TFiOS Movie Day-- Repost of My 2012 Review of the Book

Because everywhere else they are talking about it and I am feeling left out....

No seriously, I have stayed out of the TFiOS movie hype because I have already professed my love for John Green on this blog many times over a few years now.  I mean for goodness sake, we ate this cake with his picture on it back in 2012.

But, with the movie finally being released today, and considering the number of requests I am taking for the book, I thought it would be fitting to run my original 2012 review of TFiOs again. So enjoy. And DFTBA!

Oh, and if you want to play along at home, here is Book Riot’s TFiOS media BINGO card.

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FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

What I'm Reading: The Fault In Our Stars

Ahh, John Green.  I think if the BPL RA desk could choose a mascot, we would pick John Green.  He embodies everything about us.  We are all proud nerds (come on, we choose to work as librarians for adult leisure readers; we know we are nerds) and he is one of the founders of the nerdfighters.  He loves reading and writing, and, hey, have you read this blog before; I shouldn't need to elaborate that one.  And he is from the Midwest.  Indy to our Chicago, but he shares our Midwest sensibility (everyone in the Dream Team but me is native to the area).  Finally, he LOVES libraries, and me and my fellow Dream Teamers...well, we are not in it for the money.

Remember this post about John and his brother Hank Green's vlog?  I subscribe and watch every video (2 per week).

But with the big news last month that the BPL RA Dream Team is taking over the Teen collection this fall, reading and talking about John Green incessantly is now considered part of our job.  We are still a bit too stalkerish, but hey, its for the teens of Berwyn.  (Or so we tell ourselves).

Way back in April, I read The Fault in our Stars, which is already showing up on just about every Best of the Year... So Far list.  It deserves to be there.

The plot sounds sappy, but the book is anything but.  This is why critics and readers love it.

Our protagonist is Hazel, a girl who is only alive because the last chance. experimental drug for her aggressive thyroid cancer seems to be working.  She should be dead, but somehow she keeps living.  Hazel is a color between green and brown and she is a girl between life and death.

Hazel took the GED a few years ago, but she is only 16.  She takes community college courses, but her only social outings are to the cancer support group she attends weekly.  There she has one real friend Isaac, who is going blind (but will live) because of his cancer.  Isaac in turn introduces Hazel to Augustus another cancer kid.  The two share a love of books and become close quickly.

Together they go on a journey, both existential (will I be remembered when I die?) and physical (to Amsterdam, but I won't give away why and how).  They fall in love, but when you have cancer, life is short.

This is a poignant story that forces the reader to contemplate big questions about the meaning of life, why we are here on earth, and the power of love.  But again, Green's talent is that he does this with a believable voice.  It is not sappy or schmaltzy.  It is real and rings true.

Hazel is sarcastic, but lovable.  Her mom is her best friend because, as she explains, when you are sick, who else is around.  She is level headed and smart.  She understands that she could get sick and die at any moment, but does not attack life in a cliche way.  She simply lives like a regular teenager.

Hazel and Augustus have some hysterical conversation about his favorite SF adventure series of books, but they also have some serious and some tender conversations.  They talk about life, death, love, and books.  There is lots of talk about books.  And a memorable trip to the Anne Frank house by kids who know they days are numbered.  The parallels between the 2 stories are clear.

And, I have to say this serious, tragic book also contains one of the funniest scenes ever in any book-- a newly blind Isaac playing a video game with Augustus and complaining that Augustus is playing badly.  That also summarizes a lot of the humor in this book.  If you find the humor in a sick blind kid playing video games, as Green does, you will love this book, as I did too.

Three Words That Describe This Book: sarcastic, poignant, existential

Readalikes:  John Green is the best example out there of an author who is a sure bet cross over from YA to Adult.  So, I will break up my read alike options into YA and Adult.  But please note, all are good for both audiences.

