My first and naggingly consistent thought is Chuck Palahniuk. He's long been one of my favorite fiction authors. I have copied his style quite a bit in the past. I'm curious what would be different if I more intentionally copied him.

I'm currently read (or at least I started a couple of weeks ago) The Last of the Mohicans. I've been trying to read more classic authors, and as a long-time fan of the movie adaptation from 1992, I thought I'd read the book. I share James Fenimore Cooper's fascination with the native peoples of the eastern Americas. But I've never read any of his work.

Another classic I am reading little by little--made easier by the fact it is a short story collection--is Short Fiction by Herman Melville. I'm never going to read Moby-Dick, but I might be able to pick through some of these short pieces. I started with Bartleby, the Scrivener.

That makes me think of another classic author who probably remains my favorite of all time, despite the fact I have not read any of his work in a long time--Edgar Allan Poe. It just dawned on me that I'm already older than Poe was when he died.