• THE REALISTIC JONESES by Will Eno. You're going to see some unusual things in this month's Currently Reading section, because your girl is brushing up on plays. I do not have very robust theater exposure—my artistic focus during high school and college was flute performance (I once thought musical proficiency was my only realistic route to paying for college, so, funny how life works) and while I had a great interest in theater because of Shakespeare and various other works I encountered in school, like Lysistrata, I have read very few plays and seen even fewer performed. I happened to stumble upon The Realistic Joneses and enjoyed it greatly—the humor was surprising and strange. I imagine it's very different to watch it performed, but I also think a play is perhaps a very good way to break a reading slump—most are about the length of a novella. Will Eno is very funny and something about his voice really resonates with me. 

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• TOPDOG / UNDERDOG by Suzan-Lori Parks. Another play! This one is a lot darker than The Realistic Joneses, arguably (no, it's definitely darker, but also there's a certain nihilism to Will Eno's work that is its own darkness, so—), let's say it brings less of a comedic element to the table. That being said, it's very... surreal, and it gets away with a plot twist that made me feel actively insane. Repeatedly referencing a famous historical event should be very effective foreshadowing. AND YET! There are so many layers to the story here; I can really only marvel at what was accomplished on the page (and, presumably, stage). 

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• THE PERILOUS LIFE OF JADE YEO by Zen Cho. I'm just realizing that I've apparently chosen to focus on the shorter works I've read this month, so if you are in a reading slump, then certainly one or more of these should do away with that with ease. This is a historical romance novella that I believe is being reissued? It was originally published in 2012 but appears to have been given new life and a new, very 1920s stylized cover. It's about a young Malaysian journalist who finds herself among London high society, and the voice is truly splendid. A caveat on my taste: I find historical romance generally more appealing than contemporary romance—it has to do with the way the protagonist addresses the audience; similar, I find, to the difference in tonality between MG and YA, where the narrative voice regards the reader as someone who is already in on the joke—and the humor here, the lightness of touch, oh, it's magnificent. I think people familiar with Zen Cho's work will already know to expect that, but for everyone else—say, casual Bridgerton watchers who are curious about other time periods—here, have a delight. 

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• WOMEN TALKING by Miriam Toews. The subject matter here is quite dark—it's based on real Mennonite women who were drugged, sexually abused in secret by their brothers, husbands, and community members, and then gaslit about it for, apparently, years—but the story itself is quite an experience. The plot is essentially that these men, who were sent to jail in order to protect them from the more angry and vengeful women of the colony, are returning on bail in 48 hours, and the women must decide what they want to do (leave, stay and fight, or do nothing). It is narrated, interestingly, by a man, who is taking minutes while the women, who are illiterate and do not speak English, discuss their options. I'm still reading, but it's quite a fascinating story that I find relevant in this moment, as religion and faith come to the American sociopolitical forefront in multiple strange ways (see also: Mormon wives, Woke Pope, abuse in Amish communities, Gen Z men identifying as "religious" and whether that is real or anecdotal). It's more complex than I can discuss here, but the novel feels particular relevant in this moment.