If you haven't picked up John Steinbeck since high school, Travels with Charley deserves another read. Steinbeck heads off from his home in Sag Harbor, N.Y., with his French poodle, Charley, in a souped-up truck he designed himself. He starts north to Maine and then heads west. He drives through Ohio, crosses the Mississippi, visits Yellowstone and stares in awe at the great redwoods. Charley both takes you across the country and takes you back in time. Steinbeck sees

—Molly Hart