On books to read next if you like "Paper Towns" or really anything John Green

If you're a huge John Green fan who has already devoured Turtles All the Way Down ten times, this is the list for you. Before you go to reread Looking for Alaska or Paper Towns again, check out these somewhat similar books.

• I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - Ed is a taxi driver without ambition or a future....until he begins getting playing cards with mysterious messages on them. This book is perfect for people who want to read about characters who are a little older and slightly (only slightly) more serious than John Green's characters. It's got the quirks and the odd (but memorable) people, but with an older feel to it.

• Love and Other Alien Experiences by Kerry Winfrey - Mallory hasn't left the house since her dad moved out. But she's still connected to the outside world via the alien encounter forum she frequents....and that might be enough to start changing her life. This book reads a lot like a John Green book, but without the over quirkiness. These characters seem a little more believable than John Green's - but still so much fun and so adorable and wonderful. Plus, it's all about a girl overcoming her anxiety and getting outside her comfort zone.

• Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick - When Alex is forced to do community service at a local senior center, he never expects that his time there will change his life for the better. I love this book - it's so relateable and so heart-warming. It's also the perfect book for young musicians.

• The Haters by Jesse Andrews - Three teens blow off Jazz Camp to go on a road trip. The road trip element makes it pretty similar to Paper Towns - and makes it another fantastic book for musicians.

What other books would you recommend to John Green fans? What other YA authors have caught your attention recently?

Dear You: Under Pressure

Dear You,

You’ve got a lot on your plate. I know that. Everyone’s on your case, asking why you don’t have a girlfriend, asking what you’re going to study, asking why you’re still living at home, asking where you’ll move after graduation, asking if you’re going to keep managing the front desk at the gym forever. Everyone has an idea about what you should be doing with your life - except you. And that can feel like a lot to handle sometimes. I’ve been there - I get it.

I’ve been thinking about what would help you and I’ve decided that you need someone to relate to you and to understand instead of constantly berating you for not having things figured out. I think Greg Gaines from Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews might get it to some extent. He’s trying so hard to fit in, but his mom is pressuring him to befriend this sick girl and then there’s school to keep up on and college to figure out….it’s a lot. And Cath from Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl understands trying to strike out on your own and how lonely and confusing that can be. She’s not much like you, but I think she gets having a tough first year of college and it might be good for the two of you to commiserate together. And I can’t forget Ed Kennedy (I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusack), who desperately wants the girl, but can’t get motivated to make anything happen anywhere in his life - he’s got a dead-end job and a tiny group of friends that he can’t break away from, but that hold him back more than he knows. Sounds a bit like you.

I hope they help you. But either way, I’ve got something else that might be of assistance. Here’s that CD I’ve been promising you for ages. Let me know how everything goes. And good luck.

Love, Anna