Best Book of the Month--July 2013

I haven't done a Best Book of the Month Feature since August 2012, but I decided to do it again!

 Many thanks to YA Highway for the idea to post the best book that I read each month.  Last year upon deciding to stop participating it Road Trip Wednesday, I decided that I still wanted to post the best book that I read each month. 

Best Book of July 2013

This is definitely a hard month to start doing this again! I read many wonderful books in July so it is quite a challenge picking my favorite that I have read, but The Fault In Our Stars by John Green triumphs above all the others. I am so glad that I took a chance on reading this book. I highly recommend everyone to read this someday in their lifetime. I seriously wouldn't doubt it if this book will be (if it's not already) on schools' required reading list. However, I was never a big fan of required reading so I hope people read this book because they want to, not because they have to.

This book was the first book to actually make me cry, really cry. Not a few tears that never spill down my checks, but full out sob, and not just once, but multiple times. But this book is so worth it. I actually ended up buying it for my nook a few weeks after I read it because it was on sale at Barnes & Noble for only $3.99. I definitely plan on re-reading it before (or maybe after) I see the movie, which, of course, I'm super excited about!!

Book Review: Looking For Alaska

Looking For Alaska

"Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, 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, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same."

Warning!: This review is filled with major spoilers! 

Author: John Green
Year of Release: 2005
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Sequel(s): None, it's a standalone

What motivated you to read this book?: Loved reading John Green's The Fault In Our Stars! Such an incredible book. I wanted to try out more of his books, and I heard great things about Looking For Alaska, so I decided to try it out.
Book Version: Paperback
Where did you get the book?: Library
Favorite Character: Miles Halter

Thoughts on Cover: It's horrible. I don't understand it. I thought covers were supposed to grab readers' attention?

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Review: I had mixed feelings while reading this book. Apparently after hearing and reading such great things about this book, I'm one of the few people who feels this way. This book just seemed so strange. Plus, it felt as though there wasn't much of a plot: no antagonist, no major problem, nothing (not until the middle of the book anyway.) Just bits and pieces of Miles Halters life at his new boarding school. One scene consisted of Miles and his friends doing a huge prank on the Weekday Warriors, a popular group of rich kids. Normally during intense scenes/chapters, I feel exhilarated and I can't put the book down because I want to know what happens. However, when reading that part, I felt nothing, completely indifferent. The result of the prank was that Kevin and some of the other Weekday Warriors ended up dying their hair blue. Big whoop. Another part of the prank was sending out letters to the Weekday Warrior parents telling them that they're failing their classes. That would have been alright, except for the fact that it is never described in the book what their parents' reactions were! The whole prank scene seemed pretty pointless for that reason. I mean, why have an entire prank that takes days to do when the result is hardly mentioned? In fact, the whole situation between Kevin and all the Weekday Warriors never got settled. Kevin kept wanting a truce, but the truce never occurred.

Although there wasn't an antagonist or any major problems for the first half of the book, the book still captured my attention. I found it somewhat interesting. The characters are very, very weird, but I still found myself interested to see what happens. I really liked Lara. She seemed perfect for Miles. They were both inexperienced and clueless. However, I didn't like how Miles kept saying that he could never find himself able to talk to her. He didn't even know her, and yet he was dating her. With that said though, I found the short fling they had together to be rather amusing and enjoyable. They were trying something new, and it was interesting to read. However, it was a bit odd, that they were together for about a day, and then they decide to do some intimate activities. I mean, they hardly knew each other!

I found Alaska to be quite confusing. I never understood her at all. I guess that's what Green wanted--for her to be a mysterious character. I would have wanted to know what her motives were for making out with Miles even though she kept saying that she was in love with her boyfriend and that she would never cheat. So strange.

The turning point of the story after Alaska is killed was probably the most interesting part of the story for me. I actually enjoyed reading the "After" part of the novel a lot more than the "Before" part. It kept my attention a lot more, and I grew to like the characters more. However, I felt bad for Lara since Miles ignored her for several weeks. I knew we would never find out the real reasons behind Alaska's death, but I found the investigation Miles and his friends did in order to find out to be quite attention-getting.

All in All, I can definitely say that I am quite disappointed in this book. I heard such great things about it from my friends and other sources. I also expected it to be just as amazing as The Fault In Our Stars, but was proven wrong. I plan on reading at least one more of John Green's books eventually, but it will probably be a long time from now after reading this book.

