Hey there. I'm reaching out with this email because last night at the party you asked me if I'd read, A Catcher in the Rye. I hesitated, then said yes. I would like to follow up and let you know that I have definitely read, Catcher in the Rye.
I love reading books, including smart books, long books, and books about important social stuff. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Here are some other books that I've read and enjoyed.
The Great Gatsby
I read this book a long time ago, and I've read it a couple of times since then, so I remember the plot very well. Wow, what a journey this was. There were those eyes on the cover, and they lived in New York, and rich people, right? The art was amazing. I hope they make a movie out of it one day.
1984
1984 was a crazy year for music, popular culture, movies, you name it. I'm just glad Mr. Orwell actually sat down and captured what it was like to live in the '80s. He did his research. I felt like every detail could have been out of a documentary. My only complaint is that it could have been a little longer, because I would have sat on the couch and read this book all day. I really like reading.
The Grapes of Wrath
Deadly grapes—who knew this would be the subject of a gripping noir-thriller. This was quite a page-turner. I couldn't put it down, and I didn't, because I read the whole book. I love how some books just don't bother with heavy imagery or symbolism and give the reader what they want: plot. The twist ending caught me by surprise.
Weirdly enough, afterwards I was hungry for grapes. I might even have nightmares from reading this, haha. Definitely a tough book, but it was easy for me because reading is one of my hobbies that I do.
The Alchemist
Who is the Alchemist? Where is the Alchemist hiding? What is alchemy? These were some of the questions that came up while I was deeply absorbed in this book. I checked my notes that I took after I read through the entire novel and came away with a lot of clear answers. One of my favorite things about reading is how everything makes sense by the end of the book. The last ten pages or so cleared it all up.
Also, was it just me, or did the Alchemist sound hot? The whole time I was thinking, “Is the Alchemist a smokeshow?” Is there Alchemist fan art?
Spider-Man 2: The Novelization of the Movie
Did you see Spider-Man 2? It had Tobey Maguire and there was a big action scene in a boat that was pretty cool. Well, they made a book from the movie and it's great. Not too short, not too long, all the words are easy to understand, and there are even some behind-the-scenes pictures from the movie in the middle of the book.
What I like to do is to put the movie on my TV, then follow along inside the book. I call it “creative reading.”
I forget the name of it but it's about war
I'm blanking on the name right now but it's about a big war, and they're fighting, then they realize at the end the war was pointless. It was a capturing story and taught me a lot about war and people. I can't seem to remember the title but I definitely read through it thinking, “This is a really good book that I'm reading.”
The New York Times
I don't just read books, I read newspapers too, because I like reading in general. The paper today was great. A lot of great news in this one. Almost all news, actually. There were some comics that I enjoyed, then some stuff around them about world events. What are your thoughts on world events? I like discussing things that I've read.
Harry Potter
I've read every single Harry Potter book cover to cover at least seven times. Did you know that in Chamber of Secrets, when Dumbledore says that Voldemort put a piece of himself in Harry, that he is foreshadowing the Horcrux inside Harry that is relevant to book seven? Or, the phone booth at the Ministry of Magic requires the code 6-2-4-4-2, which on a telephone, spells out “magic!” The subreddit loves that one.
Let me know if you want to get together and talk Quidditch sometime. No need to reply to this email about the other books, I've read them and there's not much more to discuss. Have a good one!
Thanks,
Max
Hufflepuff '16
Patronus: Prairie Dog