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Reading John Steinbeck Books:
Steinbeck’s books can be heartbreaking as they depict the struggles of many characters living in poverty; but at the same time, his honest portrayal of the joys and challenges of life help to broaden our perspective.

Brian's links to our past threads of Steinbeck's reads have been added under message 115 on page 3. Check them out a great resource for us!

John Steinbeck's Facts:
*John Steinbeck (1902��1968) was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, and short-story writer.
*His best-known work includes "Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath."
*He wrote a series of short stories set in his hometown of Monterrey, California, about the harsh lives of migrant workers there.
*He won the Pulitzer Prize for "Grapes of Wrath" in 1940, and the Nobel Prize in Literature for his body of work in 1962.

Best-Known Books:
1927��1938
1927: Cup of Gold"—A historical fiction based loosely on the life of the 17th-century pirate Henry Morgan.
1932: The Pastures of Heaven—Twelve interconnected stories about the people in a valley in Monterrey, California, a place which would become central in many of his later works.
1933: To a God Unknown—Four brothers who move to California to work a ranch and struggle when drought takes away all they have grown.
1935: Tortilla Flat—A small band of Hispanic paisanos in Monterrey enjoy life in Monterrey (Steinbeck's first big success).
1936: In Dubious Battle—A labor activist struggles to organize fruit workers in California.
1937: Of Mice and Men—Two displaced migrants seek work in California during the Great Depression. The book was often a target of censorship for its vulgarity and offensive language.
1937: The Red Pony—Episodic novel appearing in magazines between 1933 and 1936, first published together in 1937, about a boy and his life on a California ranch.
1938: The Long Valley—A collection of 12 short stories, written over several years and set in the Salinas Valley of California (includes the first Red Pony story).
1939: The Grapes of Wrath—A poor migrant family from Oklahoma and their struggles to find a place in California. Steinbeck's best-known novel and winner of the Pulitzer and other literary prizes.
1941: The Forgotten Village—A documentary film written by Steinbeck and narrated by Burgess Meredith, about a Mexican village grappling with modernization.
1942: The Moon Is Down—A story of a small coastal town in northern Europe that is overrun by an unnamed army (thought to be a fictionalization of the occupation of Norway by the Nazis in World War II).
1942: Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team—A nonfiction account of Steinbeck's experiences with several World War II American Army Air bomber crews.
1945��Cannery Row—A story of a disastrous party thrown by the inhabitants of a small town in California for their friend Doc.
1947: The Wayward Bus—Interactions of a cross-section of people at a crossroads bus stop in California.
1947: The Pearl—An immense pearl brings ill-effects to an oyster fisherman's family.
1948: A Russian Journal—A report from Steinbeck on his travels through the Soviet Union during Joseph Stalin's rule.
1950: Burning Bright—A morality story meant to be produced as a play, during which an aging man goes to great lengths to have a child.
1951: The Log from the Sea of Cortez—Steinbeck's personal log of a six-week expedition in the Gulf of California he made with marine biologist Ed Ricketts. Written in 1941, published in 1951.
1952: East of Eden—A novel about two Salinas valley families in the first two decades of the 20th century, based on the story of Steinbeck's own ancestors.
1954: Sweet Thursday—A revisit of the people in "Cannery Row," taking place after the main character Doc returns at the end of World War II.
1957: The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication—A political satire, exploring what might happen if an ordinary fellow was selected to be the King of France.
1958: Once There Was a War—A collection of articles written for the New York Herald Tribune while Steinbeck was a foreign correspondent during World War II.
1961: The Winter of Our Discontent—The struggles of a Long Island man whose family has fallen from an aristocratic level to a middle-class existence. Steinbeck's last novel.
1962: Travels with Charley: In Search of America—A travelogue of Steinbeck's road trip across the U.S. in a hand-built camper with his dog Charley.
1966: America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction—A collection of articles from Steinbeck's career as a journalist.
1969: Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters—A series of letters written by Steinbeck to his editor during the writing of East of Eden. Published posthumously (Steinbeck died in 1968).

Hope to see you in this thread with the Classic you have missed out on and want to read and share your thoughts with other Members.

I will start with Of Mice and Men.

A very good pick Trisha!
After reading it I watched the movie version with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich. I liked it as well.

I read Grapes of Wrath my junior year in high school and between the turtle chapters and the graphic ending... I cannot say if I intend to read more Steinbeck ever. He left quite an impression. Great literary book, but not necessarily the author for me.

