The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Wow. What a great novel. The Big Sleep was published in 1939 and is the first of Chandler's eight novels featuring private investigator Philip Marlowe. Marlowe is hired by a wealthy, dying, paraplegic General Sternwood to take care of a blackmailer named Arthur Gwynn Geiger, who claims that the General's daughter Carmen owes him $1000 in gambling debts. Marlowe is such an entertaining character to follow; his wit as a detective is unsurpassed. I won't give anything away, but this novel is definitely a page-turner, with its intricate plot and quick dialogue. This novel is what The Big Lebowski is loosely based on, which I was anxious about at first, because I felt like knowing how the movie ended would ruin any suspense the book has to offer. I was wrong. The only parallels I can draw between the book and the movie are: a moribund old man hires a detective, and at some point in the tale pornography is involved. That's it. What a relief. Anyways, definitely pick this novel up, you won't be disappointed.

*****

Demian, the Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth by Herman Hesse

This book was... interesting. It follows the childhood of a boy named Emil Sinclair from elementary school to college. The book is a very abstract, spiritual book, a kind of coming-of-age novel. Sinclair meets a boy named Demian with whom he's acquainted throughout the entire novel. Demian is smart as shit and has a lot of interesting things to say. I don't want to spoil too much, but if you like very dense books with lots of powerful quotations and life lessons, try this one out.

****

Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck

Wow! Amazing book. My mom and brother both read this before me, and neither had too much to say about it, so I was expecting 300 pages (tiny pages - there's another version that's only 120 normal sized pages) of pretty boring stuff. Wow, was I wrong. The characters in this book are so rich and the stories told so well. It's a series of tales that revolve around a poor paisano man named Danny and his poor paisano friends, who live in a house that Danny inherited from his grandfather. They spend their days and nights scrapping enough money for wine and a little food. This book made me greatly reflect on how different my life is from that of the characters I've come to know. Their way of living is so simple and so joyous, so slow-paced and rewarding. Again, Steinbeck has such a powerful way of putting emotion and truth into his sentences. Man, what a read. It will make you cry, and I highly recommend it.

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The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

This book was okay. It was Steinbeck's last novel published before his death in December of 1968. It tells the tale of a poor grocery clerk from Long Island named Ethan Allen Hawley. He's stricken with a sense of grief and longing for social status, because the Hawleys had been wealthy for generations. It has some interesting and entertaining dialogue, often spanning a couple pages with conversation not terminated by "Ethan said"s or "said Mary"s, so it's up to the reader to keep track of who's saying what. Overall, Ethan is an interesting character to be introduced to, but the plot felt somewhat lacking. I suppose that's true with the other couple Steinbeck books I've read so far, but this one had a little less to grab hold of.

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The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

A quick read, like The Pearl, and a good one too. It's the story of a young boy named Jody Tiflin growing up on a ranch with farmhand and friend Billy Buck. It's broken up into four episodes that highlight various events in Jody's life. Trying not to give too much away, I will settle on saying it's a moving (and melancholy) tale that I recommend for anyone with a couple hours to spare (which is everyone).

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The Pearl by John Steinbeck

I love this book! The writing style is so unique, so old-fashioned. Not a very tough read... about middle school level, but don't let that deter you. It's a 100-page gem about a Mexican family headed by Kino, wife Juana and baby boy Coyotito, who are blessed with great wealth when Kino discovers the pearl of all pearls inside a clam. A voracity overcomes the townspeople who become jealous and bitter at Kino and his family, trying to steal the pearl and purchase it at unfair prices. Such a wonderfully insightful book, I love how Steinbeck has a way of invoking so many truths to human nature in such polished sentences. A very enjoyable read, although very depressing.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Wow! What a great read. I saw the movie first, so it was a little tough trying to mentally block out the minor inaccuracies (McMurphy, for instance, has reddish hair while in the movie he has dark brown hair). Jack Nicholson definitely did this character justice, though. As with just about every book-to-movie tale, the book is much better. Such vivid imagery and thought tangents cannot be conveyed simply on the big screen. The story's told from the perspective of the Chief, a big slow moving patient at a mental hospital who's convinced everyone around him that he's deaf and dumb. The plot revolves around the revelry of the ward's newest patient Randle Patrick McMurphy, a fast-talking gambler with an eye for anarchy. Such a fantastic read, I highly recommend this book. Ken Kesey was a doing a shitload of psychedelics at the time of writing the book, too (legally, as part of a series of scientific studies), and garnered much inspiration for the novel from visiting a real mental ward and interacting with the patients. Ah, such a good book, it makes me giddy just thinking about it. I'd have more to say if I had written this review just after finishing the book a few weeks ago. Very depressing, but that's something I love in a book! Read it!

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