Stacking the Shelves (#1)

This is my first Stacking the Shelves. Stacking the Shelves is a book blog meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where book bloggers post about the new books they have acquired throughout the week either digitally or hard copy. It can be books that you have borrowed from a friend, got at a library, purchased online or in a store, etc!

I think this will be a fun meme!!

Here are the books I have acquired this week!

Purchased for My Nook

Inside by Maria V. Snyder

This book consists of both books in this duology, Inside Out & Outside In. I have been meaning to purchase it for awhile because I love both books. If you're interested, Barnes & Noble has it for only $7.55 as an e-book & $8.54 for a paperback. These are both great deals considering that it contains both books that are simply amazing and extremely hard to put down. I definitely recommend this series!!

The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression

Being a writer, I seriously needed to purchase this book. I am not the best at describing emotions or facial expressions and this book is fantastic for describing emotions. (I still need one to help with facial expressions. So if anybody has any book or website suggestions for that please let me know! It would be much appreciated!) It's only $4.99 as an e-book!!

Pre-Ordered (hardcopy)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

I am very, very excited for this book to be released! This is the final book in the Divergent trilogy which words cannot describe how much I love. It is by far my favorites series. I highly recommend reading this series! Allegiant will be released on October 22, 2013.

Borrowed from Library

Looking For Alaska by John Green

I read The Fault In Our Stars in just over 2 days, and I loved it! I have already decided to read all of John Green's books. It's pretty much official now. I'm looking forward to reading this one.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

I watched Epic Reads' "Tea Time" this past Wednesday & when they opened the box that revealed the ARC of one of the sequels to this book, I knew I had to read this one because it's been on my "to-read" list for awhile now.

That's it for this week!! If you read any of these, please be considerate and do not post any spoilers in the comments!!! Thanks!!

Book Discussion: What I Believe Happens After The Fault In Our Stars Ends

In my post that I posted back in May describing my Long Absence, I mentioned that I would be doing "Character Analyses"  posts. However, I decided not to do them (maybe in the future) & have book discussions instead where I discuss certain things about the books that I love.

In my first book discussion, I discuss what I believe happens after The Fault In Our Stars ends. So if you haven't read the book yet & you plan to, I suggest not reading this post, because it is filled with spoilers. Anyways, John Green himself posted on his website that he does not know what happens outside of the text. Here is one thing that he said:

"I have access to the exact same text that you do. I do not have access to any information outside of that text, because then it would just be me speculating about what might happen, and my speculations are no more valuable or authoritative than anyone else’s. Books belong to their readers! Own it! Make it yours!"

I personally love what he has said. I do not think that he ended the story abruptly, and he made it plenty clear in the novel what will happen to Hazel's parents when (and if) she passes. Of course, there are still things that you can't help but be curious about like what happens to Isaac? Does Hazel die? I like how he left that ambiguous. Normally, I get annoyed when authors end their series with unanswered questions and abrupt endings, and then the authors refuse to say what happens. It's like "Are you serious?!" I can definitely relate to Hazel in that respect. I can think of two series right off the top of my head that are like that, but that's not what this book discussion is about. However, like I said, I do not think The Fault in Our Stars ended abruptly. I felt it had a nice closure to it. Obviously, all stories have unanswered questions at the end. Authors can't answer everything at the end of a series or standalone. A book can still have a nice closure, but will still allow the reader to speculate about what happens to the surviving characters. The Harry Potter series is one example. I felt as though it had a great ending, but of course, you still want to know what happens to the characters after the book ends. TFiOS is exactly like that. It had a nice ending, but it leaves the readers with the desire of wanting to know what happens to their beloved characters.

I really like that John Green believes that if he said anything about what happens to Hazel and the other surviving characters after TFiOS ends, that his word would be taken above what everybody else says. He is giving us readers permission to come up with our own continuations, and I love that. 

Here is what I believe happens after TFiOS ends: (Of course, this is what I believe. You don't have to agree with what I'm saying, of course. You can have your own thoughts as well.)

Hazel lived at least another year, possibly even longer than that. I don't know if that's enough time to finish her classes at the community college or not. It isn't said how long she's been taking classes before the start of the book. It also doesn't mention how many classes she's taking. I'm guessing one or two. Plus, you also have to factor in all the times Hazel had to miss class when she was in the hospital.

