March of Literature

Just realized that I never reported that I read and enjoyed After Dark by Haruki Murakami. I wouldn't attempt to say what it's about, but like all the Murakami I've read—The Wild Sheep Chase, Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Dance, Dance, Dance—it's so well-written it's spellbinding.

I'm already about halfway through The Portrait of a Lady, and I'm really enjoying that, too. I thought that James's style would prove really slow-going for me, but it hasn't challenged me nearly as much as I thought it might, and for that I'm grateful. What is remarkable is the difference between the narrative style of a nineteeth century novel and the contemporary novel I've just finished.