People interested in putting together a very restricted canon of great books don't really like reading; true readers, among whom I have the impertinence to include myself, are always sniffing out more and more titles. Reading is a hobby that never grows stale--and an unpunished vice.
edmund white
Precision is easier to master than artful vagueness, especially now when, thanks to Google, novels are fact-heavy. We no longer refer to "flowers" but to particular varieties of roses. The whole valuable distinction between foreground (precise) and background (blurred) has been lost, and now everything is crowding toward the viewer, clamoring for attention.
Edmund White’s recommendations
The grand dame of gay letters, Edmund White, published The Unpunished Vice: a Life of Reading back in June, and I'm pleased to report to all who care that the 78 White is just as trenchant and charming as the 19 White who witnessed Stonewall.
