From the Book Blog: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I have to admit, when I picked up Foer's first novel, Everything is Illuminated, I was maddened by his writing style. It was ridiculous, all over the place, and I couldn't stand reading it. Needless to say, I was hesitant about picking up his latest book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but I am sure glad I did.

The novel details the life of young Oskar Schell following the tragedy of his father's death in 9/11. This is the first book that I've read that really tried to grasp this date, and I found Foer to be incredibly successful. The main plot of the story focuses on Oskar's mission to find a door that belongs to a mysterious black key that he finds in his dad's closet shortly after his death. Oskar feels that finding the lock that the key opens will somehow help him feel comforted, or at least more at ease, with the loss of his father.

Throughout Oskar's journey, the reader get's an array of observations about the world through Oskar's eyes. He must have been a fun character to write -- Oskar's quirks and obsessive tendencies are hilarious and sweet, tragic and hopeful, and altogether unique.

The writing style of this novel is completely captivating. It's artistic, fresh, and unexpected. Within the novel, photographs are interspersed that Oskar collects. There are chapters written by Oskar's grandmother that capture a whole other generation in the novel. Her chapters are beautiful and rambling and honestly work through the difficulties of immigrating to America and figuring out what it means to be married, have a family, and make a life in New York City.

In this review, I really feel at a loss for words. There aren't simple statements to wrap up the grandeur of this breathtaking novel. It is by far one of my favorite books of all time. GO GET IT!!

From the Book Blog: The Carrie Diaries

Seriously. I read this book in June, and I just now realized that I hadn't written a review for it.

As a pseudo-fan of Sex and the City, I thought it might be fun to read about Carrie Bradshaw as a teenager in Candace Bushnell's newest novel, The Carrie Diaries. I was intrigued about Carrie's high school days and how it is that she came to be a writer, so I decided to give it a shot.

Disappointed. Revolted. Bored. Unimpressed. The novel was just plain awful.

Turns out, Carrie grew up in the 80s (which , I guess I knew, but just forgot about) and spent most of her high school years smoking, drinking, and chasing after boys (no surprise there). That's about all that happens for 250 pages. There are some glimmering moments of writing when Bushnell is describing Carrie's thoughts and ambitions of becoming a writer, but other than that the book is a relatively empty shell. If you like books about teenage mischief in a small town, maybe this is for you, but otherwise, I wouldn't bother. And, as you hopefully know, I don't say that about many books.

From the Book Blog: The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost

The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost By Rachel Freidman

I am currently, slowly, and delicately savoring Rachel Freidman's memoir The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost.  I am so enamored by her adventures and nostalgic for my own, that part of me is afraid to finish the book entirely.  This may be my own crisis, but I just don't want the book to be over!  Not to mention, the girls are just about to leave Australia and head for my old home, South America.  The thought of reading about the places where I once lived and haven't returned to is simply heartbreaking.

I emailed Rachel a little while ago to let her know how much I was enjoying her story and to actually say out loud that I've always wanted to write my own.  I believe many teachers develop a certain level of comfort with dishing out great advice that we can't take ourselves.  How many times have I encouraged a creative writing student to JUST DO IT?  Write the story.  Write the poem.  Sit down and do it.  And here I am, not a memory transcribed since living in Argentina in 2006.

Maybe it'll happen this summer, but until then, please go pick up a copy of this incredible memoir.

Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/Good-Girls-Guide-Getting-Lost/dp/038534337X