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Content: Of course, there are occasional exceptions to the water cooler rule such as “Gone Girl” and “Fifty Shades of Grey.” “ It’s really hard to read William Faulkner and go into the office and say, “What did you think of that last chapter of ‘Light in August’?” These days, people get their fictional narratives from complex characters on cable television, he says. Another possible explanation: Narcissism. Americans may be more fascinated with their own lives than with those featured in great works of literary fiction: Some 56% of Internet users have searched for themselves online, such as by typing their own name into Google, according to the Pew Research Center. Studies also show that people’s attention spans are getting shorter. “ Adults have been presented with a tidal wave of easily accessible and affordable entertainment, such as online social gaming, music discovery via YouTube and Vevo, and TV and movie sites like Hulu and Netflix,” says Jim Azevedo, marketing director of e-book distributor Smashwords.com. Americans spend 23 hours per week using social media, emailing and texting, a 2013 report by eMarketer found.