I don’t remember whether I’ve told you guys this, but I really love summer reading. Now, don’t get it twisted, I didn’t say “summer”; I said “summer reading.” Summers are usually just as busy and hectic if not more, than school years. But, the one perk is being able to read whatever I want and visiting a lot more bookstores—which are my happy places—than I normally do. Of course, the summer is also when I get to visit friends and family, but that can be super stressful and tiring. So, I find as much solace and peace in exploring my literary interests, some of which are anything but educational…
However, in the case of this book, I really did continue my educational reading spree into the summer. I’m preparing to take AP English Lit in the fall, as well as two other APs, so I’m trying to get ahead of the class by reading a lot of educational books over the summer. This will help when I begin to prepare for the test in the spring because it centers around having a wide knowledge of many books. My headstart this summer is to read as many classic, great books as I can. I’m sadly a bit behind, as “smart” books are more difficult and longer to read than my usual fun, summer reads. I’ve managed to get through Emma, about a third of Metamorphoses, and now Of Mice and Men.
I loved Of Mice and Men, and it was such a great second Steinbeck read. I read The Pearl a few years ago, and I remember it being so incredible and beautifully terrible at the end. Of Mice and Men had that same feeling and was such a testament to a great writer and the power of stories. I’m constantly blown away by books, but especially in this one, being so short and yet still so lovely.
Its length was actually exactly what I wanted. It’s an amazing book to have under my belt, but I didn’t want to sacrifice so much time to read it, especially when I still have so many books left for the summer. It could be read all in one sitting, but because I’ve been rather busy, it took me about three days to finish. Highly recommend!
Age: 13/14+
Genre: Fiction, historical fiction
Rating: 8.5/10