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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Gary Alan Sinise (pronounced ; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor and film director. During his career, Sinise has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for Palme d'Or and an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed the film and played the role of George Milton in the movie adaptation of Of Mice and Men. Sinise was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for his role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump. He won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for his role in Truman. In 1996, he played a corrupt police officer in the Ron Howard dramatic hit Ransom. In 1998, Sinise was awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for the television film George Wallace, a portrayal of the late Governor George C. Wallace, Jr., of Alabama. Sinise currently stars in CBS's CSI: NY as Detective Mac Taylor. He recently narrated a biography for Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor at the Republican National Convention in support of John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States of America. In December 2008 he was awarded the Presidential Citizen Medal, the second highest civilian medal awarded to U.S. civilians. He received the medal from President George W. Bush for his humanitarian contributions to Iraqi school children and his involvement in the USO. He is the executive producer of Brothers at War, the award winning documentary about an American military family and the Iraq war. Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois, the son of Millie (née Alsip) and Robert L. Sinise, who is a film editor. He is of part Italian ancestry. He attended Highland Park High School, in Highland Park, Illinois, and cont... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=524276 ... Read more

Product Description
Mac Taylor is a fictional character featured in the TV series CSI: NY. He is played by Gary Sinise. Andy Garcia was originally offered the lead role, a character who would have been named Detective Rick Calucci. He declined, as did Ray Liotta, who later accepted a lead role in another CBS series, Smith, which only lasted 3 episodes. Mac Taylor shares the same last name with the other character for which Sinise is best known, namely Lieutenant Dan Taylor from Forrest Gump. In the Season 2 episode "Fare Game," a man and his daughter are running lines from Of Mice and Men as George Milton and Lennie Small, respectively. Mac walks up and says, "She just might beat us both out for the part." Gary Sinise played George Milton in the 1992 movie version of Of Mice and Men, which he also directed. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from DAV Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 563 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Actor Gary Sinise is spokesman for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.
Publication: DAV Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 48Issue: 3Page: 18(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Forrest Gump is a 1994 American comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, Sally Field and Gary Sinise. The story is of Forrest Gump, a simple man hailing from Alabama, and his journey through life meeting historical figures, influencing popular culture, and experiencing firsthand historic events of the late 20th century. The film differs substantially from Winston Groom's novel on which it was based. Filming took place in late 1993, mainly in Georgia and North and South Carolina. Extensive visual effects were used to incorporate the protagonist into archived footage as well as for developing other scenes. An extensive soundtrack was featured in the film, and its commercial release made it one of the top selling albums of all time. Released in the United States on July 6, 1994, Forrest Gump was well received by critics and became a commercial success as the top grossing film in North America released that year. The film ended up earning over $677 million worldwide during its theatrical run. ... Read more

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Der Erwerb des Buches enthält gleichzeitig die kostenlose Mitgliedschaft im Buchklub des Verlags zum Ausprobieren - dort können Sie von über einer Million Bücher ohne weitere Kosten auswählen. Das Buch besteht aus Wikipedia-Artikeln: Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, Robert Zemeckis, Gary Sinise, Herbie Hancock, Barack Obama, Al Capone, Walt Disney, Dean O'Banion, Anastacia, Liste der Söhne und Töchter von Chicago, Red Grange, Mike Ditka, R. Kelly, Johnny Torrio, Gillian Anderson, George Moran, Sid Luckman, Karl Malden, Jason Robards, Bronko Nagurski, Michelle Obama, Dick Lane, Elroy Hirsch, Tom Berenger, Michael Crichton, Bulldog Turner, Andrew Urdiales, Neil Flynn, Paul Hornschemeier, Kathy Reichs, Buster Ramsey, Harvey Korman, Daryl Hannah, Bruce Alexander Cook, James Belushi, Bruce Dern, Bill Osmanski, Johnny Griffin, Jennifer Beals, Pat Harder, George Connor, Betty Ford, Dick Stanfel, Joe Fortunato, Billy Zane, Bill George, John Paul Stevens, Patricia Arquette, Eva Watson-Schütze, John Belushi, Bernie Mac, Walter Koenig, Don Keith Opper, Garry Shandling, Michael Clarke Duncan, Earle Hagen, Richard Marx, Irving Wallace, Jennifer Morrison, Fred Karlin, Dan Castellaneta, Dick Barwegan, Joe Osmanski, Lloyd Burdick, Nancy Atherton, Albert Tocco, Ralph Bellamy, Danny Lloyd, Betty Freeman, Amanda Simpson, Julius Carry, Michael Stahl-David, Maeve Quinlan, Mason Gamble, Fast Eddie, Carol Beach York, Alex Datcher, Bertrand Goldberg, Susanna Foster,. Online finden Sie die kostenlose Aktualisierung der Bücher. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: Barack Hussein Obama II (* 4. August 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii) ist seit dem 20. Januar 2009 der 44. Präsident der Vereinigten Staaten. Der Jurist und Politiker der Demokratischen Partei ist der Sohn einer Amerikanerin und eines Kenianers und gilt damit als der erste Afroamerikaner in diesem Amt. Von 2005 bis 2008 war Obama im Senat der Vereinigten Staaten für Illinois Junior Senator, der dienstjüngere de...http://booksllc.net/?l=de&id=297666 ... Read more

