Posts tagged: Jonathan Safran Foer
Isn’t it a shame when someone makes a film of a really good book you read recently and casts Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in leading roles?
I’ve been watching the trailer for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, a book narrated by a young Jewish boy named Oskar, whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. Part of what I found so brilliant about the book was Oskar’s eccentricities - his need to always wear white, or fear of public transport. In the trailer at least, Oskar doesn’t seem like the amazing kid he is in the book. I will go and see the film, just to see what it’s like (after all, sometimes trailers can be misleading), but I already feel like they probably haven’t done the book justice.
Talking of books with amazing kids in though - I am currently reading The Selected Works of T.S Spivet by Reif Larsen, which is about a 12 year old boy who draws maps, and has his work exhibited at the Smithsonian, who then offer him a job, not realising he’s 12. It’s a larger format book - wider than your average paperback because it has sidenotes with maps of various things, including the frequency of the sips his father takes from his drink. It’s great so far - I’m looking forward to the ensuing trip across America (he’s from Montana).
This afternoon I have been eating biscuits and listening to Chopin. Tonight I begin working on my final module.
Today I am endeavouring to finally finish Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Recently I have been getting confused and keep referring to it as Everything is Illuminated, which is Jonathan Safran Foer’s other book.
I also recently purchased Alain de Botton’s Architecture of Happiness because it sounds quite interesting, as do most of his books. I want to read them all. As if I have time.
I’m going to start carrying my camera with me everywhere I go again. I keep seeing things I want to take photos of (like the sky last night which was purple), but missing the opportunity because any photo that I took on my Blackberry would never look how I wanted it to. In 8 days I will be in Venice, which means I will be taking some time away from the internet. I think it’s good for us to spend some time apart. I started the year trying to spend less time on here, and it hasn’t really worked as well as I’d hoped, because I’ve just fallen back into old habits. So I will take a lot of photos, stay away from the internet and eat plenty of amazing food whilst in Venice, which sounds like a much better life balance than what’s happening right now.
Last night I went to Wagamamas, and they have this thing called Jasmine Flowering Tea, which looks unbelievably cool - they put a jasmine flower in a cup of hot water, and as it sits in the water the flowers start to open - how awesome is that? I didn’t actually have any, but next time I go I definitely will… which will probably be in about 6 months.
I started reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower again as well, because it’s one of those books I like dipping into from time to time and reminding myself how much I like it. I think the only other book I do that with on a semi-regular basis is Pride and Prejudice. Crazy.
SUBMARINE IS FINALLY OUT ON DVD AND I AM SO EXCITED TO GET TO OWN IT.
This evening I am making raspberry cheesecake brownies, which I am hoping will turn out exactly right. To be honest, even if they don’t, that amount of chocolate, sugar and butter can’t end up tasting bad (at least not until it’s spent two days in the office at work being unrefridgerated).
I got the fabric for my skirt, it is currently a work in progress. After this weekend I should have a bit more time to finish it. If I could, I think spending the rest of my life baking and sewing would be a pretty alright way for things to go. I am like a stereotypical 50s housewife. Apart from the looking after children part. Oh well.
I am now reading ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’ by Jonathan Safran Foer. It’s pretty amusing. As amusing as a book about a 9 year old boy who lost his father in 9/11 can be anyway. But this kid, Oskar, is completely adorable (if not somewhat unrealistic):
“Sensei Mark asked me to go over to him. “Kick my privates,” he told me. That made me feel self-conscious. “Excusez-moi?” I told him…He told me, “Go on guy. Destroy my privates.”… I told him, “I’m a pacifist,” and since most people my age don’t know what that means, I turned around and told the others, “I don’t think it’s right to destroy people’s privates. Ever.”
‘mazin.
