Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

 286 pages

"It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

"In his long-awaited return, John Green shares Aza's story with shattering, unflinching clarity."  --from the publisher

I loved "The Fault in Our Stars," but really didn't like this one. I found it to be fatalistic and depressing. The characters were interesting and it was written well. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, 304p. 

"The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar.
Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity. As a species, we are both far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough, a paradox that came into sharp focus as we faced a global pandemic that both separated us and bound us together.
John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world."--Goodreads blurb

I've been a John Green fan for years (well, a fan of the Green Brothers in general. DFTBA!), and was familiar with John's podcast, which morphed into this book. With his characteristic calm insight, he makes a reader think of the times we are living in through a lens of love, anxiety, and human connection (or lack thereof). I give this book 5 out of 5 stars (a sentence you will only get if you've read this book, or listened to the Anthropocene Reviewed podcast).
 

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, 256 pages

Child prodigy Colin has dated nineteen girls named Katherine.  He begins an adventure to discover why he always dates girls with the name of Katherine.  Along with his friend, Hassan Habbish, he goes on a road trip where he ends up in a factory making tampon strings and finds himself liking a girl named Lindsey.  In the end, Colin comes up with the Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green, 223 pages

I really enjoyed this book by John Green.  I had been wanting to read this for a while and had always thought it was about the state of Alaska.  Sometimes it is fun not to know anything about a book.  In this story 16 year Miles, "Pudge," is sent to a boarding school named Culver Creek Prep School in Alabama.  Miles meets up with a group of kids all with nicknames and Alaska is a girl with one of them.  Alaska has a very depressing past that leads to a very sad ending.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Turtles All The Way Down
by  John Green
286 pages

Read by: Kate Rudd








Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her best and most fearless friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.
 
Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed it very much.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Turtles all the Way Down by John Green-286 pages

I have read all of John Green's previous novels, so I wanted to read this one. I like this one, but not as much as many of his previous novels. I feel that the characters/protagonists are not developed as deeply as his previous works and I was not as much into the story. This work was easier to put down than many of his previous works, also. That being said, it is not bad. It simply is not as good as his previous works, in my opinion.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green, 286 pages

Turtles All The Way Down is the latest teen novel by John Green.  It follows the friendship of two friends Ava and Daisy who embark on an adventure to pursue the mysterious disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett.  Of course any information leading to the discovery of Russell will net the person a one hundred thousand dollar reward.  But, when Daisy discovers Russell's son is Davis, a boy she use to have a crush on.  Will Daisy get more than the reward money when she falls for Davis?

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green-215 pages

I enjoyed reading this book, although it was probably my least favorite of John Green's novels. It's not because I didn't like it, but because I just like Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and Looking for Alaska more. It is a lot to compete with. That being said, it is still a good read. I enjoyed Colin Singleton (the protagonist), Hassan (Colin Singleton's best friend), and Lindsey Lee Wells (a secondary protagonist). Colin is a child prodigy who has been in a relationship with 19 Katherines, 18 of which dumped him (he later remembers he dumped 1 of them). He and Hassan decide to take a road trip and and up in Gutshot, Tennessee where they meet Lindsey Lee Wells and her mother Hollis (and other, less important, characters). It forever changes Colin's and Hassan's lives. My favorite part of the novel is the witty, albeit oftentimes unbeknownst to the character who says it, humor, such as using fug as a tribute to Norman Mailer. I would recommend this to anyone who likes John Green. I wanted to read this last month for travel, but did not get around to it, so I decided to read it now.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green-221 pages; Michael L. Printz Award Winner, 2006

I liked reading both The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, so when I saw this won the Printz Award I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. I liked this novel a lot. One review compared Miles Halter (aka "Pudge") to Holden Caulfield, but I liked Miles way better (I did not enjoy reading Catcher in the Rye at all). Alaska is a fairly realistic story that teens can relate to and I liked how John Green dealt with death and how teens (and adults) cope with losing someone close. Additionally, the characters had depth and were relatable, if not likeable. I would recommend this book to anyone into Teen/Young Adult fiction.

December 2015-first post by Jason Phinney

ADAM by Ted Dekker-406 pages

In this thriller, a divorced FBI agent named Daniel Clark has been chasing a serial killer known as "Eve" for months and seems no closer to catching him. Daniel's journey to uncovering the truth of "Eve's" identity and taking down the serial killer is a thrilling page-turner. The book is full of twists and turns, as every Dekker novel is, which is what I really enjoy about reading them.

