The book that I'm going to use as my 'what Classic to read next' guide is Gothic: 400 Years of Excess, Evil, Horror, and Ruin.

I took a class on American Gothic literature, and one of my favorite books in it was Absalom, Absalom! but I'm afraid of scaring you away from books in general if you dive into Faulkner so early. I really do think Crime and Punishment is incredibly readable and compelling for a classic.

5. _Candide_ by Voltaire. Oh, the sarcasm. Oh, the viciousness. Oh, the funny.

Yes! Oh, Pangloss, you optimistic fool.

6. _Lust and Other Stories_ by Susan Minot.

"Lust" is amazing, but I haven't read anything else by her.

Okay. Wanna tell me why?

Oh, sure. You want details....

Other people have chimed in with good reasons for the rec, but I'll just say that for my part, it's very affecting, and presents a vivid picture of its time and place. Plus Atticus Finch.

Screw Atticus. Great man, wonderful father.

For me, it's all about Scout. A little girl like no other. I will read this book to my daughter and hope that she gets just a smidge of Scout's honesty and capacity for love and acceptance.

Q'uest-ce que si je comprends Francais seulement assez au lire ces mots?

Pas de problem. Les mots dans le lire sont tres simple.

I don't think the walking-80-miles-to-water story is in _Cowboys Are My Weakness_.

It happens that my "classics" are mostly in the two six-foot by four-foot bookcases behind me in the office. (There are more bookcases in other rooms.) I'm going to turn around and see what I recommend.

Certainly To Kill a Mockingbird. It's about loss of innocence and doing the right thing, no matter how painful it is. The viewpoint character is one of the best little girls in fiction.

Moll Flanders. It's about a whore who doesn't even have a heart of gold. There's sex and amazing coincidences! What's not to like?

Tom Jones. There's sex and amazing coincidences! What's not to like?

Gulliver's Travels. One of the most vicious attacks on the damned human race, in which three fantastic societies (you know about the Lilliputians) illustrate the flaws of human society.

(to be continued)

For me, it's all about Scout. A little girl like no other.

Here is my Scout story.

It took me about fifty pages to realize Scout was a girl.

It took me another fifty to realize she was white.

Does anyone have an interest in a list of poetry recommendations? I'd be happy to do it but only if it would be useful.

Does anyone have an interest in a list of poetry recommendations? I'd be happy to do it but only if it would be useful.

Sure! Keeping in mind that I've mainly read 20th Century Canadian poetry (there's more than Cohen and Atwood out there).

I hate to dissent from the TKaM love, but I will say this: I read it in college, because I had been told so often it was great.

I can picture the cover perfectly.

I cannot remember a single other thing about it.

Lyra, I can totally see that. It took me a couple of tries to get through it. A couple of tries over the course of 15 years, mind you. :)