The Fault in Our Stars

Local Bookstore

So, I guess this book review came in right on time for some and gloriously late for others. Doesn't matter - as the saying goes, Better Late Than Pregnant.

The Fault In Our Stars obviously has a huge, devoted following. I've known for ages that John Green was a man of great Charisma, wit, and intelligence. But I'm going to bare my heart out, and I hope I'm not disappointing you all, but this was my first time reading a John Green novel, and I did it the same weekend the movie came out (actually finishing it mere hours before going to the theater to see it). I'm mostly worried that my friend Andrea will be disappointed in me, as she is the main reason I know about John Green and Nerdfightia (I am not worthy! I am not worthy!)   But maybe that's better for me as a reviewer, so that I can be honest and talk without bias.

Everyone warned me before I started reading that this book would make me cry like a baby, and that I would need some requisite grieving time. Maybe I'm a cold, heartless bitch, but I didn't actually cry. I got choked up though, so that will have to pass. Actually, I think reading Game of Thrones may have numbed me to fictional deaths because I knew it was inevitable that some one had to die. Also I think I have a disorder that leaves me super emotionally detached from books and movies and sometimes real life. Anyway.

The Fault in Our Stars is called a "cancer book that isn't really a cancer book." I didn't realize that "cancer book" was a sub-genre, and I've had it in my experience to have read plenty of sappy books from the time I started to raid my mom's book shelves. I get it, though I still don't think it's entirely appropriate to call it that. Cancer is a factor - it's a very important factor - but this book is so much about trying to have an identity outside of a life-threatening diagnosis.
Hazel is a girl who is hindered and dying from a cancer that effects her lungs. She's surviving for now, but it's inevitable. She meets Augustus Waters - whose cancer has gone into remission at the cost of losing his leg. They first bond over a book, but they fall quickly and easily for each other. Augustus is romantic and, from what I can tell, a good imaginary boyfriend that all teen girls should aspire to someday have (living or dead - though hopefully living) Hazel's dream is to meet the author of that book she introduces Augustus to, and Augustus goes and makes it happen.
Okay, that's all I can say for now without spoiling the rest for anyone who hasn't yet read it. (I don't want to be that kid) Here's what I loved about this book: Green respects his audience. He's writing for teens and he doesn't treat them patronizingly at all - that is a huge and wide problem I have with YA books. So many YA authors write for teenagers like they're simpletons. John Green isn't Fancy, either, but he's real. It's rare and exciting to come across an author who (from what I understand) is this authentic. When I was a teen, Meg Cabot published The Princess Diaries and that book was so real and authentic and excitingly well written; I still have some warm feelings for that book. But then, the more she published, the worse her books got. Though they were still entertaining, she never duplicated the quality of The Princess Diaries and I stand by that. I'm hoping that's not something I can expect from John Green, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

End of Year Book Survey

Another survey I'm borrowing from the blog Perpetual Page Turner (including her graphics). As this is a baby-fledgling, low-traffic Book Blog (only a year old), some of these questions might be a little tricky for me to answer. But I'll go for it anyway!

1. Best Book You Read In 2013?

It has to be Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell, even though it was the freshest in my memory.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I guess I'll just admit it here - A Tale For The Time Being wasn't what I'd thought it would be. But also The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight (which I didn't finish or review) was a let down.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

The Ocean At The End of The Lane - I'd thought I was DONE with Neil Gaiman, and he surprised me.

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Haha, Fangirl, once again. But also a few of my Catholic books like On Heaven and Earth and Abbess of Andalusia, interestingly.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Since I've really only started two series' this year, and that was The Parasol Protectorate and Game of Thrones. Both are very good, but very different.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Rainbow Rowell

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Abbess of Andalusia, because up until now I'd never been a strong reader of non-fiction OR religious literature.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

 The Ocean At The End of The Lane

 9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don't usually re-read books :/

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

(I couldn't pick)

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Oh, yikes! That's not easy. Um... Reagan from Fangirl, because she reminds me of my friend Danielle so much it's scary.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

I'm sure there were several, but the one that stands out to me was actually Eat, Pray, Love

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

The Alchemist - the timing was just so right, even though I'd been holding on to it for a year before I got around to reading it.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

I'm so happy this is a question, because I've been feeling really sheepish about this until now but I have to answer Eat, Pray, Love again