Adult Suggestions:

• I just finished The Age of Miracles by Karen Thomason Walker. Even though the main character there, Julia, is not sick, the world she is living in is.  She narrates the book as a 23 year old looking back on when she was 12 and the earth's rotation started slowing, changing the world forever.  The ideas of living in the moment are very similar here.  Also the young love in a time of crisis is poignant and has a eerily similar ending.
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer is also a great read alike here.  The narrator here is a young boy who has lost his father to the 9/11 attacks.  There is an existential journey in both books and the forging of a deep relationship that is destined to end badly, but be worth it all the same.
• I also think City of Thieves by David Bennioff will appeal here.  Bear with me.  Although it is set in Russia during WWI, the young protagonist, his friend, their journey, and the tragic ending resonate here.  On paper these books look very different, but I have read read both and I can tell you the feel, the writing, the protagonists, the sense of awe when you read them, are the same.  Click here for my full review of City of Thieves.

YA Suggestions: I am less well read in the YA field but I will do what I can here.

• First, run out and read more John Green.  He has won multiple awards for a reason.  Currently, Looking For Alaska is on the Sophomore Reading List for the Berwyn high school and An Abundance of Katherine is also great.
• Its Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini came out in 2007 with starred reviews.  The main character ends up in the psyche ward after trying to commit suicide.  The protagonist has a similar voice to Hazel.
• Sarah Dessen is an author I also like to suggest to Green fans.  Like Green she tackles serious subjects without talking down to teens.  Try The Truth About Forever.
• Finally, there are many YA novels about teens with terminal diseases.  With help from NoveList I found these suggestions:  Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, Before I Dieby Jenny Downham, and A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner.

As Green always says: DFTBA (Don't forget to be awesome).

What I'm Reading: The Fault In Our Stars

Ahh, John Green.  I think if the BPL RA desk could choose a mascot, we would pick John Green.  He embodies everything about us.  We are all proud nerds (come on, we choose to work as librarians for adult leisure readers; we know we are nerds) and he is one of the founders of the nerdfighters.  He loves reading and writing, and, hey, have you read this blog before; I shouldn't need to elaborate that one.  And he is from the Midwest.  Indy to our Chicago, but he shares our Midwest sensibility (everyone in the Dream Team but me is native to the area).  Finally, he LOVES libraries, and me and my fellow Dream Teamers...well, we are not in it for the money.

Remember this post about John and his brother Hank Green's vlog?  I subscribe and watch every video (2 per week).

But with the big news last month that the BPL RA Dream Team is taking over the Teen collection this fall, reading and talking about John Green incessantly is now considered part of our job.  We are still a bit too stalkerish, but hey, its for the teens of Berwyn.  (Or so we tell ourselves).

Way back in April, I read The Fault in our Stars, which is already showing up on just about every Best of the Year... So Far list.  It deserves to be there.

The plot sounds sappy, but the book is anything but.  This is why critics and readers love it.

Our protagonist is Hazel, a girl who is only alive because the last chance. experimental drug for her aggressive thyroid cancer seems to be working.  She should be dead, but somehow she keeps living.  Hazel is a color between green and brown and she is a girl between life and death.

Hazel took the GED a few years ago, but she is only 16.  She takes community college courses, but her only social outings are to the cancer support group she attends weekly.  There she has one real friend Isaac, who is going blind (but will live) because of his cancer.  Isaac in turn introduces Hazel to Augustus another cancer kid.  The two share a love of books and become close quickly.

Together they go on a journey, both existential (will I be remembered when I die?) and physical (to Amsterdam, but I won't give away why and how).  They fall in love, but when you have cancer, life is short.

This is a poignant story that forces the reader to contemplate big questions about the meaning of life, why we are here on earth, and the power of love.  But again, Green's talent is that he does this with a believable voice.  It is not sappy or schmaltzy.  It is real and rings true.

Hazel is sarcastic, but lovable.  Her mom is her best friend because, as she explains, when you are sick, who else is around.  She is level headed and smart.  She understands that she could get sick and die at any moment, but does not attack life in a cliche way.  She simply lives like a regular teenager.

