The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D. Salinger, partially published in serial form in 1945–1946 and as a novel in 1951.  It was originally intended for adults, but is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst and alienation, and as a critique on superficiality in society.  It has been translated widely.  Around one million copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than 65 million books.  The novel's protagonist Holden Caulfield has become an icon for teenage rebellion.  The Catcher in the Rye has been consistently listed as one of the best novels of the twentieth century.  Shortly after its publication, in an article for The New York Times, Nash K. Burger called it "an unusually brilliant novel," while James Stern wrote an admiring review of the book in a voice imitating Holden's.   George H. W. Bush called it a "marvelous book," listing it among the books that have inspired him.  In June 2009, the BBC's Finlo Rohrer wrote that, 58 years since publication, the book is still regarded "as the defining work on what it is like to be a teenager."  Adam Gopnik considers it one of the "three perfect books" in American literature, along with Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Great Gatsby, and believes that "no book has ever captured a city better than Catcher in the Rye captured New York in the fifties."  In an appraisal of The Catcher in the Rye written after the death of J.D. Salinger, Jeff Pruchnic says the novel has retained its appeal for many generations.  Pruchnic describes Holden as a “teenage protagonist frozen midcentury but destined to be discovered by those of a similar age in every generation to come.”  Bill Gates said that The Catcher in the Rye is one of his favorite books.  However, not all reception has been positive.  The book has had its share of critics, and many contemporary readers "just cannot understand what the fuss is about".  According to Rohrer, who writes, "many of these readers are disappointed that the novel fails to meet the expectations generated by the mystique it is shrouded in.   Rohrer assessed the reasons behind both the popularity and criticism of the book, saying that it "captures existential teenage angst" and has a "complex central character" and "accessible conversational style"; while at the same time some readers may dislike the "use of 1940s New York vernacular" and the excessive "whining" of the "self-obsessed character".  In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma was fired for assigning the novel in class; however, she was later reinstated.  Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States.  The book was banned in the Issaquah, Washington high schools in 1978 as being part of an "overall communist plot".  In 1981, it was both the most censored book and the second most taught book in public schools in the United States.  According to the American Library Association, The Catcher in the Rye was the 10th most frequently challenged book from 1990 to 1999.  It was one of the ten most challenged books of 2005, and although it had been off the list for three years, it reappeared in the list of most challenged books of 2009. 

In 2009, the year before he died, Salinger successfully sued to stop the U.S. publication of a novel that presents Holden Caulfield as an old man.  The novel's author, Fredrik Colting, commented:  "call me an ignorant Swede, but the last thing I thought possible in the U.S. was that you banned books". The issue is complicated by the nature of Colting's book, 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, which has been compared to fan fiction.  Although commonly not authorized by writers, no legal action is usually taken against fan fiction, since it is rarely published commercially and thus involves no profit.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye 

In Des Peres, Missouri, on the ramp that leads from I-270 North to Manchester Road, near a grocery store and a busy shopping mall, there often sits a quiet and mysterious jar of pickles.  When it falls, breaks, or disappears, it is always replaced.  It is the highway’s warty lodestar.  A Facebook group, “Team Pickle”members described sightings, and shared blurry drive-by photos.  They posted pickle jokes and memes, as well as theories about the jar’s provenance.  Attention has its downsides.  Quite soon after the Facebook group began, the first pickle jar disappeared.  It had been pretty gnarly:  half-evaporated, with its label rubbed off, and “just this nude color, no real green to it,” says Steen.  Still, members mourned.  One wrote a poem: “A jar / Viewed from afar / Has left a scar / Upon our hearts / Alas it departs!”  Cara Giaimo  https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-pickles-highway-missouri 

35 Home Library Ideas with Beautiful Bookshelf Designs   Don’t let your books languish on the shelf.  Discover home library ideas that will give your hardcovers and paperbacks the attention they deserve by Kate Jerde and Lindsey Mather  We gathered up the most beautiful home libraries from our archives to inspire your own literary retreat.  See how to create home library shelving that puts your favorite books on display for a space that’s well-designed and well-read.  https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/home-libraries-slideshow 

Greengage plums are best for fresh eating and used as a principle ingredient in desserts such as cakes, ice creams and pies.  They also make delicious compotes, jams and reductions while some varieties are specifically used for alcohol spirits and canning purposes.  Complimentary flavors include vanilla, nutmeg, tropical fruits, chocolate, butter and citrus.  Savory pairings include mild fresh cheeses such as chevre and ricotta, herbs such as arugula, chiles, fennel and basil, bacon, lamb and raw sashimi grade seafood such as albacore and scallops.  To store, refrigerate ripe fruit for up to one week. The Greengage plum's given French name is Reine Claude, named after Queen Claude.  There are three different categories of plums:  Japanese, Italian and European.  The Greengage plum is a European plum which was introduced into England by Sir Thomas Gage in the early 16th century. It was first cultivated in France from a green-fruited plum native to Asia Minor, specifically Armenia.  The Greengage plum tree is known to bear fruit biannually.  Pruning the tree to prevent excessive fruit production in one season can prevent scarce harvests in successive years.  https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Greengage_Plums_6287.php 

