I am often troubled by "Shoulds" and "aught" to's. Take literature for example. I think of many of the great authors of the past, authors considered as "required reading" neccessary to "round out" ones education in order to enable them to spew a variety of notable quotes in polite society.One "should" read these books and you "aught" to find them beneficial too!
More often than not I find these great literary feasts a chore to plough through. Often the wording is verbose and the phraseology stilted. Hence I am not partial to such "greats" as Jane Austin or the Bronte sisters, the former irritates me and the latter is too dark and depressing. However it looks as though the mere thought of such literary genius has changed my own style of writing, so it seems thats great literature does have some influence after all.
My most recent favoured novels have been River God and 7th Scroll (Buy the Books Today!) , I read them out of sequence but that in no way detracted from the enjoyment. I love the mystery of ancient Egypt. In River God, the unravelling of some of the mysteries of the heiroglyphics and the ingenious engineering feats and glimpses into the the world of Egyptians some four thousand years ago through the eyes of the slave Taita was a wonderful read. Naturally the author used his poetic licence but I found it fascinating and enthralling none the less. I can imagine the vast amount of research that went into the books too. The second book, The 7th Scroll, set in our day and tells the tale of Egyptologists unravelling the puzzles laid out in the first book and by the time I had finished them I felt like I was saying goodbye to old friends.
Thinking of research, I think James Michener would take a lot of beating. His books are truly something! Despite the vast amount of imformation in his novels, they seldom overpower you with dry fact, instead they bring the past to life and can transport you to far off places in times gone by.
This is my Journal, it is not a Diary and it reflects my thoughts on topics that range from literature to domesticity, and a variety of abstract thoughts. This page is always "Under Construction" and any feed back is appreciated.
