Ok- Steinbeck has a great deal of love in my heart; The first "adult" books I was assigned in the 6th grade were the Red Pony and The Pearl-I highly reccomend them BOTH. Also enjoyed Of Mice and Men it is the only work that I've ever seen make my father cry, but I loathe The Grapes of Wrath for the sheer fact that it is so verbose.

Also read The Sound and the Fury for AP-had the same feelings. I consider myself well read, but I JUST NOW started reading Catch-22 for the first time and I swear I have never taken this long to read a book... 6 days thus far and I'm only half way through. The craziness-she hurts my brain.