A Starting Point is a video-based civic engagement platform created by Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, and technology entrepreneur Joe Kiani.  ASP’s mission is to create a bipartisan channel of communication and connectivity between Americans and their elected officials with the goal of creating a more informed electorate.  https://www.astartingpoint.com/  Includes two-minute answers to common questions by elected officials, a forum for elected officials to make a point in under two minutes, and discussions  between two members from across the aisle.  Also find who represents you and register to vote.  

Liberation Library was founded in 2015 by the American advocacy group Project Nia, with fiscal sponsorship by the Chicago Freedom School.  The organization is operated entirely by volunteers, with a decision-making body called a steering committee that is nonhierarchical and multiracial.  Vogue spoke to three members of Liberation Library—cofounder Bettina Johnson, curriculum and steering committee member Melanie Wagner, and communications and steering committee member Magan Marshall—about how Liberation Library got started, why the organization is rooted in abolitionist ideas, and how to actively support the organization and the fundamental values it was built on, no matter where you are in the country.  Puja Prakash  Read interview at https://www.vogue.com/article/liberation-library-prison-abolition 

1936:  Likely the beginning of popularity for knock-knock jokes.  Knock-knock jokes became a regular part of the Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in Show in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-knock-knock-joke-day-october-31/ 

Our top 20 knock-knock jokes to tell on International Joke Day
https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/01/funny-knock-knock-jokes-tell-international-joke-day-12926458/ 

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum contains miniature masterpieces of horticultural art.  The Chinese art of penjing and the Japanese art of bonsai use woody plants in containers as a medium to portray the natural growth habit of trees in the landscape.  The living sculptures of bonsai and penjing are inspired by natural scenes, and they change with the seasons like their wild relatives.  They require continual care and training to maintain their artistic designs.  In addition to water and fertilization, the bonsai are pruned and their branches are shaped using wire to give the impression of ancient trees.  The museum’s collection began in 1976 with a gift of 53 bonsai trees from Japan to commemorate the United States Bicentennial.  The collection has grown steadily with the addition of pieces from North American bonsai masters and a penjing collection from China.  Now, more than 300 specimens rotate through the display tables and pedestals of three pavilions and a special exhibits gallery.  The bonsai intermix with companion art forms of viewing stones, herbaceous companion plants (kusamono), and Japanese flower arrangements (ikebana).  The museum’s gardens are more than a beautiful backdrop to the bonsai; they are designed to prime the viewer for a calming experience surrounded by the finest selections of flowers and foliage.  Visit often to see the bonsai and gardens change through the seasons.  https://www.usna.usda.gov/discover/gardens-collections/national-bonsai-penjing-museum           

Chicken Tetrazzini courtesy of Giada de Laurentis  total time:  1 hour 35 minutes  servings:  6-8  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-tetrazzini-recipe-1943960  

Tetrazzini is an American dish made with diced poultry or seafood and mushroom in a butter/cream and cheese sauce flavored with wine or sherry.  It is served hot over linguine, spaghetti, egg noodles, or some other types of pasta, garnished with parsley, and sometimes topped with breadcrumbs, almonds, canned fried onions, or cheese (or a combination).  Tetrazzini can be prepared as a baked noodle casserole, sometimes with steps taken to give it a browned crust.  Shortcut recipes for home cooking sometimes use canned cream of mushroom soup or other cream soups.  The dish is named after the Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini.  It is widely believed to have been invented circa 1908–1910 by Ernest Arbogast, the chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California, where Tetrazzini was a long-time resident.  However, other sources attribute the origin to the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City.  Good Housekeeping published the first reference to turkey tetrazzini in October 1908, saying readers could find the dish of cooked turkey in a cream sauce, with spaghetti, grated cheese, sliced mushrooms, and bread crumbs on top, at "the restaurant on Forty-second street."  The chicken tetrazzini was made famous by chef Louis Paquet.  No universal standard for the dish exists, so various parts are missing or substituted in various recipes.  The name is often expanded to describe the specific meat used (e.g., chicken tetrazzini, or tuna tetrazzini).  Link to list of foods named after people at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrazzini 

WORD OF THE DAY FOR AUGUST 31  peewah noun (Trinidad and Tobago)  The peach palm (Bactris gasipaes), a South American palm tree.   The edible fruit of this plant, which has an orange or red skin when ripe, orange pulp which turns floury when cooked, and a single large seed.  August 31 is the Independence Day of Trinidad and Tobago. 

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2251  August 31, 2020