Looking for Alaska by John Green - Review

**A note on my notes: This review is mostly spoiler free and is more-so my thoughts about the book than a critique of it; however, if you don't want any spoilers at all, use your common sense. Also, these are my opinions, not absolute fact, so don't get upset.**

I only recently lost my John Green virginity, and as a person who reads almost a book a week and has for years, that might be hard to believe. I was wary coming into this book - there was so much hype around the story and the author and I didn't want to be disappointed. As it turns out, I had no reason to worry. Looking for Alaska overflowed the ginormous shoes the reading community allocated it.

I don't read a lot of contemporary novels because I often find them unrealistic, cheesy and painful to read (this is probably why it's taken me about six years to pick up a John Green novel) so I came into this book expecting at least one of those poor elements. However, I found this book engaging and exciting and was completely drawn into the characters and their individual stories and backgrounds and how they were all connected.

The novel is a first-person recount from the point of view of Miles Halter, a teenage boy who feels as though he just doesn't fit in anywhere. His story begins when, somewhat fed up with being an outcast, he decides to move to Culver Creek boarding school in search of something worthwhile, some meaning to fill the empty walls of his life at home. The move changes his life dramatically: he makes some great friends, falls in love and he becomes a part of something great by creating memories he will treasure in years to come.

The cast of characters was amazing! All of them worked really well together and I found Alaska very intriguing. I loved how she was extremely intelligent and loved reading as well as being a well-respected person in her community. She was the leader of the group and was at times such an open book and at others so mysterious. I loved how there was a mixture of her school life and her home life and how the two affected her emotions. The relationship between Miles and the Colonel was the perfect mixture between brothers, best friends and role models for the other. They had some really hilarious moments and the way their relationship changed towards to end of the book to counter certain events was really accurate in my mind. I also thought their reactions to certain events were perfect for their character and were also they way that actual people would react to those events in real life.

I loved the underlying question of the labyrinth. The whole concept of 'why are we here' and 'what is the point of life' and 'why are things so negative' is a really relevant theme in the average teenager's mind. I appreciated Alaska's answers to these questions and I think Miles' journey to answer these questions and the way he progressed his opinions throughout the story was very believable. I could also identify with Miles' idea about why people have religion.

I also loved the references to literature, whether it be famous author's last words or snippets of poems. The references to literature were great because it encourages the reader to be more interested in other literary forms that they might not have previously been interested in, like biographies and poetry.

There were aspects of Green's writing that really set this book apart from other first-person narratives which made me appreciate him more as an author. There were some sections in which Miles was reflecting on something or thinking about what someone else said and his thoughts were written in lists. I really enjoyed this because I can relate to this style of thinking. There were other times where Miles' dialogue was broken up with his thoughts about what he was saying, which I found really effective and accurate in the context of his conversations.

I would really recommend this book to anyone who's looking for an easy read with enjoyable characters. I really loved if and it's been a huge influence on my reading profile.

Top 5 Literary Couples

Valentine's Day. You either love it (because you're in a great relationship, or your a dreamy and whimsical person) or you hate it (because you're single, because you're in a relationship but struggle to find your romantic side, or you're unemployed and can't afford to waste money on sentiment). The grey area between the two teams for this 'special day' is limited. So I apologise if you're the latter, but I am the former, and what better way to celebrate my love for Valentine's Day then by sharing some of my favourite literary couples?

Some of these couples are straight from the books, while others are the characters I have shipped and would be together if I was their author. Also, I don't read a lot of contemporary novels (I have yet to read anything by John Green or Rainbow Rowell) so don't be shocked when I don't mention characters from the popular books in the genre most dedicated to love and relationships. If you hate being spoiled, stay away from this post if you haven't read The Secret Garden, The Simple Gift, The Book Thief or the Harry Potter Series. Finally, these are in no particular order; trying to pick only five was hard enough already.

1. Luna and Neville - the Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
I have a lot of respect for J.K Rowling and I usually accept her opinions of her characters, storylines and overall world as absolute fact. After all, it's her creation and who am I to say that she's wrong about something she created in her imagination? However, when I first discovered that Luna and Neville marry completely different characters I was horrified. To me, they are the perfect couple. Luna and Neville are both oddballs; they don't fit in and they probably never will. Neville, in the beginning, is so self-conscious, always nervous and lacks even the tiniest drop of confidence. He just wants to fit in and doesn't enjoy being the laughing stock. Luna, on the other hand, is intelligent, self-confident and happy with who she is as a person. She doesn't spare a single thought for how she could try and fit in or how other people might react to her. She is everything Neville needs to be. I believe that the transformation Neville goes through is partly influenced by his desire to be with Luna. These two will forever be shipped in my heart, no matter what J.K Rowling says.

2. Billy and Caitlin - The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick
Billy and Caitlin meet under peculiar circumstances - while working her shift at McDonald's, Caitlin witnesses Billy scavenging off other people's leftovers - which makes their relationship even more interesting. Billy is a character overwhelmed with struggles. After running away from his abusive father, he suddenly finds himself with nothing. No home, no money, no where to go and no one who cares. In a stark contrast to Billy, Caitlin has a privledged life. She comes from a wealthy background and is blessed with a large home and a prestigious education. The two make a good couple because they open the other's eyes to a totally different world that they've been taught to believe is less desirable than their own. Billy and Caitlin help each other to expand their narrow perspectives and to become better people.

