Everything Is Nothing Is Something Is Illuminated Is Close and Loud and What Is My Favorite Book?

After posting on the magic of the Traveling Pants series yesterday, I finished the second book. I'll be moving onto the third today.

Unfortunately, I don't have the third yet. The library was out. Instead, I filled my evening with my other new library book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Cooper's cousin recommended it to me - she read it earlier this summer - and I'd read about it a few other places, so I thought I'd give it a try.

And it was OK. In all fairness, I only read the first 112 and the last 20 pages. That's pretty good, though, for me. After the first chunk, though, I couldn't pay attention to the story because I kept wondering if JSF consciously set out to write a post-Eggers version of Catcher in the Rye, or if it happened by accident.

I learned something, though. I learned that Catcher in the Rye is not my favorite book, though for years and years I've thought it was. I wish I could've found my copy last month, when I wanted to reread it. If I had, I would've realized then that, while it was my favorite book from eighth through twelfth grades, and while it did help me do well on the AP English test, and while it obviously stands up to the test of time, it just doesn't do it for me like it used to.

I'm a little lost now, though. I live in a world of absolutes and favorites. I make a lot of lists and cross things off - that gives me comfort. It also gives me comfort to be able to say "Bobby McGee is my favorite song and Catcher in the Rye is my favorite book." Even if those are both predictable choices, they've helped me define myself (to myself) for a long time.

So now I'm all adrift. I'm looking around my office at tons of books that I love, but none worthy of being my "favorite." Lots of Mr. Brightsides and even Tangerines, but no Janis.

So the search begins...