An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Books Completed: 51
Completion Date: February, 2009
Pages: 256
Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Reason for Reading: Dewey's Reading Challenge.

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washedup child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun-but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

Dear Dewey,

It is time for another letter! I actually received this book without even remembering that it would work for this challenge, but when it dawned on me I discovered I could write another letter! I really enjoy this review format, so I was excited to be able to do so once again. When you read this book, you did it as an interview-type post. That's interesting because that's how this post was originally supposed to play out, but life got in the way!

What was your favorite part of An Abundance of Katherines? How do you think it compared to Green’s other book (if you’ve read that one)? Did you find it funny?

Your answer, my answer:
My favorite part, I think, is when Lindsey Lee Wells shows Colin her special hideaway. I have to agree with you, there. I really liked this scene!

I don’t think it’s as strong a book as Looking for Alaska, but I still really enjoyed it. It’s more lighthearted. There were aspects of this book that I liked more than Looking for Alaska, but I thought Looking for Alaska was the stronger book.

I did find it funny; I think humor is my favorite aspect of Green’s writing in general. Yes, me too. There were many scenes where I couldn't help laughing. I think that is a lot of what makes Green's books so wonderful.

Did you enjoy Colin’s quirkiness or did he annoy you?

Your answer, my answer:

I liked Colin, though I liked Hassan even more. I didn’t find Colin annoying, or really even overly quirky, aside from obsession with Katherines. A real annoyance with me and young adult characters is sometimes I just plain find them annoying. I have been really lucky so far this year in that it has been mild, but it can be a real problem! This is me leading up to saying that Colin didn't really bother me at all. I loved Hassan. He was an awesome character that made me laugh many times!

Okay, so not how these letters normally work, but I figured it was the easiest way to proceed. It was still fun! And, the next book I have to review is another letter. I can call today 'Dewey' day.

Until next time,

Kelly