THE SPECTACULAR NOW by Tim Tharp

A book review. I'm currently on a YA kick.

Sutter likes to live life spectacularly. Which basically means he's a fun-loving dude who loves whiskey. And that's about it. It's a small story, but one that takes a long time to tell. There's an attempt at a love story, but I found it less than spectacular. Sutter has a very strong voice, but he's extremely repetitive. Just way too little story, not enough interesting characters for
me. **


Rating System:

**** = Amazing, Fantastic, Life-Changing
*** = Excellent & Worth a Read
** = Not a Complete Waste of Time but I Probably Wouldn't Recommend It
* = Blech!

And I don't do that half-star nonsense.


However, I'm curious to see how the movie turns out because, reading this, it doesn't scream MOVIE!!! to me. But Miles Teller, the film's lead, was terrific in RABBIT HOLE, and I think he could bring a lot to this role.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green

A book review.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is like TWILIGHT. Except, instead of vampires, there is an abundance of humor, wit, and smart-assery. And instead of Jacob, there are advance stages of cancer (insert Jacob joke here, this book certainly would have).

This may have been the most pandering tear-jerker ever, if not for the relentlessly positive attitude worn by every character in the book. And by positive, I mostly mean dripping with jokes and sarcasm without ever being mean. It's a beautiful love story. A beautiful reflection on the courage one summons (or doesn't) when facing death. A beautiful look at the simplest choice we make every day: we can laugh or we can cry. These characters choose to laugh. They choose to make others laugh. And they are hilarious in the face of darkness. ****

Rating System:

**** = Amazing, Fantastic, Life-Changing
*** = Excellent & Worth a Read
** = Not a Complete Waste of Time but I Probably Wouldn't Recommend It
* = Blech!

And I don't do that half-star nonsense.