Other than “To an Athlete Dying Young,” my familiarity with A. E. Housman is very limited. But serendipitously a published lecture of his found me and I have been deeply reading it for a couple of months now. The lecture is titled The Name and Nature of Poetry.
In contrast, another book found me in late August. It is Finding the Islands by W. S. Merwin. This too have I read deeply for the last few months (and I dare not confess how much my library fine is to date).
These authors speak to be in a manner that few contemporary writers do. Modern readers consume modern fiction and poetry, but modern literary works seem less and less able to engage me. I feel — at times — as if I am drifting backwards in time as my years advance.
Coffeehouse Junkie 
Have you tried Arundhatti Roy’s “God Of Small Things”?
The God of Small Things is a book I have not read yet. Is that a book that found you?
Definitely! And I’m still not sure that I understand quite why. I could not put it down. The plot grinds towards tragedy and every step is another nail through your heart, yet it manages to be uplifting. How is that possible?
I think it is the best novel I have ever read, and I’ve read thousands.
That is a compelling recommendation of The God of Small Things. I love to read how books affect readers. Sounds like I need to add to this to my reading list.