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

“Am I crazy?" she asked. "I feel like I am sometimes."
"Maybe," he said, rubbing her forehead. "But don't worry about it. You need to be a little bit crazy. Crazy is the price you pay for having an imagination. It's your superpower. Tapping into the dream. It's a good thing not a bad thing.” 
― Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

 Longest - Clash of Kings (I'm still picking my way through it)

Shortest -  The Ocean At The End of The Lane

 17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Remember in Game of Thrones when Bran caught Cersei and Jamie and got pushed off the tower? (tiny spoiler)

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

That's not easy, really. None of them really captured me. I supposed Reagan and Cath from Fangirl again, because I swear that's the sort of relationship I have with Danielle

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Again, The Ocean At The End of The Lane

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Bride's Story!

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

Probably Religious Non-fiction

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Jon Snow from the Game of Thrones books ~swoon~

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

Blue Like Jazz - I think that was a debut

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Bride's Story, literally because it's a Graphic Novel

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Gosh, The Parasol Protectorate Series is a lot of fun. It's all the usual stuff (romance, super natural, and steampunk) that some people will curl a lip at you for, and normally call it a "guilty pleasure." But it's just a fun, fast, and funny read

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

Even though it fell a little short of my expectations, that's A Tale For The Time Being again. The story of Nao's uncle and grandmother really tug at the heart strings - whoo-whee!

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

On Heaven and Earth - even though it was published for the first time in English this year and it's been out for a while. Pope Francis is Man of The Year (and he deserves it) but I think most people will pay attention to what he says as it makes the news than actually try to gain any insight into his mind.

 

(optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 

Book Riot is really entertaining and interesting

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013? 

Story of a Soul - it's simple, short, and sweet, but I feel like it's 

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Not many people actually leave me any comments - LEAVE ME COMMENTS, PEOPLE! I'd love hearing from you guys!

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I can't remeber if it was this article or maybe it was this one, but both pertain to about the same thing - and I think it's really interesting (give'em a read!)

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

None really - The Louisiana Book Fair was about a month ago and I was too busy to attend

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?

When I figured out I could get ARC's (Advanced Readers Copies) from publishers

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My review for Soulless - no one really left anything in the comment section, but a few friends did come up to me after they read it to talk about it. So that's P Cool!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I really wish more people would read more of my reviews. In my old Book Review LiveJournal, I got a lot of love for my book reviews, and I'm totally perplexed as to why no one seems as interested anymore.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

This summer, when my parents and I visited Arkansas, we found the most delightful bookstore in Eureka Springs, downtown area. I can't recall the name of it, but it contained some books I've never even heard of - and the most splendid children's books collection,,,

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I read 50 books already! 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

This goes back to question 14 - I have a huge stock pile of books that I bought when they were popular, which have had movies made of them, and aren't much talked about that I Still haven't yet read. My goal is to read most (if not all) of them.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

Do you even have to ask? I'm pretty stoked for Landline, Rainbow Rowell's next book!

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Welp. I don't know any...

 4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

Also, I try not to read many series'...

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

I really, really hope my blog starts to pick up a few more readers. I remember the days of LiveJournal when I had a modest, by loyal followers who really liked what I said about books. It was so long ago, but I hope to reclaim that status.

Fangirl

I'd seen this book pop up a few places (okay, social media - and by some friends who don't read very much, too). I ended up procuring a copy from the local library, just out of curiosity. Also, it didn't hurt at all that I recognized the art of Gingerhaze on the cover right away, which is really exciting because I love her illustrations (and it's great to see her get work like this!)
What ended up happening was that I fell hard for this YA novel. I am a fan of the genre, but I shy away from it now because I feel like even with really, really good YA, sometimes the authors try too hard - or not hard enough, and maybe that's because I'm more on the adult side and less on the young. This was absolutely not the case with Fangirl. It's always cool when authors meet their audience where they're at, and Rainbow Rowell knows her audience so well probably because she is her audience (and she's also an amazing writer - I shouldn't forget that part).
Okay - so I feel like it's safe for me to say that this is my favorite book that I've read this year. Easily, since we only have about a month left of the year. It impacted me on a personal level, Dude.

