Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

Hemingway's characters are so realistic, and his prose so direct, that at times, it feels like he's not doing anything at all. With some writers (Nabokov), the majority of meaning is in the words themselves. Hemingway creates a story, then gets out of the way and lets the reader experience it for himself.

I read this book on a road trip, which was a mistake. My vacation comprised visits to as many cities and natural wonders as fit in a week. The protagonist of The Sun Also Rises spends a lazy week in Pamplona, and at least half that drinking. There was plenty of alcohol on my trip, but very little of the lingering and savoring of Hemingway's book. Still, it was a good read, and a reminder that there are ways to see the world other than out the window of a Toyota Camry.