Review | Paper Towns

As I mentioned in my What Does September Mean For Me post here, I said that I was going to be reading some John Green novels. I have now finished my first ever John Green book 'Paper Towns'. I also have The Fault in Our Stars on my book shelf but I will read that another time. 

I was so excited to read Paper Towns. The cover was very nice and intriguing and with the film out, I thought it was going to be a very entertaining story. 

The story is about a socially awkward nerdy boy called Quentin who has spent most of his time dreaming about his next door neighbor Margo. When they were younger, they found a dead man in their neighborhood who'd committed suicide. For the rest of her life Margo is absorbed by this incident. One night, out of the blue, Margo summons Quentin on an evening of revenge. But the next day when Quentin goes to school, Margo does not. Quentin and his friends, Ben and Radar, find clues to Margo's whereabouts. They believe that Margo has set up her own mystery, and is leading them to her. In the final part of the story, Quentin, Ben, Radar and Ben's girlfriend Lacey (also Margo's 'ex' friend) go on a road trip to New York as they believe that is where Margo has been hiding...

The novel is separated into three parts. Part One (the strings) was very quick paced. The character of Margo is very entertaining, funny and sarcastic. I read through this first past in one evening. But, to me, the middle part (the grass) was weak. It didn't have that quickness I'd liked from the first part (maybe because Margo wasn't in it?). I just got bored unfortunately and left it a whole week. But then, I picked it up again and got to Part Three (the vessel). This final part was amusing throughout. There were moments in it which I really enjoyed. It kept building and building to the final moment when you find out where Margo has been. 

The characters were the best part of the novel for me. Quentin was an easy-to-like guy. Margo was quirky. Also, the minor characters, who are sometimes 2D and flat were very well portrayed and weren't typical of YA school kids. 

I was expecting John Green to be a very good writer, and of course, he was. The novel was well written and some lines were enlightening. However, the story itself wasn't for me. I thought it could have been better to be honest. I don't know what I was expecting, I just thought it would be different. The fact that I got bored in the middle, tells me that the story wasn't strong enough and that although the writing was good, it wasn't enough to keep me hooked. 

Would I recommend this book to someone else? How about try another John Green novel. 

***

 

"I don't know who she is anymore, or who she was, but I need to find her."

"What a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person can be more than a person."

"I had been imagining her without listening."

Rhodes Trip

Yay! I survived a week without wifi! I don't know how I did, but somehow, I managed. So, I've been on holiday for a little while, hence why there has been no blog posts for almost two weeks. Last night I got back from a trip to Rhodes with my family at 2am (which was actually 4am in Rhodes so I was extremely tired!)

Rhodes was a BEAUTIFUL place - very warm until it rained the last couple of days we were there which wasn't so good. But being typical Brits, we tried to soak up every bit of sun even as the rain poured down on our faces. One evening I watched as lightning struck every ten minutes continuously.

Most of the people were very friendly. We had fun with Michaelas one of the barmen. We stayed in Electra Palace an all-inclusive hotel right beside the sea. During the day there were many activities including volleyball, darts, aqua zumba, waterpolo, ping pong. Every night there was entertainment: Greek night, music of the world, magic, discos, jazz and rock night. You couldn't get bored. The food there was very yummy and wide-ranging. I spent most of my time drinking hot chocolate (even though I don't actually eat chocolate) because there was no drinks I liked. But I do feel like I've put on a lot of weight due to the all-inclusive buffet. But that's what happens on holiday I guess...

We also went to Rhodes Town. It was a historic place with a great atmosphere and sights. There were a lot of beggars there dressed all in white. In the center of the town it was very busy and I would have loved to see it at night when it's even more busy and lively. As someone who loves Greek mythology, the area made me feel like I was closer to the stories I love. I wished we had had more time to visit some other places, like Lindos which looks amazingly beautiful. But we were mainly soaking up the sun and enjoying the views. My sister and I had a lot of fun pulling pranks on Mitchell, our step brother, in our hotel suite. 

I love relaxing. I love not worrying about things. Most of the time I was there I was lounging about on the sun beds with a book, or taking an afternoon nap because my dad insisted that we all be down eating breakfast at 8.30 every morning, or writing - lots and lots of writing. 

I'd also suggest never traveling home on a Wednesday night in Greece. The airport was packed with sweaty people all hustling about to check their bags in. Luckily we had VIP tickets and went straight past to the lounge area which meant we didn't have to wait in those awful queues.   


I'd definitely go back to Rhodes and make sure to go to Lindos, just not in September when the weather is a bit up and down.

Below are a few of the pictures I took when we were there.

Thanks for reading 
Lauren x

Finding your voice

“To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.”

Allen Ginsberg

I read this quote online the other day, and boy did it make me think ‘that is exactly the problem with me and writing’. It is so difficult for me to write freely and not worry about people disliking it. In my notebook or on my computer, I should feel like that is my own space, for my eyes only – but I don’t. I’m always thinking about what other people will think of what I have written, even if it’s a first draft. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I really want everyone to like what I have written, because at the end of the day, it’s my story that I have created and I am protective of it. So when it comes to people reading my work, I pray that they will enjoy it. 

But the point that Ginsberg is making is that when you write, no one has to know about it, until you let them. The first words are your words – for you only – and you shouldn’t have to worry about any kind of judgement. How are you supposed to develop your own voice and style if you don’t work at it? If you keep worrying about what people think, you’ll never get any better. 

In some ways, however, I am my biggest critic. In some ways I am the person I am afraid of reading my work (if that makes sense). Sometimes I am quite pleased with what I have written, but a lot of the time, I know I can do better. I have a scene in my head which is supposed to be so beautiful, but my words just don’t do it justice. I am really trying to get over this habit of constant criticism. 

