Mediocrity

There's something wrong with me.

I read work by the most brilliant people and I over-analyse it, look for the teeniest, tiniest plot holes or try to sniff out anything close to a hackneyed or near-cliched phrase that I can't even read a newspaper without going, "that's shit that is".

How do I switch my brain OFF? How do I go back to enjoying the flow of words, the nuances, the emotional resonance without saying, "hmm, that image just doesn't work" or "that's a bit of a mixed metaphor, that is"?

What's wrong with me?

I can't even enjoy Harry Harrison any more. And when I was 15, his Stainless Steel Rat made me laugh and cry heaps. So, how do I become 15 again and see the world every day as if it's still the first day?

What should I read that will repel that cynical, blackened heart of mine? Suggestions on a postcard, please.