In the last month I've been just eating his books up! I finished Cannery Row, Travels With Charley, Of Mice and Men, and am now reading The Log from the Sea of Cortez! I'm thinking about reading East of Eden next but am not sure if I'd like it. What a life this guy led...

I think I had to read him waaaaaaayyyy back in high school....not since then, tho!

Maybe I should try it again, this time WITHOUT fear of being tested!! B)

You should definitely check him out again! Definitely one of America's greatest writers!

I've never been a huge fan of Steinbeck. When I was in college I had a roommate who LOVED Steinbeck and hated Hemingway. I was the opposite - I love Hemingway and hated Steinbeck. I guess she tired of hearing about rich people, running around and ruining their lives. I couldn't stand reading about poor folk being poor and miserable.

Ironically, we also disliked each other exceptions too. I didn't mind Steinbeck's The Pearl. (She didn't like it.) I disliked The Old Man and The Sea - of course, that was the only Hemingway she liked.

Sounds like your friend and I like the same types of novels! I haven't read it but the Pearl doesn't much interest me and I loved Old Man and The Sea!

I loved reading Steinbeck -- in high school which was eons ago.....Grapes of Wrath was my favorite.

OK, well, you've convinced me.....tomorrow is story time at the library, so I want to check out a Steinbeck book....which one? B)

A wonderful, short one I'd suggest to get to know the heart and character of Steinbeck is "Travels with Charlie." It's a journal of his "quest to find America" as he travels all over the United States with his dog. It's as funny as it is touching, as thought-provoking as it is honest. I loved it. I've read it twice in the last 4 months!

Thanks for the rec....I'm gonna look for it tomorrow! :thumbsup:

Steinbeck? Did he make Becks Beer? :whistle:

I've read more Hemingway than Steinbeck B) I need to reread Of Mice and Men.

How does For Whom The Bell Tolls fit into that description? :blink:

Well, the library didn't have Travels With Charley, so I got Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men. I was going to get East of Eden, but it looked kinda long.... :unsure:

I just finished Cannery Row, a meandering tale about a small town in California, and liked it a lot. After I finish The Log today I think I'll go out and get East of Eden this weekend...

This is kinda how I read. I find an author I like and read as many books by him/her as I can then get bored and move on to someone else. The one before this one was that guy who wrote Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk. Those books really turn your stomach!