Looking for Alaska by John Green - GBR - Starting June 1st 2015

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Looking for Alaska by John Green will be our first GBR for June 2015.

Please read at your own pace, and hide any spoilers ☺ You are welcome to join at any time during the month ☺

Happy Reading Everybody!

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?

[Danielle ♥]

Sign me up! I'm using this for the "GBR/BR/BR&R" jumanji square, which is Part 3, #1 :)

[Mona]

And we are reading John Green this month too :D hopefully "Looking for Alaska" doesn't mean any another searching journey but for Alaska this time.
I'm joining this month too.
this will be my third book by John Green and I read his story in
I loved TFIOS but I don't know how I feel about Paper Town I gave it 4 stars Though

[Danielle ♥]

I've heard all of John Green books are pretty cookie cutter, but, I'm still giving this a shot because I've only read TFIOS which is slightly different. I heard this & Paper Towns are very very similiar in format. On an unrelated note, I really like the cover! :)

[Sarah Elizabeth]

I liked Paper Towns, but I wasn't a fan of TFIOS. We seem to have had quite a few JG books as GBR now!

[Tracy]

I look forward to discussing the book with other readers. This will be my first GBR. Any advice?

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Just read the book at your own pace, and let us know what your thoughts are ☺ You can hide spoilers by typing <.spoiler.> without the dots (view spoiler)[ Hi! (hide spoiler)]

[Nur Raihan]

I've only read two books by him so far, and it was The Fault In Our Stars and Paper Towns. Rated it 4 and 5 stars respectively. I've heard that Looking For Alaska is quite similar to Paper Towns, but the book is more sad. Looking forward to buddy reading this! ^-^

[Nicole]

I've read Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines & Tfios! I'll join this.

[Kate]

My first John Green novel. Let's see how this goes. :)

Starting to read this now. :)

18%

(view spoiler)[The Colonel and his girlfriend :o Such a weird and ironic tandem, given the separation between the Weekday Warriors and the other students. Plus, they fight all the time but stick together? Haha. (hide spoiler)]

[Kate]

30%

(view spoiler)[Don't know how I feel regarding the Colonel and his girlfriend's breakup. It's supposed feel relieving but Colonel's reaction kind of made me sad. He really liked her but had an odd way of showing it. (hide spoiler)]

[Nur Raihan]

I've started reading this a little and I found that their name is quite weird. Miles Pudge, Alaska Young and Chip Martin. Lol seriously, John Green?

I'm just about 10% in and I'm already liking it so far. Glad that I join this buddy read, this book has been in my tbr for so long!

[Kate]

53%

(view spoiler)[It seemed to me that that game of Best Day/Worst Day actually brought them closer. I loved the Colonel's best day! So sweet! And Alaska's worst day was just really sad. It helped reveal some of her pains. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Nur Raihan wrote: "I've started reading this a little and I found that their name is quite weird. Miles Pudge, Alaska Young and Chip Martin. Lol seriously, John Green?

I'm just about 10% in and I'm already liking it..."

Sound like ice cream flavours or something.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

up to '127 days' (view spoiler)[ he wants to be called the colonel?
JFK's last words were 'that's obvious'?
This is weird. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

up to '126 days' (view spoiler)[ were they trying to freaking kill him?! (hide spoiler)]

[Mona]

27% done
(view spoiler)[
I don't know what to think about the first 60 pages or the main characters pudge personality still not clear to me but I like the thing about the famouses last words. Alaska it seems to me that she is so messed up with all the talking about dying. I like her name and the story about choosing it.
I like Colonel I would love if he was the main character. his issues with the rich kids and his abusive father I love that. on the other hand Miles is so boring to write a book about him. (hide spoiler)]

[Mona]

126 days before
(view spoiler)[
the think I really don't understand how tiling the headmaster about trying to kill someone is considered ratting!!!! so messed up!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Mona wrote: "126 days before

"

(view spoiler)[ He couls so easily have died! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Kate wrote: "53%

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I liked the best day/worst day discussion as well. it really showed wh each character was. and alaska's story was so sad! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

The end (view spoiler)[ I just finished this. I totally wasn't expecting Alaska to die! It did make the story a bit more interesting, but I didn't want her to die!

I thought the whole storyline about the blow job a bit weird! especially when she asked if she should bite! (hide spoiler)]

[Nur Raihan]

I seem to agree with everyone. and I like why Alaska chooses her name too! :D

[Kate]

69%

(view spoiler)[I have the same questions too! Who called and why was she upset? I do hope they find out! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Kate wrote: "69%

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ It was a bit strange the way things suddenly seemed to happen all at once. Someone must have said something to her. (hide spoiler)]

[Danielle ♥]

You guys are such fast readers! I'm up to "126 days before" and so far so good! Agree that the names are odd and totally sounds like ice cream flavors, lol!

