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

Well I've had about five books on the go since May so there's been a bit of a gap in posts, but I finally finished one! I'd been meaning to read this for years, so when I saw it on my friend Berni's bookshelf the other day I grabbed the chance to borrow it. She said she's lent another two copies at least to other friends so it must be the thing to do. Anyway I really liked it. Good old Holden Caulfield.. he's a smart guy stuck in a world full of phoneys. You can't help feeling for him. He just got kicked out of school for not 'applying himself' and this is the story of a few days he spends wandering around New York after he walks out of school early. Straightaway I liked the way its written just like a teenager of that time probably spoke - lots of repetition of phrases like 'that kills me' and 'I really get a bang out of that' and finishing sentences with 'and all'. And I love his straight-talking character analyses - 'My aunt's pretty charitable - she does a lot of Red Cross work and all - but she's very well-dressed and all, and when she does anything charitable she's always very well-dressed and has lipstick on and all that crap. I couldn't picture her doing anything for charity if she had to wear black clothes and no lipstick while she was doing it.'