Book Review: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Ok, so I'm on a John Green kick.  I can't help it; he's great.

Former child prodigy Colin Singleton has been dumped by Katherines his whole life.  Nineteen times he has loved a Katherine and nineteen times he has lost a Katherine.  His most recent dumping has made him a little crazy, albeit adventurous.  When his best friend Hassan suggests a road trip to clear his head Colin agrees.  And that is how a heart-broken former child prodigy and his Muslim best friend find themselves in a tampon factory in Gut Shot, Tenn.

John Green, how do I love the?  Let me count the ways: 1.  The characters in this book are smart but real.  2.  The plot is total fantasy (meaning that would never happen fantasy not here comes a dragon fantasy) but totally believable.  3.  There is a moral/ revelation at the end of the book.  4.  The book ends.  No sequel.  This is a good thing.  I hate sequels.  5.  There is a Muslim-American character as a main (and hilarious) character and not just thrown in for the sake of multi-culturalism.  Although Paper Towns is still my favorite, An Abundance of Katherines is hands down my second favorite John Green book. 5/5

Book Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Two 16 year olds who happen to share the same name cross paths in an unlikely place one Chicago night.  Will #1 publicly defends his very large, very gay best friend and is somewhat shunned by other students.  Will #2 pushes away others and seeks refuge in an Internet romance with a boy he's never met.  Their lives and relationships quickly intertwine in this very honest novel about friendship, love, and musicals (well, just one musical). 

Honestly, this book was not my favorite.  I didn't really get into the plot.  I didn't like Will #2's character.  There were some funny parts, but as a whole, I don't think there were enough funny parts to make up for the emo-ness (is that a word) of Will #2.  Now, that could be because I liked John Green's other books so much that this one was overshadowed.  I thought the book was great for it's intended audience, and I would recommend it to certain students.  It just wasn't really for me.  3/5

Book Review - Looking for Alaska by John Green

Miles leaves behind his boring life in Florida in search of the “great perhaps” at a boarding school in Alabama.  As he begins his junior year, discovers cigarettes, alcohol, pranks, friendship, and what it’s like to be in love – all things he has never experienced before.  Miles’ falls fast for his new friend Alaska.  Just when he thinks she is falling for him too Miles learns a hard lesson, one he may never be able to forgive himself for learning.

OK, so I am completely in love with John Green…well, his books anyway. J  If I’m being completely honest, I hated the first half of this book.  Yep, really hated it.  I wanted to give up on it, but I had just finished Paper Towns, and it was super amazing.  Plus one of my favorite students (shout out to her) told me this year that this was her “favorite book ever” so I felt compelled to finish it.  I’m so glad I did. 

So here’s the thing…The first half of the book involves LOTS of student smoking, drinking, pranking, and sex talk.  Personally, I don’t really care for all that in a book – YA or adult.  That’s just me.  I will not play the we-should-not-expose-our-youth card because, frankly, I remember high school.  They are exposed people; get over it.  I just think a book about people “hanging out” is stupid and pointless.  So, the first half of the book wasn’t that impressive UNTIL I read the second half.  Then the genius called John Green made sense of the world.  He set up this safe little world in the first half of the book only to tear it down in an instant and really expose the characters’ humanity.  Although I could have done with much less smoking (because smoking really is disgusting), overall, this was an amazing book and deserves to be read by all. 4 out of 5

Book Review - Paper Towns by John Green

This is a Young Adult novel. 

Quentin, a well-adjusted and under-the-radar senior, finds himself caught up in the minor pranks of his impossibly cool neighbor Margot the night before she disappears.  Quentin (Q) realizes Margot has left clues for him regarding her disappearance.  He feels compelled to follow the clues not knowing if they will lead to Margot alive and well or something more sinister.  While on this epic journey, Q finds out many things about Margot, his friends, and himself.

I loved this book. John Green is fantastic.  Paper Towns is so well-written, I wanted to read it again when I finished it.  It was a great mystery full of humor that was cleverly placed throughout the book.  The characters, although they were unlike any teens I have ever met, were so great that they seemed like they should be real if for no other reason than that they were just so dang cool.  Okay, so maybe I can relate to band nerds and computer geeks; is that so wrong? 5 out of 5.