Why Not Me? & Fates and Furies

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

WHAT'S THE DEAL? Mindy Kaling's second book of essays following the hilarious Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

ANY GOOD? If you've got a daughter/goddaughter/cousin/sister/BFF who has recently graduated or is going through the 'who am I?' phase you need to get them this book. It's funny (obviously) but packed with sage advice. More than anything, Why Not Me? will make you respect Mindy Kaling even more. The topics discussed in the essays are honest and real. I'm not sure if I'd say they are completely relatable for most people outside of the entertainment industry but still there are many takeaway points. I enjoyed Mindy's comments on diversity in the industry. I liked that on the one hand she acknowledges that she's an inspiration for many ethnic minority women but on the other hand she just wants to be asked the usual fluff questions when being interviewed like other actresses. I think this is a feeling many people from ethnic minority backgrounds have regardless of position. At the end of the day, things always come back to race. I hope she continues writing these essays as her career progresses. 

ADD TO BASKET? If you're a fan of Mindy and/or need a bit of a pep talk.

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

(I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

WHAT'S THE DEAL? Split into two sections - Fates and Furies - this is the story of Lotto and Mathilde and the ups and downs of their marriage.  

ANY GOOD? I still don't know how I feel about this book and I finished it last week. I enjoyed some of the story (mainly the beginning of the fates section and the beginning of the furies section). I liked the fairytale like beginning to Lotto's story - this 'chosen one', child genius lording it about in the Florida swaps. I was quite interested in where the story was going but then he met Mathilde and the whole thing became quite dull. Ultimately, I continued reading in the hope of getting to the point of the story but it never really came. This coupled with the overly flowery language was off putting but I persevered. By the time I reached the final quarter, I was skim reading because I just didn't like what was going on with Mathilde. It felt quite incongruous with the rest of the story and bit too over the top for shock value. I suppose you could loosely say the main takeaway is that you can never really know someone - even your spouse - along with the thought that tragedy and comedy are two sides of the same coin. Still, I wasn't taken with this book all too much.

ADD TO BASKET? It has been on lots of 'must-read' lists and nominated for awards and such like so if you're a little bit curious give it a go. At the very least it will spark discussion.