WWW Wednesday (100)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
They Call Me Superman by Michael Goffinet. A man with superhuman strength joins up with the Army Rangers to fight the war on terror which leads him to discover surprising information about himself.

02. Recently Finished:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. A girl fighting to stay alive after being diagnosed with terminal cancer meets a (very hot) boy in group therapy.

03. Reading Next:
The Joey Parker Movement by Joey Parker. Interviewing celebrities, Joey Parker shares positive endeavors in order to inspire the world's youth.

The Fault in Our Stars

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.

*May Contain Spoilers*

John Green writes a horribly wonderful story about life, love, and cancer, with disappointment and reality on the side, in his novel, The Fault in Our Stars. Hazel's parents believe that she is depressed and they force her to go to group therapy sessions. She completely hates group therapy until Augustus Waters shows up, an osteosarcoma survivor. Thinking that Hazel looks just like Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta, he invites her to watch her doppelganger movie. And thus, the story of faulty fated love begins. 

Hazel is the girl I'd imagine a friend with terminal cancer to act like. She's blunt, witty, honest, intelligent, demanding, and full of spirit. What she shares with her readers is edgy and open, a diary spray-painted on downtown buildings. The connection readers feel with Hazel beings with sympathy. As she describes her illness and the waves of honesty swell and crash upon the reader, that sympathy turns to understanding and, in eventually, empathy. With Hazel's blunt force trauma of words, readers get it. They can grasp what they may have never experienced. Throughout the novel, which is just over 300 pages, readers see all sides of living with illness. There are situational examples of fear, hope, love, joy, depression, jealousy, despair, surprise, and preparation.

The Fault in Our Stars focuses on Hazel and Augustus, depicting how they help each other to live a forever in a limited infinite. When Hazel shares her favorite book with Augustus, he has the same reaction she does: how can an author write a book without an ending? Luckily, Augustus has saved his wish so the two teens can fly to Amsterdam, where the author lives, and ask him what exactly happened to the characters after the last sentence was cut off and the story ended. 

The Fault in Our Stars was a miracle of misery, it had me laughing out loud and quietly crying in a subsequent nature. The only, dare I say, problem I had with the novel was the dialogue. I felt like the terminology and use of the English language was too old for Hazel and Augustus. Certainly not very often, but a few times, I had trouble imagining that a girl of sixteen, or a boy of seventeen, would have such advanced conversations. But, now that I've said that, I loved the way they spoke. I wish everyone spoke with such honesty and a highly developed vocabulary. It helped the quotes from T.S. Eliot et al fit right in. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (114)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers


The Fault in Our Stars
   - John Green

Kindle Location: 735-36
"And okay, fair enough, but there is this unwritten contract between author and reader and I think not ending your book kind of violates that contract."

Kindle Location: 1120-22
"Hazel, but you are not a grenade. You are amazing. You can't know, sweetie, because you've never had a baby become a brilliant young reader with a side interest in horrible television shows, but the joy you bring us is so much greater than the sadness we feel about your illness."

City of Lost Souls

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

*May Contain Spoilers*

The world isn't safe from Valentine's legacy as his son, Jonathan, carries on the evil instilled within him from infancy in The City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. As Jonathan begins carrying out his own plan to destroy Shadowhunters, Clary must figure out how to stop him. Though it isn't easy when Jonathan and Jace are connected. When the fourth book ended, Lilith had just perfomed a ceremony to link the two boys. Now, one cannot be cut without the other bleeding. 

With Jace in trouble, Clary, Simon, Alec, Magnus, and Isabelle are determined to find a way to sever the link between him and Jonathan. Clare does a fantastic job balancing all of the characters, giving readers an in-depth look at each of them. Clary is more reckless than ever, sacrificing her safety by pretending to align with her evil brother, defining her loyalty and love for Jace. Simon, once again, stands out by demonstrating his courage and bravery when he calls upon the Angel Raziel to ask for help in saving Jace. 

Alec, the play-by-the-book boy, surprises readers with his dark intentions where Magnus is concerned. Readers get to see a new side of Alec, a side where all options are considered when it comes to love and immortality. Though, his uncertainty and unsure nature are still the foundation for his connection with readers. More about Magnus is revealed in this Mortal Instruments installment but it seems with answers, more questions appear. Wondering if the parental history of Magnus will play a part in the final book. 

Isabelle has always been a favorite character of mine in this series. She's a tough, no nonsense Shadowhunter who never backs down from a demon fight. Throughout the entire series, Isabelle has slowly opened up and shown her friendly side. This book is no exception. Readers get an even deeper look into Isabelle as she finally fesses up to her feelings for Simon, letting her hopes and fears be known. 

The plot of The City of Lost Souls begins with the search for Jace and Jonathan (aka Sebastian). When the possessed Jace comes back for Clary, she sees that this is her chance to uncover Jonathan's plans and save Jace in the process. While she's doing the undercover work, Simon, Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus search for a way to separate Jace and Jonathan so that they can kill Jonathan for good and save the Shadowhunting world. Though the story line is very similar to the fourth book (Jace possessed and the group trying to save him) and the first three books (evil Valentine family member trying to destroy the earth), I wasn't disappointed. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups