The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (3 Stars)
Hazel has been battling cancer for quite sometime. Unable to breathe on her own, she relies on a breathing apparatus to help her do what most take for granted. She is in a routine that works for her family, until she meets Augustus Waters. He has been cancer-free for a while, at the cost of his leg. He provides her with happiness, something she did not even realize she was missing. Wrapped in an author who may not be what he seems, they find comfort in his novel. Life seems to be looking up again, until it all fall apart.
This is the second John Green book my wife and I have read together (Paper Towns being the other), both books seem to have the same basic issue; John Green likes to use big words. His use of big words distracts from the plot, his characters use these words in sentences where people would not use them, and he makes it seem commonplace. In the end this just comes across as ostentatious and pretentious. Rant over.
His characters are well rounded and have depth rarely seen in novels these days. The situations they are in are heartwarming at times, and heart wrenching at other times. Loved the overall plot and how things flowed. I do wonder what his obsession with his characters egging cars is? Although in this novel it was rather amusing. I must say with both this book and Paper Towns, I enjoyed the movies more than the books, a rarity for me.
Would I pick up another one of his books? Probably not, although I know many out there who would disagree with that!
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Friday, September 23, 2011
Book Review- Thomas Rockwell- How to Eat Fried Worms
Thomas Rockwell- How to Eat Fried Worms (Dell Publishing 1975) 3 Stars
Billy has gotten himself into trouble by making a bet with his friends, Alan and Joe. He must now eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. He will mask the flavour with anything to ensure that he wins; ketchup, mustard, horseradish, as just a few examples. Alan and Joe will stop at nothing to ensure that they don’t have to pay up; trickery, kidnapping, and overstuffing.
This book was kind of fun. I remember reading it as a child. It is kind of a nonsense book, with the message of don’t make bets you can’t afford, a message many adults with gambling addictions could really learn from. The characters are not overly deep, but are fun and play along well with the light-hearted fun in the book. It was lacking a plot, and aside from the message there is not much of a point to the book. Overall though I would say it is a fun one time read that kids would enjoy.
For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com
Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/
Billy has gotten himself into trouble by making a bet with his friends, Alan and Joe. He must now eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. He will mask the flavour with anything to ensure that he wins; ketchup, mustard, horseradish, as just a few examples. Alan and Joe will stop at nothing to ensure that they don’t have to pay up; trickery, kidnapping, and overstuffing.
This book was kind of fun. I remember reading it as a child. It is kind of a nonsense book, with the message of don’t make bets you can’t afford, a message many adults with gambling addictions could really learn from. The characters are not overly deep, but are fun and play along well with the light-hearted fun in the book. It was lacking a plot, and aside from the message there is not much of a point to the book. Overall though I would say it is a fun one time read that kids would enjoy.
