Went to the movies...

and guess what I saw.



It's already getting paned by fans of the book. I'll still watch it though. If you've never read the book, go to the library today and pick it up! (or download it, etc.)

Oskar's Email

You may remember the character Oskar Schell from the Jonathan Safran Foer book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (PHBC Jan 2010 book selection). I posted that I had attempted to email the character by sending a message to the email address that was given on a business card shown in the book.

The email was never returned (thus it was a good address) but I never received a response. I assumed it was a dummy account and no one ever checked it.

I was wrong.

A PHBC blog reader recently posted that they were going to attempt to contact him. Surprisingly Oskar replied within a day or two. While I am not going to share the private message shared between the two (though I very much appreciate the information being shared with me), I can assure you our reader's message was a bit more significant than the one I sent.

If you would like to attempt to contact Oskar, here is his email address:

oskar_schell@hotmail.com

PS- His reply, very impressively, was in character. But would you expect anything less?

Color Game

This trick was mentioned in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Its more difficult than you think.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/nomuny12/tctg10

If you liked E.L. and I. C.

then you might want to read 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn. It pieces together personal accounts and voice messages of people inside the World Trade Center between the time the first plane hit to the time the last tower fell. It is a great book that is incredibly hard to read. I actually never made past half way because the stories inside were just too heartbreaking to read. One day I might be able to finish it.

Email Oskar

On page 99 of Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud we get a look at Oskar Schell's business card. On it there is an email address.

Oskar_Schell@hotmail.com

I sent him an email yesterday. I asked if I could be his assistant. So far no response, when I do get one I'll be sure to have it laminated.

Heavy Boots?

For those reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close you may be wondering, like I, what Oskar means when he says "heavy boots."

The following definition comes from Urban Dictionary:

heavy boots:
From the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The narrator uses this phrase frequently to describe something making him feel sad, bummed out, or otherwise distressed.
Seeing homeless people gives me heavy boots.

Hearing that my best friend's grandma had died gave me heavy boots.

January Book: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

From Goodreads.com

Jonathan Safran Foer emerged as one of the most original writers of his generation with his best-selling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated. Now, with humor, tenderness, and awe, he confronts the traumas of our recent history.

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.

There are currently 25 holdable copies available at your local CCC Library.

PS- By the way, in case you missed it, the December book was The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown