Throwback Thursday: Looking for Alaska by John Green

 

Throwback Thursday

 

This weekly feature is hosted by Renee (Its Book Talk). Throwback Thursday offers a way to share some of our old favorites as well  as sharing books that we are finally getting around to reading that were published over a year ago.

I joined NetGalley in July, 2016. So far, I have reviewed 154 ARCS. However, in the past one year, my own TBR has been neglected a lot.  I have finally gotten my ARC addiction under control and so I will be reading more of my own books. I decided to join Throwback Thursday to help me achieve this goal.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.

Review

Looking for Alaska is my second book by John Green. The first one was The Fault in our Stars. This book begins with the MC, Miles heading the new school, Culver Creek. Miles is a shy, introverted young man. He is the kind of quiet kid who doesn’t have too many friends. However, things soon change at the new school where he meets his roommate, Chip (Colonel), Alaska, Takumi and Lara.

I liked Miles’ character. I loved the fact that he was obsessed with people’s last words. There is a time that I used to follow crime libraries and read last words by death row inmates. Miles wasn’t interested in death row but he knew a lot of last words. What I didn’t like about his character though was how he was influenced by his friends at the new school. I would have liked it if he remained his unique, weird self. I didn’t buy the sudden change into vices though I did like that some of his awkwardness remained.

I read this book without having read the blurb first. Needless, to say, I was curious when I found out that there was a character called Alaska. I mean, the title is Looking for Alaska so naturally I wanted to know, where did Alaska go or why are people looking for her. The book has chapters counting down to an event. I kept waiting to find out what the event was. After the event itself, the after chapters reveal how the character’s lives changed. I enjoyed the before but I was a bit bored by the after. It felt repetitive like nothing much was happening. And the plot sort of started dragging a bit.

As you can tell, I am somewhere in the middle as far as my feelings for this book go. I liked aspects of it but others didn’t work for me.I can’t say much about the book because I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise for those who haven’t read it yet and going by goodreads reviews, this is one book that you have to experience for yourself. Readers don’t seem to agree on much concerning it. Some loved it, other hated it(1 star reviews). Others like me loved the first section while others preferred the second one. Anyway, if you like issue-based YAs then you may enjoy this one.

 

 

 

Book Review:The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

By James Green

After reading, ‘My Sister’s Keeper’ by Jodi Picoult, I started looking for other similar books. That is how I stumbled upon, ‘The Fault in our Stars’ by John Green. Surprisingly, I had never heard about the book before then. However, I am really glad that I found it.

‘The fault in our stars’ by John Green can be described not as a great read but rather a powerful read. It’s like watching, ‘Hotel Rwanda’, a movie that tears into your heart, leaving you broken. It is hard to describe it as a great or entertaining movie, but more fitting to call it powerful, that’s the same thing with this book. Anyway, I digress.

‘The Fault in our Stars’ by John Green about the story of Augustus and Hazel, two teenagers battling with terminal illness. They meet and fall in love. You will be forgiven to assume that the whole book is filled with sadness and gloom. On the Contrary, you will experience all kinds of emotions reading this one. There will be moments of tears and laughter throughout the story.

Hazel and Augustus meet in a support group. Hazel has just joined the group and Augustus who is a cancer survivor shows up at one of the meetings one day. There are different themes that come out of this union, love, friendship, illness, tragedy and and many more. Their stories became intertwined from then on. As a reader, you will find yourself drawn into the story so much that you become part of the characters. You will share in their joys and pains equally.

It is a beautiful story of hope, despair and frustration but heartwarming light moments. For instance, I loved the character of Augustus and the ‘smoking’, throughout the story; I could picture him with the cigarette hanging at the side of his mouth. When I thought of Hazel, I was reminded of Emma from ‘Bates Motel’ with her oxygen tank.

There were parts of the story that had me put the book down for a while just to catch my breath. For instance, there was a scene with Augustus at a petrol station (you will have to read the book to get the full story). I got to this point and couldn’t even move forward without first taking a break.At the same time, i just had to get to the end of the story and see how everything goes.

Like every good story, there is a twist. The whole story prepares you for the death of one of the main characters; however, it really doesn’t end up playing out that way. Instead, the story takes a turn that will have you glued to the last page in-between wiping tears and turning the pages.

I would definitely recommend that everyone reads this book. It’s a fantastic read, will definitely break your heart and you’ll probably cry, but it’s a beautiful story that you just have to experience for yourself. In addition, it’s really gripping right from the first page and you will love the fast pace with which the whole story is built.