Read More: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I decided to give another bookfair pick a go, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. A few years back I read Everything is Illuminated and really loved that, so I was sure this one couldn't be nearly as good. But it was! After reading the first page I already knew it would be getting a five star (out of five star) rating from me.

The story is about a little boy who loses his father in 9/11. Two years later he is in his father's closet and breaks a vase that contains a key in an envelope labeled 'Black'. So he goes through the phone book, attempting to visit every person with the last name Black in order to solve the mystery of the key. Along the way he meets many interesting people and forms new relationships.

Like Everything is Illuminated, it was a humorous read, but this one was also incredibly heartbreaking at the same time. I never really give 9/11 much thought, maybe because I wasn't here at the time. And I had to go to work so I didn't watch the news coverage at the time. But this book makes you look at how the families of the victims were affected. (Not in a sappy way). And if that weren't a sad enough story line, you also learn about all sorts of other people and their sad, lonely stories (non 9/11 related). Luckily Foer knows exactly how to pepper in humor and adventure and mystery to make this a really super read.

I'm so happy this was the book I ended my 2011 with!

- Megan Leigh