1. East of Eden
By John Steinbeck
“And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.”
Often considered to be Steinbeck’s most praised and ambitious work, East of Eden intricately depicts life in California’s Salinas Valley (located inland from Monterey Bay). The novel is a heart–wrenching tale of struggle, guilt, freedom, and the choices we all must make between good and evil.
2. Big Sur
by Jack Kerouac
“And when the fog's over and the stars and the moon come out at night it'll be a beautiful sight.”
While less famous than Kerouac’s esteemed novel On the Road, Big Sur is a worthwhile read whose plotline is solidly set along California’s coast. Illustrating portions of Kerouac’s own life that were previously unbeknownst to the general public, this novel unveils his struggles to combat physical and mental obstacles.
Kerouac’s life unfolds through the character Jack Duluoz. Overwhelmed by fame and pressure from others, his character takes comfort in a cabin in Big Sur’s Bixby Canyon, though he continues to grapple with his socially constructed image and his real life. Driven into loneliness and depression throughout his various stints in the isolated wilderness of Big Sur, Duluoz considers moving to San Francisco, but it soon becomes clear that escaping his inner thoughts doesn’t come as easily as switching locations.
3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed
“I didn't feel sad or happy. I didn't feel proud or ashamed. I only felt that in spite of all the things I'd done wrong, in getting myself here, I'd done right.”
If you’ve been searching for books to read now, Strayed’s memoir Wild is the one to pick up next. As one of our favorite female authors, Strayed perfectly captures California’s landscape as she describes the ups and downs of the human condition.
Reeling from her mother’s death and the subsequent crumbling of her marriage, Strayed sets out onto the Pacific Crest Trail, leaving her everyday life behind in favor of the open wilderness and an adventure she’d never forget. Though she had yet to thru-hike a day in her life, Strayed proves that anything can be done when you set your mind to it—and that healing from heartache of all kinds takes time. This must-read book chronicles the trail throughout the entire state and beyond, beginning in the Mojave Desert of Southern California and ending up in Washington.