

Looking back over this year, it seems I’ve read all sorts of different books. Some of them I’m surprised to realise I only read this year – they feel much more distant in my memory than that. But still, I’ve flicked through them and decided on my favourite five, four of which I knew before I began writing this post.

The top three were all published (in English at least) this year, the other two are not overly old either, interestingly enough. Anyway, enjoy!

5. Billy Connolly: Bravemouth by Pamela Stephenson

Billy Connolly has been my favourite comedian since I was very young, and this was only further cemented when I saw him perform live in 2006, when I was 20, where he talked for over three hours and I laughed so hard I was in pain for days. This book is the follow-up to the best-selling biography “Billy”, in which we learned of his dramatic childhood and rise to comedy stardom. In this, we read about the build up to his 60th birthday, including insights into his still hectic life from the man himself and his wife, Pamela. Just as funny and moving as the first book, I loved this and would highly recommend it to anybody who is a fan.

4. The Elegance Of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

This is one of those books which I loved, and then the majority of people I recommended it to either found it average or simply didn’t understand it. But for me, this story of the bourgeois apartment building in Paris, and of the cultured concierge pretending to be a simpleton and the suicidal but genius pre-teen, both of whom think the world would not appreciate their true selves, was quite moving. Sure, the story was a little slow, though I don’t think this book was about the story, but about the slow revelations that dawn on the characters as they grow, while all around them remains stagnant to an extent. It takes a swipe at a certain kind of society with this progression, all the while written beautifully and thought provokingly. This isn’t for everyone, but I personally quite liked it.

3. The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

My favourite novel by Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie, The Five People You Meet In Heaven) so far, this story is a careful and clever tale about time, how we spend it, how important it is, and how we shouldn’t allow it to rule our lives in the way we do. It centres around three characters, Father Time, who was the first man to measure time and has since been punished with listening to people’s pleas for more time for centuries, a wealthy businessman who intends to live forever and cheat time, and a teenage girl who is about to give up on life and cut herself short of time. It is beautifully written and very thought provoking, and a book I would recommend to everybody, to be honest.

2. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

I bought this book on a strong recommendation as soon as it was translated to English from Swedish (the recommender had read it in Swedish a year or two prior), and I can see why it is one of the most popular books from Sweden in recent years. The story quite literally tells the tale of a man who, on his hundredth birthday, decides to jump out of the window of his retirement home and run away. In the process he ends up causing all sorts of havoc, meeting up with various equally crazy characters whilst on the run from a crime gang, police and detectives. His past life is also revealed as the book goes on, adding depth to this seemingly bizarre character. Overall this is one of the funniest books I have ever read, and again I would recommend this to anybody, especially if you like a bit of humour in your stories.

1. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

I knew as soon as I had finished this book a few months ago that it would remain my favourite for the whole year. It’s the story of Hazel and Augustus, two teenage cancer patients currently in remission, but with full knowledge that their futures are short and unpredictable. As the two spend more time together and develop feelings, Hazel is forced to re-evaluate how she’ll let her illness define and control her, and how this will affect her life and legacy. What I loved about this book is that the characters are so incredibly real, rather than idolised or romanticised. The writing is stunning and often very funny, which helps reel you in as a reader, though the whole time you are of course bracing yourself emotionally for the worst. It is an incredible book, and a testament to John Green’s insightful writing abilities. Though the subject may be a little close to home for some (it is for me), I think if you don’t read this book you are truly missing out on a gem.

What were your favourite books you read this year?

Have you read any of these five books I have mentioned?

The Fault In Our Stars: Hilarity, tragedy, beauty and profundity

Out of the long list of books I have sitting on my shelves, waiting to be read, that have been recommended by fellow bloggers, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green has perhaps been the one most strongly and most commonly discussed. People absolutely adore this book, and so naturally I had to find out why.

The story is told from the perspective of sixteen year old Hazel, who, despite a medical miracle that has kept her alive longer than expected, is still stuck with terminal cancer, trying to get by with a machine that feeds air into her weakened lungs. When she meets a boy named Augustus Waters at Cancer Kid Support Group, she desperately tries not to fall for him, to no avail, and the story tells of their blossoming romance as they try to make sense of living with cancer at such a young age, and live out their lives as fully as possible.

What completely swept me away with this book was just how funny and charming it was. The way Hazel tells her story, and particularly the way she talks with other characters, is simply hilarious, blending a sharp wit with teenage angst and bluntness. Rather than trying to romanticise her fight with cancer, or that of any of the other characters, the whole story is told very honestly, and it leaves you both laughing and crying at many points, pulling you through the range of emotions like a tug of war match. The love story feels real and convincing, and both of the main characters are entirely likeable without seeming pretentious or overly “heroic” – they are just making the best of what they’ve got. And while the story may become philosophical at points, it is not by any means convoluted because of this – the philosophising is merely small truths revealed in very touching and poignant ways.

I did cry while reading this book, multiple times. I also laughed out loud on substantially more occasions, which was a pleasant surprise and is a rarity among books. The topic is something which sadly touches all of us during our lives, whether it is ourselves or loved ones, and Green has managed to write about it so beautifully, so honestly, and so realistically, despite how easy it could have been to mess up a novel on such a sensitive subject.

To put it simply, I am in awe of this book and of John Green’s writing. The Fault In Our Stars, as the title of this post suggests, is hilarious, sad, beautiful and profound, and if you haven’t read it yet I urge you to make the time for it in the near future. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

Book Haul #(Insert large number here)

After banning myself from buying books for several months due to several unforeseen circumstances (and also because I have so many already on my shelves yet to be read), the cravings became too much this last week, and I ordered a bunch of new books. All but one of these have arrived now, so I decided it’s time for a book haul post! Let me know if you have read/want to read any of these (many of these I have bought because of recommendations from other bloggers and readers).

The Night Circus I’ve actually borrowed off my Mum, which might be the first time this has ever happened (we have vastly different tastes in books usually). Miss Peregrine’s caught my attention just from the title and cover, let alone the idea behind it. And I have read a few really good reviews of Ready Player One and decided it was time to give it a go.

About Love is a collection of short stories by Anton Chekhov, who I have studied many times before but, bizarrely, I owned none of his books until now. The Midnight Palace is Zafon’s second book from nearly two decades ago, but has only recently been translated into English, which is great as he is one of my favourite writers. The Sense of an Ending was the 2011 Man Booker Prize winner, so I want to find out why.

All three of these are books by the hugely popular John Green, and all three I have read reviews of in other book blogs, so I wanted to find out what all the fuss is about!

Two more medieval history books. The first one, Medieval Intrigue, focuses on medieval conspiracies, which should be really interesting!

What books have you bought recently?