Monday, September 30, 2013

31 Days of Books: The Fault in our Stars

Introduction:  I've recently been made aware of the "31 Days" project that takes place across the blogosphere each October (you can read more about it here).  I've decided to do highly condensed reviews of some of the books I've most enjoyed.  The questions you see below are the questions I'll answer for each book.


[via]

I hope you enjoy "31 Days of Books."


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Title:  The Fault in our Stars

Author:  John Green

Published:  2012

Year I read it:  2013

One sentence summary:  Green examines the more tender, less reverent side of life from the perspective of Hazel Grace, a 17 year old suffering from cancer.

Three reasons to read it:  

  • It's a reminder at how fleeting and fragile life is and to spend it generously.
  • Green excels at navigating romance, loss, and humor, with a running philosophical commentary.
  • Catharsis is necessary; pain demands to be felt.
(Bonus reason: film adaptation coming 2014)


One reason you maybe shouldn't:

  • It could be a dangerous trigger (or at least a bit too much to handle) for some people.

Great quotes:

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. And then there are books like An Imperial Affliction, which you can't tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like betrayal” 

“It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing.” 

"You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you."

"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities."

3 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, Samara! I'm SO excited that you're doing this! And looking forward to reading your reviews! :)

    And loved your summary of The Fault in Our Stars...man, so hard to condense a book like that. This book provoked a lot of thoughts and questions for me. Great book, great for discussions.

    Here is one of my favorite quotes, besides some of the ones you already mentioned:

    “But I believe in true love, you know? I don’t believe that everybody gets to keep their eyes or not get sick or whatever, but everybody should have true love, and it should last at least as long as your life does.”

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  2. I am loving reading these reviews & the simplistic approach to them.
    And I just love literature. Yay! :)

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  3. I still find myself thinking about this book a lot! I think it will always stay with me :)

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