Rachel Rambles About Looking For Alaska

From Goodreads:

Miles "Pudge" Halter is abandoning his safe-okay, boring-life. Fascinated by the last words of famous people, Pudge leaves for boarding school to seek what a dying Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps."
Pudge becomes encircled by friends whose lives are everything but safe and boring. Their nucleus is razor-sharp, sexy, and self-destructive Alaska, who has perfected the arts of pranking and evading school rules. Pudge falls impossibly in love. When tragedy strikes the close-knit group, it is only in coming face-to-face with death that Pudge discovers the value of living and loving unconditionally.
John Green's stunning debut marks the arrival of a stand-out new voice in young adult fiction.

 It's kind of ridiculous how much I love this book. I mean, really. I will be able to reread this book for the rest of my life, and I don't think I will EVER get bored of it. It's. Just. So. Good.

For those of you who haven't read the book, the main character is a boy named Miles (nicknamed Pudge) who goes to boarding school his junior year. Once he gets there, he meets a bunch of cool people: the Colonel, Takumi, Lara, and... Alaska.

Alaska, Alaska, Alaska. According to Pudge, Alaska is basically the best thing in the entire world. And you know, as a reader we know that she's just a girl and he shouldn't be so obsessed, but you can't really blame Pudge. I mean, he's in love with her! It happens. And the thing with Pudge is he doesn't ever get annoying about how much he loves Alaska or anything. It's really easy to understand his perspective.

Throughout the book, Pudge goes on a journey to seek the Great Perhaps. But his journey takes him to many unexpected places that he could have never seen coming. I love sharing this journey with Pudge, and every time I read this book it feels like I'm reading it for the first time. It never gets any less surprising or less emotional or less frustrating. Since John Green is obviously awesome, he tells the story so perfectly and wonderfully and thoroughly and it just becomes a part of you.

Pudge is a great character. He's smart and funny and thoughtful and nerdy and I just love reading from his perspective. He memorizes the last words of famous people, which is actually kind of one of the coolest things ever. Because famous people had some pretty interesting last words. Some were really deep and spark a whole lot of meaningful thoughts, and others, er, weren't.

Alaska, Takumi, the Colonel, and Lara are all amazing supporting characters. They add comic relief to a pretty serious book. Seriously. I laugh so much every time I read this book, because of all these awesome friends.

I have to be honest with you guys. This book made me cry. When you read it, you just get so emotionally invested in the story and the characters. So when something bad happens...you feel it. Looking for Alaska is probably one of the best books I've ever read. I think this book will be around for awhile, waiting for future generations to read it and enjoy it and fall in love with it.

And you guys. My copy of this book has so many dog-eared pages and highlighted quotes it's kind of insane. There are so many quotes and scenes and conversations that I always want to flip back and look at. This is a book that I will never forget. Sometimes, I lay in bed at night just thinking about the story and the characters and I'll start smiling or laughing or crying. And I don't even care how weird or not normal that is. Looking for Alaska is a part of me now. It's one of the best books I've ever read, and it probably will be for a very long time.

Favorite Character: Takumi. I love his fox hat and I love his rapping and he's just hysterical. I want him to be real, and I want him to be my best friend.

Favorite Scene: It's hard to choose, because there are so many great scenes, but I guess I would have to say: THE PRANK. It's from about page 102 to 123, and I just love everything about it. It's funny and it's actiony and serious and honest and surprising and I could read it a thousand times and never get sick of it.

Favorite Quote(s): There are so many! I am not kidding when I say that half of this book is dog-eared or highlighted or both. So here are just a few of them:

"'What the hell is that?'

'It's my fox hat.'

'Your fox hat?'

'Yeah, Pudge. My fox hat.'

'Why are you wearing your fox hat?' I asked.

'Because no one can catch the motherfucking fox.'" -page 104 (This one always makes me laugh so hard.)

"When adults say, 'Teenagers think they are invincible' with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail." -page 220 (So. Unbelievably. True.)

"Thomas Edison's last words were: 'It's very beautiful over there.' I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful." -page 221 (I get chills whenever I read these words.)

"So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane." -page 88 (I think this is everyone's favorite quote. haha)

Random Tidbit: You know on page five, where it says "NEVER USE A HIGHLIGHTER IN MY BOOKS"? I totally highlighted it. *giggles* I had to. IRONY, you guys. I love it. 

So I probably didn't even do this book justice. I don't think anyone can, really. If you haven't read it, please please PLEASE make sure you do. You won't regret it.

Best wishes and DFTBA!

-Rachel