June: Discussion Roundup

Did you miss any chatter with John about Paper Towns? Here's the list of links to access them all. Thanks again, John!

Discussion about Paper Towns with John
Life-changing discoveries
People as mirrors and windows
Who is your accomplice?
Revenge
Best friends

Running away and being found
Music that inspires
Finding the lost
Which cover is true?

False impressions

Reactions
The end of the book

Extras
Welcome, John!
Street Team review, Jacqueline
Things to know about John!
Playlist for Paper Towns
Welcome, Nerdfighters!

Reach Out: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The TWITTER CHAT recap!
Party it up!

John on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Thank you, John!

Thank You, John Green!

We have loved spending the month of June with John Green, discussing his fantastic novel Paper Towns! Things we've learned:

* John's next book involves a beach.

* John is super-fast on Twitter (read the chat recap!)

*John believes the world is essentially broken, and true endings are ambiguous.

This deep thinker inspires us. Thanks for joining us here, John, and making our month full of Awesome!

June: PAPER TOWNS, The End of the Book

John asks, "Why do you think Q makes the decision he does at the end of the book? Do you agree with his decision regarding the invitation?"

Follow-up: What do you think makes a good book ending, as a reader? What do you like to be left feeling or thinking?

June: PAPER TOWNS, Reactions

John asks, "Discuss the scene where Q finally finds Margo. How does her reaction to seeing her friends make you feel?"

Follow-up: Have you ever been in a situation where someone reacted to you in an unexpected way? How did that feel?

Paper Towns: John Green on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Little Willow remembered a discussion that went on a little while ago that centered around an article in Onion A.V. Club about the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" (MPDG), girls like Natalie Portman in Garden State (shown) who--according to writer Nathan Rabin--"exist solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Jezebel weighed in too, and so did our featured author John Green, in regards to Margo of Paper Towns:

"Margo is certainly presented by Q as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl at the beginning of PT. Absolutely. But that only acknowledges that some boys believe in Manic Pixie Dream Girls; it doesn't argue that MPDGs actually exist, or that Margo is one." --JG

Read John's full post here. What do you think of the MPDG?

June: PAPER TOWNS, False Impressions

John asks, "Do you think that Margo meant to give her friends a false impression of herself?"

Follow-up: Have you ever given anyone a false impression of yourself?

June: PAPER TOWNS, Which Cover is True?

John says, "The Paper Towns hardcover was released with two different covers (below). What does each version say about Margo? Do you think either one is 'correct'?"

June: PAPER TOWNS, Finding What's Lost

John asks, "If you were in Q's position, would you look for Margo or let her go, like her parents did? Why?"

Follow-up: Have you ever had to find someone who seemed lost, either physically or emotionally?

Party It Up: Paper Towns

Planning your own book group get-together for Paper Towns? Here are some party ideas from author John Green!

Invite: A coded message

Décor: A dozen tulips, maps, mirrors

Food: Gas station snacks, a la road tripping

Project: Scavenger hunt

June: PAPER TOWNS, Music That Inspires

John asks, "Radar says, 'Coltrane's playing is literally the most convincing proof of God's existence I've ever come across' (p. 112). What music would be this important to you?"

June: rgz LIVE! Twitter Chat Recap!

Okay, this is a tad long, but I really only picked highlights! This is for our non-Twitter peeps! Listen in to John, rgz:

I hope to tour again sometime next year, but we'll see.

I'm a very amateur philosopher, but I'm fascinated by the same big ?s that obsessed me as a teen.

I really liked Vonnegut, Toni Morrison, and Salinger.

I think I was inspired by the IDEA of books--using ink on paper to communicate something--more than particular books.

Yeah, I was really deeply engaged in the religion classes I took as a student (but that was in college).

In a very broad sense, my current novel is set on a beach.

I started writing as a kid, but I got serious in high school and more serious in college.

I can't find just one thing I love about nerdfighteria. It's a huge, huge part of my life.

Well, I believe the world is essentially broken, and I guess I think the only true ending is an ambiguous one.

Oh sure, sometimes I feel misread. But my books don't belong to me. They belong to their readers.

I feel happy if I write more than 1,000 words in a day, but sometimes I make more progress deleting 1,000 words.

No, I write alone these days (well, aside from skype friends).

My advice to other writers is to read and read and read and read. And listen to criticism. It hurts but it's right.

I write for my readers. I am inspired by them, and I feel challenged by them.

I am inspired by this infuriatingly broken world we live in. I want to put it back together in my head.

Well I think one of the general challenges in life is being sociable without being untrue to one's self.

I loved the babysitters club when I was growing up. I loved series. I was like Eudora Welty in a sweet devouring.

Hank takes it personally that I've never written a protagonist with a sibling. I haven't stolen much from Hank.

Nerdfighteria has profoundly influenced my writing by showing me how smart and engaged contemporary teens are.

I wrote Alaska because I was obsessed with the problem of theodicy--how evil can exist with an omnipotent god.

Well I think one of the points of literature is to help us understand how to be human in a compromised world...

Although you won't like this answer, I think intense critical analysis of literature is a hugely important skill.

Broadly speaking, I wanted to write because I loved reading and wanted to be on the other side of the page.

I still don't think of writing as a career. I love it, but I don't know that I'll be able to do it in 20 years.

That was fun! AND CRAZY! You guys are the best.

It was a super fun chat. Join us next time if you can!

rgz LIVE! Twitter chat with John Green!

Join us tonight for a twitter chat with this month's featured author, John Green! We'll be talking about Paper Towns, spontaneity and well--who knows???

The chat will start live at the top of the hour over at twitter. John Green can be found on twitter at realjohngreen and don't forget to put the #rgz tag on your questions to him!

rgz Newsflash: More comments!

Just a quick note that John has commented in the Hot Topics discussion questions (linked in the top of the sidebar), maybe after you dropped your thoughts. Be sure to click back and see what further things have been said!

Check out time bends and his accomplices.

Thanks, John!

June: PAPER TOWNS, Running Away and Being Found

John asks, "Do you think Margo wants to be found? Do you think Margo wants to be found by Q?"

Follow-up: Have you ever felt like running away? How did you deal with that feeling?

June: PAPER TOWNS, Best Friends

John asks, "Describe Q's best friends. If you had to choose one of these characters as your best friend, who would you pick? Why?"

Follow-up: What do you look for in your best friends?

June: PAPER TOWNS, Revenge

John asks, "Do you think the characters Margo targets for revenge get what they deserve? Does Lacey deserve to be included?"

Follow-up: Have you ever felt like you wanted revenge? Did you act on it?

June: Welcome, Nerdfighters!

June: The Soundtrack to Paper Towns

Featured Author John Green hand-picked songs for the playlist that accompanies Paper Towns this month (and how cool is that peek at the mix, left?). Listen to the full soundtrack with the player in the right-hand sidebar or in the June issue!

June: PAPER TOWNS: Who's your accomplice?

John asks, "Why do you think Margo picks Q as her accomplice on her campaign of revenge in Paper Towns? Whom would you choose if you went on such a mission?"

Things to Know About Featured Author John Green

On the nightstand: No nightstand, just a pile of books!

Pets: Willy, my Yorkshire Terrier

Place to write: Local coffeeshop; my house

Inspiration: My readers

Dream book tour: I love touring in the Netherlands

Cure for writer's block: Giving myself permission to write poorly!

Favorite outfit: Jeans and a T-shirt

Author idol: J.D. Salinger

Next up: Another book, God willing.

Other YA Novels: Looking for Alaska; An Abundance of Katherines; and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan)

Read more about John in this month's issue of readergirlz!