Totally understandable Samantha.

That is what makes reviews and discussions interesting. That we are all tugged at differently with a Classic and it is the way it should be.

I'll be reading Tortilla Flat and Grapes of Wrath.

I have read most of the books by Steinbeck but one I haven't read is To a God Unknown so I will read that. I might also reread East of Eden

Happy to have you with us Tracey!

I have not read that one either it is actually one I will need to go shopping for!

I am reading East of Eden This month as a Twin read. It is emotionally charged.

Welcome Cosmic!
Looking forward to your comments about East of Eden.

I’m also going to read East of Eden. Can’t do it in January though.

Lesle wrote: "Reading John Steinbeck Books:
Steinbeck’s books can be heartbreaking as they depict the struggles of many characters living in poverty; but at the same time, his honest portrayal of the joys and ch..."

I see one more that needs to be added.
The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to The Grapes of Wrath

Added to the list Cosmic!
Thank you for the recommendation of one that you would like to read.

I read Of Mice and Men (Penguin Modern Classics) New Ed Edition today & thought it was the best of Steinbeck’s books that I have read so far. As with his other books, the characters were described beautifully.

Our group read Of Mice and Men in January 2017, as a YA read. The thread is still open in our YA/Children's Archives, for those who are interested.

Rosemarie I had forgotten about that, a good reminder that we have delved into Steinbeck many times but so many of us have not read many of his books still!

I didn't really start reading his books until I joined this group, Lesle.

I would still not have read Steinbeck if not for the group's Year with John Steinbeck. I'm so glad that we are continuing it this year as well so those of us who missed some would be able to catch up.

Trisha wrote: "I read Of Mice and Men (Penguin Modern Classics) New Ed Edition today & thought it was the best of Steinbeck’s books that I have read so far. As with his other books, the characters..."

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Trisha. It's a good starting point. It was mine as well. Although I've come to like some others more than Of Mice and Men, I can understand why you felt it was one of his best. I hope you'll continue reading him and would enjoy many more. :)

Thank you for your lovely comment, Piyangie.

I’ve read 4 Steinbeck books, which were all good, but my favorite was East of Eden. I also remember liking the mini-series back in 1981. The one book that I still want to read, hopefully this year, is Travels with Charley. In reading the summary, I see that I’ve been to many of the places he talks about in his book, including his starting point Sag Harbor, Fargo, Amarillo, and the Redwood National Park. I love that he is traveling with his dog, too! I’m really looking forward to this one! Just thinking about it makes me we want to do some traveling, but I have to wait until April.

Pam wrote: "I’ve read 4 Steinbeck books, which were all good, but my favorite was East of Eden. I also remember liking the mini-series back in 1981. The one book that I still want to read, hopefully this year,..."

Pam, I hope you read Travels with Charley this year. It’s a lovely book & one that I will definitely read again. I agree with you, East of Eden was one of my favourite Steinbeck books too.

I read Cannery Row & enjoyed it a lot.

Trisha wrote: "I read Cannery Row & enjoyed it a lot."

I enjoyed it a lot as well, Trisha. It's a lovely book.

Trisha wrote: "I read Cannery Row & enjoyed it a lot."

The prescription of 'Beer Milkshakes' makes this a must read and fun book!

I read Of Mice and Men for the first time last year and was mesmerised. I will likely read The Pearl and The Red Pony this year.

I also read A Russian Journal and found that quite interesting. This year I'll read Once There Was a War. The cover of my version is quite striking with St Paul's Cathedral standing proud amongst the ruins of London. Having been there myself it's hard to imagine the devastation pictured.

Time willing, I'd like to tackle one of the longer reads too...

Mike hopefully you can fit a read in this year.

I also hope to read a novel of his this year.

Mike wrote: "This year I'll read Once There Was a War. The cover of my version is quite striking with St Paul's Cathedral standing proud amongst the ruins of London. Having been there myself it's hard to imagine the devastation pictured..."

Mike, the devastation was dreadful & lasted for many years. I was born a few years after the war ended, but still remember walking past bomb sites quite often - it was just a normal part of life to me, but must have brought back dreadful memories to those who were in London during the war. Even now, just occasionally, another unexploded bomb is found when a new building site is prepared & the area has to be evacuated while it’s made safe.

Rosemarie wrote: "I didn't really start reading his books until I joined this group, Lesle."