For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com
Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Book List 2010
Book List 2010
Total Books Read: 161
Mystery/Thriller 74
Lee Child- Tripwire (Jove Books 2009) 4.5 Stars
Michael Connelly- The Lincoln Lawyer (Warner Books 2006) 4 Stars
James Patterson- The Big Bad Wolf (Doubleday 2003) 3.75 Stars
Tess Gerritsen- The Apprentice (Ballantine Books 2003) 3.75 Stars
James Patterson- London Bridges (Warner Books 2005) 3.5 Stars
Harlan Coben- Fade Away (Dell Publishing 1998) 4.75 Stars
James Patterson- Mary Mary (Warner Books 2006) 3.5 Stars
Lawrence Block- Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (HarperTorch 2004) 3 Stars
James Lee Burke- Cimarron Rose (Hyperion 1997) 3.25 Stars
Jeffery Deaver- The Twelfth Card (Pocket Star Books 2006) 4.75 Stars
Michael Connelly- Blood Work (Little, Brown & Company 1998) 4.5 Stars
Phillip Margolin- Fugitive (Harper 2010) 3.75 Stars
Stuart Woods- Capital Crimes (Signet 2004) 3.75 Stars
Lee Child- The Visitor (Bantam Books 2000) 4.75 Stars
Stieg Larsson- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Penguin Books 2008) 3 Stars
Ted Dekker- BoneMan’s Daughters (Hachette 2010) 4 Stars
Stuart Woods- Fresh Disasters (Signet 2007) 3.25 Stars
James Patterson- Cross (Grand Central 2007) 3.5 Stars
Lee Child- Echo Burning (Jove Books 2002) 3.5 Stars
Michael Connelly- The Concrete Blonde (St. Martin’s Press 1995) 3.75 Stars
Jeffery Deaver- The Bone Collector (Signet 1999) 4 Stars
Harlan Coben- Just One Look (Signet 2005) 4 Stars
Brian Haig- Secret Sanction (Warner Books 2002) 4.25 Stars
Michael Pennington- Dohch (ebook 2010) 3.5 Stars
Michael Connelly- The Poet (Warner Books 2004) 3.75 Stars
Lee Child- Without Fail (Jove Books 2003) 3.5 Stars
James Patterson- Cross Country (Vision 2009) 4 Stars
Max Allan Collins- Dick Tracy (Bantam Books 1990) 3.75 Stars
Michael Crichton- Rising Sun (Ballantine Books 1993) 3.75 Stars
Elizabeth Gunn- Triple Play (Dell Publishing 1998) 3.5 Stars
Jeffery Deaver- The Coffin Dancer (Pocket Books 1999) 4 Stars
Harlan Coben- Deal Breaker (Dell Publishing 2007) 4 Stars
Michael Connelly- Trunk Music (St. Martin’s Press 1998) 4.25 Stars
Lee Child- Persuader (Dell Publishing 2004) 4.25 Stars
Steven James- The Knight (Revell Books 2009) 3.5 Stars
James Patterson- I, Alex Cross (Little, Brown and Company 2009) 3 Stars
Iris Johansen- And Then You Die (Bantam Books 1998) 3.25 Stars
Jeffery Deaver- The Bodies Left Behind (Pocket Star Books 2008) 3.75 Stars
Anne M. Dooley- Plane Death (NeWest Press 1996) 3 Stars
Harlan Coben- Drop Shot (Bantam Dell 2008) 3.75 Stars
Michael Connelly- A Darkness More Than Night (Warner Books 2002) 3.75 Stars
John Douglas- Man Down (Pocket Books 2004) 3.25 Stars
Lee Child- The Enemy (Dell 2007) 4.5 stars
Linwood Barclay- No Time for Goodbye (Bantam Books 2008) 4 Stars
Jeffery Deaver- The Stone Monkey (Pocket Books 2004) 4.25 Stars
James Patterson- 1st to Die (Little, Brown and Company 2001) 3.75 Stars
Ridley Pearson- Chain of Evidence (Hyperion 1995) 3.75 Stars
Max Allan Collins- CSI: Body of Evidence (Pocket Star Books 2003) 3 Stars
Michael Connelly- Chasing the Dime (Warner Books 2002)3.5 Stars
