I don't know if I actively disliked Alaska as much as you did, but it definitely felt like Fault in Our Stars was a big step forward for him in terms of moving past characters who are just sort of quirky and precocious for the sake of being quirky and precocious.
No similarity between these books at all but the last book that haunted me and affected me to the same extent as TFIOS would have been Room by Emma Donoghue.
In terms of other creative works that do connect to John Green's stuff, I would recommend checking out his favorite songwriter (and one of mine), John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. Not for everyone but his lyrics have a similar capacity for making you rethink what you thought you knew about what's going on in other people's heads, if that makes any sense.
I second The Glass Castle by Walls.Yeah, We Were Liars is another great YA read if you liked TFIOS. I didn't much care for John Green's style, too hokey for me.
And I add We Were Liars by Lockhart, which is in the process of being made into a movie too.
Try Maggie Stiefvater's 'The Scorpio Races.' That book made my heart hurt, it was so beautifully written. Skip the rest of her books, but look into that one.
Jay Asher's '13 Reasons Why' will make you cry your face off.
'Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass' by Meg Medina is a very powerful book that touches on bullying, personal responsibility, relationships between women, and dealing with rotten situations. It's great, and so is the author.
Jay Asher's '13 Reasons Why' will make you cry your face off.
Jay Asher's '13 Reasons Why' will make you cry your face off.
Well, my face is intact, but that was a pretty rough book.