High school turned me off of Steinbeck. It’s a shame that they make kids read novels in school. I ended up really liking him a bit later on. Seems a lot of his stuff benefits from life experience. I guess it’s the same with all writing.

I enjoyed Steinbeck in high school, and then stopped reading him for decades. And that actually turned out well for me, since I had the life experience to really appreciate him.
I read Grapes of Wrath for pleasure when I was 19, and that book has stayed me since then, and that really was a long time ago.

Chad wrote: "High school turned me off of Steinbeck. It’s a shame that they make kids read novels in school..."

I totally agree Chad!

When I took Literature as a Sophomore we had a month of Poetry which we had to dissect each line. "What do you think he meant by that sentence?"" How does it relate...?" It killed me and ended up not enjoying Poetry at all, unless it is rhyming and for kids.

He even tried to tackle the Bible for a week, that did not last long since it was obvious he really was not capturing us with his thoughts. He also did the same for me with Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies, 1984, and The Great Gatsby.

We read to Kill a Mockingbird which I did like, there wasnt much he could do to make me hate a coming to age story at that time.

I have just picked up 2 books from the library that I haven't read before:
In Dubious Battle

Cup of Gold

The first I chose because I am currently reading Germinal which is a similar story of the struggles of the working man. The second I chose because I like historical novels,

Has anyone else read these 2? I would be interested in your thoughs.

I read In Dubious Battle last year, and think it is one of the better
Steinbeck books. It has a serious subject matter and really makes you think, but also has sympathetic characters.

I’ve never read In Dubious Battle. Maybe that will be one I read this year.

I read “Grapes of Wrath�� last year and was moved by it. I am about to start “East of Eden��.

Of the works not listed, I have read and loved a number of his of his short stories. Decades ago I read the autobiographical nonfiction “Log from the Sea of Cortes��.

I read Grapes of Wrath a long time ago, but the impressions I had while reading it are still in my mind. It's a book that changes your perceptions on certain issues.

East of Eden focusses on the story of one family and has some memorable characters.

Thanks Rosemarie, I have seen and own a copy of he movie with James Dean, but as a reader, I always get a lot more out of the book.

Rosemarie wrote: "I read Grapes of Wrath a long time ago, but the impressions I had while reading it are still in my mind. It's a book that changes your perceptions on certain issues.

East of Eden focusses on the s..."

I agree totally about Grapes of Wrath, Rosemarie - its more than 50 years since I first read it, but I can still remember the emotional impact the ending had on me on that first reading.

I see a lot of positive comments on The Grapes of Wrath which is encouraging as I plan to read it later the year.

Hello Dave!

We have read John Steinbecks works off and on over the years. Last year we read a work every month still in the Archive section:
/topic/group...

I think East of Eden was one we read in 2017 or so.

Thank you Leslie. I look forward to reviewing the past years reads. Steinbeck wrote a lot, and I have long term plans to read many of his works. I was in the Navy for 24 years and spent a year and a half in Monterey CA at school while in the Navy. A number of his novels are set in that area and there were a lot of markers there and over in Salinas noting his works and life.

Dave wrote: " I was in the Navy for 24 years and spent a year and ..."

That is really a wonderful experience that you can tie to the reads of Steinbeck!

The list we have does not limit you to sharing what you read. Feel free to let us know here what your reading or even comment in the Archive threads and Members will respond!

Lesle wrote: "Dave wrote: " I was in the Navy for 24 years and spent a year and ..."

That is really a wonderful experience that you can tie to the reads of Steinbeck!

The list we have does not limit you to sha..."
Thank you for the encouragement Lesle. Circumstances have given me an extended period to read (listen) to books hours each day. I read multiple books simultaneously, switching after about two hours

I will list the books I am currently reading and keep it current on the “What are you reading now.�� thread.

Dave wrote: "I will list the books I am currently reading and keep it current on the “What are you reading now.�� thread...."

Sounds like a shareable plan!

I posted my current books on the thread.

I just started Tortilla Flat. Another tick off from Steinbeck repertoire.

I started listening to Travels with Charley the other night but I fell asleep very early on! I’m going to try again tonight. The narrator is actor Gary Sinese.

That should be good, Pam.

Pam I can never read before bedtime. I fall asleep by the 3rd or 4th page and forget everything I read.

I fell asleep again on my 2nd try! I’ll have to listen tomorrow while driving and waiting for my dad at his PT appointment. I’m really interested in this one since I’ve been to a lot of the places he writes about. Just from the few pages I’ve heard, it seems to have some humor to it.