Harlan Coben- Play Dead (Signet Books 2010) 3.5 Stars
Debbi Mack- Identity Crisis (Lulu 2009) 3.5 Stars
Lee Child- One Shot (Dell Books 2009) 4.25 Stars
Linwood Barclay- Too Close to Home (Bantam Books 2009) 3.5 Stars
David Morrell- Scavenger (Vanguard Press 2007) 4.25 Stars
Jeffery Deaver- Shallow Graves (Pocket star Books 2000) 3.5 Stars
David Ellis- Line of Vision (
James Patterson/Andrew Gross- 2nd Chance (Little, Brown and Company 2002) 3.75 Stars
Michael Connelly- The Scarecrow (Grand Central Publishing 2008) 3.75 Stars
Harlan Coben- Back Spin (Dell Books 2009) 3.75 Stars
James Ellison- Panic Room (Pocket Books 2002) 3.5 Stars
Lee Child- The Hard Way (Dell Publishing 2007) 4.25 Stars
Linwood Barclay- Never Look Away (Anchor Canada 2010) 3.25 Stars
Barry Eisler- Requiem for an Assassin (Onyx 2007) 3.25 Stars
Ted Dekker- Thr3e (Center Street 2010) 3.75 Stars
Ridley Pearson- The First Victim (Hyperion 1999) 3.75 Stars
Harlan Coben- The Final Detail (Orion 2004) 4.25 Stars
Ridley Pearson-Middle of Nowhere (Hyperion 2000) 3.5 Stars
James Patterson and Andrew Gross- 3rd Degree (Warner Books 2005) 3.75 Stars
Michael Connelly- Lost Light (Warner Books 2004) 3.75 Stars
Lee Child- Bad Luck and Trouble (Dell Books 2008) 4.5 Stars
Western 30
Louis L’Amour- Radigan (Bantam Books 1969) 3.75 Stars
John S. Daniels- The Crossing (Signet Books 1969) 3.75 Stars
Ralph Compton- The Chisholm Trail (St. Martin’s Press 1993) 3.5 Stars
William W. Johnstone- Warpath of the Mountain Man (Pinnacle Books 2002) 3.75 Stars
Louis L’Amour- Killoe (Bantam Books 2007) 3.25 Stars
Mike Blakely- The Snowy Range Gang (Forge 1996) 3.25 Stars
Max Brand- The Smiling Desperado (Warner 1974) 3.5 Stars
Jory Sherman- The Barons of Texas (Forge 1999) 3.25 Stars
William W. Johnstone- Trek of the Mountain Man (Pinnacle Books 2002) 3.5 Stars
John Benteen- Fargo: The Sharpshooters (F.A. Thorpe 1970) 2.75 Stars
A Ralph Compton novel by Joseph A. West- Vengeance Rider (Signet 2004) 4 Stars
Ralph Cotton- Jackpot Ridge (Signet 2003) 3.5 Stars
William W. Johnstone with Fred Austin- The First Mountain Man: Preacher’s Fortune (Pinnacle Books 2006) 3.5 Stars
Bill Brooks- Leaving Cheyenne (Dell 1999) 3.25 Stars
William W. Johnstone with J.A. Johnstone- The First Mountain Man: Preacher’s Showdown (Pinnacle Books 2008) 3.25 Stars
Nelson Nye- Desert of the Damned (Belmont Books 1965) 2.75 Stars
Ralph Cotton- Showdown at Rio Sagrado (Signet 2004) 3.5 Stars
Bill Brooks- Law for Hire: Saving Masterson (HarperTorch 2004) 3.25 Stars
William W. Johnstone- Return of the Mountain Man (Pinnacle Books 2000) 4 Stars
Ben Smith- Gunfighter’s Return (Priory Books 1959) 3.75 Stars
Frank O’Rourke- Ambuscade (Signet 1959) 3 Stars
William W. Johnstone with J.A. Johnstone- Six Ways from Sunday (Pinnacle 2009) 2.75 Stars
Hal G. Evarts- Renegade of
Gary McCarthy- The
William W. Johnstone/J.A. Johnstone- Matt Jensen: The
Elmore Leonard- Last Stand at
Robert Vaughan- Vendetta Trail (HarperCollins 2005) 2.75 Stars
William W. Johnstone- Honor of the Mountain Man (Pinnacle Books 1998) 2.75 Stars
Elmore Leonard- Hombre (HarperTorch 2002) 2.5 Stars
William Colt MacDonald- Powder Smoke (Leisure Books 2006) 3.5 Stars
Drama 5
John Grisham- Playing for Pizza (Dell 2008) 3.5 Stars
Gil Roscoe- Company of Thieves (Kensington Books 2001) 3 Stars
David Baldacci- Wish You Well (Warner Books 2000) 4 Stars
David Baldacci- The Christmas Train (Warner Books 2004) 3 Stars
