Simple Meals + Honest Book Reviews + Practical Living
Ahh, it certainly has been a month of digging up my old favorites authors! I don’t know where this nostagia is coming from, considering I have a heafty list of new books I’m ready to read. None the less, I’ve been gravitating towards my old favorites recently, and stoked to share another review with you today. I’m reviewing The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag.
I came across Matt Curtis’s TED Talk. In Curtis’s talk, he asks a really brilliant question: If 30 days are going to pass anyway, why not try something you’ve always wanted to try?
It’s been a long time since I’ve read an Emily Giffin novel. If I had to pinpoint the last time I read one of her novels, I’d say junior year of college. That’s when I binged on her first four books: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, and Love the One You’re With. I loved Giffin and her writing, but as my reading branched out to darker tales (read: murder), she sort of fell off my radar. And then I saw the hype for her latest and greatest, First Comes Love.
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Happy Sunday, my fellow book worms! Are you still in PJ’s with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other? I know I am. Today, I have another volume of Overrated Reads for you, so you can happily skip over them while putting together your fall reading list. Here we go (in order of disappointment).
It’s been a great summer, albeit hectic. And to compliment that, I’ve read a handful of wonderful books that I’m very excited to share with you, and highly recommend you add to your reading list.
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I was really excited to read Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. I had been seeing this book everywhere and after reading a few reviews, I knew it would be a great choice for my 30+ minute walk to work. This is a book that’s split into two parts — Fates and Furies. It’s about the course of the twenty-four year marriage between Lotto and Mathilde. We get to hear both sides of the story, from husband and wife, each with their own respective half of the novel.
This is Lotto’s version. And I’m glad his went first. Though, his version is rather slow, and seems to drag on about nothing in particular. There are a lot of mixed reviews about Fates and Furies, and I definitely understand why. Many claim it’s painfully pretentious, told in an obnoxious voice, and extremely boring and tough to get through.
But, what you need to understand about Lauren Groff, is she is truly an artist. Her way with words and painting metaphors is unmatched. The writing in this novel was exquisite. Absolutely wonderful imagery, elegant words and powerful emotions all strung together in sentences that leaves you breathless. Groff takes you so deep into the minds of Lotto and Mathilde, who married at twenty-two years old.
So maybe that doesn’t make up for a somewhat weak story of the first half, and I can completely understand why many people couldn’t finish… but I promise, once you embark upon the second half of the book, I think you’ll understand the magic that is Lauren Groff.
Furies takes us on a sharp, wickedly delicious turn when we read Mathilde’s version of her marriage. Secrets, deceptions, and juiciness. I’ve read a few folks compare it to Gone Girl, this couldn’t be more wrong. I encourage you to push through Fates, and I dare you to hate it once you’ve read Mathilde’s side of the story.
Have you read this book? If so, I want to hear your thoughts!