Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings." - Cassius from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

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I read Paper Towns last summer and thought it was brilliant. This book was not quite as good. Not "quite" because it was better. I ordered the novel already signed by John Green, and had it signed again by when I met John and his brother Hank. Like so few things can do (Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 come to mind, as well as several Pixar animations), it seamlessly blended hilarity with tragedy.

The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of Hazel, a teenage girl with cancer. But it does not focus on the cancer; in fact, she states the appropriate number of times that she does not want people to sympathize with her, as she is not only a victim of disease, but a person as well. She meets a boy named Augustus Waters (Gus) and has a non-cliche, non-sappy romance with him (very rare nowadays), but Gus also has cancer and his days are numbered. They go to Amsterdam to meet a writer, and there is much discussion of humanity and the philosophies and such. I can't say much more without spoiling things, but I definitely recommend this to pretty much anyone.

Final grade: A

Deutschland

I finished up my finals early today. Here marks a bit of the wee gap betwixt French I and II. First I'll relate what happened in between:

• I read a good bit of The Fault in our Stars and talked to a couple of dear friends via instant message and email.
• I had an audition for Applause!'s Jason and the Argonuts (yes, I'm sure I spelled it right), which was fun. The director is new to me, the third Applause! director I've auditioned for (out of three auditions, ha). She did seem really nice, I'll say. I'm rather optimistic about the whole thing: if I get in then I shall gain acting experience, and if not, I'll have time for things such as fencing, hapkido, or art classes. So I should be pleased either way. While I'm on the subject of Applause!, yesterday I walked to the outdoor amphitheater on which many previous plays were performed. I miss seeing them there, despite the new indoor theatre being nice, and I even wish I had gotten to perform on it. Ah, I at least got to stand there and act like an actor - not being pretentious, but pretending to be. (Note: I felt bad for Dracula's brides in the late October weather of 2009, having to wear arm-bearing dresses; must have been quite chilly, wot.)
• I went to the first writer's group of the year, seeing my beloved friends after quite a bit of time - so it would seem - and there was no moderator, oddly enough. My mum sat in as a "chaperon" as we read our pieces - mine was intentionally stuffed to the brim with lame puns, which I feel self-conscious about despite its stupidity being intentional. But we had some very awesome work read tonight.
• I got home and began taking German lessons on Livemocha.

Indeed! Guten abend. Some will say that German is an angry language; I would counter that they have not heard it spoken well: it's beautiful to me. In fact, I'd like to go to Germany sometime: there and other Deutsche-speaking nations will be good practice ground, I think. Well, it's late, and I'd better hit the hay soon (which by no means limits me to actually doing so).

Bonne nuit! Guten nacht!

- Lewis

Meeting the Vlogbrothers

Ye deities would hope you all (or you most) know about John Green and his brother Hank Green. If not, look them up!!!

I met them on Saturday night. In person. I got a few pictures, but I have not uploaded them yet. But it was very exciting and I was called on during the "questions" bit. When I finally stepped up to meet the brothers near the end, it was amazing being so close to such legends. Sorry to sound boastful; I am merely excited. They signed a few things each for each "meeter" and my copy of John's new novel The Fault in Our Stars, as well as my copy of Hank's album Ellen Hardcastle, marked "DFtbA" (Don't Forget to be Awesome).

I actually need to be somewhere soon, but I felt this was worth a post, even if it's not quite fresh in the ol' noggin. I love you all!

DFtbA,

Lewis

Writing to a Dead Man

"Do you not know death when you see it, old man? This is my hour!" - The Witch-King of Angmar from the extended movie version of The Return of the King (Peter Jackson one)

"Life is quite absurd, and death's the final word. You must always face the curtain with a bow! Forget your life of sin; give the audience a grin! Just remember it's your last chance anyhow!" - Eric Idle (I've had the song stuck in my head for several days now)

"A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist." - Stewart Alsop (via BrainyQuote)

So I finished the book Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder (a wonderful gift from my uncle Chris, who knew I had an interest in screenwriting). At the end of Chapter One, Blake gave his email address, but I decided to wait until I had finished until writing him, lest any additional questions should present themselves to me. So I finished it a few days ago and wrote the email, sent it...and got it back with one of those "failed to deliver to recipient" things. I decided for one reason or another to go to Blake's website - and found out that he had died suddenly in 2009.

No! No!

But I suppose we must all go at one point or another. It sounds like he had a great life. In John Green's new book, The Fault in Our Stars (garr, how did I forget to blog about MEETING THE VLOGBROTHERS IN PERSON???), he says something about how a full life does not necessarily mean one lives to be ninety-two or whatnot; it means to have led a great life, regardless of how soon or late one dies.

So it was a bit of a shock and I felt sort of weird - but it's not the end of the world. Gods rest you, Mr. Blake Snyder, and I hope you enjoyed your go at life.

Love from a fan,

Lewis / Danny