Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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It almost isn't even necessary to write a review of this book with the amount of hype it's gotten lately but I loved it so much that the world is just going to have to deal with one more stellar review of The Fault in Our Stars!

As pretty much everyone in the universe knows by now, this book is about a teenage girl who is living with terminal cancer... but Hazel Grace Lancaster is so much more than that. She wants to live a life that isn't defined by her condition and she has such a wonderful, sarcastic, loving, thoughtful personality. As you also probably know, Hazel meets a boy and everything from there is a rollercoaster that only goes up, my friends. John Green has done such a great job creating these characters that are dealing with such serious issues but have so much more going for them than their hardships. The story is so real and heartfelt. Yes, at times there is great sadness, but there are also euphorically happy and hysterically funny times, too. To describe this book as a rollercoaster of emotions is an understatement.

I cannot say one bad thing about The Fault in Our Stars. I read it in about a day and a half (world record pace for this super slow reader!) and I enjoyed every second. I am a huge fan of love stories and this is one that will stick with me forever. The more I think back on the story, the more I love it. Books like that are the ones I love the most.

My Goodreads Rating: 5 stars!

Quick The Fault in Our Stars Movie Review!

Wonderful . Amazing . Perfect 

That's what I think about the movie. It was acted spectacularly by the most perfect cast. The movie only enhanced my love of the story itself. I smiled ear to ear. I laughed. I cried. I can't wait to see it again!

In conclusion, go read the book and then see the movie! You won't regret it.

-Lindsay

High Five for Friday: Laughing, Crying, and Sleeping on Clouds

Thank God it's Friday!!! I'm so excited to be taking part in my first High Five for Friday! I saw this on a great blog I love to follow, Lauren Elizabeth, and decided to join in on the fun. Here's what's been going on this week...

1. I'm an elementary music teacher so this time of year means one thing for me: summer camp! I'm a director for a summer day camp run by my city and this was our first week with the kids. It's nice to have a break from my regular teaching routine and getting to work in a more casual setting is always fun. Summer camp with elementary age kids is always full of excitement (yeah...let's call it excitement). 

2. I've been reading on my Kindle a TON this week. I finished my third book of the summer (not my favorite) and have already moved on to the next. I've been trying to get into the habit of reading just a little bit in bed each night until I fall asleep. This really relaxes me and it gets me to make at least a little bit of reading progress every day. 

P.S. I really love my Vera Bradley Kindle case!

3. Speaking of books, I finally saw The Fault in Our Stars movie! I read the book last week and my mom and I headed to our local movie theater to see what was sure to be a sob fest yesterday. To be honest, I LOVED THE MOVIE (that needs to be made clear) but I may have cried more tears from laughing than from sadness. I wasn't laughing at the movie, of course. We were laughing at the handful of random women in the theater who were straight up basket cases throughout the entire movie. Yes, parts of this movie are very sad, but these people just could not keep it together to the point that I couldn't hear the dialogue of one of my favorite scenes over the wails of a women on the other side of my mom. No . Joke. I guess I can be thankful for some comedic relief??? 

4. As a thank you for dog sitting while they were on a cruise, my parents got us a set of really nice Cariloha bamboo bed sheets. I want to do a more in-depth post about these sheets but can I just say that they are like sleeping on a cloud! They feel like the "cool side of the pillow" all the time and they are just the softest, most comfortable thing ever! Ah! They're the best.

5. I've been slacking for a while but I finally got back to running this week! I've been feeling less than motivated lately and I really just needed to bite the bullet and get out there. When I'm feeling so lazy I need little things to help me get through it. This time it was my running hat from the Inaugural Glass Slipper Challenge in February. Just remembering that I was able to run a 10k and a half marathon in the same weekend was inspiration enough to get me out  the door. 

So, there it is! My first High Five for Friday! Hoping everyone out there has had a fantastic week and has an even better one coming!

-Lindsay