tsuwm > what I (for example) actually read to get here is something else entirely.

Oh so true, tsuwm ... This task is impossible for me at any rate ...
After a day and a half's thinking I have books and authors swirling through my dreams, asking why and *how I could have forgotten them. --St. Theresa of Avila and St. John were very annoyed about my forgetting "The Seven Mansions Of The Soul" then along came Paramahansa Yogananda (sp?)smiling regretfully that I'd neglected to mention his writings which gave me a new perspective.
Somerset Maugham and Oscar Wilde were quite miffed ... the The Brontes were forgiving in a po faced way. Then Lewis Carroll invited me to tea to discuss my list but I was dragged away by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammet (which seemed promising) until Pearl Buck showed up with Robert Service in tow and I was only starting that conversation when Damon Runyon dropped in only to be run off by Will Shakespeare and Lord Byron (me-o-my but George Gordon was handsome) who had to give way to Winston C's booming query as to why he hadn't gotten a mention ......
Help me somebody!