Paper Towns: 3 Stars

Paper Towns by John Green 

John Green is one of my favorite authors who happens to write books I don't really care about. I think he is funny and brilliant, but not necessarily in his books. I follow a lot of what he writes and says outside of his books, and can't get enough.  For that reason, I keep reading his books.

Paper Towns is a book about a nerdy boy and the popular girl next door he is in love with. They were friends as kids, but as they grew up, they stopped spending so much time together. One night, Margo (the popular girl) climbs into Q's (the nerdy boy) window and wants to sneak out with him to extract revenge upon those who have wronged her. After a night of adventure, Margo doesn't show up to school for a few days and Q sets off to find her.

As with Green's book Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns shows a boy who likes a girl based upon what he created in his mind, and not really the person. Q seems to miss that Margo came to him not out of unrequited love, but because he was close and had a car. He then spends most of his time and energy (and his friends' time and energy) in search of a girl who hadn't given him the time of day in years. I liked this because it's more realistic than most movies/books.

As with his other novels, my favorite character was a side character.  Radar was Q's best friend. Along with having a fun personality and being a loyal friend, Radar had to live with parent's who had the world's largest black Santa collection that they showed with pride. It was an awesome side character to put in a book and added an element of sarcasm and humor.

In the end, I thought the book was okay, but not great. It was boring in the middle and I hated both Margo and Q throughout the majority of the book. Once again, I am not sure if I am disappointed because the book wasn't that great, or if I built up anticipation because of the author. Read for yourself and tell me what you think.

Rating: R (language and sexual content) 

Recommended for those who enjoy: coming of age stories, teenage love stories, and sarcasm.

Looking For Alaska: 3 Stars

Looking For Alaska by John Green

I don't know how many of you have ever seen an interview with John Green or have seen one of the many videos he has floating around the Internet, but let me tell you, that man is hilarious. He's the perfect combination of funny and nerdy with a good dose of wit. He never ceases to make me giggle. In fact, I knew about, and adored, John Green long before I ever read any of his books.

Now a question lingers in my mind: Do I like John Green's books because I like his books OR do I like John Green's book because I like John Green?

Looking for Alaska is a coming of age story about a young boy, Miles, who is ready go go out and find himself. He is a relative unknown at his high school and is now headed off to a boarding school, where he is ready to become someone.  With the quirk of loving to find out people's dying words, it doesn't take Miles long to bond with his roommate, Chip, the bad boy.

Within minutes of meeting, Chip and Miles have a connection. Chip, who goes by The Colonel, gives Miles the nickname of Pudge and introduces him to Alaska, a girl who instantly wins over Pudge. The trio soon become an unbreakable force, breaking the rules and rebelling. Pudge finally feels like he has a place in the world.

But all the changes one fateful night.

This story had many elements that I enjoyed: I loved Pudge's quirk of finding out last words, I loved the Colonel's unwillingness to mold to specific type of person, and I loved Alaska's wild and fearless attitude.

The story also had elements that annoyed me: I am not a fan of teenagers with the indestructible attitude because I find them annoying, I am not a fan of teenagers who miss the consequences of being irresponsible, and I am not a fan of self absorbed characters (which I felt was Pudge).

This being my third book by John Green, I am left with the same question I had before: Do I like John Green's books because they are great reads, or because I really like John Green? 

The answer is: I don't know.

What do you think?  Can an author's personality change how you look at a book?

Rating: PG-13

Recommended for those who enjoy: YA, teenage love, and coming of age stories.

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