Fantastic F's #atozchallenge

Day 6 of the April A to Z Challenge

A Book Extravaganza

Classic: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Synopsis: In 1918 Ernest Hemingway went to war, to the war to end all wars. He volunteered for ambulance service in Italy, was wounded, and twice decorated. Out of his experiences came A Farewell to Arms. Hemingway's description of war is unforgettable. He recreates the fear, the comradeship, the courage of his young American volunteer, and the men and women he meets in Italy with total conviction. But A Farewell to Arms is not only a novel of war. In it, Hemingway has also created a love story of immense drama and uncompromising passion.

Other: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

            Follow the Stars Home by Luanne Rice

            The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (read my review of this here)

I've posted pictures of other books by Mitch Albom and John Green since I own them. I have read them all and have enjoyed them.

Last year, I did a post on Mitch Albom and featured the synopses of his books here.

♥Meg♥

The Fault in Our Stars Book Review

2015 Reading Challenge

30. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
      Theme/Topic: book that made you cry

Synopsis:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My Review:
I have now read this for the third time, but it fit the particular topic/theme. Geared to teens and young adults, I believe that this is the kind of book that adults can get something out of as well - The Fault in Our Stars has been listed as a young adult book that adults should read (according to Goodreads) or something similar to that. This is an example of a typical teen love story. The only difference is that they have cancer. Anybody, no matter what, deserves  to have fun and fall in love. I believe that this story represents how everyone should have an outlet to help them get through the hard times like a favorite book/author like Hazel or video games like Gus and Isaac.

Since I chose The Fault in Our Stars as the book that made me cry, I'm going to elaborate on the moments that have done exactly that. I'm going to list three examples. For the most part, they are going to be from the first time I read this (so you can get a true reaction/fresh perspective). If you haven't read this yet or seen the movie, consider yourself warned.

Spoiler Alert Warning - Spoiler Alert Warning

1. When Gus dies. This is one moment that gets me every time. When I read this the first time, I actually never saw that coming.
2. When Gus asks Hazel and Isaac to write an obituary for him and when they read it at the church to Gus. I can understand that Gus wants to know what they think about how he affected their lives. You don't think that somebody will ask you to write an eulogy before they die. It bothered me more when Hazel read hers.
3. When Gus told Hazel that his cancer came back. Looking back onto it, I can say I saw it coming. To me, that moment is the turning point of the story. Since this book is based on characters with cancer, I figured that someone would die (in particular Hazel). When Gus said that he "lit up like a Christmas tree", I wasn't expecting that.

I want to mention that I have currently read 38 books so far and am close to finishing two more at the moment.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥

Paper Towns Book Review

2015 Reading Challenge

16. Paper Towns by John Green

       I don't have a certain reading challenge theme/topic for this one because I didn't plan to read this for that reason.

Synopsis:
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life--dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge--he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues--and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

My Review:
Yet another love story from John Green. Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska seem to have something in common: the main character (Miles and Q) realizing how much someone meant to them after they're gone and then chasing/searching for them to discover who they are. In Looking for Alaska, Miles goes on a search for answers after losing Alaska in a car accident and in Paper Towns, Q goes on a search for Margo after she runs away. What I really liked about this book was the clues that were left by Margo, making it a bit like a scavenger/treasure hunt. Those kind of things have always interested me, not to mention it's fun to figure out clues and see where they lead. 

I think a good thing to take out of this story is that sometimes you have to take a risk in life to go after something you want to achieve, accomplish, etc. Q took a risk on his mission to find Margo, not really knowing what he was going to find along the way. Without giving the ending away, keep in mind that you may not always get the outcome that you want, but you'll never know if you don't try.

No risk = No reward

Announcement: My regular blog schedule will resume next week.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥

Looking for Alaska Book Review

2015 Reading Challenge

15. Looking for Alaska by John Green

       Theme/Topic: book written by someone under 30

   

Synopsis: 

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Prepatory School (boarding school) in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

My Review:

This is about life before and after a tragic event of losing a friend in a car crash. We tend to take our family and friends for granted and don't always realize how much they mean to us. Oftentimes by the time we do, it's too late. I liked how John Green showed Miles, aka Pudge, and his friends/c!assmates go through the grieving process just like anybody else, but more importantly, that they each went through it differently. 

Losing someone close to us, whether suddenly or not, is heartbreaking. Just like Pudge, I think all of us question life and death after someone dies. I related to what Pudge went through because I felt a lot of the same things when I lost an uncle in 2001 and my grandmom in 2010. One died suddenly and the other died unexpectedly, but I kind of knew it was coming. With both, I found myself asking what if I had done this or that (they're both extremely personal stories), would it have made a difference. And I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. 

Suicide. Although we never find out if Alaska dies by accident or crashed as a way to commit suicide, suicide is an importañt issue not to be taken lightly. I've known two people who did take their life and although I wasn't that close to either of them, I still found myself questioning why someone would want to do that.  The answer is that you just don't know. There's no way of knowing what that person is thinking right before that moment or even what led up to that moment. If you or someone you know is considering suicide as a way out, please get help. 

This book is good for young adults and adults in their 20s and 30s because it's during those times when we question life and death and discover what we want to become and where we want to be in life. 

I'm going to end this with the most thought defining quote from this book: 

"How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?" - Alaska Young

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

Meg

Author Spotlight: John Green

Author Spotlight

John Green

Get to Know John Green
     ~ American author
     ~ Creator of VidCon - a conference for the online video community
     ~ Developed a Youtube channel with his brother - VlogBrothers
     ~ Best known for The Fault in Our Stars
     ~ Paper Towns is the second book to become a movie
     ~ Made it into Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world
    
Books by John Green
     ~ Looking for Alaska
     ~ Paper Towns
     ~ The Fault in Our Stars
     ~ An Abundance of Katherines
     ~ Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with author David Levithan)
     ~ Let It Snow (with authors Lauren Myracle and Maureen Johnson)

I have read The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska. I can say this: John Green has natural writing talent. What I like about him is that his books are suited for young adults and adults alike and you can't go wrong there. I just finished reading Looking for Alaska and the review will be posted tomorrow. I am currently reading Paper Towns so a review should be posted in a couple days.

For more information on John Green, click here.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