New Release: Where She Went

Earlier this month, the anticipated companion to If I Stay was released to the public.


Now I went out and bought If I Stay by Gayle Forman on a whim because I kept walking by it at work and the cover kept jumping out at me. After reading what it was about, I was intrigued by the comparison to it and The Lovely Bones (I had just seen the movie and it was fresh in my head). As soon as I slumped down into a seat on the bus, I immediately started in. It was an easy read and I finished it in one day. Though I couldn't put the book down, I was let down in the end. Of course she was going to stay was all I kept thinking throughout the whole thing, and that's exactly what happened. Perhaps I just don't have a normal reaction to these types of books - maybe because I write about the same general thing? Who knows. But the fact that there is now a sequel kind of blows my mind. Sure, the ending to If I Stay was kind of frustrating, but I thought the story was pretty much finished. She stayed, so why did it matter what happened after that?

Well, apparently it matters a hell of a lot. Where She Went is told from Adam's point of view, Mia's boyfriend from If I Stay. This story is set three years after Mia's accident, and reveals that Mia is living her dream in New York, and Adam is living his as a rock star - but they are no longer a couple.

I started reading the first chapter of this new book, but I just don't see how this story can measure up to its precursor. While If I Stay had a mystical element to it - as well as a young love story - Where She Went is just a love story. I don't see, in my critical mind, why I should care. Perhaps I should care whether or not Mia and Adam end up together, but I feel like they'd be fine either way, whereas with epic romances, such as Romeo and Juliet, they would die if they couldn't be with one another (literally). You'd think with the kind of crap I write, that I'd be rooting for Mia and Adam, and I guess I am. I've already started reading it, so I'll finish it when I have time (School. Sigh). And hey, other people really like the book, so who knows, maybe my mind will change after I'm done.

But if you've read If I Stay, you should probably get your hands on this book, and see for yourself what all the buzz is about and why it's Amazon's Best Book of the Month. And if you haven't read If I Stay, then I would recommend it. The story has an interesting concept and has even provided inspiration for new projects in my little head. And according to the cover, it "will appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight" (which cracked me up because the two really have nothing in common, other than the fact that romance is involved), so now you really have to read it!

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This has absolutely nothing to do with this post, other than the fact that when I was searching for videos, this one came up in relation to the book for some odd reason. I thought it was hilarious, and I love the song! So enjoy. Randomly.

The Greatest Books. Ever.

I started a mission a little while back - to discover the best novels ever written, and read them. Well, damn, that sounds like one hell of a task. And the thing I soon realized is that no one agrees on the subject. When it comes to great literature, people have their own humble opinions.

But many thanks to you, good ol' Internet, for your endless possibilities. Through my seemingly endless search, I did start to notice a trend. Most lists I chose to read (out of the hundreds) had a common book at the top.

Say hello to Anna Karenina.


A beautifully intelligent, compassionate, yet selfish and absurd woman. As Leo Tolstoy's great masterpiece, Anna Karenina follows the paths of a handful of people, their lives entwined with one another, and watches as they rise to embrace happiness but also stumble and fall to misery.

Rather watch a movie then read the massive book (you should still read it)? Don't fear, there are plenty of adaptations to watch. I've been afraid to watch any of them, but hear the 1935 version staring Greta Garbo is the best (I always envisioned Anna Karenina as being played by Vivien Leigh, though). And I hear there is a new version by Joe Wright (Atonement) that will soon be in the works, staring, of course, Keira Knightley (Um, Anna Karenina is supposed to be so beautiful that people can't help but to stop and stare. I can name 5 other actresses off the top of my head who are more gorgeous than she. So boo).

As for the other greatest books of all time? That's still up for debate - and probably always will be. But I really liked this list of the top 10 greatest books from TIME. From reading what they have to say, it seems pretty respectable. Here are the next four books on their list:

2. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

3. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

4. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
To see the complete list, check out the article.

I tried, with less luck, to find an equally respectable list of the top books for young adults. I enjoyed this list more than others because it included less recent titles.
1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
2. The entire Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
3. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Want to see what else this English teacher had to say? Click here.

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"I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Maybe Lewis G. Carroll was on drugs too." - Go Ask Alice

A lyric in this song, White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane (written about drug references that may have been in Alice in Wonderland) is where the book got its name.