I hate being at the beginning of the alphabet. And I'm doubly cursed. Not only do many people find it clever to refer to me as Alcoholics Anonymous (left that little gem out on the nickname question of the day), but I am always first for stuff. I'm already an oldest child and the only girl...how much more FIRST can I be? The question of the day situation only intensifies this hatred- I am always one of the first to be put on the spot. And then I have to listen to like twenty other stories which are way cooler than mine and remind me of about a thousand alternate, wittier, funnier, and ultimately cooler responses.
Today was a prime example of one of these occasions. Favorite book. And I brought up Harry Potter and Lolita. Not that they're not my favorites- they're mentioned in this blog, for Christ's sake. But of all the books I've read and enjoyed, those two do not accurately represent my taste. Not that they're not awesome.
If I could go back in time and edit my response (which is why I got so eager when Davin mistakenly called on me a second time), I would have gone a few different routes:
1) I am illiterate. (Though false, this would have garnered a few laughs. Hopefully. Well, Lemmy would've laughed. He laughs at everything.)
2) Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger. Ever since I read Catcher in the Rye, Salinger became a catcher of my eye (ha, ha). But in all seriousness, I love everything Salinger does. He is like a god to me. His writing style is refreshingly unique and so precise and unquestionable and humorous and raw- his characters so gloriously real and deep and relatable, I am entranced by everything that man does. And F&Z, though a short story, is one I can read over and over again and never tire of.
3) Reading Lolita in Tehran. As soon as Davin mentioned that I wanted to jump up and down and be like I READ THAT TOO AND IT WAS AWESOME. But I practiced self-restraint in order to tell you here: I READ THAT TOO AND IT WAS AWESOME. I had to read it for a school project and it absolutely blew my mind. The writing was so beautiful- mellifluous, really- and the plights of the characters so grounding and incomprehensible, the book made me appreciate the beauty of reading so much, as an escape, as a bandage, as a means of social change.
4) Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. Hannibal Lecter is one twisted dude that I cannot get enough of. Hannibal is arguably one of the most intricately crafted villains of all time. His intellect paired with his general creepiness make him fascinating to read about. Harris' mind is twisted...he goes there. Silence of the Lambs is dark and gory, but it makes for a quick and great read.
5) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. HA- APRIL FOOLS!
Hahaha april fool's! But I liked catcher in the rye a lot.. i haven't read anything else by him and i also read reading lolita in tehran. It was good but parts of it weren'e really my favorite, but I really liked the general idea of the book
ReplyDeleteI LOVE silence of the lambs! okay, well I haven't read the book. I actually didn't even know it was a book, but the movie was great, so I'm sure the book is awesome!
ReplyDeleteEven though I'm towards the end of the alphebet I always think of things to add on - it's a no win situation. I do have a confession to make: I absolutely (not hated because that is such a strong word) completely disliked "Catcher in the Rye." I've never read anything else by JD Salinger but now I just might!
ReplyDeleteI with Gabo, it's honestly a no-win situation. I can never think of a good response when its my turn or even my turn, but as soon as class is over, I'm like "OH!" It's so frustrating!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I too like Salinger.
Salinger is awesome. End of story. I could read Catcher in the Rye a million times, and I would never get bored. Every time I read it I find something that I missed in previous reads. The only reason I'm going on and on about Catcher is because I read a few chapters instead of studying for Spanish last night. Reading is so much better than studying.
ReplyDeleteI was definitely tempted to answer with the Silence of the Lambs, but I figured I'd sound kinda morbid if I did. However, I completely agree with you on that one! (Not that I don't agree with the other ones, too...especially Twilight. Yum.) Harris does an amazing job of reaching into the mind of a genius killer.
ReplyDeletehahaha. Great post. I love your routine bashing of twilight, I think you are doing literature a great justice by your constant efforts. My roommate is reading Franny and Zooey now so I might take your recommendation and ask her to borrow it when she's done!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Amanda. As soon as my turn for the Question of the Day was over, I realized I could have given so many better answers. I absolutely LOVE The Catcher in the Rye, and I, like you, love the fact that Salinger captures human emotion, vices, quirks, etc. so insanely well. Great work, Amanda!
ReplyDelete