I have been reading a lot lately. Escapism. It’s a disease. Which brings us to the book I want to discuss:
This month, for book club (a group of my girlfriends who meet monthly), we are reading THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. I had dreaded reading it. It is about a sixteen year old girl dying of cancer. I was told it was sad, but also funny. I try to avoid sad. My heart can’t take it.
I started the book and had to set it down every chapter. It was very hard to read. I have a teenage daughter. I did not know if I could go on after the first chapter.
Page twenty five. Closed book. Cried. Told myself I could read this.
Page forty. Closed book. Cried. Told my husband I could not read this.
Page seventy. I didn’t see it coming. It hit me unexpectedly. More tears. But I was committed.
Let’s consolidate the tears to pages, shall we: 99, 103, and oh, 117, you hurt, 121, 208 (I don’t know why), 259-the end of the book. But 296-297 crushed my soul.
I read the book in one day. I am going to be honest. To get it over with. It was a beautiful, well written tragedy. And I could not find the humor. I just found it so incredibly sad. Yes, the main character is perfect. He wrote a fantastic, sarcastic sixteen year old girl who is dying.
John Green is a wonderful writer. His words flow. You can picture every nuance in this girl’s life. You want her to live, even as he tells you again and again that she won’t.
If you can handle the real world and you love beautifully written words, you will love this book. I am not one of those people in the first half of that sentence.
It is very reminiscent of a Jodi Piccoult book, which I had quit reading years ago, because everything was so damned tragic.
Here are some highlights from the book:
The mother: This character was amazing. She was the character who broke my heart. She was the mother you would hope you would be in this situation.
Love story: the book is a love story. I do not want to give anything away, except to say, it obviously cannot end well.
What I got from the book:
I want to go to Amsterdam. It sounds so lovely.
Champagne sounds more delightful than it truly is.
And, why haven’t they found a darn cure for cancer all ready?
I did hug my daughter all day today. She thinks I am a total freak. Then I started sobbing. Yep, she is very pleased I read this book.
Would this be a book I recommend? I do not know…
My friends (aka adults) loved this book. Most people who have read it do.
I did not.
My eyes are still puffy as I write this. The book was very sad. Did I all ready mention that?
Yep, sad.
It is a book that sticks with you. I admire his writing. The words were beautiful. However…
I am going back to my teenage fantasy romance. Will the werewolf get the girl? Who knows. But at least it won’t break my heart.
What is a good book you are reading right now? Do you have any recommendations for me? I love to talk fiction.
P.S. Am I the only one hyperventilating with excitement over the mystery creature that washed up on Spain’s shores this week? And, that is not an oar fish! ; )
I haven’t read that book but I can say how wonderful Amsterdam is and if you come all the way to see it then also visit Brugges which in many ways is even prettier.
I saw on the news about that creature on the Spanish beach. For a few days we can all pat ourselves on our backs and think how we are right to believe in Bigfoot, the Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster. I think it makes the world a whole lot more exciting that we don’t know everything.
Yes! Thank you Steven! I think it is a sea dragon. And I am going to stick with that. ; ). There is no way to know everything in this great big world. At least that is how I think!
I very much want to go to Amsterdam. And now will add Brugges to the list. We are so boring, though. We tend to travel to the same places. Maybe this spring we’ll get out of our rut.
I hope you have a magical week! : )
Jenni
Hoping this little Gnome story cheers you up. 🙂
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mystery-gnome-homes-appear-along-trail-in-kansas–205523557.html
Awww! I love it! What a great story! That truly does make me smile. How fun! I have wanted to build those doors for awhile for our trees, but I know I would go overboard with my OCD.
So very cute and magical! Thank you so much for sharing! : )
Have a terrific Sunday!
Jenni
In my previous life (pre-stay-at-home mom to a 1 year old), I was a Teen Services Librarian. I can talk teen books all day long. I have read all of John Green’s book except this one, I just don’t think I can handle it now that I am a mom.
Okay, you have to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is an emotional read and you will cry but I think you will also love it. It is in my top 5 favorite books of all time. I have read it three times and listen to the audio, which is amazing. My husband and I sat in the car in our garage to listen to this on audio.