Fantasy 5
J.R.R. Tolkien- The Hobbit (HarperCollins 1999) 4.75 Stars
J.R.R. Tolkien- The Fellowship of the Ring (HarperCollins 1999) 4.25 Stars
J.R.R. Tolkien- The Two Towers (HarperCollins 1999) 4.5 Stars
J.R.R. Tolkien- The Return of the King (HarperCollins1999) 4.5 Stars
Kristin Cashore- Graceling (Graphia 2008) 4 Stars
Historical Fiction 6
Jeffery Deaver- Garden of Beasts (Pocket Star Books 2005) 4.5 Stars
Harper Lee- To Kill a Mockingbird (Grand Central Publishing 1982) 4.75 Stars
Jennifer Lee Carrell- The Shakespeare Secret (Published in the U.S. as Interred with Their Bones) (Plume 2008) 4 Stars
Tony Earley- Jim the Boy (Little, Brown and Company 2001) 4.75 Stars
Tim LaHaye and Greg Dinallo- Babylon Rising (Dell Publishing 2004) 3.25 Stars
Tom Rob Smith- Child 44 (Grand Central Publishing 2008) 3.5 Stars
Middle Reader 18
Eric Wilson- The Inuk Mountie Adventure (HarperCollins 1996) 4 Stars
Rudyard Kipling- Captains Courageous (Moby Books 1983) 4 Stars
Alexadre Dumas- The Man in the Iron Mask (Moby Books 1983) 3.25 Stars
Eric Wilson- The Emily Carr Mystery (HarperCollins 2003) 3 Stars
Brad Strickland- Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Stowaways (Minstrel Books 1994) 3.25 Stars
Roald Dahl- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Puffin Books 1997) 4.5 Stars
Eric Wilson- The Unmasking of ‘Ksan (HarperCollins 2003) 3.5 Stars
Charles Dickens- David Copperfield (Moby Books 1979) 3 Stars
Julilly H. Kohler- The Boy Who Stole the Elephant (Scholastic 1970) 3 Stars
Andrew Clements- The School Story (Aladdin Paperbacks 2002) 4 Stars
Diane Carey- Star Trek:
Nancy Yi Fan- Swordbird (HarperCollins 2007) 3.25 Stars
Avi and Rachel Vail- Never Mind! (HarperCollins 2004) 4.5 Stars
Avi- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (
Peter Lerangis- Spy X: The Code (Scholastic 2004) 2.75 Stars
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor-
YA 8
Norah McClintock- The Body in the Basement (Scholastic 1997) 3.5 Stars
Maureen Bayless- No Fixed Address (Scholastic 1997) 3 Stars
Elizabeth Janet Gray- Adam of the Road (Puffin Books 1988) 3.75 Stars
Suzanne Collins- The Hunger Games (Scholastic 2009) 4.75 Stars
Suzanne Collins- Catching Fire (Scholastic 2009) 4 Stars
Ridley Pearson- Steel Trapp: The Challenge (Disney Editions 2008) 4 Stars
Suzanne Collins- Mockingjay (Scholastic 2010) 4 Stars
Religious 4
Warren W. Wiersbe- Devotions for Comfort and Hope: Isaiah and 1 Peter (Honor Books 2005) 3.75 Stars
Warren W. Wiersbe- Devotions for Contentment and Wisdom: Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians (Honor Books 2006) 4 Stars
Comics 5
Jim Davis- Garfield Hams It Up: His 31st Book (Random House 1997) 3.75 Stars
Jim Davis- The Second Garfield Fat Cat 3 Pack (Ballantine Books 1994) 3.75 Stars
Jim Davis- The Eighth Garfield Fat Cat 3 Pack (Ballantine Books 1998) 3.5 Stars
Jim Davis- The Seventh
Jim Davis- The Tenth
Short Story 1
Louis L’Amour- Riding for the Brand (Bantam Books 1993) 3.25 Stars
Non-Fiction 4
James Patterson & Martin Dugard- The Murder of King Tut (Little, Brown and Company 2009) 2.75 Stars
Brent W. Jeffs- Lost Boy (Broadway Books 2009) 5 Stars
Grace Jasmine- FabJob Guide to Become a Bookstore Owner (Fabjob 2010) 4.25 Stars
Augusten Burroughs- A Wolf at the Table (
Miscellaneous 1
JJ Ritonya- Sunset (Createspace 2009) 2.75 Stars
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