While I am on the subject of books ...

I have determined to make it a point to find favorite authors and read all of their works. Right now I have a list of authors that I am doing this for and thought I would share in the blog:

1. Jane Austen - I think that I have two books left: Emma and an unfinished novel that was finished by her niece
2. Dumas - I liked the Count of Monte Cristo enough that I want to read the Musketeer trilogy and any other books of his that I can find (in English that is)
3. Mark Twain - I am making good progress through his works. Next on my list is Roughing It, once I finish some more books that I have started in the past year.
4. David McCullough - his non-fiction reads like fiction, which is part of the reason that I enjoy his works so much. I am currently reading (in the stack of unfinished books) John Adams. After that, I have Mornings on Horseback in my stack of books I forgot I bought.

I think it is important to read through different authors and different styles. I think that it makes me a better writer myself. For example, Jane Austen frequently uses adjectives in her descriptions, but Mark Twain believes that adjectives are often unnecessary. Yet both authors fully described a scene so well that you can picture it in your head. You can learn how to tell history in an engaging way by reading McCullough, which I think is helpful for learning how to frame facts and argument in motions/hearings. My current favorite author is Mark Twain, but I actually go back and forth between Twain and Austen. My favorite non-fiction writer, hands down, is McCullough. I am still deciding on my favorite theological writer, but I think that it might be James Montgomery Boice. There are just so many theological writing styles though (and so many purposes).