To Read: I’m rereading one of my favorite novels, Montana 1948 by Larry Watson. It’s one of those perfect novels – the story is so gripping that you can’t put it down, the characters so beautifully wrought that you forget they’re written, and the writing is both transparent and precise. The opening two pages are a masterpiece – there are questions that hook you (what happened? you’re wondering right off the bat), images that you can see and hear and smell, the place and time is specific, the first person voice rings true and confiding – and in just two pages there’s emotion   that catches you by surprise.