The Fault in Our Stars: Amsterdam Fun Pack

If you read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, you probably found yourself wishing you could've seen the iepen falling like a "spring snow" into the canals of Amsterdam as Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace dined at Oranjee. You wished you could've climbed the stairs in the Anne Frank house and stayed the night at the Filosoof hotel.

Well now, you can!

With the all-inclusive "The Fault in Our Stars: Amsterdam Fun Pack", you can experience everything Hazel Grace and Augustus experienced, and more! A round trip to Amsterdam is included in the package, as well as a five night stay at the Hotel de Filosoof. You will experience life in the city through trips to famous sites, lunches at cafes, and bike rides along the canals. Fans will be all abuzz when they hear that they can partake in this adventure.

At the Hotel de Filosoof, The Fault in Our Stars fans will feel as if Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters are in the room with them as they gaze at the works of famous philosophers. If they’re lucky, they might even get the chance to stay in the Kierkegaard room where Hazel stayed, or the Heidegger room where Augustus stayed! Here’s a sneak peek of the Kierkegaard room as told by Hazel, “There was a dusty old paisley chair with a sagging seat, a desk, and a bookshelf above the bed containing the collected works of Soren Kierkegaard,” (Green, 157).

For dinner one night, fans will dine at an exquisite Amsterdam restaurant. While we wish we could take them to Oranjee (mentioned in the book), it does not truly exist. They will munch on superb dishes such as Belgian white asparagus, dragon carrot risotto, and crèmeux surrounded by passion fruit. Our travelers over the age of 21 will drink champagne. For our younger travelers, sparkling juices will be available. While dining, readers will gaze out over the canals and city sites. Here’s a brief description of a few things they might see. “…on one side of us, cyclists pedaled past… And on our other side, the canal was choked with millions of confetti seeds… A bit further down the canal, I could see houseboats floating on pontoons…” (Green, 162).

 

Although Peter Van Houten’s house is fictional, The Fault in Our Stars fans can still visit a house similar to his and imagine how Augustus and Hazel Grace felt when they were there. The house will be fully furnished and decorated to suit Peter Van Houten’s personality. Swedish hip-hop music will blare from the speakers as fans tour the house. Here is a description of what they might see inside. “We followed him… past a huge oak dining room table with only two chairs, into a creepily sterile living room. It looked like a museum, except there was no art on the empty white walls. Aside from one couch and one lounge chair, both a mix of steel and black leather, the room seemed empty,” (Green, 183).

The Amsterdam Fun Pack also contains visits to famous sites, such as the Anne Frank House. Readers will get to climb the steep stairs in the house, just as Hazel Grace and Augustus did, and immerse themselves in history. They will experience feelings similar to Hazel Grace, “As I read about each of the seven who died, I thought of Otto not being a father anymore, left with a diary instead of a wife and two daughters,” (Green, 201).

This experience will leave readers yearning to be a part of the book. When they look back on their trip to Amsterdam, memories of The Fault in Our Stars will come flooding back to them. Readers will feel more connected to the characters in the book through the experiences they shared and the sights they saw in Amsterdam. Those who experienced the trip but didn't read the book will feel drawn to read it when they arrive back home in order to understand the significance of the places they visited.

The only question left for fans to ask themselves is, “Which week am I going to Amsterdam?”.

Post #3: The Fault in Our Stars

I recently finished reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I chose to read this book because I'd  heard tons of great things about it. I was told by many people that it was the best book they'd read in a long time. Personally, if I had to give it a letter grade, I would only give it a B. I'm the type of person who enjoys the happy-ending, feel-good type of books, and for me, this book just didn't fulfill that expectation.

*SPOILER ALERT*

In the end, one of the main characters dies of cancer, and we are left with the fact that the other main character is going to die of cancer soon. That left me feeling really sad because I was hoping the two characters would overcome their cancer and live. 

Also, I didn't finish the book with a very overwhelming theme to take away. I didn't have that moment of, "Wow. I want everyone to read this."

However, I did like some aspects of the book. I liked the imagery that was included in the book, especially when the two main characters were in Europe. I also feel like I gained a little bit of knowledge about how cancer patients feel and look at life. Finally, I liked John Green's writing voice. It was very unique and somewhat sarcastic.

In conclusion, since I enjoyed the imagery, perspective and John Green's writing voice, but didn't feel moved or compelled by a specific theme in the book, I think this book deserves a B.

Post #2: What is a book?

A book is a cottage nestled deep in the woods.

When you read a book, you travel to a place found within the crevices of the pages. If you search, you won't see it. It's a cozy place you create in your imagination. You can't help but be absorbed in it- it just happens. When you have your own, printed copy of a book, your cottage is kept safely inside. Even if someone else purchases the same book, they won't have your copy- your cottage. They will have their own, personal copy, kept safely away from yours. Your book is your place, your cottage.

Your cottage is a magical place. You decide what to do with it. You can write notes on the walls if you want, and you can invite your family to join you in it. You can build a shed behind it or plant a bed of daisies on the hill just to the right of it. Your book is your place, your cottage. No one else can change it.

But when you purchase an e-book, your quiet cottage in the woods is taken from you. Everyone downloads a digital copy of the book to their devices. Regardless of whether it's read on a Kindle or a Nook, it's the same exact copy that everyone else has. It's not your own. It doesn't have an ink mark on the cover or a page folded down. It's no different from the next.

Your cottage is no longer alone. Soon, a street of cottages will develop. Then another street. Then a subdivision. Before you know it, your once isolated cottage is surrounded by a city of cottages. The air becomes polluted with everyone else's thoughts and feelings about the book. Your book is no longer your own. It belongs to the rest of the world, too.

I would rather have my own cottage, surrounded by a trickling creek and birds in the trees, than a cottage crammed five feet from my neighbor's.