I remember reading The Scarlet Letter in high school and whining with the rest of my class about how boring it was. Time must have changed my perspective, because I loved Nathaniel Hawthorne's Complete Short Stories. They are such an odd mixture of fatalism and wry humor, occult terrors and delicate, tender descriptions. I found myself laughing WAY more than I ever thought I would, and I was often deeply moved as well. Maybe you won't find it the same, but there's something about his writing that sits so well with me. He's touching and caustic and grand and detailed. It's such a shame I read the "complete" stories. I would love to read more. ( )