The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green: Much More than “Okay”

20 May

Okay.

That simple word holds so much meaning for Hazel and Augustus, the teenage protagonists in The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

(Click the picture to request this book.)

Hazel, a teenage girl living with terminal cancer, reluctantly attends a support group at a local church for kids with the disease to appease her mother. Since her illness keeps her out of high school, the support group offers an opportunity to socialize.

But Hazel doesn’t want to make friends, because of her condition. She compares herself to a grenade about to go off. She doesn’t want to hurt too many people when she dies, which is likely to happen sooner rather than later.

Things change when Augustus (aka Gus) joins the support group.

Their friendship grows and ultimately develops into romance. They engage in lively discussions and passionate disagreements. They bond over books, including Hazel’s favorite, “An Imperial Affliction”. Hazel considers the author of that book, Peter Van Houten, her third best friend after her parents.

Gus uses his “Genie Foundation” wish for a trip to Amsterdam so he and Hazel can meet the reclusive Peter Van Houten. Gus surprises Hazel with this news via an adorably literal orange-themed picnic, a nod to the Netherlands’ national color.

This book has some laugh-out-loud moments, but also considers deeper questions about the meaning of life and dying. Hazel wants to live out her life quietly while Gus wants to be remembered once he’s gone. They discuss the awfulness of cancer, and why the disease takes some but not others.

I enjoyed the hyper-literate dialogue between Hazel and Gus. Green writes them as wise beyond their years, but the well-placed “likes” and “umms” show they’re still teenagers.

This book is in the Young Adult genre, but adults will enjoy it as well. Good storytelling is ageless, in my opinion. I am still thinking about this book days after finishing, which is a testament to Green’s talent.

In this video John Green talks about writing and the inspiration for The Fault in Our Stars, as well as autographing (by hand) the entire 150,000 copy first printing of the book. Wow!

If you’re into star-crossed romances or smartly written fiction, definitely check out this book.

Also, a movie adaptation of the book is in the works, so read it before the cinematic release! I believe that the book is always better than my movie. What do you think?

John Green has also written Looking for Alaska; Paper Towns; Will Grayson, Will Grayson; and An Abundance of Katherines, all available at the library to borrow. I read and enjoyed Looking for Alaska a few years ago, which is very different thematically than The Fault In Our Stars.

Green has a major online presence through his website and Twitter. He also posts video blogs (vlogs) to YouTube, in which his brother Hank co-stars.

I’d like to close out this post by sharing the book’s jacket copy, which I think is absolutely excellent and made me fall in love with this book, and with Hazel and Gus.

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.

Okay? Okay.

Kerry Weinstein, Reference Librarian

Supernatural Steampunk: Gail Carriger’s The Parasol Protectorate and Liesel Schwarz’s The Chronicles of Light and Shadow

15 May

Steampunk is a genre of science fiction that has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Typical steampunk fiction is set in alternative Victorian or Edwardian era settings, often England or the Wild West of America with the distinctive feature of having steam-based technology not found in our own past. Modern writers often look to works of early science fiction writers like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne for inspiration.

Beyond fiction and movies there are now steampunk games such as visually stunning Bioshock Infinite; steampunk bands such as my personal favorite, Abney Park; and even steampunk conventions such as the Steampunk World’s Fair, which is taking place this May in NJ. At the conventions, people dress in steampunk-inspired fashions (think corsets and top hats with gears and goggles).

As an urban fantasy fan, steampunk stories that I find particularly enjoyable are those that incorporate supernatural elements. For this post I will be discussing one of my favorites, Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, and Liesel Schwarz’s just published A Conspiracy of Alchemists, first in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow.

I discovered The Parasol Protectorate when one of our library patrons requested the third book in the series. I was intrigued by the description of homicidal mechanical ladybugs and pesto as a vampire deterrent. I quickly devoured the first three books in the series, Soulless; Changeless; and Blameless, and encouraged friends and family members to do the same.

soullesschangelessblameless

Alexia Tarabotti, the protagonist of the series, is a “preternatural” whose touch counteracts the supernatural. Her touch causes vampires to lose their fangs and changes werewolves back to their human shape.

