Elmore Leonard's work isn't pretty or readable, at least in my opinion. Hemmingway wrote sparely but beautifully.

There's a lot to be said for cutting the fat, but it needs to be done judiciously. Characters' thoughts, descriptions of setting, etc. are an important part of the story, at least to me. And a lot of the books (particularly e-books) I've read recently don't give setting nearly enough attention.

Gah. Editing suxx.