play along here
1. With whom did you most recently exchange words?
Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I “exchanged words” in the negative sense. In the literal sense, my husband at 0530 as he headed off to work. I was barely conscious at the time, but I’m pretty sure there was also hugging and a kiss or two involved. But I can’t confirm that.
2. Which of your weekend activities will feel like your sentence for a crime?
Going to the commissary, I suppose. I hate grocery shopping, but that whole “humans need food to survive” thing makes it hard to avoid.
3. What have you loved or hated upon reading its first paragraph?
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I effing hated it. That feeling did not change as I continued to read the book. The feeling lasted through the last word and for years since. I read it again a few years ago both for a reading challenge and a college class. Still hated it. I had hope that I’d at least be able to appreciate it, but… nope. Hate. It. It wasn’t the dated language or ideas. It was the complete lack of a character arc for Holden. There was absolutely no growth in his character, and that is something I guess I need in my reading.
4. In the story of your life, what will be the title of the chapter beginning tomorrow?
The Misadventures of an Aging Beach Bunny. Although maybe that would make a better book title than a chapter title. But it fits. I live in Hawaii, I am pushing 51, and I live for books, the beach, and my family. I have an idea of how I want my life to feel going forward. Beach vibes and having experiences. Taking the time to enjoy my life, which is something I’ve never really taken the time to do.
5. What are the best and worst books you were assigned to read in school?
the best
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
the worst
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- anything by Steinbeck
I don’t know why Catcher in the Rye is still required reading in high schools. Today’s teens won’t be able to relate to Holden, their world is too different from his. I will guess most of your “best” and “worst” were read in high school. I’m 63 and pretty much had the same reading list. It’s pathetic! Steinbeck! I could NEVER get into ANY of them! My grandmother went to high school with him (she lived in Salinas), and hated him and his books. He wrote about “them,” the people around that area, and wasn’t complimentary! Of course, as child I loved the short movie of Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. I loved horses. I’m not sure why my parents let me watch it, it’s pretty traumatic for a child!
You are correct. I’m on the cusp of 51.
I lived in Monterey and tried again with all the Steinbeck… nope!
Hello from another similarly aged Kim! I completely forgot about the Crucible and Fahrenheit 451 – I really enjoyed those in school. Required reading in high school killed off my desire to read anything for years afterward.
Wow you live in Hawaii? So do I. And so does the Mel who responded to last week’s questions. How nice.
I read Catcher in the Rye on my own in seventh grade and didn’t know what I thought of it. Didn’t dislike it but didn’t like it. Then I read it near the end of high school and liked it a lot. Then I majored in English and became an English teacher, and read it again early in my career and didn’t care for it much. I think the book needs to find each reader at a very specific time in his or her life, or it will never click.
I do! On O’ahu, almost North Shore.
My mom was an English teacher, too, and she felt the same way as you about this particular book!