I'm sick of just liking people. I wish to God I could meet somebody I could respect.

J.D. Salinger died yesterday. I remember first reading his celebrated classic, The Catcher in the Rye in middle school. I had an obsession with Holden's phrases- "Christ," "phony," and "helluva." And I suppose the story of a lost, tortured soul trying to stay afloat appealed to my middle school girlish fantasies. Actually, that much hasn't really changed through the years...

I regret not having reread Catcher recently. 

I also have copies of Franny and Zooey and Nine Stories. Franny and Zooey I read back in 8th grade as an independent book. I never got around to finishing Nine Stories. The only short story I vaguely remember was something about a couple at the beach and bananas. I love the idea of Salinger's characters, with their quirks and facades and phoniness and affected speech I wish I could only imitate both on paper and verbally- but if I knew them in real life, I'd probably find them incredibly annoying. Nevertheless, Salinger managed to entrance my mind with his stories, which was quite a feat. As I got older I found less and less stories that I enjoyed reading. I think it's time I start returning to the books of my childhood. 

RIP J.D Salinger