Johannes Gutenberg famously said about his invention, the printing press,“Yes, it is a press, certainly, but a press from which shall flow in inexhaustible streams, the most abundant and most marvelous liquor that has ever flowed to relieve the thirst of men!” 

What is it about reading that draws and entices so many? For many students at the University of Alabama, it is the ability to escape the stress of semester’s worth of schoolwork. Carley Raybon reads as much as she can. Raybon, a junior majoring in Public Relations, tries to read at least one book a month.

“It’s really relaxing and a good way to get your mind off the stresses of life,” she said. “In college, it has been harder to find time to read for pleasure, but I try to read as much as I can.”

Raybon recently read “The Girl on The Train” by Paula Hawkins, which has become popular since its release in February 2015. “The Girl on The Train” spent 20 weeks on the top of the United Kingdom hardback book chart and is currently sitting at No. 2 on The New York Times Best Sellers list.

“The Girl on the Train” is on set to become a movie in the coming year, with Emily Blunt in talks to play the main role.

A psychological thriller, “The Girl on the Train” takes place in England and is told from the perspective of three different narrators.  The main narrator, Rachel, takes the same train to work every day.  During her commute, she sees a couple and their house from her window, and she begins to make up a backstory for them.  When she finds out on the news that something horrible has happened to the couple, Rachel does her best to try and solve the crime, all the while dealing with her own personal demons, many of which seem to implicate her for the crime.

Raybon said that the book was difficult to put down because she could not wait to find out what had really happened.

“I love mystery stories and trying to solve them as the book moves along, and I enjoyed that I could not figure out what actually happened until Rachel slowly realized it herself,” Raybon said. “When I did actually find out the truth, I was shocked, which is rare.”

Raybon said that anyone who loves mysteries similar to “Gone Girl”by Gillian Flynn or who is looking for an interesting, well-written book would enjoy “The Girl on the Train.”