Product Description
Gary Alan Sinise (born March 17, 1955) is an American actor and film director. During his career, Sinise has won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for Palme d'Or and an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed the film and played the role of George Milton in the movie adaption of Of Mice and Men. Sinise was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for his role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump. He won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for his role in Truman. In 1996, he played a corrupt police officer in the Ron Howard dramatic hit Ransom. In 1998, Sinise was awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for the television film George Wallace, a portrayal of the late Governor George C. Wallace, Jr., of Alabama. Sinise currently stars in CBS's CSI: NY as Detective Mac Taylor. He recently narrated a biography for Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor at the Republican National Convention in support of John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States of America. ... Read more

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BOMB 66, Winter 1999, featuring: Interviews with Micheal Cunningham by Justin Spring, Simon Winchester by Patrick McGrath, Marc Ribot by David Krasnow, Jenny Diski by Frederic Tute, Janine Antoni by Stuart Horodner, Thomas Vinterberg Maria Mackinney, Yayoi Kusama by Grady Turner, Gary Sinise by Scott Elliott, Prisoners of Democracy by Daniel Flores y Ascencio. Fiction and Poetry by Victor D. LaValle, Anne Livet, Deborah Gorlin, William Tester, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Loida Maritza Per?z, Janet Zweig, David Yager, and John Morris. ... Read more

Product Description
Revolves around two central characters: Lennie and George. Lennie is a man with the strength of two, but with the mind of a child, whose whole world centres around George, who steers him through life and protects him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Poignant Classic
George and Lennie are two itinerant farm workers moving from one California farm to another. The two of them move together in order to avoid the loneliness and misery that usually accompanies nomads. Lennie is an incredibly strong and hard worker who has a mind of a child. Unfortunately for him, his strength and child-like instincts oftentimes get him in trouble. George has known Lennie since he was just a kid, and is the brains behind this unlikely duo. George dreams of a bigger life for the two of them, a life where they would settle on a small farm of their own. The questions remain, however, of how will they acquire enough money to purchase such a place and if they will be able to do so without getting into any really big trouble on account of Lennie's unpredictable behavior.

This is perhaps the most poignant and well developed of Steinbeck's short novels. The characters are some of the most memorable ones in all of the twentieth century literature, and are masterfully developed and vivid. The narrative is as compact and tight as they come. Steinbeck is nothing short of a pure genius when it comes to constructing stories: each element, each sentence has its place and serves the overall purpose. This novella is a textbook example of what good storytelling is all about and will be enjoyed by both Steinbeck's fans as well as those who are new to his writings.

Couldn't be happier with this product!
Book came on time and was in great condition. I couldn't have been happier with the sender.

An Influential American novel
One man's struggle is another man's accomplishment. "Of Mice and Men" is an intriguing book, which should be recommended to all due to the moral of the book, teaching you about friendship, and overcoming struggles.

