50 Books Challenge 2026 Part Five

I did Of Mice and Men An Inspector Calls, Aninal Farm and Kes for GCSE no Shakespeare strangely

I've never read Steinbeck either. I've started GoW a few times but just found it really dull.

DBro did it for GCSE but I didn’t have to - not quite sure why as we were at the same school, though he was two years ahead.

I am not sure how I swerved it! For O level English I think I did To Kill a Mockingbird and Emma and some Shakespeare and poetry. But could be wrong...

But definitely never had to do any Steinbeck at any time as a set book.

Ooh, thanks, I like Florence Pugh a lot

@elkiedeeThe trailer is out for the new East Of Eden with Florence Pugh. It looks like a high quality production @ÚlldemoShúl

@elkiedee I don’t do lazy reviews either! Even worse on Amazon people who review who haven’t read the book!

Probably the laziest review I’ve done is “Fuck Me, This Was Dull” for a Lucy Worsley - I didn’t see a need to elaborate!

The James Dean movie only tells the story of the second half of East of Eden. There is a new tv adaptation underway I believe.

This doesn't make you a philistine at all. You explain why you didn't like it, and I don't feel disrespected by your explanation, which for me can be a danger of such concise reviews. I really get wound up by ones which say "anyone who likes this must be an idiot" very easily, and occasionally the conversation there has strayed that way, or I was thin skinned .

Grapes of Wrath is often considered best, though I haven't properly read East of Eden to check - is it quite long or is that my imagination? I have both on Kindle these days and GoW isn't short, but last time I read it, wow! Sad though. You may need something fluffier to break the anger and sadness. East of Eden was made into a film with James Dean, so I'm not sure why that didn't push me into reading it as a teenager.

How did you escape being forced to read Of Mice and Men at school?!

I really liked East of Eden and loved Cannery Row but wasn’t keen on Grapes of Wrath

me too.

I start with my wishlists - general Kindle Wishlist, Women's Prize, Booker, Library Loans I want on Kindle, Netgalley, Replacement (that's when I know I have a pb/hb copy but would be quite happy to replace it with a well formatted e book), and a list for ones I would prioritise if I got a voucher, but I rarely get vouchers these days and the remaining books there will probably never be on offer. So....

I haven’t read East of Eden yet but it is on my TBR pile.

I have never read any Steinbeck but have both Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden on my TBR pile. Slightly worried now - will try East of Eden first!

Yes I was going to ask you if it was you

I just didn’t connect to it in any way from the start and I had such a different experience with East Of Eden which would have been a bold if not for the racism!

That’s a shame Eine, I loved Grapes when I read it last year.

This is very similar to me. I do have a DD but she’s 16 now so doesn’t really need much input from me (and she’s a reader too). I also commute a lot and don’t watch much TV.

41 . The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Sharecroppers The Joads are driven off their land and journey from Oklahoma to California in search of work.

This was my favourite teachers favourite book and its been on my TBR since I was 17, so to finally complete it in one form or another is an achievement.

Sadly, I didn’t remotely enjoy the book :

1. Endless misery
2. Dialogue heavy
3. Dialogue “This Is How Poor and Uneducated People Speak”
4. Unsubtle
5. Moralising
6. Repetitive

I had expected to be wowed, moved, engrossed, by this book and it wasn’t to be. I find it hard to believe this is the same author who wrote East Of Eden which is far superior, or even The Pearl or Of Mice And Men. I feel like, is this for real? Like I’ve been conned! Where’s the book I was promised?

Don’t care if it makes me a philistine, hated it.

I put on some of Homicide this week and will probably try it again, but I think I should finish a couple of other things first like I should finish a few books!

In recent years my reading has plummeted and is now gradually climbing up again, but I'm not on course to meet last year's 228, at the moment more like 150 if I can get past the current slump soon. Last night I was reading my collection of funeral programs, which are actually a lovely archive about people I miss, as well as some of dp's relatives and former work contacts. Even the ones about people I never met are fascinating.

@Stowickthevast I am sleeping eccentrically right now, and have a lot going on some days - I'm remembering how lightly my mum (d. 2016) used to sleep and was musing that it's a worried parent thing, dp said he thought it was more mums but he does it too! If I come up after him (usually) and disturb him he wakes up in a panic asking the time.

When I sort this out though I do love early morning daylight and I think I might pursue waking up for some of it and catching up elsewhere, rather than staying in bed and then sitting up very late downstairs.

Many women writers got up to work at this time to snatch a bit of quiet, a time of one's own if not a room.

@HagCymraeg Like @ÚlldemoShúl I also have no DC and read a lot in the evenings. I can easily knock out a 300 page book in 2 days but I actually appear not to be having a vintage year this year very surprised I’m only on 40.

@HagCymraegI’m a pretty prolific reader and work full-time- turning 52 so still a long way to go! I commute by public transport though which gives me loads of reading time. I also have no children and rarely watch tv- all of that frees up a lot of time.

@HagCymraeg I work, I did switch to part time in April though which has been a joy for reading time.

I tend to have an audio, Kindle and paperback on the go at any given time. I do like going to bed early and reading. Also don't sleep brilliantly so often will do a bit of 4/5 in the morning Kindle reading. And audio on commute and while doing boring tasks.

ETA Am nowhere near as prolific as some on this thread!