Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Originally uploaded by barbfecteau.

It looks like I am going to be blogging mostly the fiction first. I can't help it. Fiction is what I like! Anyway - Jonathan Safran Foer is a snappy writer. He wrote Everything is Illuminated which was extremely funny and moving.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the story of a 9 year old boy who is a genius. He is dealing with the loss of his father in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He wonders if perhaps his father didn't die and he spends his time investigating what could possibly have happened to him.

The fact that this book is written from Oskar's 9 year old perspective is fascinating. The fact that he is so smart and yet also very much a child makes him less irritating than you would think. He also comes across an old man who survived the bombing of Dresden when he was young and parralels are drawn between that and 9/11 that make for interesting reading.

This book is heartbreaking and funny and well worth reading.

Twilight
Originally uploaded by barbfecteau.

I did not believe that Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was as good as everyone said until I read it for myself. But it is SO good! I don't want to wreck any of the surprises by telling too much about the story so I will give you the bare bones.
Bella is new in town. She has come to Forks, Washington to stay with her father. She has come from Phoenix where it is always sunny and beautiful. She has a hard time dealing with the small town attitude and the constant rain. One thing that makes it bearable is the presence of Edward Cullen. He is beautiful, mysterious and unusually fixated on Bella.
This book has so many strange and exciting elements I wouldn't even know where to begin. Lets just say that this is a story of falling crazy in love with a bad boy and hoping that you can keep from losing your head.
There is a sequel, New Moon which I am dying to read. And I hear that there are going to be even more! Here's hoping...