[Kate]

The End

(view spoiler)[Wow. I didn't expect to like a John Green novel, but I loved this. Although I did kinda predict what Alaska remembered that night, I love how there is still that "not-knowing" part where you could just draw endless conclusions. Seems to me that Pudge will definitely get an A on that final exam! (hide spoiler)]

[Danielle ♥]

Up to "126 days before" page 29 - (view spoiler)[My GOD, how did he not drown??? I'm not sure I could've maneuvered to the top & floated like that. Lucky dude. Whoever did that (Kevin?) is horrible. (hide spoiler)]

[Danielle ♥]

Up to "109 days before" page 44 - (view spoiler)[go Colonel, it's yo birthday, uh, uh ♫ (hide spoiler)]

[Danielle ♥]

Page 45 (view spoiler)[Miles: "I hated sports, and I hated people who played them, and I hated people who watched them, and I hated people who didn't hate people who watched or played them." Sheesh! I bit dramatic, don't you think? (hide spoiler)]

[Danielle ♥]

Okay I know I'm excessively updating statuses right now, but, I have to say that I laughed out loud when they were talking about how bad the school's basketball team was and the Colonel says: (view spoiler)["Oh they suck... But we always beat the sh*t out of the deaf-and-blind school." (hide spoiler)] on page 46 XD and I have to ask, what the heck is a (view spoiler)[Weekend Warrior? I must have read past that and missed it. I looked back but can't find any explanation (hide spoiler)].

[Danielle ♥]

"Forty Nine Days Before" page 88, my favorite line in this book so far: "If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane." -Miles

PS. If you think that is a spoiler (I don't) let me know and I'll gladly hide it with the spoiler tag :)

[Nur Raihan]

98 days before:

(view spoiler)[can't believe they had a whole Jury thing for smoking. Maybe detention is enough? (hide spoiler)] LOL IDK.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Danielle wrote: "Up to "126 days before" page 29 - [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I have no idea how he didn't drown either! so bad! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Danielle wrote: "Page 45 [spoilers removed]"

very over the top!

[Nur Raihan]

I really love this and I thought of sharing.

- "It's stupid to miss someone you didn't even get along with. But, I don't know, it was nice, you know, having someone you could always fight with." -page 66

[Danielle ♥]

Nur Raihan wrote: "I really love this and I thought of sharing.

- "It's stupid to miss someone you didn't even get along with. But, I don't know, it was nice, you know, having someone you could always fight with." -page 66"

I like that a lot too :)

[Beatrice]

I've read this book probably a year ago or two. Miles / Pudge reminds me of Charlie from mainly because they're both exploring the teenage life in a new environment.

This the second JG book that I've read and sadly, this book puts me in a JG hiatus. I guess TFiOS sets the bar really high.

[Danielle ♥]

I am up to 14 Days After, page 165 and um (view spoiler)[I did not know Alaska was going to die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, I've read reviews and whatnot, and no one even hinted towards a tragic event like this, so I am in complete shock. Is this her second epic prank???? Can't be ... there were eye witnesses ... can I still hope that she is alive and this is all just a prank?! (hide spoiler)]?! On a separate note, I really enjoyed the (view spoiler)["camping" in the barn scene where they got really drunk, that was so entertaining (hide spoiler)]! :)

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Danielle wrote: "I am up to 14 Days After, page 165 and um [spoilers removed]?! On a separate note, I really enjoyed the [spoilers removed]! :)"

(view spoiler)[ I was totally shocked by that too! It came totally out of nowhere! (hide spoiler)]

[Danielle ♥]

Almost done - on page 213 of 221. What an epic (view spoiler)[school prank. It's amazing that Miles' dad agreed to help! My parents would not have done that LOL. It was a great last homage to Alaska for sure, and it was cool that they said they didn't do it and it was her prank. I feel so bad for these kids, I can't imagine losing a friend/love like that. (hide spoiler)] I'm very interested in how John Green ends this! It has been a great book so far. I like it much more than TFIOS, but, I don't care for too mushy stories OR for stories about cancer/critically ill people - basically, I don't want my heart strings tugged too much. Although (view spoiler)[Alaska dies (hide spoiler)] I am still very much at peace with the events of this book. If any of that makes any sense :P

[Danielle ♥]

Just finished! Great book! Loved how it ended with Miles' (view spoiler)[paper on The Labrynth (hide spoiler)] :)

[Mona]

Beatrice wrote: "I've read this book probably a year ago or two. Miles / Pudge reminds me of Charlie from mainly because they're both exploring the teenage life in ..."

I can't agree more. I loved TFIOS so much that I had too high expectations for his other books. but the sad thing that they are all the same. the same environment and the same characters. even his story in Let It Snow are the same. I still have 2 books by him I haven't read but I learned my lesson. no high expectations for JG :( BUT THE THING IS I REALLY REALLY LOVE HIS WRITING STYLE SO I KNOW I WON'T STOP READING HIS BOOKS EVEN THOUGH IT IS SO BORING AND ALWAYS BUT ME IN READING SLUMP

[Mona]

50% DONE
(view spoiler)[
I don't like pranks usually but this was so fun reading just want to know how the Eagle and the weekday warriors will react (hide spoiler)]

[Mona]

70% DONE
(view spoiler)[
tell me that she isn't dead. this is so sad. just when I start to really like this book. why she have to die ??! (hide spoiler)]

[Danielle ♥]

Mona wrote: "70% DONE (view spoiler)"

I KNOW RIGHT !?!?!?!?!

[Nur Raihan]

I'm still blur about the Warrior thing. Ive forgotten the full name.

[Danielle ♥]

Nur Raihan wrote: "I'm still blur about the Warrior thing. Ive forgotten the full name."

Weekend/Weekday Warriors? It just means that some kids stay at the school on campus over the weekends, the others go home during the weekends. They call those kids the WWs.

[Nur Raihan]

Danielle wrote: "Nur Raihan wrote: "I'm still blur about the Warrior thing. Ive forgotten the full name."

Weekend/Weekday Warriors? It just means that some kids stay at the school on campus over the weekends, the ..."

Yes the Weekday Warriors! Haha thanks!