what i'm reading wednesday | 12.07.16 — wine, books and wanderlust

Dec 7

Dec 7 what i'm reading wednesday | 12.07.16

I've been reading a lot lately. However, they're all potato chip books that I'm simply too embarrassed to write about here. That being said, I've been listening to audiobooks in the car and while I get ready in the mornings to make up for my junk book addiction. I still kind of feel like it's "cheater reading," but I still 100% feel like it's better than the Top 40 crap they're playing on the radio.

(and with that statement, I've officially branded myself as "old fart")

the magician's assistant by anne patchett

This story was interesting, to say the least. The language was very fluid and imaginative, although the plot was fairly easy to guess and the story a bit mundane. The book follows the tale of Sabine, a 41-year old widow and the titled magician's assistant. It bounces back between present day (after the death of her husband), the past, and a dream-state narrative. The characters are quite interesting: Sabine was with her husband for over 20 years, though they were only married less than two...because her husband was, in actuality, an openly gay man.

Despite being utterly devoted to him for that long, she discovers he has a mother and two sisters living in Nebraska that he's never told her about. The book follows Sabine's story of healing and realization as she builds a relationship with her new extended family. She also comes to terms with her both of the lives of her husband. The only downside is that the story just of fizzled out at the end. There was no great culmination or definitive end. While I realize that it's not always possible in real life, it was just one big, "eh, maybe" kind of ending...which drives me insane.

interview with the vampire by anne rice

Because what says Christmas like the Gothic Queen of Literary Vampire Darkness, Anne Rice? Just kidding. She's an amazing writer and, after finishing the Lives Of The Mayfair Witches, I really wanted to ready the crossover novels where she introduces the Mayfairs to several of the vampires from the Chronicles. That being the case (and me being as OCD as I am), I felt that I needed to start from the beginning...and so I have.

The narrator, Simon Vance, is fantastic...one of those great voices that can easily change over from one character to the next. I can't wait to see what the story has in store. I do have to admit that I keep comparing it to the 1994 film based on the book. So far, my theory remains true...the book is always better.