Book Review: Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Book Review: Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Monday, 15 August 2016

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August is the month where I’m slowly but surely working my way through the masses of ARCs that I’ve accumulated over the last weeks and months. One of those ARCs I was particularly looking forward to getting to: Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. I read The Husband’s Secret a few years back and absolutely loved it but I hadn’t gotten around to reading anything else that Liane had published since then. When I noticed that Penguin Michael Joseph had Truly Madly Guilty available for request, I snapped it up and got stuck straight in.

 I wanted to love it.

I honestly really did. That isn’t to say that the entire reading of the book was pointless and I hated every second of it. There were lots of different things that happened that were absolutely spectacular and made the story one of those where I had to just keep going with it. I found myself reading on in spite of my reluctance, drawn in by the absolutely remarkable language and descriptiveness. I LOVE the way that Moriarty writes, but unfortunately, for me, this one just fell a little bit short of what I expected from her.

The premise of the story is pretty simple and easy enough to follow. There are 3 couples, 2 of whom have children and a third who are childless. We learn that one afternoon, they meet at one of the couples’ houses for a barbeque. At this barbeque, something incredibly bad happens and all three couples are left dwelling on the aftermath of the event. Sounds intriguing, right? Exactly. The whole thing just dragged on for way too long and by the time what happened was actually revealed, it all felt a little bit anticlimactic. I was expected something big and vibrant and full of excitement but instead I felt like I was left with a bit of a flicker. In spite of my belief that the book was too long, there were certain things that happened that definitely should have been discussed in more depth. I didn’t really warm to the characters and I found a few of them quite whiney. Their problems were minute and blown out of proportion, and one of the couples in particular I found to be incredibly selfish and self-centred.

There is no doubting that Moriarty has a way with words and her prose is remarkable. Her books are humorous and enjoyable for the most-part and it’s such a shame that this one didn’t live up to my expectations. I’m looking forward to her future books and I’ll most likely give her others a go in the meantime. I haven’t given up on her yet!

Thanks to the team at Penguin Michael Joseph for my advance copy of the book!

2.5/5

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Homeware Wishlist: Bedding & Bedspreads*

Homeware Wishlist: Bedding & Bedspreads*

Friday, 12 August 2016

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I absolutely love to sleep. As far as I’m concerned, there’s absolutely nothing better than getting into a cosy pair of pyjamas, getting tucked up and snuggled in between lovely fluffy pillows and falling straight into a deep, comfortable slumber. Unfortunately for me, the actual getting to sleep part of sleeping I have SLIGHT issues with and have been looking into ways to make the process all the more enjoyable for me.

We all know that there’s nothing better than getting into a fresh bed (add freshly shaved legs to the mix and it’s practically a phenomenon!) so getting brand new bedding was and is something that’s very important to me. I like to get new sets pretty regularly and since I’ve recently moved into a brand new ADULT flat – au revoir student life, hello adulthood- I thought it was just right that I have a look into getting some brand new bedding to make my new house a home. I thought I’d have a look around online and see what I could find, cotton bedspread-wise, as there’s so much choice on offer these days and I definitely want to get the best deal for my money!

My first stop was Yorkshire Linen. My mum absolutely worships this place; there’s a tiny little store tucked in the nearest town centre back where my parents live and I was surprised to find stockists in Liverpool as well. Their bedding has always been amazing and I’m pleased to report back that that’s still the case. They have both affordable and stylish bed linen, which is exactly what I look for when I’m comparing brands.  

As a blogger, I’m all about the aesthetics so I picked out a beautiful ivory coloured set which will look AMAZING on blog photos. I also think it’ll brighten up my bedroom a little, as weird as that sounds, as white linen always looks so fresh and stands out against plain walls. I love this grey paisley bedspread to pair with it, especially with it being cotton based, as in the summer months it’ll be light and airy and won’t make for an uncomfortable night’s sleep. Yorkshire Linen's 100% cotton bedspreads are best suited for summer nights because of the light cotton material used, so I’ll be snapping one of these babies up ASAP!

Part of my issue with getting to sleep is that I hate being too hot, but I also hate being too cold- there really is no middle ground with me at the moment and I’m suffering for it. A thinner bedspread like this one would be perfect for when it’s too hot for the duvet but the bottom sheet just won’t suffice! Pair it with some gorgeous cushions and you’ve got yourself a beautiful zone to relax in after a long day.

Next is always one of the main places I have a look for homeware purchases and bedding is no exception to that. I will say that Next has always been a bit on the pricey side as far as homeware is concerned and their bedding is definitely one of those splurge-now, let your bank balance deal with it later kind of purchases! In spite of this, I love this grey and white rose-patterned duvet set. It’d also go hand in hand with the bedspread, so I’ll be killing two birds with one stone there!

Where else should I be looking for bedding? Have you checked out Yorkshire Linen and their products before? Let me know in the comments!

This post is a collaboration with Yorkshire Linen but all thoughts and opinions remain my own. 

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Goodreads: Why I Read War Fiction

Goodreads: Why I Read War Fiction

Tuesday, 9 August 2016

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If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you’ll likely have come across my Why I Read YA Fiction blog post. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the response I had towards this post and it makes me so pleased to hear that people feel the same about YA fiction as I do. I decided that I’d make a little series of posts concerning “Why I read…” certain genres of, collections of or authors’ books. I’m going to start off this new little series with Why I Read… War Fiction.

I don’t think I’ve ever really mentioned before, but I am absolutely fascinated by the World Wars. I’m that weirdo that sits on Netflix watching documentaries about Hitler and the final solution in her spare time. I’m not really sure where my interest stemmed from, but I’m pretty sure it was a school project at primary school which had me researching above and beyond in the public library which started everything off. When the anniversary of the centenary of the start of WW1 came around in 2014, I vowed that I would spend the years between 2014 and 2018 trying to read as much war fiction as I possibly could. By war fiction, I don’t mean fiction specifically about the war but merely fiction which is set, speaks about or focuses on the wartime period. I’ve done pretty well so far and I feel like I’ve really learnt a lot about the war from a number of differing perspectives. Here’s a list of my reads so far, from most recent to least:

The Periodic Table - Primo Levi (WW2)

Uranus - Marcel Aymé (WW2)

Au Bon Beurre - Jean Dutourd (WW2)

Stay Where You Are and Then Leave - John Boyne (WW1)

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit - Judith Kerr (WW2)

The Storyteller - Jodi Picoult (WW2)

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque (WW1)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne (WW2)

Carrie’s War - Nina Bawden (WW2)

I plan on reading Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” at some point soon, as well as rereading “War Horse” by Michael Morpurgo, “The Absolutist” by John Boyne, which would be the first book that I’ve read by him that wasn’t considered to be children’s fiction and “Birdsong” by Sebastian Faulks, which I’ve read before, but not recently. I’ve got a number of other Great War fiction piled high and I can’t wait to delve deep into the pile! I’m always interested in adding more books to my pile so if you have any war-time fiction recommendations then please let me know in the comments!

What’re your thoughts on War Fiction? Let me know in the comments!

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