It's almost a shame that Mary Gaitskill is best known for writing the story on which the Maggie Gyllenhaal movie Secretary is based. Though much of her work has elements of BDSM—Gaitskill's fiction has done more to normalize BDSM than activist groups—she's not a gimmick author. She's adventurous, witty, and fearless, no matter what you're into. Her 2005 novel Veronica, about AIDS and the death of '70s glam, is a masterpiece, and Two Girls, Fat and Thin is a hilarious satire of nut-ball "philosopher" Ayn Rand. (Seattle Public Library, University Branch, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, 684-4063. 6:30 pm, free.)