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."

fourteen.

So incredibly grateful for this guy:

[Josiah and I on graduation day 2012]

My brother Josiah is one of my absolute bestest friends!

Fourteen years ago today, he was handed a death sentence, a diagnoses of terminal lymphoma.

But God is so incredibly good and He interposed and gave Josiah life.

Fourteen years later, we are celebrating his graduation from college and now he's preparing to pack up his car and move off for grad school (which would be sad if it wasn't so exciting)

He is off to have some pretty amazing adventures and I'm so proud of him! But... I will miss him like the dickens!

Whether he's being silly, quoting disney movies, or cracking Boadicea jokes, Josiah can make me laugh like no one else.

[New Years 2012]

And it will be strange without him around.

[October 2011 - Husky homecoming with Dad's letterman blanket]

[September 2011 - Last, first day of school together]

[Jeremiah's MC graduation]

[Summer 2010 - a Summer visit to campus just before he started there]

Josiah, you've become such a deep person. No, not just in the sense that you can confuse mom with big sounding words in your (published =) articles. I mean that you are truly thoughtful, spirit-sensitive, knowledgeable, and compassionate. You have literally amazed me over the last several years by branching out to new types of people, working so incredibly hard, attaining things that seemed impossible. I'm so proud of you. And I'm so grateful for you!

Just wanted to take this day to appreciate who you are and the simple fact that you are here.

So grateful that God had plans for you on this earth that would take longer than 11 years to achieve. I'm so excited to see where those plans take you next.

Love you tons,

Samara