Books and Music

I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately, as well as indulging in some of my favorite music (both listening to and singing it in choir!), and the following are some of the books and songs I have particularly liked.

Books

• The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins - Great mystery story with a dash of healthy romance thrown in as well! This book wasn't short, but it was so suspenseful that I would spend hours at a time reading it, and finished it in less than 3 days.
• Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen - I reread this for school recently (and wrote a long paper on it), and it was just as delightful as it always has been. It's basically about early 19th century society, manners, and romance.
• Basically anything by C.S. Lewis - The Narnia stories are wonderful; even if their author did intend them primarily for children, I know plenty of adults who thoughly enjoy them. The Space Trilogy is sci-fi with Christian morals attached. Very intriguing. His non-fiction works are excellent as well; I particularly like Mere Christianity and The Four Loves.
• Sherlock Holmes Adventures, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Another favorite, reawakened courtesy of my school's required reading list. Anything from the canon (defined as the 56 short stories and four longer chapter stories written by Doyle) is highly recommended. Ya gotta love the Great Detective...and his trusty biographer and sidekick Watson.

Is it just me, or is that whole list comprised of English literature? Hmm...guess that's what happens when your literature course for an entire year is dedicated to "the prose and poetry of England," as the textbook's cover proclaimed.

Music

• Polyphony by Tallis, especially "If Ye Love Me", "Hear the Voice and Prayer", "Purge Me, O Lord", and "Verily, Verily" - the choir I sing in at church has done all of these, which is probably why they are my favorites. They are uplifting, and very beautiful.
• Palestrina - More polyphony here; my favorite is "Sicut Cervus." The descriptions of Tallis polyphony apply here also.
• Various traditional hmyns - I am especially fond of "This Joyful Eastertide" and "Come Down, O Love Divine." There are many others as well, but this post would have no end were I to list them all.
• Gregorian chants, including but not limited to "Vidi Aquam" and "Victimae Paschali Laudes." It's sometimes surprising how profoundly stirring those simple melodies can actually be.

Well, I think that's about it for now, anyway. Has anyone else read or heard with equal pleasure any of the above-mentioned books or songs? Anyone have any suggestions for another good book to read? I'd enjoy hearing about anything you might bring forward.