I love book threads. I am always happy to see what others read. I am a huge fan of Thomas Hardy. I think he is a much better novelist than Dickens. However, even he has written a few dreadful thing; Two On A Tower, for example..dreadful.
   One of my all time favourite books is Wuthering Heights and I often wonder if Emily Bronte had lived to write another, would it have been as good. Vita Sackville-West wrote one Good book, The Edwardians. the rest are a bit dire.
   I read all of the Patrick OBriens, loved them..but obviously some were better than others.
    As for Dickens.. well I really do want to like him, I feel that I should like him, but alas, i don't..except for Bleak House which seems almost to have been written by someone else.
    I hope I have not missed the message of your thread because it is an interesting one. Thanks