It’s Day 44 in the Book Challenge House.

And I’ve still not finished Catcher in the Rye.

I started it about 25 days ago. I’m on page 153. I’ve got 39 pages to read and I’ve got to admit I’m struggling.

It’s hard I think, to read it when you’re a 41 year old woman. All that teen angst only makes you think ‘Really? That’s what you’re worrying about you selfish and privileged little prick?’

I fear we have a ‘Wuthering Heights’ situation on our hands. Or I’m just not getting it. Which is entirely possible. I’m a bit literal when it comes to reading into things. There was an incident with a fob watch in El Sur that totally passed me by. (Read for Spanish Lit in 1993, Adelaida García Morales.)

39 pages though. You’d think I’d be able to do that quite quickly. And get it out of the way so that I can move on…

So in lieu of an actual review of Catcher in the Rye, which you might not get anyway as I might have lost the will to live, here is a list of the books that I have read when I should have been reading JD Salinger.

1. Rob Thurman: Nevermore
2. Gretchen Rubin: Better than Before.
3. Kevin Hearne: Staked (Good but it wasn’t The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher)
4. Darynda Jones: Dirt on the Ninth Grave
5. Kathryn Stockett: The Help. (Really really excellent. Couldn’t put it down and I have seen the film and so knew what happened.)
6. A slightly obsessive 6 of Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstrom books. Books 2 through 7 starting with Magic in the Blood. I may have re-read book 1 too.
7. Janet Evanovich: Tricky Twenty-Two
8. Steve McHugh: Lies Ripped Open
9. Ann Cleeves: Raven
10. CE Murphy: House of Cards
11. Elly Griffiths: A Dying Fall
12. Elly Griffiths: Outcast Dead
13. Kerry Wilkinson: Crossing the Line
14. Genevieve Cogman: The Invisible Library
15. Terry Pratchett: The Shepherd’s Crown (*sniff*, it was lovely)
16. Seanan McGuire: Indexing: reflections Book 2 (Just brilliant. I love this author, love love love her. I was introduced to her by Beth and I’m profoundly grateful. I’ve read all of her series and am even tempted to read her Mira Grant books about zombies. And I don’t do zombies.)

And there may have been more…

Tonight’s mission if I choose to accept it is to finish the damn thing.

Or there’s the Brené Brown I need to read as it was due back today and I’ve exceeded my number of renewals.

In other news, I’m sat here bleeding after Jem (one of my new kittens) unsuccessfully attempted to land parrot style on my shoulder. She missed and slid down. In my mind it’s like a Tom and Jerry cartoon, where Tom slides down the wall and the wallpaper gets shredded. Only with my skin instead. Scout is uncharacteristically sat quietly on my knee.