Well hell, I had to read Catcher in tenth grade English, with the whole 'American classic' and all. I'm damned if I can remember too much, but I certainly liked how it made use of the first person, and the passages you shared certainly are good.
Reading fifty books in the year sounds like a good goal--I try to read as much as I can, but I'm very preoccupied. Maybe I ought to set a goal like that for myself?

As a small sidenote, 400,000 words in one sitting...ye gods, I'm a fast reader, but I'm not quite that fast. I marvel at your ability.