Collection: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

I have a small collection of copies of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Unlike my Pride and Prejudice collection my TFIOS collection doesn't just contain books, it also has two different audio books, the movie adaptation DVD, and a prop from that movie! I think that this may contain ever edition printed in the US, but I could be wrong. 

Pictured above from left to right:

• First Edition, 2012.
• This has the original cover art, featuring the now iconic black and white clouds designed by Rodrigo Corral.
• I pre-ordered this the summer before when John Green announced that he was going to be signing every first edition of the book, all 150,000 of them. I then spent the rest of the summer watching him slowly descend into his signing psychosis. Of course, this first edition of the novel is signed by John Green in red Sharpie.

• Exclusive Collector's Edition, 2013.
• This cover features Rodrigo Corral's famous clouds, but instead of being what I call "TFIOS Blue" it is a beautiful metallic silver! This edition includes discussion questions and a Q&A section, most of the questions (and therefore answers) were taken from the tumblr John set up shortly after the book was released. 
• Weird story about this book: this is my second copy of it. I pre-ordered it from Barnes and Noble that day it was announced and when it came in my copy was printed wrong! Some of the Q&A section was printed interfiled within the first few chapters. I could have probably sent it back and got a new one for free but it was cool having a weird copy so next time I went to B&N I just picked up a new copy.

• Exclusive Project for Awesome Edition, 2014.
• Like the Collector's edition this book features the clouds but instead of metallic silver it is metallic green! This is my favorite edition by far because the entire jacket is an inside joke for nerdfighters. It has a different author photo and biography (filled with small tidbits of information that only nerdfighters would understand) and instead of praise for the book on the back it has a letter from John Green to thank readers for donating to the P4A!
• This edition of the book was created just for the Project for Awesome, an annual 48 hour charity event that John and his brother Hank do every December. To learn more visit its website. 

• Paperback Edition, 2014.
• Classic cover, in a slightly darker TFIOS blue, featuring yellow circle with "#1 New York Times Bestseller" inside of it.
• For two years I had been waiting for Penguin to release the paperback edition of TFIOS so that I would have an edition I felt comfortable with writing in. This is the edition I have marked up with my own thoughts. 

• Movie Tie-In Edition, 2014.
• This cover features Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as Hazel and Augustus. It also comes with 4 color pages of stills from the movie!
• When this book was released I realized that I had a mini collection of TFIOS building so I figured I would add this edition as well. I also adore Woodley and Elgort as the main characters I have come to love so this cover seemed perfect to me. 

• An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten, 2013.
• This is a screen accurate copy of the prop Shailene Woodley reads from in the movie adaptation! What's really cool about this book is that John only wrote a few pages of text for the movie, they just printed it multiple times in a different order to achieve this hefty 500 page book.
• I bought this book during P4A 2014 and this is, as of right now, also the most expensive book I have ever purchased at $150, but I told my wallet that it was okay because all the money was FOR CHARITY (and it is also really cool to have a MOVIE PROP!).

• The Fault in Our Stars DVD, 2014.
• My copy of the movie. I adore this movie and I maintain that it is the best YA book adaptation I have ever seen, despite that they took out almost every single scene that made me love the book (ie the dinner between the Lancasters and the Waters, the entirety of Issac's eulogy, and when Issac and Hazel play Counterinsurgence). 

• Unabridged Audiobook, 2012.
• Performed by Kate Rudd, this is the official reading of the story. 
• Confession: I have yet to listen to this version because I have been spoiled by the Limited Edition one.

• Limited Edition Audiobook Boxset, 2012.
• Performed by John Green, this is the nerdfighter version. This boxset includes an exclusive Hectic Glow wristband and concert ticket, postcards from various book settings, and a Q&A DVD with John. My mom pre-ordered it for me as a Christmas gift in 2011 (she is obviously the greatest). 
• I have listened to this audiobook so many times I lost count. I don't care that it was read by a then 34 year old man pretending to be a 16 year old girl. I love it because John wrote the book and therefore he knows exactly how to read each character's dialogue the way it sounded to him in his head when he wrote it. Does that make sense?

After reading all of that you're probably wondering why on earth I collect The Fault in Our Stars. The answer is simple, I love the story. I love everything about it from the characters and plot to the way John Green uses his writing in such a way that can make me laugh and then cry because of the same sentence. I love the symbolism and dialogue, the adventure and romance. I love that even though it is sad, it is incredibly real. I love that even though the main characters have cancer it isn't about that, it is really about two kids going on a quest to get answers from their favorite author and I can relate to that. If you haven't already read TFIOS I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so as soon as you can and yes you will cry, but you will also laugh and be glad you did. 

As we say in my hometown: Don't Forget to Be Awesome.

Best Wishes,

~Laura!