Hi Dian, yeah, I loved "Flicka" and "Black Beauty." I think I must be challenged in the fiction category because I have not heard of the authors you mentioned. You must read a lot! I like Pat Conroy because he writes fiction that certainly could be taken for non-fiction. I wonder how much of his work is auto-biographical.It's a great joy and pleasure for me to read uninterrupted, and give myself permission to read instead of thinking I should be doing something else. I must tell you this: when the Unity Church in the Rockies asked me to review books for the congregation, I said yes. You influenced me! I would probably have said no, thinking that I was under-qualified (that potent insecurity gets the better of me sometimes.) But because of your work and reviews, I thought, hmmm, maybe I can do this. So far I've done 3! The Purpose Driven Life, Miss America By Day (another book about childhood abuse that I read/reviewed because of April being awareness month) and "Soulmates" by Deepak Chopra. Next I'm going to tackle "The DaVinci Code," which I'm been afraid to read because I think it might be over my head. But if everybody is talking about it, then they must want to know what others think, and at least I have gianed the confidence to read a book and tell others what I think.