Have you read Hold Me Closer, Necromancer? Hilarious. Recently I’ve read and loved Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Ashes by Ilsa Bick, Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers. I could go on but I am still sitting in my pajamas on a beautiful Saturday morning!
What a wonderful job! I bet that was wonderful! I have always thought of libraries as the real magic of the world. Does that make you a wizard? ; )
I absolutely LOVE “The Book Thief.” I picked it for our book club book couple of months ago. You know, it was sad. But it did not hurt my heart in the same way as “The Fault in Our Stars.” I bought another book by him. But I have not read it yet. Have you read any other books by Markus Zusak? And do you think her husband at the end is…? I do. But I am the only one in book club who did.
Are the other books by John Green this sad? He was a beautiful writer and I would love to read more of his works, as long as they are not sad.
I am going to look into your other recommendations. I have not read any of them yet. Thank you for the recommendations!
Have a great week!
Jenni
Hi Jenni,
I have read Markus Zusak’s other books but I liked The Book Thief the best. And I totally believe that the husband is who you think it is. My teen book club agreed, as well, but maybe they were all hopeless romantics!
I never found any of John Green’s books sad. They were often funny and intriguing and disturbing and unfortunate, but never sad.
I miss being a Library Wizard (totally going to use that now!) and will eventually go back to work but right now I’m loving being knee deep in board books, sippy cups and stuffed animals…I can’t get this time back!
Katie
Yay! Oh good, I am so glad that someone else agrees with my theory. My husband confided in me tonight that he, too, thought they were married. My friends thought their age difference was too vast. I disagree. It was not bad at all. I looked it up after I finished the book and I think I remember reading that the author did not think they ended up together. ??? But then there were so many clued that they did. Hmmmm. I guess it will have to remain a mystery.
I just started a new book, “Blood Song,”by Anthony Ryan. I will see if it is good. It has fantastic reviews online. I also just finished “The Assassin’s Apprentice” series. Review to come!
I love that I now know a book “wizard!” ; ) Have a perfect week!
Jenni
I really enjoyed your review! Please review more books. I like to read happy books too. I recently read The Night Circus and loved it. It has a few sad parts but seeing the beautiful art in your home makes me think you might enjoy the book too. The artist tries to make art with words. I like Sophie Kinsella too. I’ve Got Your Number and Twenties Girl are two I enjoyed.
Hi! And thank you!
Oh my gosh, we read “The Night Circus” for book club about a year ago. I loved it! My friend who picked the book made everyone red scarves for our meeting and we all wore black and white. I think I might need to do a review of it or on “The Book Thief.” I am so glad we have both read it! : )
I love Sophia Kinsella. I own all of her books. They are so funny and just good reads. I really enjoy them. I need to check to see if she has any new releases out. I have not checked in a while. Thank you for the reminder!
I am definitely going to do more book discussions. I think it is so much fun to talk books! I love meeting people with similar interest to my own. Yay!
Have a great night!
Jenni
Ok, you piqued my curiosity and I just downloaded the book onto my Kindle. I am a little scared to read it… will I be depressed for the rest of the month? Then again, I always love a book that can evoke real emotions out of me. Thanks for the review!
I think you will enjoy it. Everyone else in book club loved the book. And I will remember it forever. Just keep your tissues handy! It really is a beautiful read! Please me what you think of it when you are finished. I cannot wait! Another great book is “The Book Thief.” It was my choice this year! So, I am a little partial to it.
Have a lovely week!
Jenni
Thank you for your review. Unfortunately I am not nearly as brave as you. I too gave up Jodi Piccoult after starting of one of her books because I couldn’t handle the heavy sadness I felt. If you can’t see the words through the tears, then it is generally not for me. It definitely has to do with being a mother now. In a past life I would have been able to read it and feel sorry for the families who have to endure things like that. Now, something like that would cripple me for days and I too would attach myself physically to my kids until I felt better. I have not ready The Night Circus but based on the review above will give it a go. I love hearing about new books. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Lizzie! I think you would enjoy Night Circus. I liked it, but I found the ending rushed. The Book Thief is also great. It is about the hollocaust told from the point of view of Death. And the story of a teenage girl. It is sad, but really good. My very favorite book is Name of The Wind. Even my aunt, who does not like science fiction enjoyed it.
I cannot wait to talk to you tomorrow!
Jenni