"Of Mice and Men" is a touching tale of the friendship between two men set against the backdrop of the United States during the depression of the 1930s. The book draws a reader such as myself due to friendship that triumphs over the odds. After analyzing the reviews, I came to understand that "Of Mice and Men" was not just a book, but also rather a novel of its time. Many students and adults in the world read "Of Mice and Men" today. A book, which catches the eye of all ages is a book worth reading due to it meeting the standards of various styles of audiences.

The author uses variety methods of influence such as overgeneralization, bias, stereotype, and association in the novel. The novel examines many of the prejudices at the time: racism, sexism and prejudice towards those with disabilities. The significance of Steinbeck is that his writing treats these issues in human terms. He sees society's prejudices in the sense as separate (individual) problems and his characters attempts to escape from the prejudices. Steinbeck illustrates overgeneralization in the comment, "if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before..."(pg. 15). This personal quote is considered as an overgeneralization due to Steinbeck prediction another's behavior.Another example illustrated was association, "guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family"(pg. 13). Steinbeck was a man with a great deal of imagination due to him speaking of hard work for the characters to come.

Steinbeck states, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the lonesome guys in the world" (pg. 13). This demonstrates validity and accuracy because Steinbeck illustrates the farming land in California where he was born. This quote also leads one to the belief of Steinbeck's background of always being away from family. Steinbeck also states in the novel, "Hit the jackpot" (pg. 10). This quote leads to Steinbeck's work being accurate because of the California gold rush.

After analyzing others reviews, I want to believe that I agree with others reviews posted on Amazon.com. Prior to reading this book, I learned a great deal about Steinbeck and his significant novels. Steinbeck was a man who wrote many great novels which are being read even today in high schools around the country. "Of Mice and Men" is a thriller, a gripping tale that you will not set down until it is finished.

"Of mice and Men" is a book which I not only recommend to students, such as myself, but also to a variety of audiences'. People should continue to read "Of Mice and Men" because it will not only teach you about friendship, butalso about overcoming struggles.

Shiv Mani, TJHS student

All time classic-fast read
I was on a "classic" book binge this summer. This was the last on my list and it was the perfect way to wind down after books like "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Great Gatsby" and "The Bell Jar".

About the Heritage Edition in Slipcase
In a royal blue, cloth-covered slipcase reminiscent of denim. The book itself is bound 3/4's denim with a brown leather spine with dark brown details.

An over-sized book with many Fletcher Martin illustrations: 18 two-color drawings, and six double-spread water colors.

With an introduction by Winterich. 165 pp. ... Read more

Product Description
Of Mice and Men was John Steinbeck's first masterpiece. Originally published in 1937, it's the timeless story of George Milton and Lennie Small, ranch hands who drift from job to job, always one step ahead of the law and a few dollars from the poorhouse. George is small, wiry, sharp-tongued and quick-tempered; slow witted Lennie is his opposite—an immense man, brutishly strong but naturally docile, a giant with the mind of a child. Despite their difference, George and Lennie are bound together by a shared vision: their own small farm, where they'll raise cows, pigs, chickens, and rabbits, where they'll be their own bosses and live off the fat of the land.

When they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, the dream at last seems within reach. If they can just save up a little money. . . . But their hopes, like "the best-laid schemes of mice and men," begin to go awry. The story unfolds with the power and inevitability of a Greek tragedy, as Lennie commits an accidental murder, and George, in a riveting, deeply moving finale, must do what he can to make things turn our right. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1176)

A book everyone should read at least once
This is an amazing book. I've read it dozens of times and it never fail to tug on my heart strings. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a place in their hearts for a genuine classic piece of literature.

Of Mice and Men
Our class had to read this book as part of the curriculum... and I am so glad we did! This classic deserves the attention it has gotten the past (almost) 100 years! Read this book!

Of Mice and Men is about a retarded man named Lennie and the man who travels and protects him, George, and their journey to work on a ranch during the Great Depression.

All of the characters in this book were complex and marvelous... even the ones who had less than 5 lines!

