The second in our two-shot shingles vaccination was delayed twice because of the pandemic. The doctor’s office eventually rescheduled it to coincide with our lab work appointments, so Friday morning represented something of a double-whammy for the needle-averse. My husband and I suffered flu-like symptoms for nearly four days after the first dose, so in advance of Friday’s appointment, we prepared for a similar experience, clearing our chore and work lists before beginning the fast required for the blood tests. The lethargy, low-grade fever, muscle aches, and mild headache set in just two hours after the shot and continued into Saturday evening. Remarkably, though, the symptoms were less severe than the first round, and we rose to clear heads on Sunday morning. So, in addition to seeing Shirley (highly recommended), practicing my music, and working in the yards, I read Gang Leader for a Day over the weekend and began The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party.

Since my last post, though, I have finished only three books, all of which were read from the shelves:

■ After the Fall (Arthur Miller; 1964. Drama.)
My husband and I recently saw the TimeLine Theatre production of To Master the Art, which centers on Julia Child’s years in France. That McCarthyism figures in both that play and, of course, Miller’s provided one of those moments of readerly intersection I so appreciate.

■ Coraline (Neil Gaiman; 2002. Fiction.)
Has it really been eighteen years since this was published? Review here.

■ Gang Leader for a Day (Sudhir Venkatesh; 2008. Non-fiction.)
Related link with excerpt here.