John Green. (Author focus)

Welcome folks to another, author focus and in this edition we're looking at the Y/A (young adult) author, John Green.

You may know John Green from his book, The Fault in Our Stars, which of course was made into a film and went on to sell ridiculously well, and very good it is too, but, luckily, there are more books to explore and enjoy.

Don't let his target audience put you off either because, for those who don't know me, I can tell you, I am far from a young adult, but reading John Green still puts a smile on my face, and a frown come to think of it.

In England we have just been treated to a new eight-part miniseries based on John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, which wasn't bad, but whatever you may think of that, please don't let it put you off reading the book because, in my humble opinion, Looking for Alaska is his best.

It deals with death, alcohol, teenagers finding their place in the world and it touched a nerve with me, there seemed to be an honesty about it, it felt raw, which I liked.

Turtles (for short) runs it a close second, dealing with anxiety and mental health issues with aplomb, and has I think, influenced many an author I have read this last few years.

I found, An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Town quite formulaic and so less enjoyable but they are a quick read and all I want sometimes is a little teen angst to get me through the day.

So, The Fault in Our Stars, the big one, the movie one, the book most of you would have heard of. As I said above, The Fault in Our Stars is a good book, the subject matter (children dying of cancer in case you didn't know) is sad but handled in an interesting way and I can see why this book has found fame. I found Augustus and Hazel's relationship believable and you feel the emotion throughout the book, that one of them may die, but their obsession within the story about a fictional book about a girl with cancer did annoy me somewhat.

Overall though, I can recommend John Green to all, regardless of age or gender, just don't stick to The Fault in Our Stars, the world is bigger than that.

Turtles All the Way Down, book review. (John Green)

Sorry I've been absent for a while, but I've been writing a lot recently and the books I've been reading are like doorsteps, and as I read at a snail’s pace, it takes me a while to get through them. Anyway, with that little update over, let's move on to John Green's, Turtles All the Way Down, (one of the smaller books I've consumed in the last few months).

You'll know John Green from, The Fault in Our Stars, of course, which is a fine book, but, Turtles All the Way Down, is just as good, if not better, (my favourite so far is, Looking for Alaska). Turtles All the Way Down, follows Aza, who, along with her best friend, Daisy, go in search of a one hundred thousand dollar reward, that's being offered in connection with the disappearance of her old classmate's father.

Within a handful of pages, you're sucked in to Aza's world and can't get out (don't want to get out) and it's like we become her friend, the third person in the room, the fly on the wall, and before you know it, you've turned the last page and cursed the author for not having a more extensive back catalogue.

But Aza has issues, (what teenager doesn't? I hear you ask, and this is teen fiction after all), but here, I think John Green handles these issues with conviction, and you find yourself mooching along in the poor girl's head, feeling hot when she's hot, scared when she's scared and just a little freaked out when she goes a bit nuts.

Aza and Daisy have a massive row, there are boys, a possible romance brewing, mental illness, jealously, the fear of success, of moving away when school finishes, doctors, mums and a missing billionaire to find, and John Green just makes it all so believable. He has a knack of making his characters and the world they inhabit so relatable, that the book just runs away with you, and then, when it’s done, (Note to author: your books are too short), you hanker for more. The author is so good in fact, at writing teenagers, that I have to question whether he's still one himself!

A solid four stars then for, Turtles All the Way Down and a good read however old you are. Next up from John Green, Paper Town; yeah!!!

The Fault in Our Stars, book review. (John Green)

WOW!
Love the characters, love the style, love the way the author grabs terminal cancer by the balls and subjects the reader to a frank, no holes bared, journey of love, lose and despair.
The book is narrated by Hazel Grace Lancaster, a terminally ill, sixteen year old cancer patient, who falls in love with a fellow patient, (Augustus) who is in remission. There's teenage angst, disputes, love, anger and of course, a hell of a lot of heartache; but in spite of it all, this book left me wanting more.
It inspires hope where there is none, laughter where there's pain and like Hazel Grace and her unquenchable thirst for what happens to the characters in 'Imperial Affliction', I want to know what happens to her, and her parents, and . . .
I'm selfish, I want more.
So, a big fat four stars then. Hold on a minute! Four stars, FOUR!
Yes, four.
I loved so much about this book, but why Hazel Grace and Augustus had to go to Amsterdam to meet their favourite author, is beyond me. It would have been so much better if they'd visited because their favourite book was set there, or that they just wanted to experience the city. I realise that meeting the author ties in with the end of the book, but still felt it could have been handled differently.
Inspiration for the day goes to all the lovely people that work for Marie Curie, (www.mariecurie.org.uk) who in England, support the terminally ill. God bless them.