George- The man who gave up his happiness to help and love Lennie.
Lennie- A strong man with the mind of a toddler. He will do anything to make George happy.

Curley- He hates Lennie because he is intimidated by men who are bigger than him.

Curley's Wife- She flirts with every man on the ranch to make up for the loneliness Curley gives her.

This book was written amazingly... obviously, it's a classic! Even though it was written in the early 20th century, it is easy to comprehend if you are at least 12.

Exactly what I ordered
I ordered the CD for the book Of Mice and Men so that my English students could listen to the book.It follows the book pretty accurately. I am very pleased with the purchase.

Read the entire review before commenting
For all my reviews visit my website

I am NOT reviewing the edition. Just the movies unless otherwise stated.

Please note that the rating above is possibly skewed by the ratings on this specific site. There might be a slightly different rating at the end.

...You know...this has been one of the most challenged books of the 21st Century. Along with such classics as The Color Purple, The Two Towers, Harry Potter, Twilight, Catch 22, To Kill a Mockingbird (one of my personal favorite books), and tons of other great stuff. Does that mean that it is as good as the other ones? Well......as I've always said, IT'S DEBATABLE.

This pains me to talk about it, but if I don't talk about it, all we go astray with my socks. So let's go. Character Development- 1937? Awesome, because there were tons of people like this that you didn't know much about, just wandered around. Perfectly fitting for what was going on. 2010? Sucks @$$!!! YOU BARELY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS! I'm not attached to any of the characters, except for their personal climaxes (dog, ending, "fist" fight, etc.) And those personal climaxes aren't so great either. Length? Is it reasonable? 1937-Of course, haven't you ever read Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! 2010- Terrible. It's way too short, but even then you don't read it all in one go. And it all takes place within the same freaking 5 miles, mostly on the same "farm" (I believe.) Symbolism - 1937? Undetectable. 2010? Awesomely awesome, but not enough. There was really only 4 big symobls at the most in this book. Now don't even get me STARTED on To Kill a Mockingbird! (Seriously, don't.)

Story? 1937- There is no story! It's just a perfect depiction of the Great Depression! WOOO! 2010 - There is NO story!!! It's JUST a perfect depiction of The Great Depression!!!! wooo???.......Well, that's it at a glance. There's way more in the story, stuff about friendship, and what it takes to be part of a family/friendship. IT'S PAINFUL! You can't just be "HEY DUDES! WE GET DRINKEZ YALS!!!" And this book teaches us that, which does earn it another .7 stars than it would regularly receive. (Hey, that's another 14%.) Format of writing? 1937-How should I know? I'm lucky I can guess at the other stuff. 2010-Stays too close to the Beginning Middle and End format. There's no plot twists or anything. It almost seems like John Steinbeck was 14 when he wrote this! It's extremely crude and juvenile compared to some other books of the time. It's focuses to much on getting the story through, and the story itself, and not allowing itself to take any risks besides the ones set before writing such book, and thus is bland.

Now, what do I mean by bland? It's extremely graphic, and heart wrenching yes. But, that Wrench that is wrenching your heart is not close enough to your heart's very soul (my harts has souls?) To wrench your heart in the most gruesome ways. YOU SEE, THAT'S CALLED TAKING RISKS! The book doesn't get you close enough to the characters (refer to earlier in the review,) so that you can feel with the moments as much as you'd like. When someone main dies, it has equivalent feeling as if a side character in a great book would die. That's what I call, teenage writing. And how old was John when he wrote this? THIRTY FIVE. All time excuses included, that's unexceptable! ...but what else? This review is going places you cannot even imagine. Grammar is clever, giving the characters a distinct southern accent. Of course this affects spelling, but it's okay.

Overall, I can't really explain anymore without spoiling it unacceptably. It's like a Pizza from the average store. Either the Cheese, Crust, or Sauce is the best part, and the rest are all bland. So it's great for it's moments, BUT IT'S NO AMERICAN CLASSIC! Skip to the end, that's what I say.

