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What I'm Reading Right Now

 *"The Red Devil." A perfect opening: "The day after my divorce, I discovered that I had cancer." A perfect title -- the red devil is not the disease but the cure, a particularly vicious form of chemotherapy. Katherine Rich was a wonderful writer (and more than a little indebted to Lorrie Moore). The theme of her book is that doctors are often not very bright; additionally, a doctor's intentions are sometimes questionable. Rich gradually realizes that no one is going to be her advocate -- so she chooses to speak up for herself. A strong opening is not enough; a book also needs a harrowing conclusion. Rich hits all of her marks.


*"Shadow and Bone." Leigh Bardugo has invented a fantasy world in which everyone speaks something like Russian; a tear in the fabric of the universe is called "the Shadow Fold," and monsters named volcra lurk within the Fold. There is one girl who can fight the volcra; if she cuts open her arm, a flood of light spills out of her veins. Obviously, Leigh Bardugo has a functioning imagination -- but she is also just a clean, polished writer. Her sentences have a sense of rhythm. This book is a pleasure.


*"Never Mind the Happy." Marc Shaiman has written several mediocre works: "Smash," "Mary Poppins Returns," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Catch Me if You Can." Here, you get the origin stories behind these mediocre works. For example, Shaiman feels lingering rage toward Michael Riedel, who implied (in print) that "Catch Me" did not deserve consideration from the Tony voters. Shaiman also whines that "MP Returns" was marketed as a remake and not a sequel -- he feels that this was helpful for no one. I'm not sure why I care? It *is* touching to discover a tribute to my neighbor, Norbert Leo Butz, who handled a shocking tragedy, delivered an award-winning performance, and remained a treat to work with -- all within the span of one or two months.
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