Reading Lately #7
Y’all, I feel like I’m on a reading ROLL lately! I know four books may not be a lot to you bibliophiles, but it’s a lot for me considering the first quarter of the year is always a whirlwind. Last year, I couldn’t get through anything during college gymnastics season, and look at me now! I easily finished four books and got really close to finishing two more before publishing this post. (On the flip side, I think I’m a little more sleep deprived so far this year…lol.)
These past three months, I finished two physical books and two books on Kindle. I’m currently reading two more Kindle books (and one Kindle-book-turned-physical-copy). I’m using StoryGraph to track my reads (I set a goal of reading 15 books this year and may end up exceeding it!) as well as my growing TBR list. Add me as a friend: my username is cottoncashmerecathair!
Browse all of my Reading Lately posts!
For ease, and especially for my fellow Kindle readers, all of the links below go to Amazon. If you are able, please support your local bookstores right now (and always)! Bookshop.org donates a percentage of sales to local bookstores, and if you’re local to me, check out Rediscovered Books—I buy physical books there. There are also a number of Black-owned bookstores that need support. Find one near you in this list of over 50 Black-owned bookstores arranged by state (all have online stores and a couple are online only).
Recently Read: January—March 2022
Built to Belong by Natalie Franke: I enjoyed this book, but man it was difficult for me to get through. I dunno why! It just felt really slow for me (sometimes I can get through nonfiction quickly, and sometimes it’s a struggle even if I’m enjoying the content). It’s definitely a book I would recommend if you struggle with feeling like you don’t belong, especially if you’re also in the weird entrepreneur/blogger/influencer/online space. I related to so many of the messages Natalie shared, and it was a really important reminder for me to stay focused on you—my community—and creating content with you in mind.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (Kindle): For some reason, this was a book I was saving…for what, I don’t know. The right moment, I guess? Whatever that means. This book made me think about creativity in ways I never have before. I will say that it was not what I was expecting, so for that reason it didn’t totally blow me away, but it was still a good read on living a creative life and how to do that on your own terms. This book is for everyone that aspires to live creatively in whatever that means for you and not just for people that already have creative endeavors!
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory (Kindle): Even though this isn’t technically a series, I wanted to start from the beginning, and boy did I love this book! It was so sweet and very romantic. I will say that I like it when stories wrap up in neat, happy little bows, even if they are predictable. Sometimes you need a feel good story in light of all the other heavy things happening in the world. Drew is without a date to his ex girlfriend’s wedding, until he ends up stranded in the elevator with Alexa—the perfect fake girlfriend…until she’s not! 😉
The Rosie Result by Graeme Simsion: This is the third and final book in The Rosie Project series! I borrowed the physical copy from my local library; can’t remember the last time I did that. (Note that what I say is a spoiler if you haven’t read the first two books. You’ve been warned!) Don and Rosie move back to Australia with their son, Hudson. There are new problems for Don to solve when Hudson starts having troubles at school, and he works to solve them in ways only he knows how (and comes to an important realization about himself by the end)!
CURRENTLY READING
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon: I started this book on Kindle (borrowed via my public library), but only made it 60% of the way before my loan was up. I just purchased a physical copy because I’m a sucker for books that have to do with weather (even adjacently haha). This is a super cute novel about a broadcast meteorologist named Ari who got her dream job working for her childhood idol in Seattle. (I love the mentions of weather throughout the story!) But, things are not going so well: Ari’s engagement recently ended, and there’s tension between her boss and her boss’s ex-husband in the studio. She conspires with a colleague to try to get their bosses back together, and in the meantime, they fall for each other…! EEEE!
The One Hour Content Plan by Meera Kothand (borrowed on Kindle): I think I learned about Meera from a blogging podcast, and I immediately went to Amazon to check out her books! She has about a dozen books, all relating to different aspects of content creation and blogging. This book is a quick and short read, but I want to take notes so it’s taking me longer to get through it. (There’s also a lot of bonus content available on her website.)
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal (borrowed on Kindle): I borrowed this book with my Amazon Prime account a couple of years ago (when I tried to get back into reading the first time) and have heard such good things about it! I’m a little over halfway through this book and LOVING it. It’s one of those books where you just want to keep reading because you want to know what happens next. The story line has somewhat similar vibes as The Vanishing Half: you meet two sisters, one who died after a horrific train accident while abroad, and the second sister, a successful doctor still living back home with her mom—until she learns that her sister that supposedly died over a decade prior is still alive and goes to find her in another country. The chapters alternate between each sister’s perspective and backstory, and it’s GREAT!!!
TO Be READ
My TBR list is too long to list out each book individually now (plus there are a lot of books I want to read and plan to borrow), so here are a few books that are up next. I’m planning to cancel my Amazon Prime account this year, so the books I borrowed via Prime are top priority. Check out my entire growing TBR list (which also includes the books on my wish list through the library) on StoryGraph!
Adulting by Liz Talley (borrowed on Kindle)
Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White (borrowed on Kindle)
Have We Met? by Camille Baker (borrowed on Kindle)
We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers (borrowed on Kindle)
Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagán (borrowed on Kindle)