Easter Hop and a Giveaway

I can't resist saying "hoppy Easter"! Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this brilliant BOOK PARTY lasts from April 22 until April 25. It's a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs.

Each week, Jennifer presents a question from another blogger. This week's question is from Christina from The Paperback Princesses: If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?

I certainly do. If I love a book, if I truly love the style or content or characters of a book, I will look for other books by that same author. This started many years ago, when I first read J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and then Franny and Zooey, and continues to this day.

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In celebration of having more than 500 followers, I'm hosting a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Because I have readers around the world, my giveaway is international.

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, May 2. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 3. Good luck!

If you're a Hop participant and would like me to stop by your blog, please let me know. If you're entering the giveaway please indicate that in your comment. Happy Easter!

The Wanderer

J.D. Salinger expresses adolescent anguish in the The Catcher in the Rye through his protagonist, Holden, who is very critical of everything and everyone, and also aware of his own inconsistencies and shortcomings. He's a wanderer without much direction, literally and figuratively, having "flunked out" of prep school; he doesn't go home but stays in a hotel and wanders around the streets of NY. It's a period in life full of questioning and doubt and aimlessness, but also great flexibility and possibility. Holden disapproves of everything he considers to be "corny" (kids today say "lame") and as I mentioned before, he can't stand phonies and phoniness--anything "just for show"--movies and actors included. (I wonder if this is when people in general are at their most discerning in certain ways? I remember having similar highly critical feelings and attitudes when I was the same age.) I think Holden's quest in the book is for something real and true and lasting--so many of his own feelings are fleeting. I do not envy him at this stage in his life.

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!