Literature

I love to read. First of all, words fascinate me. Second of all, I love imagining the stories. One thing I appreciate about the English language is that we have such a rich vocabulary. Books from the late 1800's are actually some of my favorites. It's a feast for the mind. 

One thing I don't like is when books are wordy just for the sake of using big words. I'm reading a book right now that was highly recommended to me, but I'm having a problem with the author's writing style. For example, the following sentence is unnecessarily difficult to understand: "The black colonial-era Morris, flotsam abandoned in 'Pindi by the ebbing tide of the British empire, purled quietly along still-sleeping streets." I'm not even sure what that means! Compare that to a quote from the Scarlet Letter: "Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart." (contented sight) Such a beautiful sentence.  

I'm grateful to have books so readily available. I'm grateful to be literate. I love to read.