I was writing a short post about good service on the other blog and it occurred to me to continue the theme here and just say something by way of a thankyou to the authors whose books give us all such pleasure (and something to talk about!).
For those of us for whom reading is an important part of life, a comfort or a source of inspiration, an entertainment or a spark of enlightenment, books are enriching, and the people who make them deserve our appreciation. When you consider what goes into a novel, say, from initial idea to finished piece - the months and years of painstaking work: the research, the drafting and re-drafting, the editing and polishing to develop plot and character, to fashion setting and express theme, to make a cohesive whole which will absorb and satisfy a demanding reader - what is involved amounts to a considerable achievement. Other art forms require equal skill and effort in the making and are similarly rewarding to experience, (and of course even where books are concerned not all are first class, and as a reader I often find cause for complaint), but to those authors who can really write, whose creative spirit and gift for words gives rise to simply wonderful literature, thankyou - you labour not in vain!
