I don't know why, but I don't really want to read fiction these days. I'm all about essays. My latest read was Umberto Eco's On Literature, a collection of literary essays (often reworked from talks) published in 2002. Eco's engaging, personalized style makes for interesting reading even when you don't know anything about the book or books discussed or referenced, which happens rather a lot because of his Italian point of view. Works integral to Italian culture aren't always familiar to the English-speaking world. The litmus test for me is always the same: Does it make me want to read or re-read great works? The answer is yes (whether I immediately will rather depends on my coming off my essays kick). Better yet, it's made me want to WRITE. And I'm always happy when a famous critic pans a work of literature I have only disdain for, in this case, The Count of Monte Cristo. Hehehe.