Review: Paper Towns

Hey Guys,

So recently, I have been on holiday to France (We went to Paris and Normandy if you were wondering!), and I had a lot of time to read! I downloaded 3 books to my kindle, all of which I will review over the next few posts, but i am going to start with one of the weirdest but probably one of my favourites. This is another book by John Green called 'Paper Towns'.

Quentin has always loved Margo Roth Spiegelman, for Margo (and her adventures) are the stuff of legend at their high school. So when she one day climbs through his window and summons him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow.

But the next day Margo doesn't come to school and a week later she is still missing. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance . . . and they are for him. But as he gets deeper into the mystery - culminating in another awesome road trip across America - he becomes less sure of who and what he is looking for.

Masterfully written by John Green, this is a thoughtful, insightful and hilarious coming-of-age story.

This book was an unusual one, with the beginning seeming to be a short story itself, however the research put into this book must have been huge as it really shows in the references given in the book, especially the ones relating to paper towns, towards the end of the book. I did get a little confused in the middle of the book as to what paper towns are, but my advice would be to persevere with it and all is explain towards the end of the book. My favourite part has to be the long car journey at the end of the book. It made, what could have been a very boring few chapters, very thrilling and on the edge of my seat, I thought that it was extremely well written. The ending was slightly disappointing, however if everything had ended well, I believe it would have seemed a little fairy tale like.

Paper Towns Can be found on Amazon as well as many other stores, however it is not currently available on Kobo in the UK.

As I read this book on my kindle, the picture used has been taken from the Huffington Post website.

If you do decide to read this book, or have already read it, please let us know what you think!

Keep reading,

Pen Pal E

P.S We have decided that we are going to post a blog post twice a week, on Sundays and Wednesdays, although knowing our organisation skills this might not stick!!!

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Hey Guys,

Long time, no see! Sorry, school  and holidays get in the way a bit! A while ago, I finished reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and all I have to say about it is WOW!

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

This book had everything in it that a book needs, funny bits, sad bits, a good plot line, a good ending...the list goes on. I can't find a single fault (No pun intended) with this book, nor can I express how much I love it. It is up there with my top books and is absolutely perfect. I love the way that this book is written, there are so many lines in the book which I just want to highlight and remember forever. It touched a very sensitive subject in quite a delicate way, but it doesn't just concentrate on just cancer. I love the way that John Green concentrates on the love story between Gus and Hazel rather than anything else. I especially love the line:

“I'm in love with you," he said quietly.

"Augustus," I said.

"I am," he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.”

And yes I did cry at it...loads!!

Unfortunately, I borrowed this book from a friend to read so I cannot take any pictures of it, therefore the pictures shown are from Amazon.

The Fault in our stars has recently come out in cinemas and should be available on DVD soon! I have watched the film after reading the book and it was very good compared to the book. Some details were missed out but overall it was amazing! I saw it twice and cried both times!

The Fault in Our Stars can be be found on Amazon and Kobo as well as many other stores.

If you do decide to read this book, or have already read it, please let us know what you think!

Keep reading,

Pen Pal E

xx

Deceptive Love

Hey Guys,

Here is another short story for you guys!


Her eyes pierced a wound in my heart, deeper than any knife could conflict. I thought of her as dangerous. Disastrous. Confusing, even. But I never considered her to be murderous.

I had trusted her. No matter how much I could pin this on her, I had trusted her. I had trusted her smile. Her lies. Her soul. Her eyes. I would never stop blaming myself.

The police had no idea where she was. She was all over posters screaming; Wanted! Every time I passed one I cringed, knowing why she was wanted and who she was. It was because of her. Because of Tammy Shaw, that my little sister is dead.

 The police found my sister two weeks ago, sent her to the Hospital. But it was too late.
"I'm afraid the wound was too deep, it was too late." The Doctor sadly informed me, glancing down at the pale, dead girl on the table that used to be my little sister.

The funeral was simple. Friends and family gathered round the willow tree in our garden and we scattered her ashes there, as it was her favourite place to be.

My parents were, from there forward, intent on carrying on as normal. As it was 'What Isabelle would have wanted' apparently.The only thing not normal that my parents were involved in was the search for Tammy. They were just as intent as I was to make her pay the price. They had searched high and low across the country but she was not to be found. The Police had invested hundreds of pounds into the search, just for it to come to a dead end.

I will never forget what happened. It was too embedded into my memory to forget. Even if I wanted to it was not an option.

I was sat at the lunch table, eyeing the new girl coyly. She was sat alone, stirring her spaghetti with her fork moodily. Before I knew what I was doing, my legs lifted me up, tray in my hands and carried me over to where she was seated. A pair of big brown eyes glanced at me curiously and she gestured for me to sit down beside her. I sat awkwardly and began;
'I'm-' I broke off as she glared at me.
'I have no interest in who you are, or what you do. Why did you sit here? I hope you didn't pity me. I wasn't looking for sympathy.' She contradicted, her eyes boring into mine.
'I sat here because I wanted to.' My answer was short, simple and tried to show I wasn't hurt. My answer obviously startled her, as she must not be used to someone being so straight with her.
She looked taken aback and nodded slightly before continuing to stir her spaghetti, glaring at the strands of pasta wrapping it's way round the fork.
I was shifting uncomfortably in my seat as I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye when she said 'Look, I don't know who the heck you are and why you are sitting here but I am really not in the mood for a conversation.' And that was our first conversation.

To Be Continued...


Hope you enjoyed!
Pen Pal M xo

Waking up

Hey Guys,

Here's another story!

It all seemed like it was happening in slow motion, yet it was over in a second. Time stood still as I watched, helplessly, unable to move, just staring. One minute she was stood there, then suddenly, she was falling, down...down...down. I ran as fast as I could towards her. I saw the blood. I saw the wound. And worst of all, I saw her lying there, lifeless.

Slowly I open my eyes, just a crack and the bright lights around me. I quickly shut my eyes again. Where am I? Then I realise that I can hear my Mum talking to me.
"Tom? Tom? Can you hear me? Tom?" I hear my Mum asking.
I open my eyes to find myself propped up in a hospital bed with my Mum one side of the bed and my Dad the other.
"Tom, you're awake!" exclaims my Dad.
"Hi Mum, Hi Dad." I murmur. "Where am I? And what happened?" I question.
"You are in Leeds General Hospital and you were shot." says Mum.

Suddenly, my memory starts to come back. I remember now.

The boys. They bullied her. It went on for months. They were ruthless. She ran away. I followed. They pushed it too far. Much too far. They shot her. She started to fall. I ran.

Then my my mind goes blank. That must of been when I was shot. Is she alive?

Thanks for reading!

Pen Pal E

:-)