The Summer Part Two (Beach Edition) 36-38

36: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
Pages: 388
Finished: June 27

Seriously? I’m still reading these? You better believe it. This is the perfect beach read. Light, sappy, romantic, full of dashing men in waistcoats saving damsels who aren’t really in distress. I will say that this was a bad choice size-wise, because this damn library book added at least five pounds to my carry-on luggage.

37: The Magician’s Assistant
by: Ann Patchett
Pages: 368
Finished: June 28

I think that this might be my favorite book I have read this summer. It is definitely in the top three. Patchett’s prose is excellent, and the character development was beautiful. Sabine, the titular assistant, had only recently married the gay magician whom she had faithfully worked alongside for twenty years. Parsifal’s sudden death leaves Sabine with many questions about the holes in his past and the family that suddenly appears. My particular favorite part is that Parsifal’s gay lover for many years, Phan, appears in Sabine’s dreams, showing her what death is like for them, and having all the conversations that they didn’t have in life. I read the book on the beach, so when Sabine goes to find this elusive family and discover why Parsifal would change his name and ends up in the wintry desolation of the Midwest, it was a little difficult to wrap my head around.
Since I had all day to read, I enjoyed the lack of chapter breaks. There was never a point that said “ You can put the book down now if you want” so I never felt the need to put it down, and when I had to, it was exceptionally easy to pick right back up where I left off. It was just a constant flow of words that lulled me into another world.

38: This is Where I Leave You
Pages: 339
Finished: June 29

A family of non-practicing Jews are called by their mother to sit Shiva for their father who just died after a long illness. Our narrator has quit his job and separated from his wife after catching her in bed with his boss. His eldest brother is worried about the family business and getting his wife pregnant. His sister has just had her third kid with a husband that it seems she does not love. His youngest brother, a compulsive liar and ladies man tells everyone who comes by the house a different story of where he has been for the last three years. Throw into this mix lies, anger, hilarious outbursts, drug use, and secrets and you have a week in hell with a family that defines dysfunctional. All in all, a quick but delightful read. You can’t help cheering your narrator on, even when he makes one terrible choice after another.

Good Reading (with sand),
Caitlin