3. Mary and Dickon - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Mary goes through a massive transformation throughout the book, and a lot of that has to do with Dickon. Their relationship is an innocent friendship between young children and I don't think there are any romantic feelings from either party. Despite this, the two have so much fun together and just love the other's company. As well as this, Dickon is a good influence on Mary and helps her to understand what it feels like to be truly happy. Mary is extremely excited to see Dickon and as soon as she leaves him, she can't wait to see him again the next day. Dickon is so devoted to helping Mary with the secret garden and his loyalty and dependability is adorable. They are the best of friends, and I hope that they fall in love as they grow older or at least maintaining the brilliant relationship they have.

4. Ron and Hermione - the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
There will always be people who ship Hermione with Harry. If you're one of those people. you're wrong. Ron and Hermione are perfect for each other. At the beginning of the series, Ron feels as though he isn't intelligent enough, courageous enough or just plain good enough to be in Gryffindor, while Hermione is a snobby know-it-all who is too smart for her own good. As their friendship grows from 'people who only hang out because they have a mutual friend' to 'people who are friends but not close' to 'people whose friendship with each other is equally as strong as the friendship they share with their mutual friend', they start to rub off on each other. Ron starts to be more confident in himself and isn't afraid to share his ideas and Hermione stops being so uptight all the time and occasionally even cracks a good joke. They make each other stronger, better and more comfortable in their own skin - the foundation of any above average relationship. I will always support Ron and Hermione, also despite what J.K Rowling says.

5. Liesel and Rudy - The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak
Technically, I haven't read the book; it's sitting on my TBR shelf and I plan on getting around to it soon (I know, 'that's what they all say', but I actually do. Promise.). I have seen the movie, and it is this medium on which I have based my opinions, so I apologise if they don't always accurately reflect the original text. Rudy helps to bring Liesel out of the grief-caused shell that she locked away her mind in. He provides comic relief both for her and the audience in a story/world where everything else is so completely dark. No matter what Liesel does, Rudy is there to support her and help her protect what she thinks is important. They know the other's flaws and imperfections and love them anyway, making their relationship so beautiful.

These couples are important to me because their relationships are so relatable and believable that they are more than just characters, they're people who live in their literature.

Challenges

The new year has well and truly rolled around. With summer soon ending, and the first quarter of the year finishing not long after, the 'new you' has probably been put back inside the box ready for 2015, where things will 'definitely be different'. Resolutions forgotten, we go back to the normalcy of day to day life and are too busy worrying about getting through the day and then the week and then the month to worry about wasting valuable time on self-improvement. That's why, this year, I chose a resolution that I would probably enjoy doing. Watching 250 movies.

But not just any 250 movies. The Top 250 Movies as listed by everyone's favourite entertainment website, IMDb. As a person who not only enjoys good quality movies, but has immense appreciates for the beauty of a movie with a perfect score or an amazing director, these movies were something I was sure to enjoy investing time in. And so far, I have been right - out of the 24 I've watched, there has only been one I haven't liked: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Even then, I appreciated the directing and the shot selections, I just didn't appreciate the story that took over three hours to tell.

Despite how easy it is to enjoy this resolution, there are times when it feels like a chore. Looking at the list of movies that I've yet to watch is sometimes overwhelming and feels impossible. I know I'm not the only one who feels this, because most people give up on the resolution they make for the new year. Sometimes, it's challenging, because the movie's in another language, or in black and white, or really old and therefore has terrible video quality and even more horrific effects (by today's standard). But the feeling of highlighting a completed movie is so rewarding, I know that I'll try my best to stick to my huge commitment.

While watching 250 movies is resolution enough for two people, I have another goal to reach this year: reading 50 books. To the average person, 50 books may seem even more impossible than 250 movies; however, reading comes easily to me and I can devour a book to which I'm invested in a matter of hours. Broken down into about four books per month, and then again to about one book per week, this seems like a very achievable goal to me.

So how on Earth am I going to have time to be a full time student, watch 250 movies, read 50 books and create regular blog posts? Trust me, I'm asking myself the same question. That's the thing with challenges; you don't know if you can complete them until you do.

Welcome

As a person who loves to read, write, procrastinate and scroll the endless quantity called the Internet, creating a blog seems like the perfect idea that combines all four of these pastimes into one great big adventure. As a person who is extremely lazy and unmotivated, it seems destined to fail. That's why, from the birth of this idea to the first post, a space of about two years has past. I've always thought that I won't have time to keep it updated, that I'll lose interest after a few mediocre posts or that I just won't ever want to write for it. Besides, who would ever want to read it, anyway?

But two years went by and I still couldn't shake the idea that I should somehow share my passions with others. I still wished that I had a blog, but at the same time, I wished that I'd created it years and years ago and that it was already quite popular and I was easily able to make regular posts and that all the benefits of having some sort of online presence were falling right into my lap. I wanted to have a masterpiece, but I didn't want to invest time into the hard work of setting everything up and the slow process of gaining popularity through regular above average posts and shameless self-advertising. Obviously, for all of those benefits to begin to flow my way, I had to create something that was worth someone else's attention. 

So here I am, attempting to write that initial post that is sort of an introduction but without making any promises so that if I never post anything again, no one will know that I've failed at this project because I never made a written commitment to anyone else. So I'm not going to give the standard introduction of what this blog is about and what to expect and what sorts of things I'll be writing about, partly because I don't want to give false hope, but also because I don't even know yet. In saying that, I love books, movies, YouTube, Diet Coke, roses (the flowers, not the chocolates, but I love chocolate too) and television. Some of those things are blog-worthy, and some aren't. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Let the adventure begin.