Post #9: Some Infinities

I am at the point in new motherhood where I have started reading for leisure again. What this really means is that Brayden is at the point in his babyhood where he is finally sleeping through the night (most of the time). And so I (sometimes) have enough energy to read before bed!

Now, let me preface the rest of this post by saying it’s not very often that I find myself in the book recommendation business. This is probably because I usually read books that…

1)    I’m embarrassed to admit I like (ex: Hunger Games)

2)    can be turned into the screenplay of a romantic comedy (ex: Something Borrowed or virtually anything by Nicholas Sparks).

But, lo and behold, a quick, somewhat random purchase from the Amazon best-seller list was a book outside of these categories. And it was amazing! So, here I am, recommending it.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, is an absolutely incredible novel. I’m no book critic, so I’m not quite sure how to describe it without giving everything away. Suffice it to say that it is deep without being difficult to understand, sad without being depressing, romantic without being cheesy, and inspiring without being cliché.  It is a love story of sorts, but also just a beautiful perspective of life (and death). Ultimately, the writing helped me to know the characters personally… and I loved them.

The author provides plenty of:

clever narrative…

“”I had a moral opposition to eating before dawn on the grounds that I was not a nineteenth-century Russian peasant fortifying myself for a day in the fields”

thought-provoking ideas…

“some infinities are bigger than other infinities”

lovely emotion-driven dialogue…

“You are so busy being you that you have no idea how utterly unprecedented you are.”

I guess if I were to select one of the overarching themes it would be, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world”. The characters in the story would consider this phrase an embroidery-worthy Encouragement. Regardless, it truly is a beautiful sentiment. One, I believe, that’s worth basing a story on. One worth leaving clean laundry unfolded and dirty dishes unwashed until it’s been read. Enjoy!