After Hazel came to terms with the fact that while one of them lives, her relationship and love with Augustus while continue on, Hazel noticed a small patch of orange tulips growing in their front yard garden. Her mother swore up & down that she didn't plant them. Hazel realized that it was a sign from Augustus, that he is Somewhere with a capital S, and that he is still with her at all times, watching her from heaven. Hazel then started to believe in an after life. Once she passes, she reunites with Augustus in heaven and she realizes that she was wrong about never being with him again.

I also believe that Hazel & Isaac continued to go to the "Literal Heart of Jesus" meetings with Patrick. Not every week, but every once in awhile. Hazel was able to clarify to Isaac that the girl whom he referred to as having a "hot voice" really was attractive, and he ended up dating her. Isaac also continues to remain NEC for the rest of his life and lives a long life. He eventually marries and has children, who fortunately never develop cancer. He also never gets "robotic" eyes or other prosthetic eyes. He keeps his word on not wanting to see a world without Augustus.

Finally, although it is immensely difficult after Hazel died, her parents continue on with their lives and her mom helps a lot of families in support groups similar to the "Literal Heart of Jesus" groups, and she does so successfully.

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars

"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."

Author: John Green
Year of Release: 2012
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Sequel(s): None, it's a standalone 

What motivated you to read this book?:Very long description...read the review for it!
Book Version: Hardback
Where did you get the book?: Library
Favorite Character: Augustus Waters
Least Favorite Character: There is no specific person that is bad. It's more or less a fight against human nature. With that said, I don't have a least favorite character.
Thoughts on Cover: Cute. I don't know how else this cover could have been done.
Recommended to: Pretty much everyone. However I wouldn't recommend it if you are depressed or going through a loss of someone close to you.
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Review: It all started sometime last year. I saw my sister reading this book, and I knew I had seen it before. I believe I saw it on other book blogs. But at the time I had no clue what the book was even about. I remember looking it up on Goodreads shortly after & not even adding it to my "to-read" list because the description didn't really get my attention. I mean, the summary was too vague. Later, I heard that my cousin had read it & loved it & that she really liked John Green's books. However, it wasn't until the website, Page to Premiere started posting many things about the soon-to-be-made movie, that I knew I was missing out. Obviously the book was popular & many people (including several of my Goodreads friends) had read it so I decided to give it a try.  

Boy, this book was not what I expected. Not at all. Actually, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I suppose I assumed that Augustus would be the type of guy in many of the other books I have read. The ones that are so sweet & romantic & have made my expectations so much higher than they already were. Augustus was not like that at all. Augustus was a very realistic character. He wasn't afraid to be goofy, sarcastic, and witty. He also had a sensitive side as well. Both him and Hazel seemed to view the world in an entirely different way that I never even thought of before. His character was very hard not to like. 

I also, of course, liked Hazel as well. She really opened my eyes to what it's like to view cancer patients in an entirely new way. They don't want to be treated any differently just because they're sick. They don't want you to say things like "You are such a strong fighter." They also don't want you to pity them. Of course, it varies from person to person, but I'm sure many cancer patients are like her in that respect. Also, Hazel seemed so much more mature than a regular 16 year old girl. Her thought process and the way she analyzed things is very sophisticated and philosophical. I mean, what average 16 year old girl uses the term "hamartia"? Not only that but both she and Augustus were so honest with everything, even about simplistic things such as scrambled eggs. I loved it. 

This book seemed very authentic. All the feelings & descriptions & everything seemed to be so real. It kind of makes me wonder though how John Green was able to write a book  from a cancer patient's perspective. How did he know so much about so many different types of cancer? I found myself looking up a few things on Google myself. He probably did research and everything but how was he able to accurately describe the emotions of Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac? Is he a cancer survivor himself? Or did he have a child or a close friend who had/currently has cancer? I will have to do more research on this matter.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It is so different from the type of books that I'm accustomed to reading. I need to be more open to reading things outside of the science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, and paranormal genres. I definitely plan on reading more of John Green's books and more realistic fiction novels. Anyways, as I was saying, this book is so different from what I'm used to reading. I'm not used to crying my eyes out on more than one occasion while reading a book. Actually I'm not used to crying while reading books. Period. I know I said that I have cried while reading before, but that's not necessarily true. My definition of crying while reading a book consisted of getting teary eyed and nothing more. I always thought that I would never actually sob while reading a book. Well, The Fault in Our Stars proved me wrong. However, I have no regrets whatsoever of reading this book. I really look forward to seeing the movie next year (or whenever it comes out). I truly believe Shailene Woodley will make a great Hazel Lancaster. And I have no doubt that I will cry again when I see the movie.