The Simp: A Novel Without a Hero by Roshan Sethi

 

Raj Ladlani’s non-starter of an acting career has been circling the drain for a while but living in LA, he aspires to at least some modicum of proximity to those in power. He gets a chance in a job as personal assistant to a famous Hollywood director and his wife. Desperate to hold on to the minimum-wage job that will barely pay his rent, the servile Raj is labeled a “simp” (slang for simpering) but he also has his own cards to play. A sharp satire on the vacuous and elusive nature of fame, especially during our frenetic digital age. 

Kutchinsky's Egg: A Family's Story of Obsession, Love, and Loss by Serena Kutchinsky

Who would fall in love with the idea of a large jeweled egg made with pounds of gold, dripping with diamonds, made to create theater? The author's father, smitten with the concept of a signature item, embarked on a mission that brought financial ruin to the Kutchinsky family name. While the memoir sticks well to the constructs of its genre, I hoped for some interesting asides on the history of manufacturing such objets d’art or setting the events against a broader contextual backdrop. Will hold interest for those familiar with the Kutchinsky name but will likely not engage the rest.