Paper Towns by John Green-336 pages

Quentin Jacobsen has had a crush on the most popular girl in school (Margo Roth Spiegelman) since they were elementary kids and one "night on the town" changes everything for both Quentin (Q) and Margo. Margo disappears after that night and Q goes on a journey trying to solve the mystery of where Margo has gone by finding little clues she has left behind. Green explores high school relationships with peers and parents in this interesting novel, though I would say that The Fault in Our Stars is slightly better.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell-Audiobook, 336 pages in print

Park is a "geek" of asian descent who falls in love with Eleanor who is "full-figured" and is teased by other girls at school because of it. Eleanor's step dad is abusive to her, her siblings, and her mom. The story is about Eleanor and Park's journey to falling in love as teens. In the end, Park drives Eleanor to Minnesota to live with her aunt and uncle to get away from her abusive step dad.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson-384 pages

I'll Give You the Sun is a quirky, but good novel about twins whose mother dies in a car crash and their different methods of coping with her death. The twin brother is an artist and art is a major theme of the book. It also explores homosexuality and other relationships.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green-Audiobook, 310 pages in print

I did not get into this novel at all. I did not relate to either of the main characters and it was hard for me to finish, but I did. Two Will Graysons, both from the Chicago suburbs meet each other by chance and that is what should be the focus of the novel, but it is not. A large teen from school with one of the Will Graysons named Tiny (who is also gay) is really the focus of the novel. The other Will Grayson ends up falling in love with Tiny. Tiny has had a lot of boyfriends, though and is too much of the focus, as I mentioned earlier.

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz-368 pages

Ari and Dante are Latino teens in the 1980s. Saenz's novel details their journey to discovering their identities as people of Latino heritage and their relationship with each other and their parents.

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The Fault in Our Stars - John Green -

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green - 336 pages

You know how they say something can be beautiful and devastating at the same time?  A mushroom cloud, a lightning strike, a mime...well, here's the literary version of that for you.

I won't say much about the story, because there's been a lot of exposure after the film and I think we all know it's about youngsters riding the wave of terminal illness.  What I will say is that I cracked this book open knowing exactly what was going to happen, planned to read it all in one sitting (like ripping off a band-aid, I thought it would be less painful to get it all over with at once), and it still made me bawl like a starving baby.  Still, the pain was well worth it; Green is intuitive and thought-provoking through his characters, story, and setting.  In short, read it.  It may make you a giant squid of anger, but in a "growing through squiddy anger" kind of way.

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green, 305 pages

Quentin Jacobsen (Q for short) is taken on the ride of his life by fellow classmate and neighbor Margo Roth Speilman who hijacks him for a wild adventure.  What follows is Margo's disappearance and a fascinating mystery of what happened to Margo.  Why would she disappear a month before graduating from her Orlando, Florida high school.  Margo seems to have it all to Q so why disappear?  Q, and his friends, Ben and Radar are determined to find Margo, hopefully before graduation.  Along with Margo's friend, Lacey, the group sets off on a road trip of a lifetime, following Margo's clues.

Paper Towns is now a movie, but I wanted to know as little as possible before I read the book.  I really enjoyed the story.  I am still not sure what paper towns means, but it sure made me think.  I was a little disappointed in the ending, but it was a realistic outcome.

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green - 311 pages

Quentin has been in love with next door neighbor Margo for most of his life.  Then one night she climbs in his bedroom window and takes him along on a night of pranks and revenge.  The next day she disappears.  Quentin follows a string of clues to find the real Margo.

I read this book as part of a book club with some friends.  I must admit that if I didn't have to finish the book for the book club I probably would not have finished reading it.  I found the story to be completely predictable.  Like in most John Green books the characters are very introspective and learn a lot of about themselves throughout the story.  Also like most John Green characters, they are very self-involved and egotistical.  I thought it interesting that the others in the book club were surprised and disappointed by the ending.  I thought it was typical of the way the author ends his books and they way that I wanted it to end.

Paper Towns won the 2009 Edgar Award for best Young Adult Mystery.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - 336 pages

The latest "hit" for teen readers is this novel by Green about a young couple who each have cancer. The journey to find one another and then deal with their illness leads them across the globe to meet the author of a oddly compelling book.  The author turns out to be a bit of a recluse and not at all the hero they had hoped.

Filled with illness, sadness and death, this book is sure to continue to be popular with teen readers suffering their own angst and anxious to read of other's.