The Rating? 2/5 would be it, but the .7 I promised comes in. 2.7/5

UPDATE: There's been one thing that bugged me during the entire book, that stupidly I left out of this review. So here's this one last detail that is majorly important. You ever read a book that grinds your psyche? Well, it's meant to, and it scares the crap outta you! Awesome. You ever read a book that is depressing for a reason? Well, it's meant to teach you morals! Awesome! Mixing the two flavors is like mixing a Banana Soothe and a Hamburger. They're great alone, BUT YOU DON'T MIX EM. It confuses the reader to mix the two flavors of psychological storyline. You don't know what to think, and affects you on a deeper level FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS. Case in point, John did not know which to choose. The ending is a beautifully depressing part. Killing mice and pups with your bare hands is not beautiful but serious grinding of your psyche. Don't mix it up!!!

Heart-wrenching..classic for a reason.
After reading this book, I couldn't stop thinking about Lennie and George.

It's highly emotionally impacting, and that is due to Steinbeck's outstanding story-telling.. excellent character development in a startlingly short amount of time..so you're not only invested in the story itself, but with each character - strongly so the supporting cast.It was so simple to paint a vivid image in my mind.

A story about the true testament of friendship, but not in the conventional way.A story about choices, consequences, lessons, control.. and how often times, the spirit is who it is..and controlling it or a destiny, will never be fulfilled. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of short stories by Stephen King. "Suffer the Little Children" is read by Whoopi Goldberg, "Crouch End" is read by Tim Curry, "Rainy Season" is read by Yeardley Smith, "Dolan's Cadillac" is read by Rob Lowe. Stephen King reads an introduction.Amazon.com Review
Many people who write about horror literature maintain thatmood is its most important element. Stephen King disagrees: "My deeplyheld conviction is that story must be paramount.... All otherconsiderations are secondary--theme, mood, even characterization andlanguage."

These fine stories, each written in what King calls "a burst of faith,happiness, and optimism," prove his point. The theme, mood,characters, and language vary, but throughout, a sense of story reignssupreme. Nightmares & Dreamscapes contains 20 shorttales--including several never before published--plus one teleplay,one poem, and one nonfiction piece about kids and baseball thatappeared in the New Yorker. The subjects include vampires,zombies, an evil toy, man-eating frogs, the burial of a Cadillac, adisembodied finger, and a wicked stepfather. The style ranges fromKing's well-honed horror to a RayBradbury-like fantasy voice to an ambitious pastiche of RaymondChandler and RossMacDonald. And like a compact disc with a bonus track, the book endswith a charming little tale not listed in the table of contents--aparable called "The Beggar and the Diamond." --Fiona Webster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (107)

The Brooklyn Bridge, Over and Over Again
In his introduction to this collection, Stephen King recalls being a credulous youngster who believed all sorts of things--from the reality of Santa Claus to Richard Nixon's plan to get the country out of Vietnam.He is still like this, and willingly accepts the recurring disappointments in exchange for the ability to believe in a story and bring it to life.In this collection, his third following Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, King believes into existence twenty-two stories--and one nonfiction piece--intended to scare the reader "...so badly you won't be able to go to sleep without leaving the bathroom light on."Some of them deliver all too well.

Three of my favorites:

In "Dolan's Cadillac" we live through years of obsessive investigation and planning for revenge.A man traps the mob boss who ordered his wife's death and systematically covers up all evidence of his crime.Perfect.

If you could remove mankind's violent tendencies and bring about "The End of the Whole Mess" of murder and war, you would do it, right?Even if it wasn't the smartest thing to do.

In "Suffer the Little Children" we meet Miss Sidley, a teacher who has been taking care of children all of her adult life.One day her students begin acting strangely...so she takes care of them.

This book is highly recommended for Stephen King fans and readers who enjoy a well-crafted story that makes their brains squirm for a day or two after reading.

