cottoncashmerecathair's reviews
27 reviews

The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

This YA book follows a lone survivor following a plane crash in Ireland. The survivor, a teenager, decides she needs to run away from her old life waiting for her at home with the help of someone she meets at the hospital. This story is sweet and romantic, and it wrapped up really nicely at the end (I definitely did not predict how all the “loose ends” would tie up haha).

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com. 

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

This is the sequel to The Rosie Project, which I reread a couple of months prior. Warning: Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the first book! Don and Rosie are now married and living in NYC, where Don is a professor and Rosie is a dual MD and PhD student. Rosie becomes pregnant, and hilarity ensues as Don wrestles with becoming a father. At times it was a little bit frustrating for me because I hate it when characters put themselves in precarious situations (this is why I don’t like the Harry Potter series…), but it was still enjoyable overall! And it ended in a positive way, which I wasn’t sure it would, and I was going to be upset if not ha.

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com. 

Breakthrough to Excellence: Escape Fear to Reclaim Your Power and Conquer Your Goals by Jasmin Haley

informative inspiring medium-paced

3.0

I believe I heard about Jasmin and her book on a podcast, but I can’t remember which one! (Or maybe it was a conference?) In Breakthrough to Excellence, Jasmin talks about conquering and moving past your fears when it comes to your business. It’s a great book for entrepreneurs (or even aspiring entrepreneurs) that struggle with feelings of inadequacy! It’s written in a very positive way with lots of affirmations and uplifting stories of overcoming obstacles.

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com. 

A Happy Catastrophe by Maddie Dawson

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

This book is the sequel to Matchmaking for Beginners! Like the first book, I tore through this one pretty quickly but didn’t like it quite as much as MFB. There is kind of a wild twist at the beginning that I wasn’t expecting, but then the middle of the book kind of drug along with the same sorts of things happening, and the situation between Marnie and Patrick was annoying (and not really realistic?! idk…) and then it all wrapped up very quickly in one chapter, so the ending felt rushed. It just felt like nothing was happening and everyone was annoying and then it turned into everything happening at all once. That said, I’d probably read another book in this series if the author released one lol.

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuk

informative fast-paced

4.0

This book teaches you the art of jabbing (creating content and making connections with your audience) before throwing the right hooks (profit-driving campaign) when it comes to social media marketing. With absolutely no background in marketing whatsoever, I need all the help I can get! I enjoyed all the visual examples of great vs. bad marketing (jabbing) included in this book even though a lot of it isn’t relevant anymore because this book is a few years old (the Pinterest stuff made me chuckle because it’s so different now). I think the main points of the book still stand today!

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

I re-read this book! I rarely re-read books, but I remember loving it when I was younger, and there are two other books in the series I wanted to read. Let me tell you: I remembered not one thing. Not one! It was like I was reading it for the first time, lol. This is a sweet story about Don Tillman, a professor with a similar personality to Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, and his quest to find a wife and instead finding Rosie.

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

I loved learning more about our former First Lady, her family, and the sort of behind-the-scenes peek at life inside the White House. Embarrassingly, I didn’t know too much about Michelle Obama prior to reading this book, but I’m so in awe of her and her accomplishments! She’s an inspiration. (The parts about 45 made me absolutely sick to my stomach.)

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com.

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

This important anti-racism book came highly recommended by everyone. It’s absolutely worth your time if you haven’t read it. It will make you more fully aware of exactly what we (people working to be anti-racists) are working to end when it comes to systemic racism in America. Oluo’s retelling of personal accounts of racism throughout her life are shocking and heartbreaking and yet, her experiences are very real for Black people everywhere. Read it, absorb it, sit with it.

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com.

Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

4.0

I started this book, and I thought it was very odd at first and I was reading it slowly. Then, I could barely put it down, especially near the end! It’s a sweet story that you may or may not find predictable, but I don’t mind predictable feel-good stories at all. The main character, Marnie, thinks her life is going to end in the perfect storybook ending…until it doesn’t. I find that I related to Marnie a lot even though my life might look more “typical” than hers! I may or may not have cried a bit at the end.

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com.

Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth: Weather, Climate Change, and Finding Deep Powder in Utah's Wasatch Mountains and Around the World by Jim Steenburgh

adventurous informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Written by one of my grad school professors (and one of my favorites—he is brilliant at explaining complicated atmospheric processes in terms that anyone can understand), this book details the weather conditions that allow for Utah to have the Greatest Snow on Earth (that’s what they call it!). He also includes details about other popular ski areas around the world, the history of Utah skiing, sad avalanche stories that will make you want to avoid the backcountry at all costs (if you’re like me, ha), and a discussion on how climate change might change the skiing industry. This book is filled with interesting images and figures, and the text isn’t dense. I’m biased because of my background but I think it’s great read for any weather/snow/skiing enthusiast! I’ve given this book to my dad and my partner. There is a new edition available now.

This review was originally posted on cottoncashmerecathair.com.