East of Eden | 
pickLoved, loved, loved this book! It was my first Steinbeck and I found it to be a real page turner. I adored how Steinbeck developed this rich story (and characters!) despite (or maybe even because of?) his plain writing style. The bonus: the book is packed with great quotes like is „The free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.“
pickI ended up LOVING this book. Yes, it‘s bleak, but it‘s a lesson in humanity and free will. I‘m still taking notes bc the writing is wonderful and I love the philosophizing that goes on by the narrator. Steinbeck did have a degree in I believe English lit and Philosophy from Stanford and it shows. So happy I read it.
“But the Hebrew word, the word 'timshel' - 'Thou mayest' - that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if 'thou mayest' - it is also true that 'Thou mayest not.' Don't you see?“
-Lee, on Genesis 4:7
pickOne of the things I realized as the first autumn closed in was that I'd have a lot of time to read. East of Eden was sort of a local classic in Monterey, CA. It really was breathtaking. Of course, any time the antagonist is female it's going to hit me harder, but this was truly tragic. And yet, it had that undercurrent. That there's a big picture and the heartbreaks are an inevitable part of life. “Timshel.“ There is always evil to be resisted.
Our selection for bookclub tonight is The Great Gatsby, which I‘ve retitled The Great Mediocrity 😜, but another member said he recently read E of E and wanted to chat. I thumbed though the important bits I tabbed and it brought back a flood of resonance. 💙 It‘s a huggable book.
This person is an evangelical Christian and I‘m not biblically literate so I hope he‘s not expecting a deep dive comparison with Genesis. It is not an exact retelling.
pickMy reading life is wrecked & ruined! 😭 I‘m almost angry at Steinbeck for writing this novel - what could possibly live up to it hereafter?
It‘s finally summer! 😁🌞
Not my typical view while the deck is replaced. It‘s true, renovations invariably take longer than a contractor estimates.
This summer will be marked by East of Eden. I know this is going to be one of those experiences I will wish I could have for the first time again & again & again.
And I‘m only halfway through!
pickThis really is a masterpiece. The Biblical echoes, the struggle between good and evil in the human heart, the ambitions and sorrows and ideals and delusions that build a life, all that‘s said and felt and left unspoken in human relationships—Steinbeck manages all of that and more.
It‘s been YEARS since I read this, and I noticed so much more this time around—the flaws as well as the genius. ⤵️
pickI cannot say I loved this one, but I liked it. It‘s a struggle of good versus evil and making decisions and their consequences. Parts of this meandered, and I‘m not sure the significance of those parts. Beautifully written.
#RandomClassics
I just noticed this tiny pig emblem on the back of my library copy of East of Eden, and was fascinated—I had to look up the meaning of the motto. And I found this: Pigasus! Ad Astra Per Alia Porci: to the stars on the wings of a pig. Earthbound but aspiring. I love it!
https://www.sjsu.edu/steinbeck/resources/biography/pigasus.php
#RandomClassics
I just finished Chapter 21…Cathy is so evil! She gives me the creeps. Just had to say something! #RandomClassics
Image is from Wikipedia/public domain of Jo Van Fleet portraying Cathy Ames in the 1955 film.
Exploring Loreto Baja and visited this lovely little bookstore, Caballo Blanco. Planning to sit in the nextdoor coffee shop and catch up on tagged book! And noting it‘s time to reread Steinbeck‘s Log of the Sea of Cortez, his funny, descriptive and moving journal of traveling by boat with his good friend Ed Rickets from San Fran, down Baja coast and up the Sea of Cortez in the mid-40s.
Ohhh, I love this.
“Well, here‘s your box. Nearly everything I have is in it, and it is not full. Pain and excitement are in it, and feeling good or bad and evil thoughts and good thoughts—the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation.
And on top of these are all the gratitude and love I have for you.
And still the box is not full.”
#RandomClassics @TheAromaofBooks
I just pulled my battered old copy of East of Eden off the shelf, ready to start chapter 1 for the #RandomClassics buddy read tomorrow—and the front cover stayed on the shelf. 😆 I either need to read very gently, or maybe check out a library copy…
repost for @TheAromaofBooks:
I have a kind of love/hate relationship with Steinbeck's writing, so we'll see what happens 😂 Some of the chapters are long, but some are really short, so I think we're going to go with a chapter a day and hope it averages out. There are 55 chapters, so this one will carry into June. #RandomClassics
original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2726913
30 Book Recommendations in 30 Days — Day 14 “East of Eden,” by John Steinbeck. From the Bible: And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in
the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
(They‘re called classics for a reason, folks.). Good, no, great stuff. The movie‘s good, but it only tells half the story. The book is always better.
pickFull of life, and hardships.