One book’s title comes from the fact that she is “soulless”, versus those who are able to survive the transformation into vampires and werewolves, which have excess amounts of “soul”.

Alexia, though only 25, is considered a spinster whose feisty ways embarrass her family and whose ability to neutralize their powers causes many of the supernatural to look less than fondly on her.

Luckily she has the assistance of some wonderful supporting characters including the steampunk inventor Madame Lefoux; loyal and kind, but fashion challenged, Ivy Hisselpenny; and vampire Lord Akeldama (who reminds me of the flamboyantly fabulous Prince Poppycock who you may have seen on America’s Got Talent).

There is a love interest in the form of the handsome werewolf Lord Maccon. Although Soulless has enough romance to appeal to those looking for it, readers who are not as enamored with the genre will not be off put by its inclusion.

You can borrow the paperbacks and audiobooks from BCCLS libraries. Click here to the entries in the catalog for these items. Some of the books are even available for download from eLibraryNJ.  For fans of graphic novels you can borrow Soulless in Manga format.

The series ended after the fifth book, Timeless. The positive of this is that it does not drag on and on without a conclusion like some series do past where a suitable conclusion would be for the characters involved. (I’m thinking particularly of Laurel K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry series). The negative is that you may still want more.

Although Carriger has ended this series, she has begun another series set in the same steampunk universe. Her first book for young adults, Etiquette & Espionage came out in February, and the second book in the Finishing School series will be out in November.

etiquette-espionage

The books take place slightly earlier than the Parasol Protectorate and include some of the minor characters from her other books. Although these books are marketed towards teens and the other books are labeled as adult, both teens and adults will enjoy both series.

Carriger also has a plan for another adult series in the future which she describes on her blog, “My intention with the Parasol Protectorate Abroad books is to explore the wider ramifications of my Steampunk British Empire, not just how technology has altered but how vampires and werewolves have evolved differently in other parts of the world.”

Since Gail Carriger (the pen name of Tofa Borregaard) has degrees in anthropology and archeology I think her writing on this topic should be intriguing. Stop by Carriger’s page for more about her writing. Just be careful to avoid spoilers if you haven’t read all the books yet.

I had seen a review of Liesel Schwarz debut novel A Conspiracy of Alchemists that compared her work to Gail Carriger’s so I was curious to sample it.

conspiracy-of-alchemists

The books certainly at the cover level look similar with a sepia-toned historic scene with a dirigible, a Victorian styled model and a contrasting, brightly colored title, but I found the tone and treatment of the supernatural and steampunk differed in the work. The world A Conspiracy of Alchemists sets up has a friction between science and magic.

Elle Chance herself is at the center of this divide. Although she wants nothing more than to be an airship pilot, she cannot avoid the legacy of her mother from whom she inherited supernatural abilities that she only learns about as the book progresses. I think this allows the showcasing of the inventions in an interesting way that avoids the feeling of just being tacked into a Victorian setting as sometimes happens with the genre.

The steampunk seemed very believable and I felt that Schwarz had really thought out how all of her contraptions worked. On the other had I felt some of the supernatural elements could have been better developed and I would have liked a bit more description of the setting.

I did like the inclusion of the perspective of an absinthe fairy, Adele, who stows away in a diamond bracelet Elle is wearing and whose point of view is interspersed between third person narrations of Elle’s story. I hope that their friendship and Adele’s character are further developed in future novels in the series.

Overall I preferred Carriger’s work over Schwarz’s, since it has more humor and the romantic scenes are more reigned in and have less of a period romance novel feel, but that is partially a personal preference.

I am looking forward to reading A Clockwork Heart, the next Chronicle of Light and Shadow which is scheduled to come out in August. I am hoping that Schwarz’s second work builds on the interesting dynamic she has setup between tech and magic and may add depth to her world.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists is available from the Hoboken Public Library in the new book section. You can learn more about Schwarz and her writing on her webpage.

So put on some goggles, enjoy a glass of absinthe, and check out a steampunk novel today!

– Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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