Hazel and Augustus have some hysterical conversation about his favorite SF adventure series of books, but they also have some serious and some tender conversations.  They talk about life, death, love, and books.  There is lots of talk about books.  And a memorable trip to the Anne Frank house by kids who know they days are numbered.  The parallels between the 2 stories are clear.

And, I have to say this serious, tragic book also contains one of the funniest scenes ever in any book-- a newly blind Isaac playing a video game with Augustus and complaining that Augustus is playing badly.  That also summarizes a lot of the humor in this book.  If you find the humor in a sick blind kid playing video games, as Green does, you will love this book, as I did too.

Three Words That Describe This Book: sarcastic, poignant, existential

Readalikes:  John Green is the best example out there of an author who is a sure bet cross over from YA to Adult.  So, I will break up my read alike options into YA and Adult.  But please note, all are good for both audiences.

Adult Suggestions:

• I just finished The Age of Miracles by Karen Thomason Walker. Even though the main character there, Julia, is not sick, the world she is living in is.  She narrates the book as a 23 year old looking back on when she was 12 and the earth's rotation started slowing, changing the world forever.  The ideas of living in the moment are very similar here.  Also the young love in a time of crisis is poignant and has a eerily similar ending.
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer is also a great read alike here.  The narrator here is a young boy who has lost his father to the 9/11 attacks.  There is an existential journey in both books and the forging of a deep relationship that is destined to end badly, but be worth it all the same.
• I also think City of Thieves by David Bennioff will appeal here.  Bear with me.  Although it is set in Russia during WWI, the young protagonist, his friend, their journey, and the tragic ending resonate here.  On paper these books look very different, but I have read read both and I can tell you the feel, the writing, the protagonists, the sense of awe when you read them, are the same.  Click here for my full review of City of Thieves.

YA Suggestions: I am less well read in the YA field but I will do what I can here.

• First, run out and read more John Green.  He has won multiple awards for a reason.  Currently, Looking For Alaska is on the Sophomore Reading List for the Berwyn high school and An Abundance of Katherine is also great.
• Its Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini came out in 2007 with starred reviews.  The main character ends up in the psyche ward after trying to commit suicide.  The protagonist has a similar voice to Hazel.
• Sarah Dessen is an author I also like to suggest to Green fans.  Like Green she tackles serious subjects without talking down to teens.  Try The Truth About Forever.
• Finally, there are many YA novels about teens with terminal diseases.  With help from NoveList I found these suggestions:  Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, Before I Die by Jenny Downham, and A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner.

As Green always says: DFTBA (Don't forget to be awesome).

Vlog of Author John Green

Have I mentioned how much I love working at the BPL, specifically in RA?  I may have dozens of times, but here is a concrete example of why.

Our fearless leader, Kathy, came in on Monday and could not wait to share with us her new favorite obsession, The Vlog Brothers.  Use the link to see what they are doing.  I have also embedded their most recent vlog entry at the bottom of this post.

The Vlog Brothers are Hank and John Green and they run the social networking site Nerdfighters where they fight for the causes nerds care about.  But even more important for library workers to know, this is the same John Green whose new YA novel, The Fault In Our Stars is getting rave reviews from teens and adults alike.

On their vlog, the brothers talk about a lot of different subjects, but currently there is quite a bit about John and his national book tour.  Oh, and they totally love libraries and librarians.

Following them is a great way to stay on top of the larger issues that bookish people are interested in.  They are proud nerds, and if you read this blog, you must be aware that you are a proud nerd too.  (Sorry if I am just breaking it to you.)  As my husband told me back when we were in college, "We are all nerds here, some of us are just cooler nerds than others."  The Vlog Brothers prove this maxim which makes me glad since I have been trying to embody it for the last 15 years myself.

They also cater to a slightly younger demographic than some of the more established resources I use to help readers.  This is an easy way to see a wider picture of the entire community of readers.

In fact, listening to Kathy talk about the Vlog Brothers made me think about vlogs in general as an RA resource.  Plus, it is just fun to say "vlog."