Hey, guys. Do you know if it's possible to read comic books on kindle?
bailedOkay that's it, I am done. I tried. DNF at 27%. Page 167 is ENTIRELY about topsoil. 🤦♀️ I have no energy left for this level of tediousness.
Love this quote though. And this is from a section discussing racism, which I thought was very well done.
6 months later.... 🤦♀️ Let me try this again. 😂 It's very...tedious. I seriously considered DNF'ing for awhile since I couldn't even bring up the desire to pick it back up in months, but I thought I'd give it ONE more shot before giving up the ghost.
For the world was changing, and sweetness was gone, and virtue too. Worry had crept on a corroding world, and what was lost-good manners, ease and beauty? Ladies were not ladies any more, and you couldn't trust a gentleman's word.
https://youtu.be/U5vLDaig5ts
#shortyseptember
#kenyanreadathon
Intro
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Storying Violence: Unravelling Colonial Narratives in the Stanley Trial by Gina Starblanket and Dallas Hunt
And This Is How to Stay Alive by Shingai Njeri Kagunda
The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
East of Eden
Janet Evanovich
The Exorcist
The Eagles
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
#ManicMonday @CBee
#ManicMonday @Allylu @CBee
I almost forgot what day it is😂
📕 East of Eden
✍🏻 Louise Erdrich
🍿Elf
🎤 Elton John
🎵 Electric Avenue ~ https://youtu.be/vtPk5IUbdH0
Also, this is the most exciting thing that's happened in this book for a while. 🤷 I'm on page 120 (after 2 months) and is it possible to be any more long-winded??
#AlphabetGame Letter E
This was one of those books I could not put down, loved every page (and there are many) and didn‘t want it to be over. Kind of the perfect book 🤷🏻♀️❤️
#Alphabetgame #LetterE @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
East of Eden is another chunkster I loved.
Honourable mentions:
The Empty Throne, by Bernard Cornwell
Extreme Makeover, by Dan Wells
#AlphabetGame #letterE @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
The tagged book is a classic and considered a masterpiece for a reason. It was a great read, I liked reading the relationships among the characters, their struggles, and the portrayal of humanity shown.
Tagging anyone who wants to play along.
Steinbeck status: on page 28 of 600. 😆 (I'll be reading this one slowly; it's not one to be rushed. I feel like I need to chew each sentence, to fully absorb it. And that's a good feeling for me right now. 😊) I'm also highlighting passages like crazy! This is a great example of how descriptive the book is. 🌼♥️
New book and a view for my lunchtime break today. 😍
This book is just over #600pages and is one I hope to read eventually. Though I haven‘t had much luck with his books to date…
I have a picture of this bust on Cannery Row from 1993, but I‘m too lazy to dig out my old camera chip and upload it to the laptop. This photo is courtesy of the Library of Congress website.
#bookmoods
Working on a chapter a day. Coffee, Deck views, happiness.
bailedA rare occurrence for me, but I am cutting my loses and bailing on this one. I‘m sure it pays off but I can‘t get through the copious rambling dialogue and the outright offensive descriptions of things. It has taken me 2 weeks to not get 200 pages in and I CANNOT fathom reading 400 more. I wanted to finish it because it‘s a classic, but who cares? Maybe I‘ll revisit when there aren‘t so many glorious tomes watching me suffer from the TBR shelf 🪦
Sitting outside with my multiple drinks and multiple books for the multiple facets of my personality 👯♀️
I went to dinner and to see The Batman and then got home and was going to start reading this, but I really just took this picture and been scrolling 📱📵📖
pickMy latest read in my new bookcase! I‘ve been meaning to read this for decade, finally got it done! Such an expansive, complex and American book, I didn‘t love it but I appreciated it and the place it holds in our history and literary culture. The characters are iconic, the writing exceptional and now I want to watch the classic movie with James Dean. #BookspinBingo #Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks #20in4 @Andrew65 #MountTBR
#currentlisten #BFC21 Trying to finish this 25 hour #audiobook before the end of the year. Halfway there, will take a lot of walking! #chunkster
