The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye and Norwegian Wood. A goal is to read them both in Japanese, as the former was translated by the author of the latter.

The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...

The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger.

Leave it to Psmith - 10/10 Anna Karenina - 8/10 The Code of the Woosters 8/10 Fooled by Randomness 7/10 Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10 How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10 Reluctant Fundamentalist 9/10 The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10 The Last Question - Asimov - 9/10 The Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10 The catcher in the Rye 8/10 Models 7/10 High Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10 The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10 The Surrender Experiment - 10/10 Untethered Soul - 9/10 The Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10 Raja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10 Something Fresh, something new - 7/10 Karma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10 Thinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10 Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10 The Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10

I haven't seen it! I haven't seen anything. I finished F&Z last night. The thing is a train wreck. Now I'm curious to read the rest of what Salinger published (pretty easy to do) because Catcher and Nine Stories are so good and F&Z borderline intolerable. Perhaps it was his Metal Machine Music. Does Tenenbaums principally consist of turgid dialogue about mysticism?

No, I only read Catcher a couple weeks ago. It's on an altogether other level than F&Z, even though it's no longer shockingly original like it must have been in 1951. I found it brilliant stylistically; only a voice, but what a voice. The emotional impact was different for me than it would have been when I was that age, but I remember very well how all that feels, so I was cheering on behalf of my younger self. But what are the books that you do still find brilliant? :)

Could it also be that _Zooey_ was simply read at a different time in your life? I first read _Catcher_ when I was the disgruntled youth that you expect to read it, and found it brilliant. I've re-read it a couple times since then and now find it far less so. I acknowledge that the writing is still really great, but I'm just not able to connect to it the same way I do other books that I read from the same era.

White Teeth, Zadie Smith Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell Catch 22, Joseph Heller Timequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Seven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence The Histories, Tacitus The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16) Redwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade) This list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.

Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time: Old Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway IQ84 - Haruki Murakami The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch On Writing - Stephen King When Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger Notes To Myself - Hugh Prather

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger because of the Holden Caulfield in me who couldn't tolerate all the phoniness around. Also enjoyed The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel. After reading about Hardy in this book, I have read "A Mathematician's Apology" which was excellent too.

That is a splendid list. I'll add: "Sandman" by Neil Gaiman. Also a graphic novel, but this series literally reinvented comics to me, and to many other readers. "Lunar Park" by Bret Easton Ellis. Probably the safest introduction to Ellis if you aren't looking for a rampant gore-fest. Spooky, creepy, chilling, but also insightful, confounding and enlightening. "Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger. Mostly recommending as it fits into the above list, but I feel like it was missing. I personally felt it was overhyped, but I'm the odd man out, as everybody I've ever talked to considers it profound.

Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger is among my favorites of all time. The Dark Tower series (Stephen King) is one of the most amazing tales I have ever had the pleasure to become immersed in. There are plenty more, but the key thing is just to READ. Read everything you can get your hands on.