Category: Random

Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

LaurenLeave a comment

Remember, over the summer, when Joey and I spent a weekend at the cabin and I straight devoured One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid?  Fast forward to a month ago, when I picked up a new book from the library (that I’d heard really good things about), then had it sitting in my house for two weeks before getting around to reading it and then, just then, did I realize it was by the same author!  I thought attention to detail was my strong suit but apparently not.

SPOILER ALERT!  If you plan on reading this (and you should), scroll no further.

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is, as you’d expect, centered around Evelyn Hugo, a glamorous Hollywood legend who has hand-picked an unknown journalist named Monique Grant to write the story of her life.  Turns out, though she’s been married to seven different men, the real love of her life was a fellow actress named Celia St. James.  This isn’t where I expected this book to go based on the title and the description on the back, but it turned out to be such a beautiful twist.

The relationship between Evelyn and Celia was so complicated and heartbreaking and I got so lost in their sometimes destructive but more often supportive and caring relationship.  And more than ever, I am convinced that Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing is absolutely wonderful.  Her characters feel so well developed and the interactions between them feel real and natural.  I kept finding myself on the brink of Googling images of Evelyn Hugo before remembering she wasn’t a real person.

Just a warning, I cried something like four times during the final chapters of this book.  May or may have not texted Joey, who was out playing basketball, something like “COME HOME AND HOLD ME!” so I guess I was sort of emotionally invested in this story and in case you can’t tell, I wholly recommend this book 🙂

Tuesday Night Soup

LaurenLeave a comment

Let me tell you a story about a soup that was a disaster but then wasn’t.

I dutifully soaked the beans overnight, thawed buttermilk from the freezer, got onions in the pot as soon as we got home.  An hour later and those beans were still hard, the crispy onions were maybe just a tad bit past crispy, the thyme we subbed for mint was making our entire kitchen smell like dirt.  This dinner had all the makings of an episode of deep disappointment for me.

I read these recipes beforehand, I spend money on the ingredients, I envision myself cooking them, eating them, loving them.  When reality doesn’t live up to my expectations, it can throw me for a real loop and my reactions are not healthy or helpful.  Like eating one bad meal or worse, throwing away one bad meal and having to resort to a Plan B that I never even considered existing, could ruin my life?

So imagine my shock when I was so chill about that soup.  The beans were NOT “creamy,” the onions maybe tasted a little bit charred, that thyme oil was gross and went down the drain.  And guess what?  The soup was still really good!!!  How?!  Maybe my lax attitude willed it into deliciousness?  Let’s not question these things.

Wouldn’t it be nice if this was a Lesson Learned Moment and I’m now imperceptible to cooking failure disappointment?  I’d like to pretend it is, but I know it isn’t.  I’ll still watch 50 videos on how to make pasta then feel like a failure if I don’t do it to perfection.  I’ll still be upset if I buy an expensive cut of meat and overcook it.  I’ll still be sad if my pancakes stick to the pan and I have to eat toast instead.  But maybe just one less instance here and there is progress.

Recipe: Beans and Green Soup with Salted Yogurt and Sizzled Mint