Expect the expected--and the unexpected
One of the many things I love about Stephen King as a writer is this--when you read one of his works (whether short story, novella, novel, or epic novel), you get exactly what you expect, along with a bit of what you don't expect. And that's one of the characteristics that make him such an entertaining and amazing author--he keeps building his repertoire and impressing you with talents that you didn't know he had. This collection of short stories allows King to showcase many of the talents you'd expect from him, as well as a number of talents he doesn't often get an opportunity to showcase in his novels. There's a revenge tale reminiscent of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" ("Dolan's Cadillac"), a story featuring creepy kids ("Suffer the Little Children"), stories about animated things that shouldn't be animated ("Chattery Teeth" and "The Moving Finger"), apocalyptic tales ("The End of the Whole Mess" and "Home Delivery"), an homage to Lovecraft ("Crouch End"), and what is probably one of King's best short stories, "The Ten O'Clock People"--all pretty standard, and well done, Stephen King fare. And then there's the unexpected--a teleplay ("Sorry, Right Number"), a Sherlock Holmes story ("The Doctor's Last Case"), a poem ("Brooklyn August"), and--the most pleasant surprise of all--a non-fiction piece about King's son's Little League team ("Head Down"), which resulted in an effect I never imagined a piece of Stephen King's writing would have on me: I cried. I will continue to sing the praises of Stephen King and insist that he is one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated writers around. Despite his massive popularity, he is often derided as a one-dimensional writer with no skill outside of his chosen genre--horror. "Nightmares & Dreamscapes" offers ample proof that that is not the case at all. Read it, and be surprised.

2 stars for Seller;5 stars for book
The book had many interesting short stories.I would recommend the book but not the seller, Thriftbooks.The book they sent me had pages out of order.For example, you're reading on page 342 and the next page is 382.The pages were mixed up throughout the middle of the book.All the pages were there but not in order.

Good fun, lots of chills
This collection is chock full of everything King aficionados love, and it'll easily hook the uninitiated.There are many different samples on display, from one of King's true oldies (a Castle Rock story originally published in a college literary magazine, and feeling its roots very deep...when the autumn pumpkins get loving detail, you know it's a young man's voice) to something he finished in about three days in the year this was published.They are, for the most part, very good, full of story and gab, which is what you expect from King.I especially liked 'Popsy', which is a sort of child abductor revenge fantasy meets vampire tale (parents everywhere are confronted with their greatest nightmare and must give a cheer at the end), 'Suffer the Little Children', which kept me up for HOURS later that night, 'Rainy Season', which walks the line between horror and humor very well (the only time King tips his hand is when he name drops 'The Lottery'...you'll see what I mean), and 'Umney's Last Case', since it's clever and I'll gobble up anything Raymond Chandler-esque.

There are actually only a couple of bumps in the road.King's Sherlock Holmes story is passable Conan Doyle, at best.If you want a BRILLIANT modern attempt, read Neil Gaiman's 'A Study in Emerald.'King probably gets a moderate grade because Holmes requires icy precision, subtle restraint and a wry, nimble style of writing, and King, much as I love him and much as he has great talent, is not especially gifted in those areas.(I could be wrong, but I think Holmes makes a pussy joke somewhere in there...reader, I cringed.)

Still, there is much to enjoy here.I won't give a blow by blow of everything I liked (which was a lot), and everything I didn't (which was a little.)Instead, I'll take on two stories, my favorite and the one I liked least.

Crouch End- King goes to Lovecraft country, and I absolutely didn't want it to end.Everything you love about King-- the sense of place and character, dialogue and dialect, rising sense of terror, and flat out crazy, tentacled monsters living under the city streets-- is here.It's also one of the best examples of story and mood working together, instead of fighting with each other.A young couple visiting London go to meet the husband's colleague in Crouch End.The moment they enter the suburb, I became unsettled.It got worse from there.The wife, who (spoiler) lives to tell the tale, notices the strange orange light, the claw-handed child, the people with rat heads (but she imagined it...?), the one-eyed cat who seems to become a vagrant under a bridge later.The woman's tale is interspersed with the kindly officers at the police station, who listen to her story and don't know what to make of it.The editing in this tale is very good, so that the action unfolds as you might see it on television or at the movies.I won't say what happens to the husband, or how it ends, but it's very satisfactory, very frightening, and also very creepy.I had to turn on the lights when I was done, and it was only afternoon.King's command of the British dialect in this is nearly always spot on, and he makes everyday things in the light of day appear sinister and evil.The plotting, writing, everything is good here.Happily, most of the collection falls into this area, though I think this is the best example of the book.