Also, comparing myself to others is a BIG problem of mine. I’ll be writing my story and think ‘that’s alright’ and then I’ll read someone else’s work and feel disheartened about my own. I know this is a bad thing. I know that published books have gone through tons of editing and that the finished copy is nothing like the first draft, but I can’t help feeling this way. Everyone does I guess.

 So my top tip for today would be to listen to Ginsberg. Write and remember that you are the only one who has to read it. To become a better writer, you must keep writing and re-writing to gain your own unique voice. And try not to compare yourself to others negatively. Use other peoples success to motivate you, not to dishearten you. I'm working on this myself.

Trust in yourself to find your voice. 

Thanks for reading. 

Lauren ♥

5 things that made me smile today

Today is Sunday and so it's been a relaxing day. I'm also feeling very happy today (which is good I guess!) I wanted to make a very short post just saying the little things that made me smile today :)

(Smile courtesy of my sister)

1. My Dad dancing. 

Today my dad was in somewhat of a good mood and danced like there was no one watching which I thought was hilarious. The fact he thinks he is Justin Timberlake makes me smile every time. I love love love his dancing and I treasure the moments I have being with my family.  

2. YouTube videos. 

I am addicted to YouTube videos (like a lot of people) and spend a considerable amount of my day watching YouTubers. No matter how I am feeling, YouTubers never fail to make me smile.

3. Writing. 
 Whether it may be a chapter, a scene or even just a paragraph of my novel, I smile, because I know that its progress and some day it will all be worth it. I love the way my characters feel like my best friends. 

4. Avril Lavigne's song 'smile'. 

I don't know why, but I have seriously delved back into my childhood this week and had Avril Lavigne on repeat. I love this song more than I ever thought I did. It really does make me smile.

5. Not caring.

I don't embarrass very easily which is a good thing and a bad thing. Today I smiled when people stared at my sister (someone who also makes me smile) and I, as we danced to horrible music blaring in the car like we'd been possessed. As Avril would say 'what the hell'. 

These are the 5 things that made me smile today. What makes you smile? :)

What does September mean for me?

So, it’s September! Which is crazy, because I swear it was only May last week. September is one of those months that’s a bit meh. It’s almost like it’s the start of a new year again. For a lot of people it means starting a new school year which I always hated, or maybe starting university. It isn’t the best of months, but I’m hoping it will be a nice one – even if it’s cold (which I’m sure it will be here in England!) Below is a list of things on my list for September. 

1.   University

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I’ve just realised how close I am to starting university now. I’ve also just realised how unprepared I am. My mum got me an academic diary for the next year to keep me organised, but I haven’t given university much thought (which is very naughty!) I should be reading and preparing, looking up all the information I can, but I’m lazy and I haven’t! I’m worried about three things. 1) Driving there since I’ve got to go down a motorway for 40 minutes to get there and I’ve only had my car 2 weeks! 2) I’m on holiday during fresher’s week so won’t be attending, but I love travelling too much to turn down a free holiday! 3) Meeting new people. Aggh. Going to be even harder since I’m not going to be attending fresher’s week, the time when everyone makes life-long friends.

2.    Rhodes

My dad booked a somewhat last minute trip to Rhodes recently. I am soooo excited about going. I’ve been to some of the Greek islands before, but I haven’t yet been to Rhodes. It will be great to blog about my trip there and have a look at the Greek culture, and it looks absolutely beautiful! I always struggle with the food when I go somewhere different, but I’m hoping it will be at least edible. So, yeah holidays are always something to look forward to!

3.   Excuse to stay indoors and write

I am a very indoorsy person. I like to be where I feel comfortable, and there is nothing more comfortable than your own home. To me, the fact England is going to be getting even colder, means that I have an actual excuse (other than I have no friends!) not to go outside. It’s going to be nice to light the fire, grab a hot chocolate and crack on with my novel. I am hoping that I get a lot of it written this month and can start with the editing in October (but don’t hold me to that).

4.   John Green binge

Surprisingly, I haven’t had a John Green binge yet. My friends at school used to blabber away about how good he was as a writer, but I hadn’t even read any of his novels, so I was always left out of those conversations. But this month, I have decided I want to read some John Green novels (I think it’s great the way people say ‘have you read a “John Green” novel?’ - it just shows how much someone’s stories hit people!) I have watched The Fault in Our Stars which I really enjoyed, but I want to see if the words can convey the story any better (because I’m sure they will). And considering the fact Paper Towns has just come out in cinemas, I think I really should have a read of the book! Reading in general is going to be a must for September as I didn't do much reading at all in August. The Kingkiller chronicles have been on my bookshelf for years now and I still haven't read them. They are very Lord of the Rings - adventurous and arduous, but I hope I'll get through them (probably not this month though!)

5.   Decorate my room

This is likely to be the hardest of all the things I’m doing this month! Painting and decorating! I can’t even look at a paintbrush without feeling completely out of my depth. I know you don’t have to be artistic to paint a room, but I still feel like I’m deficient in any artistic abilities to do it. I have had some azure blue paint in a tub since March I think and I still haven’t opened it and got on with the dreaded task. It is so boring. I have the image of how I want my bedroom to look in my head, but doing it and getting it like that is a whole other story. I have new bed sheets and curtains to match underneath my bed for when I have painted my room. I haven’t used them yet, because I want everything to be done at the same time – the whole shebang! But first off, it needs painting!

So this is what September means for me, but what does September mean for you…?

Lauren x