7/9: two difficulties done

By and large, I've had good reading experiences over the past year and a half; I feel like great books have fallen into my lap. But for the past few weeks I've been working on two difficult books: a novel by Witold Gombrowicz, and a book about Martial by William Fitzgerald. Definite merits in both of them--nevertheless, I had a hard time getting on their wavelength. This morning I finished the Fitzgerald book, which was part of my plan for the day. And then there was a little time before lunch so I decided to read some Gombrowicz, and I finished that one, too. Hurray!