Finding My Way to The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is the first book that I finished in 2021 and I loved it so much!

I bought it awhile back when it was on sale via Audible, before I knew about and switched to Libro.fm (benefitting our local independent bookstore), because I’d heard good things about both John Green as a writer and this book in particular. However, every time I was deciding what to read/listen to next, I wasn’t feeling it.

Then last Friday morning, I was listening to my Sara Bareilles Radio Station on Pandora and watching the Amazon Fire Stick screensaver slideshow, with beautiful pictures of vistas from around the world, as I do most mornings after our workout is over, when a song came on that I didn’t recognize.

Some songs I have to hear a few or more times to appreciate. But this one I liked immediately. I asked Alexa what the song was and she said All the Stars by Ed Sheeran.

When I really like a new (to me) song I often Google it, to check out the lyrics and any other info I can find, including what might’ve inspired the person or people who wrote it.

It was then that I discovered the song had been written for the movie version of The Fault in Our Stars. I found it on Amazon Music (we don’t have Unlimited, so I checked there before going to YouTube), so I could listen a few more times. Then I decided it was time for me to start the book!

I am often reading/listening to more than one book on Libro.fm and/or Audible (those I bought before moving to Libro.fm) at a time, as well as listening to Podcasts and articles on Audm, depending on what I am in the mood for. That way I can switch back and forth if I want to learn something new, get lost in a story (like this), or whatever else seems to be speaking to me on any given day.

I really like John’s style of writing, as it’s not too cheesy, while also capturing the uniqueness of and eccentricities in his believable characters. I got a kick out of the disclaimer at the start, in which he insists that the book is indeed a work of fiction and discourages readers from trying to figure what, if any of it, might be based on one or more people’s real life experiences. It wasn’t until I looked further into some of what inspired him to write it that I understood why he felt the need to state that expressly. If and when I read more of his work I’ll be curious to see if he says that at the beginning of his other books.

Though I am aware John’s target audience is teenagers/young adults, at almost 46 I could relate to so much of this story, both the 16 and 17 year old main characters, as well as their parents (being closer to their age at this time in my life).

Also, this story moved Amsterdam up on my list of places I hope to visit someday and I didn’t know my favorite color (orange) is associated with it.

There was a fun and interesting interview with the John included at the end of the audiobook. which helped answer questions I had, that must be common for readers of this and other of John’s books.

Some of my favorite quotes from The Fault in Our Stars were:

“Sometimes people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them.”

“That’s the thing about pain, it demands to be felt.”

“The world is not a wish granting factory.”

“Sometimes it seems the universe wants to be noticed.”

“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”

This started out as a post that I intended to share on social media. However, the longer it became it occurred to me I could share it as a blog entry here. I’d like to do that more in the days to come, as I used to.

Have you read The Fault in Our Stars? If so, what did you think of it?

Have you read any other books by John Green? If so, which (if any) do you recommend I read/listen to next?