Literary Finds - Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck

Author John Steinbeck

Shuffling through tables of books at the University library during its bi-annual book sale, I came across a great find, the Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck printed in 1947. The back cover states that it was his first full length novel in eight years and will be added to my collection of Steinbeck books. I thought that I had most of his books, (still looking for Cup of Gold), so imagine my surprise when I found this old hardcover book, with its dust cover barely hanging onto the book. The pages looked like they had been printed on brown paper bags and are crinkly and crackly. It even smells like the book has been sitting on a shelf collecting dust for dozens of years. For more information about John Steinbeck, check out online literature classes at online schools that can teach you about John Steinbeck’s work and how he often populated his short stories with struggling characters.

It is a book that I will treasure for many years to come. It would have been great if it was a signed copy. I enjoy learning more about this man and his writing and his wonderful stories that came out of the everyday life's of ordinary people. This sounds like a great read and I can hardly wait, but first back to my English paper on Confessional poets during the Cold War. What are your favorite authors? Do you have any book collections? Look forward to hearing about it a comment.

About The Wayward Bus

The story of what happens on the bus ride, though it grips the reader from the first page to last, is not of paramount importance. What matters is the sense it gives people and how they react to one another - bewildered, aimless, driven by ordinary human impulses, restless and uneasy in our bewildered and aimless times.

Among the men and women of the book are a successful business man and his wife and daughter, a traveling salesman of funny gadgets (all of them invented by Steinbeck), a pimply yourth who is planning to study radar, a waitress infatuated with Clark Gable, a wise bus driver and Camille, who had - through no fault of her own - an irresistible lure for men. These and a few others are the people who make up this world. He tells us how much it is appetite - for food, for drink, for sex - and how much of it is dreams. When we are through we know them from their beginnings to their probable ends. We love the good in then and pity the bad. We know their personal tragedies, their comedies and their heart-hungers.

Frank Nash: the Most Inspirational English Teacher I Ever Did Know! By Vincent Zandri author of The Remains

I never set out to be a writer. Back in 1979, when I entered the Second Form in a 200 year old, all boys, military school called, The Albany Academy, I simply wanted to become a rock n’ roll star. Like Ringo or Keith Moon, I wanted to play drums in a huge rock band, make a ton of money doing it, get lots of girls, and see the world. While most of the uniformed boys sat attentively in math class, taking copious notes, I drew illustrations of huge drums sets and stared out the window. All that changed when for the first time, I was introduced to Frank Nash in my second term English lit and writing course. First thing that caught my attention was the classroom itself. The Academy was an old building even back then, having been built in the 1920s. Made of stone and strong woods, with real blackboards instead of chalk boards, the place seemed like a kind of time warp. A school caught perpetually in the 19th century instead of one that would see the 21st century in only two more decades. But

Seven Things About Dangerous Impulses

Today, I we have author F.M. Meredith visiting with us. I have had the pleasure of meeting Marilyn at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival a number of years ago. Join me as she shares seven things about her book. 1. Dangerous Impulses is # 9 in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Though every mystery is complete, every crime solved and the book written as a stand-alone, things happen to the continuing characters: the police officers and their families. Rocky Bluff is a small Southern California Beach community, located between Ventura and Santa Barbara, and mostly overlooked by tourists. 2. In every RBPD mystery/crime novel there are ongoing characters. One of the most popular with readers is Officer Gordon Butler. Nothing ever seems to go easy for him. Though he is not the “star” in Dangerous Impulses like he was in No Bells , I think his fans will be happy with what he ends up doing near the end of the book. Other characters are: Detective Milligan and his wi

Larry Peterson Unveils His Children’s Book, Slippery Willie’s Stupid Ugly Shoes

Writing Daze has the pleasure of spotlighting children’s author Larry Peterson with his first children’s book, Slippery Willie’s Stupid Ugly Shoes. Larry is on virtual book tour with Tribute Books during the month of March. Slippery Willie Synopsis: Willie Wiggles hates his slippery feet. He just slips, slides and spins all over the place. But what he hates even more are the special shoes that have been made for him that will help him to walk just like all the other kids. Willie thinks that they are the "stupidest, ugliest shoes in the whole world." Discover how sometimes we worry about things about ourselves when actually there is nothing to worry about in the first place. About Larry Peterson Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As a freelancer, he has written many newspaper columns for local publications. Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes is his first children’s book. Peterson has lived in Pinellas Park, Florida for the past 28 years. Buy links

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