So, a lot of Goodreads readers gave this five stars. And a lot of other Goodreads readers said aargh someone took a copy of the Grapes of Wrath/ East of Eden/ Tortilla Flat (delete as applicable) and then tried to jam it, raw and unseasoned, sideways down their throats while they were in high school. This is the unfortunate effect that formalised analysis of actually pretty quality literature can have on people. Luckily, I escaped a Steinbeck-flavoured literary force feeding as a youth, which leaves me to happily snack on his tasty literary morsels as an adult.

However, I was tortured using the much duller implement that is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Now I know this is traditionally regarded as an off-the-scale literary achievement of sublime amazingness (at least my mother thinks so) but as I still have a few pages and possibly a bit of the cover jammed between my molars from the way in which it was forced down my throat I would beg to differ. When asked to comment on "Jane Austens witty use of irony" I would frequently comment that what I found most ironic about the book was the fact that the Industrial Revolution, the most significant technological event since man created fire was occurring at the time she was writing and she failed to make mention of it even once. Big mistake Jane. Big.

Anyhoo, back to Of Mice and Men. I liked it. It was a light literary snackette (with the dusty bitter after taste of Depression era 1920s America) which I read in my car while waiting for some builders to spring to life and dig the holes they were supposed to be digging. Somehow reading Steinbeck while builders are outside scratching their arses and looking at the pictures in the News of the World makes me feel like an oober genius. Thanks Steiny, you made my day!

On a more random note I also took some time out today to visit the steam tender The Daniel Adamson (thats a boat for those of you who are lily-livered land lubbers) which is currently moored in the Sandon Half-Tide Dock. This is a precious part of Merseyside Maritime Heritage. To find out more about this restoration project please visit http://www.danieladamson.co.uk/ and if you can donate expertise, money, materials or moral support then please do.Thanks!