Tuesday 12 February 2013

TEASER TUESDAY: FIRST BOOK FIRST - JOHN GREEN


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Last week, I went out and bought The Fault in Our Stars but I didn’t want to read it. I wanted to savour preparing to read it: it’s on the shelf facing outwards so I can look at it.

I had seen and heard interviews of John Green talking about his work, and – for me – there’s nothing like an interview to send a reader out to track down a book.

Typically me, when I became fascinated by the new book, I went out to find the first.

Looking for Alaska? I didn’t know what I was expecting. What I found was more than it anyway.

I started reading all about Miles. Miles and boarding school. It was different, not the kind of boarding school story I was used to reading. Probably because this was a male writer, I thought.

All totally absorbed, I was page turning and having a wonderful time up to the point where my jaw dropped. I went back to check… but no, I hadn’t got it wrong I’d tripped up over the plot twist. I turned back and back. I re-read the whole book again up to the (can’t spoil it for you) plot turn. 

Amazingly, I hadn’t seen it coming. For the rest of the book I was wrung through the wringer, ending up as puddle.

I loved the characters, loved the writing.

LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green

But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane.

I need to recover from “Alaska” before I read “The Fault in Our Stars” I’ve only got one heart and I need it.

WHY DO WE KEEP ASKING WHY?

12 comments:

  1. "...if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane."

    Oh, I love that! I definitely want to read this book now. Thanks for visiting and talking books with me! :)

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    1. I think it's the perfect image - you can almost see the pair of them without reading anything else. ;)

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  2. I really must read this author! I love the teaser, especially the part about...what Kelley said. lol

    And also the section about how he was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating.

    Here's MY TUESDAY MEMES POST

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    1. Hi Laurel-Rain
      If I hadn't heard John Green interviewed I wouldn't have gone out of my way to read his books. Knowing what I know about "Stars" I shouldn't have been so shocked by the twist.

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  3. This is a fantastic write up! I'm a huge fan of John Green and have had Looking for Alaska on my TBR pile for a while now.

    Check out my Teaser Tuesday from Richelle Mead's The Indigo Spell! Here at i*Heart*BigBooks

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    1. Hi I<3
      Thanks for your comment. When it comes to John Green, I'm a convert.

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  4. Wow - I love this teaser! This is the only John Green book I haven't read so I definitely need to check it out. I'm re-reading The Fault in Our Stars at the moment because I haven't read it in over year and I'm just falling in love with it all over again. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog :D have a great week!

    Sarah @ TotalTeenFiction

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    1. Hi Sarah
      Thank you :D I'd love to pop by and read your Teaser.
      As a writer who is working out how to make the transition from loving writing to being published, I'm fascinated by the first book...I love to know about a writer's first successful book.

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  5. I still need to read Looking for Alaska. I love when a book can surprise you, even if it hurts. I hope you'll enjoy The Fault in Our Stars. It's one of my favorites, even through the difficult times.

    Thanks for stopping by my post!

    ~Sara @ Forever 17 Books

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    1. Hi Sara
      After finishing Alaska, I'm looking forward to reading all John Green's books.

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  6. Hi Elaine,
    I just happened to be here via this year's A to Z April Blog Challenge,
    Nice to notice that you too are joined in for the challenge,
    I wish you all the best for a better blogging this year with A to Z
    Keep posting
    Keep inform
    This is Phil

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    1. Hi Phil
      I can't believe it's almost time for the A to Z Blogging Challenge again. Thanks for stopping by and following.

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