I’ve always loved books. As a child, books allowed me to travel to distant places, to visit mythical places, and even to see the stars and other heavenly bodies. If there’s one adjective that I love to describe myself, it’s to be called a bookworm. That’s how much I loved books.

I credit my parents for introducing me early on to books but I also acknowledge the people who generously lent me books such as my godsister and my godfather. I knew the different fairy tales by heart because of the books I borrowed from them.

When I started high school, they also lent me books that were somehow more mature as compared to the fables and fantasy stories. I remember reading Siddharta, The Little Prince, and The Catcher In The Rye.

The Little Prince was my instant favorite. It had a very profound meaning but my young brain was already able to comprehend it. Too bad that it also brings me sadness in remembering The Little Prince because it was lent to me by my Values Education teacher who just recently succumbed to leukemia. She wasn’t even 50 years old yet. I’d probably buy a copy of The Little Prince and read it again.

Another book that I’ve been remembering since the start of January was The Catcher In The Rye. It’s a coming of age book that has exposed my mind to the realities of being a teenager. The protagonist was very relatable and sometimes, even at my age, I can still say that I still go through the same phase as he did although in varying degrees.

Coincidentally, it was J.D. Salinger’s (author of The Catcher In The Rye) death anniversary last January 27. He died in 2010 and I even wrote a tribute for him that time in this blog. I deleted that post in 2020 but I’m republishing it here again.

The article goes like this:

I was almost in disbelief when I read the news at yahoo. J.D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, is already dead. Foolish as it may sound but I have always thought he was immortal. Nobody probably thought he was already so old (he was 91 when he died) because he kept himself isolated from society.

Being one of the most mysterious writers of the century, J.D.’s death will surely do nothing but add more to the mystique that has shrouded him for the last few decades. In fact, I have this theory that everybody will soon forget that he is already dead because they are so used to J.D. being into hiding.

As everybody knows, his most popular work is Catcher in the Rye published in the ‘50s. Honestly, I do not remember most of the details of the book since I read it when I was just in first year high school. However, I do recall that it was somehow amusing because it was able to capture how it is to be a teenager. 

It has all the ingredients that would make it instantly appealing to typical adolescents – the angst, drama, shallow relationships, silly aspirations, and phony love, to name a few. I’ve been meaning to read it again to sort of refresh my memory but kept postponing it due to more urgent priorities.

While the book may sound like it was intended for youngsters, I believe it can be quite interesting to adults too. Circumstances in life, after all, are recurring. They just come in different guises. I suppose this is what the book is trying to teach us – pick yourself up when you fall, take responsibility for your actions and learn from your experiences. 

It tells us that we are in control of our lives most of the time, no matter how we think otherwise. Other than this, it underlines the fact that we would always yearn for simpler (maybe even quirky) things in life no matter how big and grand (and serious) our plans may be.

One way or another, The Catcher in the Rye is one unforgettable book for me because of its contrasting elements of simplicity and complexity. All emotions were captured and effectively conveyed to the reader. 

You could laugh at some lines or feel sympathy for the protagonist. In addition, the book was generously sprinkled with cuss words thus, initiating me to a world I never knew before. After finishing the story, I was crazy looking for the meaning of "sonuvabitch.” Haha!

J.D. Salinger is an equally extraordinary character. He will forever be alive to the people touched by his works. I am one of those lucky enough to be exposed to Catcher in the Rye early on. 

Through this book, J.D. has provided a very important lesson that is not commonly taught in the traditional classroom where I was part of during that time. The knowledge has stayed on and will continue to guide me.

By the way, it was also very recently when I found out that J.D. stands for Jerome David.

***

That was how my tribute to J.D. Salinger went. I wrote it over 10 years ago. Funny how I said at that time that I wanted to read the book again but hadn’t done so for another decade.

I think I’ll also buy a copy of The Catcher In The Rye. Hopefully there are sellers in Shopee. Anyway, my love for books went on until college and even when I was working. My habit of reading books somehow waned over the years but I still bought books from time to time.

I do love Paulo Coelho and Stephen King books so I bought a lot of those in the past. Some copies I kept, some I gave to friends.

The last time I bought books was in 2017 months before my eldest son was born. Life and priorities got in the way, I lost some of the books when we moved from the condo back to my in-laws’ house in 2020.

I told myself though that I’ll start reading again. I resumed reading the Nick Joaquin book of short stories called May Day Eve and I’m loving it. I’ll also read to my kids again, even if they still wouldn’t focus on the story that I was reading. After all, that’s the best way to inculcate to them the joys of reading.

By the way, do you love to munch on snacks when reading? I do. I love nuts but I also love a plate of nachos. I buy nachos and salsa from The Nacho King. It’s the brand that we love because of its excellent quality.

Just recently, The Nacho King launched a new variant called Home-Style White Corn Tortilla Chips. I love that it’s already lightly salted so it’s already flavorful but also goes well with the Salsa and the Silipeno toppings.

The Home-Style White Corn Tortilla Chips are also soft to the bite while still retaining the crunch that we all love about it. A plate of nachos and salsa is perfect for lazy Sunday afternoon readings.

Do you also love books? What are your favorites? I hope you can share some titles with me in the comment section below.

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Read the latest three editions of Grateful Dad here:

• Grateful Dad #4: Greener Pastures
• Grateful Dad #3: Thoughts On Turning 40
• Grateful Dad #2: Buses & Trains

You can also read all entries here.