The Catcher in the Rye- J.D. Salinger

     Reading this was like experiencing that slimy weird taste that cooked mushrooms get for the first time. And I haven't tried them since. I feel odd not liking it because so many love this book and applaud the writer but I wouldn't be honest if I went along with the crowd.
     
     Holden is a sixteen year old boy filled with angst and seeking adventure in New York. He seems to be plagued by laziness in turn results in multiple school flunk outs. His parents are very well to do and have previously suffered the loss of their younger son. Holden describes his distaste for inconvenient conversations, stuck ups, swear words inscribed on the walls and stalls, people who can't communicate,  chick flicks, and hearing about how his friends got laid by girls he knew.

     Thats not even close to a whole list of all the things Holden hates. Alas, He ends up leaving Pencey a prestigious school for boys. The school Christmas break is coming soon but he is kicked out early and returns to his home city hoping to camp out at friends places until he can return home on the official day  of the school vacation schedule. Along the way he pays a prostitute to talk to him then gets scammed out of money from her pimp. He gets drunk with a friend who doesn't even care about him but rather gets annoyed with him and tells him to grow up.

     He is desiring some female tail and "buzz's" one of his lady friends and takes her out on a date then realizes that she is shallow and that he doesn't like plays with romance. He donates money to a pair of nuns he shares coffee with. The taxi cab drivers also get majorly annoyed when he tries to ask them where the ducks go for the winter. In the wee hours of the night he finally sneaks into his sisters room and they catch up. Then he tells her that he is running away to the west and she tries to go with him. When she tries to follow him lugging a huge suitcase he consents to staying home and then it ends.

     Maybe I'm too much of a positive patty but all the negativity of his displeasure at the world made me angry. Holden did not change as a character at all. I sensed no growth or desire to achieve anything. Plot? If it was to show the view of a hormonally deranged young man on the cusp of maturity it did well. Even then it missed a climax. The swearing was abhorrently excessive as well which also nagged at me. The language was very simple minded. Overall I was disappointed.

                                             -J Feistner

"52 Things Husbands Need From Their Wives" By: Jay Paylietner

       This provides the nuts and bolts with a rough sketch of directions for those new to marriage or trying to become one with a spouse. It's easy for many authors to get in your face about this topic and say that its only one way and not another. On the contrary Mr. Paylietner was openly honest which provided many moments of laughter. 

       He acknowledged that males and females are different for a reason and that we should treasure our differences instead of trying to mold each other into a spouse we want. It also reveals the tenderness that men really have and though it doesn't take a lot to keep them happy he provides 52 ways or approaches to make yourself and your spouse happy in the marriage you have. Below is an example of the many hilarious statements made: 

      "There is a great verse I love to display during my presentation to dads and husbands. I suggest that it might be a good life verse for all men and then click the PowerPoint to reveal Proverbs 5:18-19:"Rejoice in the wife of your youth. . .let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love" (NLT). When that verse hits the screen, I can count about three seconds and there's a riffle of chuckling through the room. (Men are really just a bunch of little boys, and thats good to remember"(p. 32).

     Now, I myself couldn't help from giggling like an immature girl when reading those lines and when I shared this excerpt with my husband we were both rolling with laughter. Its not a sappy book in anyway but a book full of reminders that also make us laugh at the same time. 

     The formatting was well done for the book as well. There is no exact order you have to read the one to two page lessons, so you can skip around depending on what you feel like. Plus, if you are in a hurry at the bottom of each lesson is a few short lines that are the synopsis of the lesson itself and underneath that is a quote. 

     I picked a quote that I felt could encompass the tone and knowledge contained in this book. Here it is: "'Beside every great dad is a great mom.'-Ken Canfield (1961-)" (p.35). 

     What sets this book apart is the humor, and self honesty the author shares about his own life. Its easy for someone to write a book and share other people's problems, triumphs, and sorrows but it's different when they write using their own. The taboo topics that were addressed professionally were: sex, porn, loss of love, and loss of faith in each other. Lets face it life happens and I enjoyed having a bit of advice and things to ponder about that are not always discussed in a family. He supports his claims with the scriptures appropriately. In no way did I feel like there was a sermon going on. You could tell that there was a lot of forethought in the placement of scriptures. 

     This book would be great for to-be-newly-weds, those in a rough patch, or seeking for answers. It will be published this upcoming august and plan on sharing it with a friend of ours who are going to be married and a copy for myself. 

   Overall: It's like that healthy comfort food you enjoy. For myself it's apples and peanut butter. 

                              Author: J Feistner

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

     
          The plot is simplistic and contains mainly Dor, Sara, and Victor who's lives are in serious need of changing.

Character Roundup:

Dor

     Dor was different from others in size and perspective. He is also responsible for observing time and putting effort into tracking it. His lesson to learn takes a greater amount of time for him to accomplish but he still changes his stars.

Sara

     Sara is the typical teenage nerdy girl that doesn't have a fun experience in high school. Right off the bat she is impatient for time to go by so that she go places and meet people. Though we are given background information on both characters there wasn't a friend connection between myself and the characters.

Victor

     Victor is dirty rich and only cares about keeping his dynasty from others in the future and freezing himself until a cure for kidney cancer is revealed so that he could live again and continue to reign with all his money. Talk about one shallow guy. He didn't even tell his wife that he was going to freeze himself and leave her instead with large amounts of money hoping she wouldn't find out. The personal change with Victor was a bit harder to imagine since he seemed so flat in the beginning by being obsessed with his money and work. Accordingly he did change and returned to his wife but it was still not as believable as Sara and Dor.

Theme: Enjoy the small moments and focus on what really matters in your life primarily your family.

Tidbits: There are repeated religious allusions throughout the book. I seriously thought the book would end with how Sara and Victor changed their minds but when I read about For running back to Alli his wife and dying with her I was thoroughly pleased to see that not just Sara and Victor got a second chance.

Hints

• Sara Lemon's last name is to reinforce her negative and sour outlook she has on others and herself. By no means is she a terrible person but doesn't quite comprehend the entire picture of the world like many others. 
• Victor's wife "Grace" is also a subtle hint to being saved and that no matter what we can always be redeemed through grace which is what he did. Victor's code word to his assistant to back out of the freezing is "Grace"but it isn't until realizing the repercussions his actions would have on others if he continued on his previous course did he use grace to change his ways. 

                                        Author: J Feistner