Home Delivery- Unfortunately, everything that is right about Crouch End is wrong about Home Delivery.The story starts out as some kind of Lifetime movie, with an incredibly mousy woman, unable to cope without a man.She once married a dashing sailor, you know, who showed her love, until...until he was drowned at sea.Now, weak minded and pregnant, she must face the void alone.And then the zombies eat the president.Not kidding.That's basically the next line.King's instincts here are wrong, between trying to play all this nonsense dead serious and the wall to wall folksiness of EVERY F---ING SITUATION.The down home charm is one of the reasons I like King, but if you were up in a space shuttle, watching space worms eat your compatriots' brains (don't ask, it'll make sense) and knowing you're next, would your last musings to the world via satellite be 'I did so like all of them, especially the fat guy who dug around in his nose.'Yeah, it's a British character.King's knack for the Brit dialect vanished on this one.Sometimes, it does seem like King will be folksy if it kills him.Then the pregnant woman fights the Ray Harryhausen (in my mind) sailor husband back from the grave, zombies you know.And the men of the island town machine-gun the whole graveyard.And the woman is happy that she'll have a home delivery.Probably the two greatest failings here were the decision to, as I said, play it straight, and the relentless down home chat.Honestly, Steve, I know you have an ear for dialogue.I BELIEVE YOU.

Still, snark ended, this is a very good, creepy read, excellent for curling up with on a dark night.Going through it, piece by piece, you see and understand how much love King has for the craft, how hard he works at it, and how much joy it brings him.It's bound to bring you happiness as well, even if it's the squirming, terrified kind of happiness.It'll do.

A Great RIde
I really enjoyed this book, its a lot like enjoying classical music. The moods, the tempo and the pacing of the stories is so enjoyable. The story that still freaks me out to this day is "Home Delivery" simply for the scene that takes place in the space shuttle!! King could have made a whole novel based on that scene. But he didn't and that is what makes him so good at the short stories. I think a good short story forces your mind to ask "what would have happened if the story kept on going"? Not that his novels do not do the same, but in the short story King is forced to put down the bare bones of the story. The other stories that blew me away were: The Night Flier, The Moving Finger, Crotch End and My Pretty Pony. My Pretty Pony shows the depth of King's thinking on the philosophy of time. The Ten O' Clock People is a nice story but to me it's just a ripe off of John Carpenter's They Live. All in all not a bad collection of stories. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1960, when he was almost 60 years old, John Steinbeck set out to rediscover his native land. Accompanied only by a distinguished french poodle named Charley, he travelled across the United States in a three-quarter-ton pick-up truck equipped with a miniature ship's cabin and named Rocinante. His course took him through almost forty states. He saw things that made him proud, angry, sympathetic and elated, which he examined with both love and critical accuracy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (218)

A Nice way to Tour the Country from your own Home
Travels with Charlie was the first book I picked for my new Kindle and my first non-fiction book by John Steinbeck.

It is a fantastic book as a travel memoir that really gives the reader a glimpse into the person that was John Steinbeck.I've always been a fan of his works although my breadth in reading his work has been limited to about 5 novels before this.

Travels with Charlie is a chronicle of the writer's journey from his 1960's home in Long Island across the Northern U.S. to the home of his youth in Monterey County (Salinas and Monterey) in California, back home by way of the south.

It is a relatively short book that perhaps provides the reader the best opportunity to get to know the person that was John Steinbeck.You'll find yourself a part of a journey just as you may have with the Grapes of Wrath only John and Charlie (his poodle) are your companions.Not only do you see the character of Steinbeck, you see the character of the U.S. at the beginning of the 1960's.The stories he tells, the people he meets, his interactions with Charlie are all fantastic.

