The Dangers of Adulthood | The Catcher in the Rye

Disclaimer- These are just my thoughts on a classic novel. They are not intended as a study guide for an English test that you forgot to study for. I am by no means an expert in literature. I just enjoy reading and discussing classic novels. My opinions may vary from other people's, even yours. Please respect my opinions as I will respect yours. 

Also, this is a discussion of the entire novel, which includes the ending. Basically, there will be spoilers about everything. Read at your own risk.

The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most popular classics among youth. Many people can identify with the main character, Holden, and his struggles to find a place in the world while on the verge of adulthood. Catcher in the Rye is also one of the very first novels written in the teenage perspective, which contributes to its status as a classic.

Its lessons about adulthood, loneliness, and relationships truly transcend time. The teenagers of today can relate to Holden's struggle in the same ways and the teenagers that read the novel decades before.

Classic Conversations | Tips for Reading Classics

Thank you everyone for the great response to the first installment of my latest feature, Classic Conversations. I loved talking about what exactly makes a book a classic with all of you and I really hope we can continue all of these amazing conversations (hence the title) throughout the series. 

Since a lot of people (including me) are intimidated, and perhaps even a little bit scared, of reading classics. And there are a ton of good reasons for this put-off, like not being able to understand the time period, writing, or what the heck is even going on in the plot. I totally understand where you are coming from. I have definitely sat in literature classes where I was completely lost on what we were talking about and just prayed that the test would be multiple choice so that I would have some chance of passing. It was a terrible experience and not one that I would be willing to repeat outside of school. 

Fortunately for you I have some tips on how to understand, and hopefully learn to enjoy, classics. 

Classic Conversations | What exactly is a classic?

After a lot of thought and mental arguments with myself, I have decided to start yet another new feature on Crazy for YA (hopefully I will actually be able to keep up with this one). 

I am proud to introduce... Classic Conversations. (Yes, the alliteration was necessary.)

For the past couple of years, my blog has focused on young adult books, like the title suggests. But, I would like to branch out a little and explore some of the other amazingness that the literary world has to offer. And, of course, my first segment of this adventure is a little foray into the world of classics.

*Cue the collective groans*

I understand that many people do not have the best experiences with classics. There are truly some terrifying stories about English teachers and their various torture methods, most of which include these victimized books.

I am not an English teacher and my intent is far from boring you to death. I want to try to show you that classics are actually worth reading. I want to ignite some awesome conversations about books and life. And most of all, I want to show you that these seemingly dull novels are really teeming with life if you take the time to appreciate them.

I know that those are some pretty high ambitions. Some might even call it impossible. But I am willing to give it a shot and I hope you are too.

So, to start this first of hopefully many conversations about the classics, I want to delve into some background knowledge about classics. Specifically, what even is a classic? Is it a dusty old tome that some dead person wrote a billion years ago? Or can it be something more modern?

Review | Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon

Author: Daniel Keyes

Release Date: 1959

Pages: 311

Review by: Cassia

Charlie has never been...the brightest being on earth. With an IQ of 68 and a big heart, he is taken advantage of by everyone, teased, and exiled by his own family. When the opportunity arises for him to have an operation that will increase his intelligence, he is eager to do it, despite the risks. As his intelligence increases, he remembers things about his childhood he never knew, learns about that world around him, and his morals become compromised, especially when he finds out that he’s been a laughing stock of society.

Soundtrack Saturday #2: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is a meme hosted by Erin @ The Hardcover Lover. In this meme, I make a soundtrack of about 15 or 20 songs for a book I recently read, provide brief descriptions of the songs and what I feel they represent, and I'll have a link to the Spotify playlist.

This week, I'm doing a classic I recently re-read. I love this book so much. It might sound a little odd, though, with modern music as a soundtrack for a book set in the '30s.


To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Cover Reveal | All's Well That Ends Well by C. E. Wilson

All’s Well That Ends Well 

By C.E. Wilson
(Shakespeare for Everyone Else #3)
Publication date: July 15th 2014
Genres: Retelling, Young Adult

Synopsis

When Hannah’s world falls apart after graduation, she finds that there are only two things from her old life that she can trust:  her best friend Constance, and her fascination with Constance’s

cousin Benjamin.  But when Benjamin snubs her advances for superficial reasons, Hannah decides that she will have him no matter what the cost.  Hannah gathers a diverse group of allies to help her finally get what she’s always wanted.

