The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Just finished The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I gotta say I was really turned off by the negativity of the main character Holden Caulfield. Thats ironic because on one or two occasions in my life I've actually been accused of being a wee bit morose myself. Caulfield hates everything. The clerk at Barnes and Noble went I bought the book (shocking I actually bought a book at a brick and mortar bookstore) told me that Caulfield was definitely a pre-Hippie. I could tell that from reading. Everybody was a phony in Caulfield's eyes. It was kinda annoying how when referring to a person he seemed to always use the term "old" before the name. Old Pheobe. Old Sally. Old Jane. etc. etc. etc.

Next up is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams (no relation, that I know of).

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Just finished Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is another classic character that I found out I know very little about. We all think of Tarzan as the Johnny Weissmuller. The "Me Tarzan, you Jane." I found it kinda ridiculous that Tarzan who was I think around 18 having been raised by apes came upon his parents' cabin. He quickly taught himself how to read. Then within a few months he is taught how to speak French. Then he routinely learns to speak English. I don't think that its that easy to pick that up at that age.

Next up is Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I'm excited about this. I can only imagine this book is about a baseball team that is struggling with a talented yet troubled catcher. Its been kind of a slow go the past few months but now school is out and I'm expecting to knock out a few in rapid succession.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. It's been a long time since I've watched the movie, (other than the recent version) so I didn't recognize much from the stories. Through the Looking Glass seemed like random words.

Next up is Tarzan of the Apes by William Burroughs.

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

In The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett introduces Nick and Nora Charles, a hard drinking retired private detective and his wife. The book was later made into an Oscar-nominated movie starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Interesting enough, this story takes place during the year of Prohibition, however the characters are practically constantly drinking. Hammett also created the iconic detective, Sam Spade.

Dashiell Hammett lived a rather interesting life.

He was a detective in the Pinkerton Detective Agency.
He served in World War I where he contracted tuberculosis which plagued him the rest of his life.
He joined the American Communist Party.
He spoke out against American involvement in World War II.
He pulled strings in order to serve in World War II and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands where he became stricken with emphysema.
He testified before Congress as part of Senator Joseph McCarthy's "witchhunt." He refused to cooperate and ended up getting blacklisted.

Next up is a doubleheader of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. There may be some delay in these stories as I'll be rather busy with assigned school reading for the next eight weeks.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Preconceived notions and status are at the heart of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Throughout the story there are numerous examples of where characters let either what they have heard about or the social standing of the characters bias their opinions of that character. Take for example the protaganist, Elizabeth Bennet, her opinion of Mr. Darcy is initially painted by the fact that when they met he wasn't practically falling all over her. Meanwhile she and most everyone else is enamored by the dubious George Wickham. These preconceived notions are hard to shake as the story goes on and Darcy's goodness shines through and Wickham is exposed as the n'r-do-well that he is, many of he opinions do not change. For his part, Darcy initially believes that he the Bennets are beneath himself and his friend. So pride and prejudice. See what she did there.

I won't pretend that this is amongst my favorites. That'd be a lie. However, I did like the story much more than I believed I would. Even when I sat in the crowded breakroom I eventually had no qualms about answering people's inquires as to what I was reading by saying "Pride and Prejudice." See what I did there.

Next up is The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I was quite surprised by Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. First of all the description tells you that the story revolves around three students who went to an exclusive boarding school in England. The story turned out to be much more. During the first section of the story the characters are young but you get the distinct feeling that there is more to this school than meets the eye.

Now a few years back I saw an interview with the cast and Ishiguro for the movie based on the book. Ishiguro was born in Japan but grew up in England and get this he speaks with a British accent! I was not expecting that.

Next up is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Yay!

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Just finished The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the classic story of the battle of good and evil within man. I'm sure most folks are familiar with the story. I mean it's been adapted hundreds, if not, thousands of times. Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde being played by such as: Spencer Tracey, John Barrymore, Jack Palance, Basil Rathbone, Michael Caine, and Kirk Douglas in movies and television dating since 1908 according to the Internet Movie Database. Of course it wasn't properly done until 2001 when it we were presented with.............


.....that's right David Hasselhoff in Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical.

Next up is Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.