The one hundred and twenty-third book: #93 A Hero of Our Time - Mikhail Lermontov
As the hero implies, this isn't a story about a standard hero, but rather an antihero, who is obsessed with his various romances and lifestyle, despite the trouble going on. There's a lot of life going on, but told in a really pleasant way compared to the other slice of life stories of the time. It's a pretty neat story, enjoyable, and not too long.