In this YA retelling of William Shakespeare’s All’s Well that Ends Well, follow Hannah as she goes to the ends of the earth in her pursuit of the ungrateful Benjamin.  Are there limits to love and devotion, and is all truly well that ends well?

Goodreads

To find the rest of Shakespeare's modern stories, click these links

Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare for Everyone Else #1)
Othello (Shakespeare for Everyone Else #2)



Author Bio

C.E. Wilson is currently living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and her two dogs and two cats. They are all the loves of her life. When she’s not writing young adult fantasy novels, she enjoys writing short stories on her Deviant Art page. She loves to write stories involving giants and little people (also known as GT) and she can't decide what she loves more: horror movies or shoujo manga. On a side note, nothing helps her to write more than drinking some tea and watching The Twilight Zone.



Author Links

Goodreads

Twitter

Top Ten Tuesday #8: Classic Books

This is a weekly meme hosted by the amazing girls at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's theme is our favorite classic books.

Personally, we think that classics are frequently overlooked in the realm of YA literature. There are so many books that can be considered classics, but they are formally put in that category. To us, classics are books that can transcend generations and still touch the hearts of readers. So, these are our favorite classics, and even though they may not be generally revered as such, they are the books that are the closest to our hearts.

Max

Emma by Jane Austen

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling



Little Women by Louisa May Alcott




Tessa

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

Cassia


Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

 

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

 

 Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

 

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Hey everybody! Cassia here! I finally have another review for you all, and I'm working on another. There's more (a lot more), but I have to re-read those before I can provide an accurate review. So, here you go! (Note: the cover below is the original edition, and I read the public domain version in English.)

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Christine Daae still thinks of her deceased father every day; his companionship, stories, and the music they made. Soon, her career takes off at the Paris Opera House when she is tutored by the mysterious Angel of Music. However, she has never seen him. Eventually she finds out that he is what the regulars of the opera refer to as the “opera ghost.” When his orders--which are made to help Christine--are dismissed as jokes, he terrorizes the opera with threats and murders to get what he wants. Christine’s love, Raoul, vows to save Christine from his grip before he can take her forever.

For those of you who don’t already know, I love musicals. One of them happens to be “The Phantom of the Opera.” So, when I found out that it was a book, and the book was in public domain on Amazon,

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Hey everybody! Cassia here! I finally finished it! Now, I talk about a lot in this review, and with the uprising, I didn't talk about that a whole lot, but it's a HUGE part in the book. Like, climax. I didn't say everything, but I did say a lot, and I kind of regret not giving the uprising more attention, so I figured I'd put that here. Anyway, here it is.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Jean Valjean is a convict. Labeled for life as a “very dangerous man” with a yellow passport. He broke a window and stole a loaf of bread to save his sister and her seven children, and was sentenced to five years of hard labor in prison. Desperate to get out, he attempted escape four times, and even made it out, but was brought back and in total spent 19 years in prison. He worked every day of his life, and was never a bad man. But prison hardened him, made him horrible. When he breaks parole and a bishop saves his soul, he vows to dedicate his life to helping the poor. When policeman Javert, who knew him from the chain gangs in Toulon, learns of it, he dedicates his life to putting him behind bars. Now Valjean must live an honest life while dodging the law...

Alright, let me say this now: I literally just finished the book five minutes ago, so I may sound a little crazy. Fair warning, so here it goes.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Hey everybody! Cassia here! Happy summer! I love the summer. I can spend my days reading. Now that we have a blog, I can also rant talk about these books to you all whether you care or not. Anyway, here's another review for you all! I have the Kindle edition, so that's the cover I have here, plus I think it represents the book perfectly. It's a classic, and spoilers are marked.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Lucy Manette's father has finally been found! Well, her financial guardian, Mr. Lorry, knew, but kept it from her to guard her heart. When she finally meets with him above a wine shop, he is mad. His mind is set on making shoes, and he will not rest. When he catches sight of his daughter, he gets slightly better, and eventually, with much coaxing, Lucy--and only Lucy--brings him out of his madness. They help in the trial of Charles Darnay, who is accused of treason. Little do they know that Sydney Carton is the one really running the trial. Lucy is taken on a journey through the bloody French Revolution. Secrets are revealed, and when Lucy was just trying to find peace between the two cities, she is brought into the heart of the Revolution.