A conventional good read is usually a bad read, a relaxing bath in what we know already. A true good read is surely an act of innovative creation in which we, the readers, become conspirators.
Only the old are innocent. That is what the Victorians understood, and the Christians. Original sin is a property of the young. The old grow beyond corruption very quickly.
If God had been a liberal, we wouldn't have had the Ten Commandments -- we'd have the Ten Suggestions.
The English are polite by telling lies. The Americans are polite by telling the truth.
I like the English. They have the most rigid code of immorality in the world.