sad

J.D. Salinger died today. Even though these days my bookshelf is mainly full of tales of teenage vampires in love or hot chicks in the big city…I, like everyone else, once fell in love with the likes of Frannie and Zooey, Nine Stories, and, of course, Catcher in the Rye.
Admittedly, I was a rule-following goodie two shoes for the most part, but what angst-y 15-year-old doesn’t love them some Holden Caufield?

Maybe I’ll give it another read this weekend, before I start my new Book Club on Tuesday. (We have a very strict “Chick Lit Only” policy.) Maybe you’ll do the same…

However, if you have a personal “Chick Lit Only” rule, may I suggest:

“Prep” by Curtis Sittenfield

When it was released in 2005, I was working at a VERY preppy store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and all of my coworkers were reading it, so I bought it mainly to keep up with the water cooler jib jab. But at the time, it was touted as the female version of “A Catcher in the Rye.” For the record, I definitely wouldn’t go that far. However, it is a really beautifully written coming-of-age story about an awkward 14-year-old girl who goes away to boarding school. Now, the protagonist, Lee Fiora, is no Holden, but it’s a solid read and might be a good light alternative.

But you know…there’s nothing like the real thing, baby.

xx, L