Review-The Disenchantments

I picked this book up because it had a blurb by Nova Ren Suma on it, and I just loved her book Imaginary Girls and because it was half off (it had been slightly used, but you couldn't really tell).  I finally picked it up because of two things, one: Trish Doller said it was amazing, and I loved Trish's book and I now look for her to contemporary book knowledge, and two: Nina is coming to Seattle this month for a tour with Gayle Foreman and Stephanie Perkins!  It really reminded me of a modern The Perks of Being a Wallflower which I enjoyed.  This book has so many great lines in it, and when I say this next part I really mean it.  This book is life.  No, I don't mean that it's my life or that it's the best thing I've ever read, I mean that it's one of those books that captures what it's like to be a teenager perfectly.  There were so many parts that just really struck me as being right just like when it came to Perks.  Nina's book is just beautiful, and what makes it even better is that it's from a boy's point of view, which you never really see, especially when it comes to contemporary novels.  The blend of music and love and life in the novel is just right, I don't know what else I can say to make you want to pick it up.  It's a coming of age book that I think everyone should read because it makes you think about your life, but it also lets you know that it's okay if you don't have it all figured out right now.  It touches on friendship and love, sex and music, it's also a great road trip story.  It's a fun, quick read that will make you laugh and make you nod your head in agreement because Nina knows what she's talking about and writes it so real it's almost scary.  I'm so glad I decided to read this book before I meet Nina and I'll be looking into her other book as well as any further books she publishes.  To say this book is a masterpiece is just about right and if you liked Perks or contemporary books in general you should pick this one up.

5/5 dust spirits

Review-The Fault in Our Stars

I picked up The Fault in Our Stars because I had read and really enjoyed John's first novel Looking for Alaska (if you haven't read I suggest you pick it up ASAP), and because he was coming to Seattle for part of his tour.  People have been raving about this book, and I do have to admit, it was a good book.  There were parts of it that really struck me in the right place, and the characters were great because they were imperfect.  I almost cried a few times (I would have except I stopped reading so I wouldn't) and there were times when I laughed and "awwed".  John is so great at putting emotion into his book and making them into these great journeys through the soul.  They make you think about everything in your life.  It was amazing, but it was not so jaw-dropping that I was left gaping like a fish.  That doesn't mean it was bad though.  On the contrary, it was good, I don't think you can call this book "bad" in any way because it wasn't bad.  Maybe it was all of the hype about it, or maybe it was just waiting so long for a new book from John Green that was different from the amazing Will Grayson, Will Grayson which blew my mind, but I wasn't swiped off my feet.  I was still so happy to be able to read this book because it was such a good read.  I think if you're a fan of John Green's other books you should pick it up, and if you haven't read any of his books this is a great one to start with.  John really is a literary genius and I have no doubt at least one of his books will go down in history as a modern classic, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was this one.  Beautifully written The Fault in Our Stars is not something to miss out on.  Bravo John, and I will be reading your next book as well.

4.5/5 dust spirits