Charlotte's Library

  As I Wake written by Elizabeth Scott  Elizabeth Scott's books have always been hit-or-miss with me.  I admire her writing style and think she is talented at what she does, but some of her stories are more bland than others.  As I Wake had an intriguing premise, but the delivery was confusing .  It was a weird blur between dystopian and realistic fiction, and while that may appeal to some, I would have preferred a clear distinction.  Reading the summary, I was hoping for something realistic-but-creepy, similar to Living Dead Girl , which is my favorite of Scott's books.  Instead, I got the suspense I was looking for, but with a heaping side dish of confusion leading nowhere.  You know, the kind only previously experienced through watching LOST , only, in my opinion, worse.  I don't know.  I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but you think Twilight had an unhealthy romantic relationship?  I think you haven't read this book....

I was lucky enough to hear Gayle Forman speak in Pittsburgh this past Friday.  I'd managed to read If I Stay , which had been on my reading list for a while, but I just hadn't gotten around to it until the last minute.  Unfortunately, Where She Went didn't get to me until the day after her visit.  I think that's always going to be one of my biggest regrets.  While If I Stay had a pretty powerful impact on me, Where She Went hit much closer to home, and I wish I'd had the chance to read it before getting to see Gayle in person. Anyways, so I took notes, as I do. Gayle's speech focused on the idea of writers being liars and thieves.  She talked about how the truest of books she's written, a non-fiction book called You Can't Get There From Here , also had the largest gaps of emotional authenticity. She talked about "stealing" other people's anecdotes, and how you should never tell a writer anything.  Adam in If I Stay and Where She Went , ...