John Green Books Ranked
Although I am a very avid reader, if I do say so myself, I don't have that many favorite authors. I tend to not have read that many books by some authors that I really like because I am reading books by other authors of whom I like and then I end up not reading the same author very much. I do have one exception: John Green.
A couple of years ago, I read every one of his books in a row. Well, the ones he wrote by himself (I have read Let It Snow but not Will Grayson, Will Grayson).
I would consider John my favorite author. I love his writing style and I tend to fall in love with his characters. I connect so easily to the characters and it is just a joy to read his books. I love how there is always something random and kooky in the middle. I love how bingeable the books are and how they make me laugh and cry. And how true they feel (even with the kooky middle).
However, although I loved them all, I definitely have a preference.
(Disclaimer: I read these a long time ago and so the things that I say are the ones I remember and the ones I took away from the book, they are not nessesarily accurate.)
So, without further ado, here is my ranking of John Green books.
7. Let it Snow
Okay, so, I take back some of the stuff I said above: I don't like every one of his books. But then, I don't consider Let it Snow one of his books. It's like when a guest writer writes an article on a newspaper. It's not that writer's newspaper, he just wrote part of it. And, you know, his part in this book is the best one.
Let it Snow is a short story collection (if you count three stories a collection), each one by a different author. These stories interconnect, recounting three different teens' Christmases in the same town during a snow storm.
John's story is the best written one and the most enjoyable. However, the whole book is pretty dumb and fluffy. If you want a fluffy romance for Christmas holiday, maybe this is a good book for you. But don't go expecting greatness, because there is none to be found in this one. The characters are pretty one dimentional and the stories are shallow. It's cute, but not even a cheezy Christmas book that I would recommend. I would just avoid this one if I were you. But even if you read it, don't worry, it is very forgettable. I completely forgot about it until like five minutes ago.
6. An Abundance of Katherines
Here is the thing: people love hating on Katherines. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe it was because I read it on the same week that I read Eleanor and Park and We Were Liars, both of which I pretty much hated, but I had a great time reading it and I really liked it.
However, I have a very good argument for why this book should be appreciated. Before this book, John wrote in first person, something he is incredibly skilled in. After this book, all of his books have been in first person. This is the only book of his that is written in third, and for that, I am so thankful. I remember picking it up to read and thinking, "wait, there is something weird about this one. Oh, it's in third person." Not that his third person writing is bad, but it just doesn't feel right. He must have learned that lesson and decided to only write in first person. Thank you, An Abundance of Katherines.
I love the way he expresses the idea of the unpreditability of life. It worked really well, especially with the footnotes and the scientific setup of some of the book.
Is it weird that he has a book where the protagonist's type is girls named Katherine and that is his brother's wife's name? Yeah. Is the book good enough that I can see past it? Also yes.
5. The Anthropocene Reviewed
Anthropocene and the next book were neck-a-neck and I struggled with where to place them on the ranking. I ended up putting this one in fifth because of its being non-fiction.
I loved this book, I think it is pretty much the most John Green book John Green has ever written, however, I just don't gravitate toward books with no plot or a story driving the book forward. I struggled with reading this one because of its essay structure, even though that should have helped it go faster.
I think one of the reasons I love it so much is because I think about it constantly. That last essay where he talks about how we are Earth loving Earth really stayed with me.
It was a great glimpse into John's head. It also taught me a bunch of history I didn't know. My favorite chapters were "Piggly Wiggly" and "Monopoly" because they were just so interesting.
4. Looking For Alaska
This book is a rare example of a book that I really enjoyed, despite not connecting with any of the characters. I tend to gravitate towards books that have characters that I can see in myself or who have the same values and beliefs as me, but this one is completely different. If I went to Miles' school, I would never hang out with him, the Colonel, or Alaska. I would probably stay away from them and think of them as the weird kids who do drugs. Although I do appreciate that they are intellectuals too. Alaska does have a very large book collection.
But even though I can't connect to Miles at all, I really liked Looking for Alaska. It deals a lot with how you could be at the top and suddenly everything crumbles below you, but I love that usually these types of books are adult books and too tropey, but this one was teenagers realizing that life goes on after teenagehood. There are a lot of ways that you could interpret this book but that is the one that I took from it.
It also explores these deep messages of loss and grief and how to move on from that. The way the book is structured is beautiful and drives that point home.
3. Paper Towns
I don't understand why people don't love this book. I have such a soft spot for Paper Towns, I literally love it so much.
I also can't explain my love for it. I just really connected with it in a weird way. I liked the elements of mystery in it. I love that first sequence where Margo takes Quentin to Sea World. Why? I have no idea. I just loved it!
There was just something about Quentin that made him more relatable than other of John's characters (that is, excepts for the ladies). I could not really relate to Miles or Colin, but I found it easy to connect with Quentin and go on this adventure with him.
I loved the weird mystery in it. I also love all of the messages in it. If you loved the book, I highly recommend watching at least the first half of John Green's Ted Talk because he talks about the book and the inspiration. He explains what a "paper town" is and he does so in a beautifully metaphorical way that makes me appreciate the book even more.
2. The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars was the first John Green book I read and I thought it would be my favorite until I read the one that beat it for first. It's one of those books that everyone has heard of. I remember when the movie came out and my teenage cousins talking about it. I remember being is middle school and the snobish girls reading it. So I felt like it was going to be one of those stereotypical, YA books, that only people who don't like books read because they feel cool while reading it. Thank goodness I picked it up anyway and thank goodness I was wrong.
This book is so much more than that. Hazel and Augustus are characters who, differently from Looking for Alaska, are immedietly likable and their relationship is the most adorable thing to read. Their story is beautiful and so incredibly sad. I have said before that I love books that make me feel all of the possible emotions (see Me Before You) and this one absolutely does it to you.
One of the aspects of it that immedietly got me and made me read all of the other ones is the narration. John Green's writing is like a hug from your best friend who you haven't seen in a long time and at the same time a hug from your mom when you think the world is ending. It is beautiful and lyrical, yet contemporary. It's quick and you don't want to put the book down.
- Turtles All the Way Down
Have you picked up a book, read the first line, and just knew that it was going to be one of your new favorites? Well, that's how it was for me with this one.
From the very first line, I had an out-of-body experience where it felt like John Green had looked inside my head and written exactly what I needed. I immediately connected with Aza so much and I just knew I had to go through this ride with her.
Green has an incredible gift with writing first-person and it made Aza feel like this incredibly close friend who you knew so well. His writing always feels so personal and intimate in the most beautiful ways. It just keeps you reading and I love it.
His other characters were also written very well. I loved Daisy, for example. Her dynamic with Aza was perfect. Davis was also perfect and his chemistry with Aza was also perfect. Their relationship was so adorable and they complimented each other very well.
I really struggle talking about it because there is just so much that I love, so check out my review for some of my favorite parts and highlights!
Just go read it. Like now. Do it.