My first encounter with Byatt was Possession, which is a favorite subgenre of mine, the novel that takes place in academe... it's a romance in two time frames, and it kind of skewers post-modernism but not snarkily. I loved that Byatt created such a believable Victorian poet and his poetry, as well as an early lesbian Victorian poet. Otherwise, I like The Children's Book, which is a standalone that is kind of similar... set in the world of William Morris and craftsmanship. And I like -- but they can be intense and depressing -- the related series that begins with The Virgin in the Garden. I like her short stories, too. I don't know why, because Byatt is not overtly political, but somehow she reminds me a little bit, in writing, of Nadine Gordimer, whose work I love.