The fab Britney and Farrah from I Eat Words are hosting John Green Week in anticipation of his newest book, The Fault In Our Stars. I just had to participate guys, because let's be for real, John Green ROCKS. Here is my review of An Abundance of Katherines.
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: September 9, 2006
Pages: 229
Source: Purchased
From Goodreads:
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.
On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.
Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself by Printz medalist John Green, acclaimed author of Looking for Alaska.
***
I am ashamed to admit that An Abundance of Katherines has been sitting on my bookshelf for ages. I knew it was going to be good, and I knew I would enjoy it, but there it sat, getting more and more buried under the "new" books. Thankfully, this fabulous John Green Week came about and I had my chance to finally brush off the dust and dive into this wonderful story. And wonderful it was!
I really can't say enough good things about this book. An Abundance of Katherines is simply a nerdtastic, hilarious story that had me laughing the entire time. Here are some of the big reasons why I liked this book:
1) Footnotes AND an appendix. John Green, you have won my heart. Any book that features these two pieces are a win in my book.
2) Math. Okay, let me explain. I hate math with a fiery passion. It's just not my thing and it frustrates me to no end. BUT, the way John Green presents the math in this book actually made me laugh - has math ever made you laugh? Yeah, not very common.
3) Partially set in Chicago. This is me being totally dorky, but any time a book is set in Chicago I geek out. That geeking out was taken to an extreme in this book because Colin lives in my freaking neighborhood! And goes to the same coffee shop I do! (for those of you who have read the book, Cafe Selmarie is an actual place that has THE best brunch in the world).
4) Last but not least, the characters. The main characters in this book are in one word, memorable. I will think about and remember these characters for a very, very long time. Colin and Hassan's friendship cracked me up to no end and I will always remember their "fugging" banter. Relationships and new characters that appear throughout the story are also fabulous and really add extra oomph to Colin and Hassan.
So in a nutshell, you MUST read An Abundance of Katherines. It is a truly awesome book with nerdish hilarity sewn into every word.
I really can't say enough good things about this book. An Abundance of Katherines is simply a nerdtastic, hilarious story that had me laughing the entire time. Here are some of the big reasons why I liked this book:
1) Footnotes AND an appendix. John Green, you have won my heart. Any book that features these two pieces are a win in my book.
2) Math. Okay, let me explain. I hate math with a fiery passion. It's just not my thing and it frustrates me to no end. BUT, the way John Green presents the math in this book actually made me laugh - has math ever made you laugh? Yeah, not very common.
3) Partially set in Chicago. This is me being totally dorky, but any time a book is set in Chicago I geek out. That geeking out was taken to an extreme in this book because Colin lives in my freaking neighborhood! And goes to the same coffee shop I do! (for those of you who have read the book, Cafe Selmarie is an actual place that has THE best brunch in the world).
4) Last but not least, the characters. The main characters in this book are in one word, memorable. I will think about and remember these characters for a very, very long time. Colin and Hassan's friendship cracked me up to no end and I will always remember their "fugging" banter. Relationships and new characters that appear throughout the story are also fabulous and really add extra oomph to Colin and Hassan.
So in a nutshell, you MUST read An Abundance of Katherines. It is a truly awesome book with nerdish hilarity sewn into every word.
HAHA "Fugging"...I forgot how much it is said in this book! I laughed so much while reading it. So glad you finally read and loved it. Fugging great review, Tara!
ReplyDeleteEverybody always says they hate math. I'm a former math teacher, so I enjoyed the math -- and no, I didn't understand all of it either! I hope people don't decide to pass on this one because of the math. Great interview. It's been a while since I've read this -- you made me want to pick it up again.
ReplyDeleteThis is my very favorite John Green book. Hassan rules! I swear I don't think I have ever laughed so hard. I'm a southern girl and the chapter with the wild hog hunt is one of the funniest (and scarily accurate) passages I have ever read in my life. Great review:)
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you on all of this! I loved the math and the footnotes and Hassan forever and ever!
ReplyDeleteGlad you were a fan of An Abundance Of Katherines!
This was the first John Green book that I read-- and I was hooked! I really want to reread this :)
ReplyDeleteSo much love for this book! I love all the things you pointed out. Hassan is one of my very favorite characters.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, the footnotes were the icing on this glorious cake for me. I loved this one so much!
ReplyDeleteJohn Green forevah!