The Catcher in the Rye

I finished my first book on the 100 Books to Read portion of my list (that is quite possibly changing soon). As I mentioned before, when I start looking at this list of books, there are just some that I really can't get motivated to read. I have read some of them... and I might re-read them, just because. But, there are at least 10 books on this list that I am just not that interested in reading... books that I just know I will struggle to finish. 


But, until I can make a decision about this "list" of books, there are plenty of others for me to read.  And, I finished one! WOO HOO! I have done something in the past few weeks to at least somewhat contribute to my list. :) I visited the library and picked up two books about a week ago... I think I mentioned this already, but the two books were The Catcher in the Rye and Gulliver's Travels. I started out with Gulliver's Travels.  I like it. It is not an easy read though. It's not complicated, but I have a hard time getting into something that I have to spend a tremendous amount of time focused on how it's written. It's a bad thing... I am picky about these things. I love to read different literary works. I love different perspectives (this could be a whole other post in and of itself). I love to learn.


But, some days, I want to just read to read. Not for anything other than pure enjoyment and simple understanding. It is sometimes an escape. Most times, it is an escape. Not that I dislike my reality at all. I just love to escape into a good book and feel like I am actually in a whole other world. 


An escape was exactly what I needed last weekend, while I impatiently waited to find out what in the world could possibly be going on with me and my gallbladder. :) Not to mention that the kids were completely satisfied to hang out in their playroom in their jammies for hours and Brad was off golfing... 


Gulliver's Travels just wasn't doing it for me. Brad had started reading The Catcher in the Rye and told me it was pretty good. I picked it up. And finished it on Sunday. 


I really enjoyed it. But you know what? It just ended. If you've read it, you might agree or disagree. But, I felt like the author just got tired of writing at a certain point and just decided, "OK... I think I'm done. Let's just end it here." I understand the symbolism and I don't regret reading it. But, it left me wanting more. Of course, I imagined a hundred different scenarios and back stories and even alternate endings. Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but that's just what I do when I read something that doesn't completely answer everything I want it to. However, I loved how it was written. It kind of reminded me of my blog. There were all of these digressions and side stories and things that weren't really relevant at all, immersed into one overall story. I guess that means that I write like a teenager, since that is what the tone and style was meant to represent. :) 


Oh well... I've always said that age is what you make of it... being young at heart is all that matters. lol. Especially now that I'm moving into the ancient world by nearing my 30th birthday and having gallbladder surgery, etc. That's for you, Jon... since I know you are reading now. :) All those good times at the Alley Cats probably didn't help this old gallbladder any. I blame you for always challenging me and not letting me just be good. (See, just another random digression).


So... one book down... 99 to go. Not sure which 99, but some variation of this list, I'm sure. And, I'm sitting here watching Julie & Julia, the movie that inspired my list. I love it.

List update...

Tonight is a list update. 

I have no kids to write about tonight. They are living the good life, getting spoiled by their grandmother in eastern Kentucky. I'm sure they will be total brats by the time they get home. I dread that part. I miss the little birds... but when they come home, they act like the little prince and princess that they've been treated like at their mamaw's. :) But, they have fun... and they have rules that involve no more toys for a while, which is good. They did get a cat (that will stay at their mamaw's) and apparently it is all the rage. So much that my little man, who typically is ready to come home by now, wanted to stay one more night. It worked out nicely for me... since I have the appointment with the surgeon at 10:45 in the morning. Yippee. 

So... back to the list. 

I'm slightly disappointed... well, flat out disappointed, that I can't do Habitat for Humanity this weekend. We (being Brad, Cilla, Bret, Dawn, and Brandon) had planned this in June. All three of us ladies want to do this... as do the guys, I think... and it sucks that my gallbladder is preventing that. Boo. That's two list items that it has interfered with... camping and Habitat for Humanity. Have I mentioned how much I can't wait to get this gallbladder out and be done with this? 

Anyway... I'm working on other things though. 

Our garden... is growing. Some of it is dying, but lots of things are growing. Well, lots of tomatoes and peppers are growing. That's pretty much it. lol. The squash and zucchini must have had some infestation of insects or something, because it was growing great and then BAM! It all died. All of it. So did my baby watermelons! The plant is HUGE, but the watermelons that were growing turned completely black and shriveled up and died. I was not happy. The pumpkin plants are getting too hot and I don't think they're going to make it. That made me more sad than anything. I was so excited about seeing pumpkins growing this fall. My butternut squash, however, has done really well. There's one almost ready to pick. So... I'm learning. I know next year to spread things out more... I think the bell peppers would be bigger by now if I had put them in front of the tomatoes. The plants got too big and shaded the peppers too much. No habaneros next year... they are just going to rot away because no one knows what to do with them. lol. They are just too hot. And, hopefully my blackberry bush might come back next spring instead of completely dying. We'll just see. While I have lots more to learn in terms of gardening, I think it's safe to say that I can mark off my vegetable garden on the list. So... one more thing comes off the list! :) 

Running. Well. I'm not running because of my health. Enough said. My goal right now is to get healthy and get over this surgery and everything and start training again. I was hopeful that I might be able to come back fast enough to run a 10K this fall, but I might just plan to skip the 10K altogether and just train for the half marathon in the spring. I don't know. I'll just have to see what happens. 

I also have on my list some things about reading. I want to read Newsweek's Top 100 Books of All Time. Well, actually, I don't think I should have put that on the list, because there are a few on that list that I flat out do not want to read. So, I might just never accomplish this one. I actually might change it to something more like "read the books I want to read off of this list and create my own list of Top 100 Books." :) Until I make that executive decision to change it, I am reading some of the ones that are on this list that I actually do want to read. Today, I visited the library and picked up The Catcher in the Rye and Gulliver's Travels. I think it's quite funny that I never have read either of these two. I know the general synopsis of both and have heard references to them throughout life. I just never have read them. So... I'll let you know what I think about them. :) 

Also, at the library, I picked up the second round of books to read to the kids, as part of the 50 Books To Read While In Kindergarten. We have marked off 6 from the list and I picked up 7 more today. I am surprised by how much the kids enjoyed it. Actually, I really expected Bailey to, but Jake shocked me. He doesn't typically like to read, unless it's about superheroes. But, he loved the books! He especially loved A Splendid Friend Indeed by Suzanne Bloom. Funny how certain things appeal to certain kids. 

I'm still working on the list and have some additions and changes to make to it. I was planning to wait until my birthday to make some changes to it. But... I think I'm going to have to do it sooner. There's one thing that I was going to add that I am going to be able to accomplish in September (surprisingly), so I'm going to have to at least make that change. :) I'll let the curiosity drive you all nuts... except Cilla who I already told about it. :)