I use blogs and podcasts all of the time.  I will have an article in the March NoveList RA News (sign-up is free and you do not have to be a database subscriber; click here) about using blogs and podcasts as an RA tool.  Too bad I turned the article in at the beginning of January though because I would love to go back and add a small section on vlogs now.

I have added "vlogs" as a tag here on RA for All, so I will be keeping my eyes out for more and will pass them on to you.  I have never used vlogs in my work helping leisure readers, but I am definitely going to explore this resource further.

Enjoy!

What I'm Reading: Eleanor and Park

Eleanor and Park was the "IT" teen novel of the spring.  E&P is Rowell's debut novel and it got a ton of advance praise from big name authors like John Green, so with my new YA duties, I made sure I read this one.

E&P is a straight up YA romance in the old school style from the 1980s; in fact, it is set in 1986 so the vibe of the writing and situations extends to the setting too. In fact a colleague said to me that this novel was published in 2013, but it is totally a classic 1980s "problem novel" in many ways.

My soundbite review is that it is Pretty in Pink mixed with a John Green novel and an added dash of High Fidelity.

But let's talk a bit about the details too.

Back in March, Intern Elizabeth talked about E&P at Book Lovers Club and said:

This is the story of first love between two high school misfits during 1986 in Nebraska.  Eleanor is being bullied in high school because of her red hair and weight.  Both are shy outcasts and they form a silent bond over graphic novels.  He leaves her stacks of them on her bus seat.  They quickly fall into sixteen-year-old love, feeling that they are star-crossed lovers.  It is phenomenal.  It works because it is very realistic – the dialogue is spot on.  Rowell doesn’t make any false promises to her reader.  It is heartbreaking and excellent.

I think Elizabeth got the main plot and some appeal in here, so I will continue with a bit more appeal detail.

The novel is told with an alternating point of view between the two teens.  It switches often, but since the two live such different lives away from one and other, it is easy to keep the voices straight. This alternative pov also allows the love story to develop slowly. We see them fall in love at a realistic pace.  We see each of them struggle with their thoughts and feelings while they are away from each other.  This leads the book to be more romantic than romance. And, unlike many teen books today, there is no sex here.  Also, it is important to note that the ending is realistic-- wide open-- but in a realistic way.

By why do people LOVE this novel? It is for the characters-- all of them.  Eleanor and Park are so atypical for a novel that they feel like regular teens. Rowell gets the reader inside each of their heads so that we see all the details of being eccentric and trying to fit in, but also of just normal teen things, like wanting privacy from your younger siblings or problems at home with your parents. But what separates this novel is that it is not just Eleanor and Park who are well drawn.  Just about every character here is great.  Even the secondary characters are fleshed out. These are not your stock teen novel caricatures.  Some people grow and surprise you, others stay the same.  It is realistic in that way.

Others will be drawn to the 1980s setting. Specifically, all of the talk of movies and music from the era.  I especially enjoyed their reactions to the first issue of The Watchmen and discovering Elvis Costello. But there are also classic 1980s scenes on the bus, the mean popular girls, 80s clothes, etc...

Finally, in this era where every other teen book seems to be dystopian, it is nice to have an enjoyable, adorable, realistic novel with a thought provoking storyline (although not too deep) and great characters.

My personal opinion:  I liked E&P.  It was a very realistic YA romance novel, but I wonder if a teen today would like all the 1980s references. Eleanor and Park themselves would have been about 5 years older than me in 1986.  I was intrigued by all of the music and comics references because I lived through this time as a kid.  Most of the people I know who have read and enjoyed this book are adults.  The youngest are in their mid-to-late 20s. So, in terms of suggesting this to readers, I know I would give it to 30-50 year olds, but for teens... I think if I had a geeky or outcast kid, this would be perfect.  The teen reader would need to be eccentric, or see themselves as such in order to enjoy this novel. I think there are plenty of those, but it is not for every 21st century teen.  I mean do some of them even know what a Walkman is?  But the 80s are coming back in fashion, so maybe. Finally, I really think this is a "chick" book; I don't know too many teen boys I would suggest it to.

