Aside from my botanical interest, I am also an ardent appreciator of  various literary forms.  My passion right now is for the Gothic novel.  I have recently completed Carmilla, by J. Sheridan LeFanu, and The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.  My favorite Gothic novel is The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Anne Radcliffe.  Novels which I have also read that are not from the Gothic period, but are germaine to the genre nonetheless include The Alienist by Caleb Carr, and Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austin.

a portrait of Horace Walpole

I am also fond of the novels written by the Bronte sisters, particularly, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.  I have also read  Agnes Grey and Jane Eyre by Anne and Charlotte respectively.

Anything by William Shakespeare is also on my "preferred literature" list.  My favorite Shakespeare plays are Macbeth and The Winter's Tale.