I'm sure that nearly everybody here has read J.D. Salinger's seminal work the Catcher in the Rye. Less known, though, are the author's short stories. I love Catcher, but Nine Stories is a much more mature work. The writing alone is incredible, and of a calibur I wasn't really expecting, having only read Catcher. Salinger's characters' conversations are so realistic, and all his work is imbued with an enviable subtletly. If you haven't read it, I can't recommend it enough. It's a collection of various stories (as the title reveals), so you don't have to dedicate time to reading the whole thing at once (though I recommend all of the stories here). If you pick it up, be sure to read A Perfect Day for Bananafish, The Laughing Man, and Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes.
