Instead of roaring around the countryside, burning petrol, for my job I’ve been stuck up home these last few days, with a sick note from the doctor and three great books to get through. These books are all so brilliant, so inspiring that I’m going to list them here :

Salinger by David Shields and Shane Salerno

The Easter Parade by Richard Yates

Archie The Married Life: Book Three by Paul Kupperberg

Of all these books, the Salinger biography is the most incredible and fascinating biography I’ve read since the JFK one. It’s a huge book, I’ve already read 150 pages but he’s still hanging out with Hemmingwell in 1943, not yet crazy. He gets his heart broken from Oona O’ Neil who goes on to marry Charlie Chaplin, and the most surprising thing of all all his books seem to be based on events from his real life. I’m a little nervous to how this book will conclude, the authors warn early on what happened to Salinger will break your heart, how he turned out in the end. Destroyed, broken, angry, bitter, and just plain mean. Still, that’s all to come at the moment he’s young, addicted to writing and adventure, sensitive and funny distrusting of the big bad world. Too bad he couldn’t stay that way.

Anything by Richard Yates is always effortlessly cool, and Archie is my hero. His married life is insane though…Just saying.