Book #1: Paper Towns

I chose this cover, as the one with the girl on the front, 

well, I just refuse to believe that's my Margo.

Just like I promised, this is my first installment in my 100 book list. I'm armed with coffee and Comedy Central's constant repeating of Friends, so this is seeming successful. I thought I'd kick it off with a piece from one of my favourite authors ever, a Mr John Green. Having previously read a few of his works; Looking For Alaska and The Fault In Our Stars, to say I approached Paper Towns with a mixture of enthusiasm, excitement and apprehension would be putting it mildly.While I absolutely adored LFA and TFIOS, I wasn't completely sure that Paper Towns would cut the literary mustard. 

Of course, it did. I from the moment I opened it on my Kindle, to the last line, I was utterly enthralled in Paper Towns in a way I never even was with the previous novels. The story follows protagonist Q or Quentin, a senior at high school, who is head-over-heels in love with his next-door neighbour, Margo Roth Spiegelman, a flighty, crazy, socialite, who attends the same school. While they were previously friends and 'playdates' when younger, one night changes everything and their friendship is rekindled in an unimaginable yet brilliant way. Applause for Green's brilliance here, it's well deserved.


A book I'd been told so much about, without giving any of the plot-line away, I had been recommended it so many times, I thought I better embrace the love, and I definitely have. It stars Quentin and Margo, an unlikely yet very successful duo, along with so many other characters, who all have their special place in my heart, for positive or negative reasons, as will become clear once (or if, rather) you read it. This includes Lacey (Margo's sort-of best friend) and Q's partners in crime; geeky yet funny Radar and playful, stroppy and secretly sweet Ben.

Without spoiling an awful lot, this is what you should expect from Paper Towns. More metaphors than you can shake a stick at. Lots of high school drama. An incredible group of characters. Hundreds of hilarious moments, and some definite tear-jerking ones! Too many practical jokes that actually never get old, and the unforgettable journey that this whole novel is wrapped in, both physically, emotionally and metaphorically. A book to make you laugh, cry and not want to sleep until you've finished it. A coming-of-age novel about so much more than high school. A novel that is not intentionally for children, as it features adult topics, and very true to life. Margo and Q's characters are so well thought-out that I actually felt like I knew them personally. Gush gush gush, I know, you're probably gagging a bit. But it is, as I've said, one of the best books I've read in a long time, and, surprisingly, I'd have to say, my new favourite book by John Green. A book that keeps you guessing, a New York Times Bestseller and ultimately, a must-read for anyone who is already, or is looking to be, a huge fan of the legend that is John Green.