Turns out that John Steinbeck fella can really write!

I was never a fan of Steinbeck, and often I find "classics" to be underwhelming and not that great, I just don't see the appeal, they are boring. I don't know if it's because I'm older, or just better well read, but I just finished Travels with Charley and WOW, what a great book. It's a travelogue, not fiction. It's so well written, lots of great turns of phrases, the writing quality is clearly above today's standards. Steinbeck has, in this book, and I can't seem to describe it, a way with words that writers today just don't have. The humor is subtle, the writing is direct, and it's descriptive in an almost poetic but not ostentatious way.

It was interesting to me to see the similarities and differences in things today compared to when it was written back in the 60s, and also interesting to see that less than 80 years ago cross country travel was novel, and mobile homes, trailers that we mock today, were considered a thing of the future and a luxury.

This made me want to read more Steinbeck, and maybe give other "classics" a second chance. I can now see why he's considered a great writer and even though I'm late to the party, I'm glad I finally got here.