Fangirl is about a college freshman named Cath Avery who is an internet famous Yaoi Fan-fiction writer for a faux Harry Potter series, instead called "Simone Snow." But that fame doesn't cushion the blow of starting something as huge as college, and the anxiety and insecurity that entails for some people. Part of the reason this story is so provocative to me is that I had a lot of the same emotional up's and down's during my college years. Actually, it hit me so close to home that I struggled with getting through the story at times.
Cath is also one half of an identical twin named Wren, though Wren is the polar opposite of Cath. While Cath spends much of her first semester hiding out in her dorm, and only eventually, cautiously easing her way out for food and classes (which is frighteningly close to what I did my freshman year - only if I'd lived in the dorms, I'm still convinced it would have killed me, either from starvation or something), Wren wastes no time at all partying it up. There is some friction and concern here, but a lot of emotional depth too. This is typical college-aged drama, but it's actually felt out, which is done in only a way an introvert could write. Cath has a room-mate who she's somewhat terrified of - which is also a little hysterical, because said room-mate Reagan reminds me a lot of my bestie Danielle in a lot of ways. (Daleks would be afraid of Regan/Danielle - and honestly it's always kind of nice for a girl with zero back-bone to have a friend like that) ...And then, there's Raegan's "boyfriend" Levi.... Levi's really nice. Like REALLY nice. Like, Goes-Out-Of-His-Way-to-Be-Nice Nice. But there's also a handsome boy in Cath's Fiction Writing class, so maybe there's something there, right? Did I mention the part where Cath & Wren's single Dad back home is prone to mental break-downs? Fan-fiction, whatever your opinion of it, plays a very small part of the story. It's a lot more than that. And it's nice to have an author who doesn't mishandle fandom and nerdy the way that some do (who feel merely qualified because they are nerds). Rainbow has had some introspection before she wrote all this, I feel, more than other authors do (I'm looking you dead in the eye,  Ernest Cline), and I feel like it really paid off.

I have a million more great things to say about this book, but I don't want to veer too far off the topic, or spoil it for anyone. Still. It's a great book, and since Christmas is coming you should probably buy a million copies to give to your nerdy girl friends, especially if they're college aged (it helps, sometimes, knowing that you aren't the only crazed person out there struggling with personal AND creative crisis')

Get Thee To The Libarie!

"Hair For Hazel" and a Full Circle

Almost a year ago, I was prepping for college graduation. As an art major, I was anxious a lot during my college career, and one of the ways I tried to resolve my anxiety was to cut my hair - myself. Always a terrible, terrible idea. I'm not even sure what it was meant to accomplish, but I did it over and over again. At some point I decided to resist the urge and allow my hair to grow out until graduation - by then I could cut it and donate it to Locks of Love as a symbolic gesture. I wanted to know that something good could come from all the stress and fear and pressure I'd spent years under, though Art school doesn't compare to having cancer, or suffering from serious burns. Not at all. Still, as my hair grow longer and longer, I thought of it as the physical compilation of the long hours spent in the studio, away from friends and family, the frustration of never having enough money after having spent it on expensive art supplies that would likely just get thrown out, the arguments I would get into with my teachers and classmates, the blows to my self-esteem, the loss of a beloved pet, breaking relationships, the daily 30 minute (both ways) commute, rising gas prices, the after school job, politics, vegetarianism, bank balances, everything, everything, everything. I let my hair grow well over 18 inches, and when I became a real college graduate, I would cut it off and give it to someone who deserved it more than me. Someone who might never make it to college, but would want to.

This is what it looked like after I cut it.

Earlier that year, the ever popular YA author published the book The Fault in Our Stars. I've never read it, but I hope to. I got on to Tumblr today to see that the new trend among Nerdfightia is a similar project - cutting your hair to donate to Children With Hair Loss in honor of "Hair For Hazel" (Hazel being the heroine of The Fault in Our Stars). Read this article to understand more. Now, I understand that the two events aren't individually related. But I knew at the time that I did it that I was sending something good and wonderful into the world, though it was a little gesture. I'm not going to claim that this was the result of that tiny gesture - clearly it isn't. Still, in my heart I feel like I'm seeing something I did come full circle. I'll never get to see the beautiful kid I donated my hair to, but I did get to see this instead. And I'm going to encourage you all to consider helping too, if you can in some way. I'm so proud of my fellow Nerdfighters, and so in awe of them. This is really huge, and it makes such a big difference. It's totally humbling and so inspiring. Remember, hair grows back.