Week in Review: Why I Am Now Willing to Re-Read 'The Fault in Our Stars'

Why I'm Now Willing to Re-Read 'The Fault in Our Stars'

In my mini-review of The Fault in Our Stars, I said I had no desire to read this book again. I cannot argue that it isn’t a good book –it is– but I found their philosophical debates over the oblivion of death, how humanity will eventually decay into nothing and cease to exist, downright depressing. This isn’t a view that I agree with, but it nevertheless gave me a feeling of despair, because I realize that people do actually accept this as their fate.

However, James Duckett, a friend of mine, recently did a few gush posts about the book and its movie release. Instead of focusing on the depressing philosophical points, he took away a completely different view. Life and love in spite of death. We all die, eventually, and we have to consciously make the decision of whether or not it’s worth the inevitable heartache to love someone who may pass before us. We have to decide whether we will love and endure death, or whether we shy away from the pain it could (and probably will) cause.

This part of the story didn’t pass me by completely. I was conscious of it, but it wasn’t what I had focused on through most of the book. This, to me, is a much deeper, more moving aspect of the storyline. I can see it now, in hindsight, but I feel the need to watch it unfold through another reading.

So thanks, James, because someday I will re-read The Fault in Our Stars.

The Writing Corner

I'm pleased to announce that this was a successful writing week. Other than a second read-through and a few changes concerning character and consistency, I'll be done fixing up this subplot.

Next week: Adding details to the main plot.

To Read or Not to Read?

I finished two books this week:

• The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. This is a fun fairy tale read. My favorite thing about this book was how the story carried into both Good and Evil, and I grew attached to both sides of characters. Though the Evil characters are, well, evil, they were fun and human as well. The story also shows that friendships can be more important than romance, and I liked that angle. This book gets four stars, though I'll have to see where the series leads before I can confidently recommend it to someone.

• The Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe: The Tell-Tale Start by Gordan McAlpine. This short and sweet kids' novel is brilliant. A most appropriate book to finish on Friday the 13th. Full of literary references (mainly Poe, but some others), high adventure, ghosts, and clever shenanigans, I can't praise this story enough. This one gets five stars, and it's definitely a To Read.

Last but not least, my booktube video this week was my TBR Shame, in which I count up all the books I own but have never read and feel a good douse of guilt.