Finished: The Death of Ivan Ilych (Tolstoy). Sad short story. Ivan Ilych is a successful judge in Russia. He's married with a son and daughter. Over the years he has led his life more and more for himself and desired to be more in the upper class and have nothing to do with people he considers beneath him. He becomes sick with a fatal illness and in his last few agonizing days asks God why is he dying and why so much pain? Certainly it can't be because "he lived a life he ought not to have lived"? He denies that idea every time it pops into his head. However, in the very last hour of his life, he comes to realize that he has NOT lived the life he ought to have lived. He asks for forgiveness and dies in peace. Sad and intense, but such good writing! There's another Tolstoy novella I want to read, but soon I'd really like to jump into War and Peace. :-)