Harmonies and Counterpoints

Books! I didn't finish the Aaron Burr novel by Gore Vidal. It was the combination of Burr as a thoroughly unpleasant person--which seems quite plausible; the narrator being unpleasant in different ways; and (what I perceived as) the bleed-through of the author's unpleasantness, too. Although I will say that Vidal had a biting wit that I approve of, for the most part. His fellow author Norman Mailer wrote a book that Vidal reviewed quite scathingly, which led to Mailer punching him. Vidal reportedly then said, "Once again, words fail Norman Mailer." That comment is even more of a burn when you take into account that Mailer's poorly-reviewed book was about feminism, and that Mailer once stabbed his, er, second? wife--with a penknife, so she lived to divorce him. So yes, words failed Mailer multiple times.

Anyway! Terrible people are not always as entertaining as one might think. And the Burr novel was quite long, which was another factor in not finishing it.

A book I did finish: Jacqueline Holland's debut (and so far only) novel, The God of Endings. It features vampires, though the word isn't used; Slavic monsters; a preternaturally gifted kindergartner; a bad grandpa and his bad henchman; and so much more! I have mixed feelings about some elements, but it was compellingly written, with a haunting protagonist.
edited to add: The protagonist makes a choice at the end that doesn't feel supported enough within the text.

The Five Year Lie was a suspense/romance story by Sarina Bowen. I enjoyed it, but it doesn't stick well in my memory, so that's it for a review.

Lois McMaster Bujold has another new Penric & Desdemona novella, Darksight Dare. This series by Bujold is a reliably good read. I'm so glad she's writing it.

I also read What the Night Sings, by Vesper Stamper. She's another new-to-me author--one that I plan to read again. Stamper illustrates as well; that was her first career, which was partially derailed when she lost quite a bit of capacity in her dominant hand/arm due to an accident. At any rate: What the Night Sings is a blunt and memorable look at the possible mindset of a Jewish survivor of a concentration camp. Recommended.

What led me to that novel was a renewed interest in, of all things, the backstory for Gaby Teller in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 2015 film. I was minding my own business, enjoying summer vacation, when suddenly Gaby was there, demanding attention. I have written fanfic for the film, mostly centered around Gaby, but it's been more than five years since I last finished anything. (Not sure I'll finish actually anything in this unexpected resurgence of character appreciation, but I am making progress on a couple of ideas.)

Anyway: Gaby's backstory includes life in a divided post-war Berlin, which led to me poking around potential resources, which led me to Vesper Stamper's novel Berliners. Since it's not available online through my library, I thought I'd check out another book by her to see if it would be worth purchasing the Berlin novel. At this point I'll say yes.

And maybe Berliners is what I'll read when I'm stuck on an airplane soon. Yup, it's almost time for... *drumroll* SUMMER TRAVEL! Heading west first!