The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Genre: 4 stars

Review: I wasn't sure initially whether or not to review this book since I was scared I would be biased towards anything written or created by John Green. However, after a couple of days of thinking about this story, I thought that I should. Even if it would never help anyone else decide if the book is worthy of all the hype, then at least I would have expressed out loud how I feel about it.

First off, the writing itself I thought was brilliant. As expected, it was as engaging as any John Green novel. It was smart, witty, and funny despite having a rather depressing premise. He was able to capture and paint the lives of these teenagers with cancer, and he did this in such a realistic way it can sometimes be incredibly hard to read about. It was honest, surprising, as well as heartbreaking all at the same time. It flowed perfectly, and is such a page-turner I literally had to force myself every night to stop reading it and go to bed.

However, as you can see I didn't give it a 5-star rating. I just felt like there were some flaws that kept me from it being a favorite of mine. One of the characters in the book, without spoiling anything, was too poorly developed. That said character simply seemed like a plot device - and a very flat, cliche, and stereotypical one at that. I also thought that some of the dialogues exchanged between certain characters were too forced. I get that these characters are supposed to be smarter than your average teenagers, but seriously... nobody uses extremely difficult vocabulary words during a normal, regular conversation.

Despite these two points though, I still LOVED this book. It was just everything I expected it to be. It felt authentic as it was well-written and wonderfully narrated. It was heartbreakingly realistic yet strangely uplifting. I highly recommend this to contemporary readers and fans of John Green. It won't disappoint.

STORY OF MY LIFE.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Thought this was so true and hilarious I just had to share with all of you.
And speaking of, I'm curious to know what you all are reading currently.
Other than that, happy Friday, everyone!

little things like these make my day.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Since I've been having a horrible reading slump these past few months, I haven't bought or read a single book. Yesterday though, I finally, thankfully, felt this sudden craving to get a new book. I missed this feeling so much. So today, I decided to get one that I've been really wanting to read for a while now - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

I think I can safely say, having read all of his books now - except for Paper Towns - that John Green has definitely made it to my top 'inspirational people' list. He is an amazing writer, author, person, spokesperson, and of course, an awesome leader of an even more awesome community called Nerdfighteria.

That being said, I was ecstatic when I saw it was available.


And not just available.
It was SIGNED.


And as if those weren't enough, when I turned to the first chapter, a little friendly note surprised me.


It just literally made my day so much better.
Made me proud being part of John Green and his brother, Hank Green's, huge and awesome project even more.
Has this ever happened to you?
Found a note inside a book? Feels so much personal that way for some reason.
Anyway, share your stories! And if you are familiar with the vlogbrothers.... then, DFTBA!
<3

book to movie adaptations I can't wait to see.

2012 seems to be a promising year for movies. While I am so very excited for movies like the Avengers and the Dark Knight Rises, I mostly can't wait for the book-to-movie adaptations that are coming out.

***

One of those films I can't wait to see is The Woman in Black, which is an adaptation of the 1983 thriller/horror novel by Susan Hill. The premise and plot line of this story is as eerie and intriguing as it can be, and the trailer for it looks like it might live up to the novel. Also, Daniel Radcliffe leads the cast here, and let's be honest - I am not even going to try denying it - that is Harry Potter right there. Of course I'll pay to see him on the big screen again. Thankfully, this film will come out soon - February 10, to be exact.

Another movie I can't wait to see is The Perks of being a Wallflower. This was an awesome read for me back in high school. The cool thing is that the screenwriter and director for this is the author of the book himself, which I think makes this project an even more promising one. Also, Emma Watson is playing as one of the main characters. (See a trend here?)

Of course, The Hunger Games. The trailer for this looks amazing. It looks dark and thrilling; just the way it should be. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this one! And yes, I am definitely lining up for a midnight showing.

The Great Gatsby. Leonardio di Caprio as Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy... need I say more? This movie project intrigues me the most. I always think it's more difficult to make classic novels into movies, but that's just me. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Last but certainly not the least, I am extremely excited for The Hobbit coming out December of this year. There are seriously no words to describe how ecstatic I was when I first saw its trailer. It looks epic already.

***

So... are you looking forward to watching any of these films I can't wait to see this year? Do you have any other book-to-movie adaptations to add to this list? Let me know!


look how awesome.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Found this online and I couldn't help but smile.


the worst reading slump in two years.

Friday, January 20, 2012

I have blogged time and time again about this happening. Reading slumps are inevitable; we all know they're bound to happen. So usually when it does happen, I just have to stop reading, and carry on. Sooner or later, I will start to miss it.

Unfortunately for me, this slump doesn't seem like it's going away.


I have not read a single book in two months.

I haven't felt excited about picking up a book or talking about anything reading-related in a while now.
Surely there's something wrong with me. Tell me how to get over this odd bump, because I do miss the feeling. Not entirely sure how. Just give it time, I guess?

So tell me, what gets you over a reading slump? What gets you inspired to pick up a book again? And if there are any specific titles that never fails to do the trick, please recommend them!

this little blog is now two!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Unbelievable. Random Ramblings is officially two years old. Thank you for all the support, as always, despite me ironically having a horrible reading slump at the moment.. we shall talk again soon <3

how many books did you read + 2012 goals

Sunday, January 1, 2012

In 2010, I was able to reach my annual goal of reading 100 books a year for the first time, reading about 120 books. In 2011, it may be that things have just been more hectic around here, or I haven't really found a new 'favorite.' Maybe it's the combination of that plus being lazy. Haha. Regardless, I'm happy I was able to read a few memorable ones out of the 70 books I was able to read.
This new year, I would like to be able to read at least 100 books again. This may or may not happen, but it's fun trying to reach the goal anyway.

I'm curious as to how you did in 2011 and what your reading goals are this 2012! What were your favorites from the past year? Let me know so I could check those out too. I hope you are having a wonderful start of the new year!