Three Words That Describe This Book: character centered, 1980s, adorable

Readalikes: As mentioned above, the realistic teen novels of John Green are a great match here.

Other authors who would be a good match, with reasons why are:

• Gayle Forman writes character centered and emotionally charged realistic fiction.
• Sarah Dessen writes about teenage girls and everything they go through, from the light fun stuff to serious issues.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan is a great choice because it is about love, loss, and great music.  Actually Levithan's Boy Meets Boy would also be good.  The romance here is between two teen boys, but it is set in a world where being gay is cool.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is also a god match because both are about misfit teens trying to survive their first love and high school.

RA Links Round-Up: Vacation Edition

RA for All will be on vacation starting tomorrow.  There will still be a Monday Discussion on 7/23, but after that probably a whole lot of nothing.  I have also updated my "I am reading" shelf which you can see in the Shelfari widget in the right gutter with my vacation reads. I hope to get through 4 books and a bunch of trashy magazine.

But before I go, here are some interesting links I wanted to share.  If you want, you can space them out over next 10 days to make it feel like I am around.

• The Olympics will be beginning as my vacation ends.  I LOVE the Olympics.  I know I am not alone.  Over on Book Page they had this list of Olympic reading suggestions to get you ready for 2 weeks of sports you usually never pay attention to.
• Book Page also had this list of YA books everyone should read.
• On the aforementioned list is John Green's The Fault In Our Stars (link to my review).  In this post from Shelfari and Amazon's blog, John Green reveals his summer reading list.
• Book Riot had this post where they suggested a book for the main characters in Breaking Bad. This is a fun idea.  I always have readers who want books like their favorite TV shows, so why not take it a meta-step further and give the characters something to read too. I hope they do more of these for other TV shows.
• Shelf Talk, the blog of the Seattle Public Library, will be hosting an event with Daniel Silva on Monday.  In this post they provide the full details, readalikes, and a video of Silva giving out some reading suggestions.  Silva's Allon series  is one of those series I have given to hundreds of patrons who are looking for a good read.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I have never had someone come back disappointed.
• The Shirley Jackson Award winners were announced for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. It says 2011, but that is because it is for books from 2011; the award was given out last week.
• There is a campaign to stop bullying by reviewers over on GoodReads.
• The plans for The American Writers Museum were unveiled.
• Ebooks out sold hardcovers?
• Because everyone else is posting about iDream Books I will link to it too.  Read an explanation of what it does here.  But I must say, as good as review aggregators are, your local Readers Advisor at the Public Library that you are already paying for with your tax dollars, is better.  I mean, we can actually tailor a book suggestion to your personal quirks and likes.  We can have a conversation with you about your reading habits.  We are trained to use what you tell us to suggest a book.  But if you want to keep clicking a button on a website, I can't stop you.  Just don't blame me when dislike the book you read.

I'll be back on 7/30.

John Green Cake and a Mini Links Round Up

So all day, I have been trying to make sure the BPL Dream Team's Fearless Leader, Kathy, stayed in the building because I had a cake made for her birthday featuring her favorite author, John Green, wishing her a "Happy Birthday."  I had my friend who owns this company make the fabulous cake featured in the photo.

Needless to say, I have been distracted today and the blog is feeling the effects of that.  But here are some things I have been looking at this week:

• Galley Cat ran this graphic and commentary on how to tell real reviews from the paid ones on Amazon.
• Book Riot had this personal essay by a female contributor on how having kids changed her reading.  You can tell her kids are pretty young based on her points.  One of her points is that she now reads less.  Personally, in my case, I did read less when the kids were younger, but now, I read more than I did before I had them. Many a evening you can find all 4 of us curled up on couches reading our own things, but reading together.  Nothing is more important in raising a reader than reading yourself. Anyone who has kids and likes to read should take a look at her list.
•  From io9, Ten Myths About Space Travel That Make Science Fiction Better.
• I wish I was artistic enough to do this. 
• Because you can never have too many Fifty Shades of Grey readalike lists....