Arturo hands him a conference packet and looks up at him wearily; violet streaks curve beneath his eyes, and lines are grooved into his still-young brow. Less notices now that what he had taken for gleaming bits of pomade in his hair are streaks of gray.

Arturo says, “There follows, I am sad to say, a very long ride on a very slow road . . . to your final place of rest.”

He sighs, for he has spoken the truth for all men.

Less understands: he has been assigned a poet.

— from Less, a novel by Andrew Greer

This book, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, is a delightful surprise of wit and warmth, with sharp teeth and well-placed sighs. A smart understated work, it hits all my marks: mid-life, writing, loving, losing, loathing, tenacity, humor and hope.

What are you reading today?