The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Review

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green

I bought and read this book on a whim, because I'd heard many friends tell me about John Green and his talent. However, I was doubtful upon first glancing over the summary on Barnes & Noble's website:

"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."

It sounded like nothing but an inevitable sob story, and I dislike sob stories because I prefer to be happy when I'm reading a book, not sobbing into a box of tissues. Still, I persevered and downloaded it to my Nook anyway.

It took me only three days to read the entire book, and it would have taken less if I didn't have other priorities in the way. This book was brilliant. John Green's tale is sad--it is about a girl with terminal cancer, after all. But there's so much more to it than a "pity her" story. The character of Augustus Waters is one that really stands out, and is genuinely unique in the world of fiction. He was heartfelt, funny, and really quite beautiful. Even Hazel was a very amazing character, because she never let cancer be her weakness (but never spent too much time consumed in her battle) and made amusing comments about the restrictions of breakfast foods.

Furthermore, John Green's talent is clearly evident--he is a master of words. The diction in this story was fantastic, and I'm very picky about the diction in fiction. Someone who writes with boring or difficult-to-follow diction will lose me as a fan. But not John Green.

The Fault in Our Stars is a beautiful love story that elicited a wide variety of emotions from me as I read: joy, heartbreak, frustration, glee--you name it. This book is absolutely a 5-star winner for me.

John Green has written four other books: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I hope to read them all in the near future.

Upcoming Review: 1,000 Days by Jonathan Falwell

1,000 Days: The Ministry of Christ
by Jonathan Falwell

Preview from Booksneeze:

"An opportunity to meet Jesus Christ like never before.

Have you ever thought that when Jesus Christ came to earth more than two thousand years ago, he could have simply given us salvation—period!—and never done another single thing? Jesus Christ could have chosen to be born of a virgin, live for 33 years in relative obscurity, die on the cross, be buried, and rise from the dead three days later, and still give us the opportunity for salvation without doing any of the things we read about in the gospels.

Yet there was more.

For three years—roughly 1,000 days—Jesus served in public ministry while on earth. He didn’t need to do this ministry, yet he did anyway, and that’s the key for us. This intentionality implies that there is a lot of information in Scripture that we need to grapple with. We need to understand what Jesus said and did during his 1,000-day public ministry, so we can apply his teachings to our lives today.

What makes these 1000 days of Christ so vitally important?

Jesus’ public ministry was to help us understand what true love is all about—both for God and for other people. When we love God and others first, the rest of life falls into place: our possessions, our ambitions, our hopes and our dreams. Jesus modeled everything he taught, and his invitation is to make his mission our mission too."
______________


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Johann Sebastian Bach by Rick Marshall

Review

Johann Sebastian Bach: Christian Encounters Series
by Rick Marshall

I found this eBook about Johann Sebastian Bach to be extremely eye-opening. Before, I knew of Bach and his work but I had no idea that his musical talent sprouted from his devotion to God. I found this book to be quite educational and a good read for those who might be interested in their musical favorites or in the famous Christians of our past.

I knew going into this read that it would not be a very exciting book, considering its biographical nature. Nonetheless, I was very intrigued and felt that the author, Rick Marshall, did an excellent job in walking his readers through the life of Bach and surprising them with new facts about how deeply rooted in Christianity he truly was. However, despite being interesting, I was correct in its lack of excitement. I found it all too easy to walk away from the book for weeks at a time and only recall it when spotting it on my computer desktop. I admit that biographical books are quite dull in nature, but Marshall’s diction was just a bit too bland for my liking. I doubt I would recommend it to anyone unless I knew they had a deep interest in music and musical artists of the past, but should I have an acquaintance like that I would immediately thrust it upon them.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”