Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00275)

I read everything I can get my hands (eyes) on and always have. 
Sometimes I just want to check out of the world and I read things 
like "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone. The art world 
always captivates me. Lately I am on a George Eliot kick, and I'm 
reading "Middlemarch." I always love Vicorian literature, and enjoy 
Dickens, Thackerey, and Wilkie Collins, among others. Jane Austen may 
be my all-time favorite author. I recently discovered Joseph Conrad 
and am looking forward to reading all his books, after having 
finished "Lord Jim." Modern writers I enjoy are Dorothy Dunnett 
(amazing and fascinating and my all-time page-turner favorite), 
Martin Cruz Smith (great espionage), and Chang-Rae Lee, "Native 
Speaker" and others. Actually this list could go on forever because 
each author I mention brings others to mind. I think one of the most 
compelling things about literature is how closely and often it 
mirrors the values I hold dear, and good writers can create a world 
that we can live in with them as long as the pages last, which is so 
entertaining and educational. It's like having more friends than one 
could possibly have, friends who are always there waiting for me 
until I have time to engage them again. It's great reading about 
other's favorites, and getting more ideas about books to look for at 
the library or the used book store. Oh yes, and I am learning how 
really rewarding it is to reread books I read a long time ago. "The 
Lord of the Rings" was a whole other level the second time around.

Adelasie