Here is the picture I downloaded for my desktop  – From a great site for classic images, Dr Macra’s Movie Scans

James Dean in Giant

A personal note:

I was in college at St John’s University in 1951 when Catcher in the Rye was first published. It was the freshest, most original work I had ever read. I don’t remember if our professors used it in class, but I know for sure that most of us of college age read it, quoted it, and relished every word of dialogue. Later, when I read Franny and Zooey , Franny’s use of the Jesus prayer led me to the wandering Russian monks, and to the study of meditation. I still try to meditate each day, and I credit Ms. Glass with starting me on that journey.

The New Yorker this week (2/2/2010) on Salinger

Lillian Ross – The New Yorker – My long friendship with J.D. Salinger

NY Times: Cornish Journal: A recluse? Well, not to J.D. Salinger’s neighbors

The NY Times obit

The Guardian: Salinger’s new-look oeuvre

The Guardian: From 2002 by Anne Roiphe: The dawning of mourning – He introduced us to phoneys – but teaching us about loss was Salinger’s main aim, says Anne Roiphe

The NY Times: Of Teen Angst and an Author’s Alienation – An appraisal By MICHIKO KAKUTANI

About.com: The Catcher in the Rye vocabulary

The original review in the NY Times

Salinger at The New Yorker

And, of course, his perfect book of short stories – Nine Stories - It includes what many consider his finest work, For Esme With Love and Squalor.

The NY Times: Taking a Walk Through J.D. Salinger’s New York

J.D. Salinger is dead at 91. (The NY Times obit) He and his books were such a part of my young adult reading. I came to love Holden Caulfield and the whole Glass family.

I became a silent prayer person thanks to Franny Glass, who recited the Jesus prayer over and over: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That exhortation has comforted me during many stressful moments in my life.

I’ve added a link on the TV page for Hugh Dillon, Canadian actor and singer/songwriter.

Hugh Dillon

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart. — Anonymous

Thanks to Real Simple Magazine

At my I Love To Read blog,  I have listed the books I have piled in my bedroom

I have added a link from the NY Times to the TV section.