John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” centers on the Joads, a family of poor farmers suffering in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s who are lured to California by hopes of a better life and a handbill advertising work there. Their journey is filled with peril, hunger, loss, police persecution, [...]

Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October” tells of a group of Soviet naval officers attempting to defect to the U.S. via the Atlantic Ocean in a highly advanced nuclear-powered submarine, as the Soviet Union gives chase with the intent to destroy and the U.S. attempts to secretly capture for study. [...]

J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” follows hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he reluctantly goes on an adventure toward dragon-guarded treasure with Gandalf the wizard and 13 dwarves. Along the way, the troop defies death against many a foe but also is boosted by the friends they come across. Here are 10 of [...]

John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” tells of complementary yet contentious partners George and Lennie and their quest to acquire a place of their own so they can “live off the fatta the lan’.” Here are five of my favorite excerpts from the novella. Because of Steinbeck’s prioritization on storytelling, [...]

The world is filled with a seemingly endless amount of good books and authors, past and present. Here are some of my favorites, with links to well-crafted, thought-provoking excerpts from the works. “Slaughterhouse Five” By Kurt Vonnegut “On Writing” By Stephen King “The Old Man and the Sea” By Ernest Hemingway [...]

“Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead” is Phil Lesh’s 2005 autobiographical exploration of himself and his decades of playing bass with what is arguably the 20th century’s hardest-working rock band. He especially digs into the Dead’s formative years — the drugs (the band attended Ken Kesey’s [...]