la coco noire.

Seeing as I'm big into reading, or at least I am when I can find the time between reading 16th century French psychological novels by Flaubert (oh hey there fourth year French student), I thought I'd start a small 'reading list'. Now, I love book recommendations. I love how when someone tells you to read a book that they love, that book always reminds you of them somehow - as if you've got inside their mind by getting inside their favourite book. I know, I'm inherently odd but it is really is kind of true. I also love how when I finish a book and it was really, really good, I pester my mum until she reads it as well. Shared book love, it's a magical thing. So instead of just sharing books with my mum and incessantly asking her if she's got to [x] part yet and oh my god what did she think of [y], I'm going to share them on here. Because everyone needs some more books in their life. 

So, welcome to Reading List #1. Hopefully the first of many books that I will force upon you until you've read them and loved them as much as me. No problemo. So my first book.....



The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Now, please be aware that I know exactly how generic and tumblr and typical and oh-my-god-i-love-john-green ish this is as the first book into my reading list. BUT also please be aware that I really, really, really do not care. And that there is a reason why people gravitate so heavily towards John Green and all of his wonderful writing. Especially this book.

It genuinely made me laugh, and then it genuinely made me cry. I was sitting on a crowded metro in Paris with tears flooding down my face and sniveling into my jumper. What a total catch, I know. The film is great, yeah, and I'm not ashamed to admit I cried right the way through it, but OH MY GOD the book is just so much better than any film could ever be. John Green just has this way with words that makes all of his books so easy to read, but then between the lines there is just so much more to get from his stories and this is so much more than a simple novel about a young girl with cancer. Seriously. It's a beautiful book, it's beautifully written, it's beautifully funny and it's beautifully beautiful.

I promise that my book choices won't always be this obvious - I've read some really abstract nonsense in my time and they will all get their due. But, John Green, I - and almost every young adult in the western world - salute you wholeheartedly for one of the most delightful and heart-breaking collection of pages ever written.