If I had to make any criticism of the book, it would be that as the story progresses, things get a bit more sparse.However, this isn't really so much a fault of the book as a loss of patience on Steinbeck's part.You get the feeling during the beginning that this trip is going long, and it does.A lot of detail goes into the trip through the northern part of the country.I am not sure it is too much detail, but as Steinbeck gets exhausted with the length of his trip, so does his writing.From the beginning, I was interested in what his commentary would be as he came back around.Unfortunately, given the length of his trip, he became more rushed and the commentary more sparse.That doesn't necessarily hurt things as there are some interesting items from the South to be read about, but it is too bad there isn't a bit more.The end is a little too abrupt for the quality of the overall book.

Overall, it is a fantastic read, and the interactions with Charlie are really fantastic.He really does a fantastic job of showing the love that most people have for their dogs.I am thankful I gave this book a try as it really added to my admiration for John Steinbeck and gives the reader a window into a man who is obviously not perfect but is definitely respectable.

Travels with Charley

I loved the first half of this book, the second half I did not like much at all.I've always been a fan of Steinbeck but never before had read any of his non-fiction works.I'm glad I did read this book, even if I was unsatisfied with the ending.

In his later years, Steinbeck, along with his older poodle Charley, decides to take a trip around the country to see how it has changed in the past twenty or so years (he spent a lot of time abroad).He buys a truck and a customer trailer he names "Rocinante" and stocks it full of supplies.Most notably enough liquor to fill a bath tub because he feels when you meet someone on the road, you can always use a good drink.He spends the first part of his trip in New England, seeing the sites there and tasting the local cuisine, and then moves on through the mid-west all the way to Seattle.He expresses an especial love for Montana and its "old-time" feel.

Once he reaches California, his original home, he makes a detour to see family and then resumes his travels towards Texas.For some reason, Steinbeck is a bit apprehensive about Texas and almost wants to skip it,but finds that he can't (especially since his wife's family lives there).He spends a couple days on a ranch and then moves on through the rest of the South.His trip isn't as pleasant through this part as the south during the sixties was full of turmoil due to the rights movement.He also learns the dangers of picking up Hitchhiker's who don't agree with your viewpoints.

Steinbeck meets several interesting people along the way.The best part about them is that they are all different, but the same in that they're just trying to make a better way for themselves.They share a drink and some interesting stories with him and help him from becoming too lonely on his journeys.However, some of the conversations seem a bit pretentious and I really do wonder if they were real conversations.Maybe its just being a product of my time but I don't think I've ever heard people talk as poetically as Steinbeck describes their conversations.His description of his dog is also wonderful.Just the conversations they had going back and forth, with sometimes the dog only saying "Fft" was funny reading to me.

Steinbeck's writing is of course marvelous.He does a really wonderful job with the description in the first part of the book and you can truly tell what an enjoyable time he's having.He describes Charley humorously and it really is a trip for him and his dog in these descriptions.However, he loses this description and somewhat ignores Charley in the latter half of the book.He also spends less time on places and it almost seems rushed.I would have liked to see him spend the same amount of time detailing California, Texas and the South as he did New England.

Overall though, this was an enjoyable read.It was the type of book you could pick up and read in pieces without having to worry about forgetting detail.It was simply a man's journey with his dog in search of what makes America the way it is and how the people who live in it shape the whole experience.

Travels With Charley
Copyright 1962
277 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2010

Great Gift
This book was purchased as a gift for a person who is an avid reader and enjoys reading about adventures of people in the different parts of the United States. She was so pleased and is eager to share what she has read with me.

TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY
The book arrived in sterling shape with dust jacket attached and in excellent shape. the purveyor was prompt and the item arrived in good time. The content of the book is one of Steinbecks best late works in trying to recapture the flavor of the various sections of the United States during the 60,s. I was in my prime during the 60,s and can truly relate to the various characterizations of the sections of the country at that time.excellent read and the usage of his standard poodle as traveling companion was very amusing.a great book i reccommend to all animal lovers.

Still Revealing Truths Decades Later
Steinbeck's travels across the country with Charley the dog reveal a lot about human nature, self-discovery, attitudes and opinions of the "everyman", and so much more. Each chapter is a super focused slice that tells the truth and lies at the same time, while both romanticizing and bringing to solid-ground America and Americans. An absolute must read for Americans of all walks. ... Read more