Book 33
Rescue Missions - Frederick Busch
This is a must-read, only in the sense that I am often incapable of putting down a book once I've begun, no matter how bad it is. And this is pretty bad. You wouldn't expect a collection of short stories about death and disappointment and depression to be uplifting, of course. But Busch feels like a show-off and manipulator in his bleak stories, allowing for no variation of dark emotion and thought. Read in succession, the stories become more tedious and plodding and so predictable, it was hardly worth the effort.
Book 34
I Feel Bad About My Neck - Nora Ephron
Humor is a skill best shown with emotion. Ephron knows this with precision, having written everything from screenplays to essays to a book about the collapse of her marriage, complete with recipes.
So it is no surprise to see the melancholy that accompanies this collection of essays on getting older. Laughter is often a way to mask or boost other feelings. A tinge of regret, in Ephron's capable hands, can be truly a hoot.
It is always a treasure to find a funny book - that made me laugh out loud several times, despite our 30-some year age gap - that is rich with emotion and clarity. Being able to laugh about loss is truly a treasure, as is Ephron.
Leave a comment

