Paper Towns by John Green Review

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Q gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.


Paper Towns is the third book I've read written by John Green. I loved the Fault in Our Stars, but was slightly disappointed in Looking for Alaska. I had high hopes, and it did meet those expectations and didn't at the same time.

from goodreads

I feel like I praise John Green a lot because he wrote my favorite book, The Fault in Our Stars, but Paper Towns was the book that made me really notice that he had some skill. The entire book was well written, but the only problem I had with it was that it didn't make me keep on reading. That sounds terrible, but it's true. I could not finish reading it, because the book was a constant of okay, fine, school life, doo-dads, that did not feel suspenseful or interesting enough to keep me reading.

John Green writes young adult books that have some what smart characters, while having so many pranks, and adolescent things that make me laugh. There wasn't one character that stood out to me as my favorite or anything, because like I said the entire book was like a roller coaster that was extremely high off the ground, but had no twists and turns. The speed could match one of a golf cart on high.

My favorite part was the humor. I love the fact that there are those little things that make it have its own identity. The Black Santas were my favorite story, among Q's stories.

I don't have much to say for Paper Towns, but I'd give it a head shakes, thumb down, shoulders shrug. (2 out of 5)

Review: The Super Spud by Michael Diack

Genetic engineering has accomplished many things, one of which has been to create the Super Spud! The humble potato elevated to new heights, creating the most flavoursome crisps ever known to humankind! But that's not all - A magical transformation occurs to all Super Spud crisps not eaten before their use-by date. They take on a life of their own. And so long as they remain undetected by humans, they enjoy life in their own Super Spud cities, take part in major Super Spud sporting events and even start the odd Super Spud war or two. Join Colin, Cougar, Hannibal Vector, Generals Rock, Jock and Strap and all the others in their rollicking adventures. You'll never look at a packet of crisps in the same way again! Fun, quirky and totally original.

from goodreads

I don't like writing reviews of books I couldn't finish. So that being said, this review will be short, and maybe uninformative. I got this novel a while back, and was saving it for a time that I wanted something quick and light to read. Well, that didn't come, because I have been in a reading rut. So, I asked two people that I honor their opinions very much to start reading it and tell me their thoughts. Both of which did not finish reading the novel.

The first person I gave the book to read, told me that the book felt very childish. I'm not sure what age range this was directed to, but from the summary I believe middle grade. Of course, you can also tell that a story about crisps is not going to be some amazing, world changing, meaningful adult novel. That person also said that the novel went very quickly, and did not understand completely where the crisps were and what they were doing. The beginning was fast paced. I remember my close friend saying that it's for those kids that have ADHD. I wouldn't go as far as saying that, but I do agree, when I read the first few pages of the novel.

My second friend, when I introduced her to the novel, wasn't very excited about it either. She read a passage or two, and had to stop. She did not like the idea, and I honestly wouldn't have picked up this book either, if I saw it at Barnes and Nobel, or at my local library. She also said that it wasn't well written. That I can't agree with, because even though the writing was fast paced, I didn't have any trouble with it.

That being said, I'd give The Super Spud a head shakes, thumb down, shoulders shrug. (2 out of 5)