Thoughts

The thoughts of Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the Rye, comprise this novel by J. D. Salinger. Parts of the book were published in 1945 and 1946, but the book as a whole was published by Little, Brown and Company in 1951. This classic novel is a flashback of the events in this seventeen year old's life (who has "flunked out" of Pencey, a prep school). Holden bemoans the hypocrisy and phoniness he sees all around him. In his thoughts, Holden calls many people phonies--and himself a liar:

"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful. If I'm on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I'm going, I'm liable to say I'm going to the opera. It's terrible. So when I told Spencer I had to go to the gym to get my equipment and stuff, that was a sheer lie."
~The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

What an admission!

Presently, I can only manage to read a chapter or two of The Catcher in the Rye a night, although I'd like to read more of it per sitting. Now the pressure is on! Today I was loaned two other books by a good friend, Lori, West From Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Bloomability by Sharon Creech for my daughters (and myself). I usually read one book at a time, although sometimes I'll read an adult book and a book for children at the same time. Is there a "rule" about this? Do you think it's better to finish one book before starting another? I'm very interested in your thoughts. Perhaps I should conduct a new poll!