A good read

When I can sneak in the time, I'm a voracious reader. To paraphrase the apt advise of Stephen King, you can only become a better writer by reading good writing.

I enjoy fast-paced reads like Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, which I finished last week. But, I'm a fan of any good writing.

I have been negligent in reading the classics my entire life. As a girl and young woman, I liked more modern writing. As I've gotten a little bit better sense about me, I've started tackling more of the books I should have read without having been forced to read them for school. I loved To Kill a Mockingbird, which I was forced to read in high school.

The boys' school had a book fair with a half-price night for everything that didn't sell and I picked up Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was only $5 for a nice-sized paperback. I also picked up H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. A neighbor gave me The DaVinci Code yesterday, too. So, I'm set for reading materials. I have some Isaac Asimov to read, too.

I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice. I was surprised. It took some adjustment to the period language and cultural mores. But, I was longing to find out what happened in the end. I was so pleased. I'm going to rent the movie with Keira Knightley this week to watch, too. I may pick up some other Jane Austen novels at the half-price bookstore for our trip.