"...get rid of falsehood and let war be war and not a game."

I couldn't agree more.

After seeing the film, and crying at the end, I started to read Tolstoy. His short stories are very impressionable. Do you have a suggestion for a novel?

Anna Karenina—but it's extremely long. I suggest the novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Tolstoy is my favorite of the Russians.

I'll try The Death of Ivan Ilyich. I already have it in a collection of his novels. I'll let you know what I think. Thanks for the suggestion.

I'm still working on The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by the way.

Nice. Do you also think he was good with imagery?

Yes. I love his stories because I could picture them play out. Is that what you mean? I'm having a hard time with Ivan Ilyich because he uses first and last names with his characters. I get confused because the last names really break up the images in my mind. I really really like his short stories because I can focus and actually see the story play in my mind's eye.

Yeah, but also in "picturing" nonvisual stuff like a character's voice. Also, I do like short stories more because I'm a bit A.D.D.

I can hear the characters in his short stories. There is one about a midget...I can't remember the title but I can still hear his voice when he'd snarl at his wife.

I also submitted info on two of my fact books that made me hear, smell, touch, taste, etc. They're incredible!

I don't think I've read that one. 2 more short-story writers (20th century) I love are Jorge Luis Borges and Isaac Babel.

I'll check out both of them. Right now, my brain isn't working well to read. I have some nerve damage in my brain that acts up. I used to read a lot. Now, I can't read as much. Tolstoy has a rhythm to his writing that helps me track. Do you know other authors like that...if you know what I mean. What can you read when your ADD acts up?

Sorry to hear that. I've probably always had some ADD; it just makes reading longer novels really challenging. It helps when I don't get bored with the actual plot—my first long novel was The Lord of the Rings. My patience has become worse so the last few years I only read short stories, a little poetry and essays, and bounce around small parts of novels. As far as rhythm, I equate that to lyricism. The best rhythmical novel I've read is The Great Gatsby. 2 more writers who come to mind are Toni Morrison and Ray Bradbury.

I had to start a new chain of replies to answer your latest...I have always loved Ray Bradbury. I'm trying to finish his "I Don't the Body Electric." Now that you've mentioned him, I'll begin again.