I'm kind of a sucker for these kinds of posts; where you get a little glimpse into other readers and/or writers. I'm actually surprised that it took me this many years of blogging to finally write one of my own. But, better late than never, right?

Here are a few bookish things about me:

1. I read more physical books than ebooks, simply because I much prefer the feel of a real book in my hands. 
2. If I'm not writing first thing, I get most of my reading in in the half hour I get up before my son.
3. The smell of library books is one of my favorite things.
4. I am rarely found reading without a cup of coffee nearby.
5. I find it impossible to narrow down my choices to a few favorite books. So I don't.
6. I definitely judge books by their covers.
7. You will never see me dog-ear the pages of a book I own or borrowed from someone else (but apparently this doesn't include library books...).
8. I think that my weakness for romance novels stems back to never seeing my mother without a Harlequin romance in her hand as I grew up.
9. The last book I read was "An Unforgivable Love Story" by B.L. Berry
10. I am capable of suffering from terrible book hangovers.
11. Receiving books as gifts is the best. thing. ever.
12. I try to write reviews right after I finish a book so that I don't forget what I want to say about it. And trust me, I will forget if I don't do it right away.
13. I can't read hardcover books with the dust jacket on. It drives me nuts.
14. My favorite genres are probably contemporary romance and literary fiction.
15. If a book keeps coming across my radar (ie, everyone I follow online is blabbing on about it), I'm more than likely going to give in and read it. Case in point: The Love that Split the World.
16. I've written and published three novellas, and am currently working on what will hopefully be my first published novel. 
17. I pretty much always carry a book with me. You never know when you'll be stuck waiting somewhere.
18. Books are my favorite type of home decor.
19. Bookstores are where I go when I need time to myself.
20. I organize the books on my shelves by their spine colors.
21. I share most -- if not all -- of what I read on Instagram, using #rachelreadsthis
22. I'm obsessed with bookish photography (hello crimebythebook and sweptawaybybooks)
23. I get genuinely excited when someone asks me for book recommendations.
24. I am not a fan of audio books. at. all.
25. I go through phases with my favorite authors, but currently I'm majorly crushing on Meg Wolitzer and Emily Henry.

I've gone through periods before where I'm stuck and can't seem to get anything written down. But this... this feels awfully different. Too different. Fresh off the heels of writing and publishing Losing Lily, I dove right into writing BEING LEAH, and to say that it has been an epic struggle would be an understatement.

Obviously, I know how this book is going to go:

Boy and Girl met in previous book; went through some stuff, but found a way to be together. Here is where their real story begins. Only it's not that simple. The past doesn't want to stay in the past. But in the end, love wins, because, hello... everyone wants a HEA (happily ever after). I could choose not to write it that way, but really... I just can't bring myself to. I love these characters. Even I am rooting for them.

This book has been coming along so slowly that I -- the pantser -- actually sat down for an afternoon and laid everything out, plotting my way around this and that. And now I have a plan.

I thought for sure that this would be the answer to my problems. But no.

Still nothing.

I'm not going to call it writer's block, because that feels like I'm letting it win. What I'm going to do is sit down tonight and dig in to it. I mean really dig in to it. And over the course of this week I'm going to see if I can give it the attention it deserves... if I can give it wings to fly... if it has legs...

You get the picture.

Please send all the coffee.

Here's what I read in March:

THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD by Emily Henry
I really did enjoy this book, and that's saying a lot, because usually I avoid the YA genre, finding it -- more often than not -- too juvenile for me (and I don't mean that it's juvenile as in bad. I just mean... not age appropriate for me). But I can honestly say that I've never read anything like TLTSTW before. I recall, about 10% of the way through it, turning to my husband and saying "mark my words: this will be a movie."


THE INTERESTINGS by Meg Wolitzer
This is my second Wolitzer book, and just like the first, I was absolutely in awe of her words. She has truly become one of my new favorite authors.


THROUGH HER EYES by Ava Harrison
I was surprised by this book. I wasn't sure that I was going to like it, but I did. It's romantic and very mushy at times, but that's exactly what I was in the mood for. If you're in to supporting indie authors, give this book a shot.


What books have you read lately? What should I read next?

I've been blogging here and there -- yes -- but not really about anything too personal. I haven't really even been saying much over on instagram either. The truth is that I've been spending a lot of time thinking -- and a lot of time writing in my journal -- about what I really want my life to look like.

I have this bad habit of being pessimistic about most things. I laugh about it now, but I used to always say 'I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist', which was really just an excuse for me to think negatively about something. Well, I'm tired of it, I really am. It's exhausting and it's taking away from my life.

I've been listening (and devouring) everything having to do with Pimpin' Joy week on the Bobby Bones show and they had said something weeks ago that really stuck with me. It sounds simple -- maybe too simple -- but maybe that's why I like it so much.

Every day is a good day.

I'm going to repeat that.

Every day is a good day.

If my writing isn't flowing the way I want it to and I'm feeling defeated, I'm shaking it off and saying, out loud, every day is a good day. If Dom comes home from a frustrating day of work and I begin to feel his attitude rubbing off on me, I'm stopping and saying, out loud, every day is a good day. On those mornings that DJ wakes upset at 5:20am and I'm exhausted because I didn't sleep well, I'm rubbing the sleep from my eyes and saying, out loud, every day is a good day.

It might end up being an incredible day, or maybe a difficult one, but I'm working on beginning my days with just a little more joy. With just a little more positivity. Because this one life that I've been given is incredible, and I don't want to spend another day thinking otherwise.

It should come as no surprise that I'm a little too addicted to staring at beautiful bookstagram accounts or getting glimpses into the lives of other writers that I admire. So, I've put together a list of instagram and twitter accounts that I'm really loving lately in the hopes that you might find something special in their posts as well.


BOOKSTAGRAMMERS

@bookbaristas - If you don't already know about this lady and her account then shame on you.

@crimebythebook - I blame Abby for getting me hooked on thriller/suspense novels. Plus, her photos are so dark and moody. I can't get enough.

@sweptawaybybooks - Alyssa's feed is like Abby's but the lighter, brighter version. I'm always curious to see what she's reading.


WRITERS ON INSTAGRAM


@authorrsgrey - Rachel (name sisters!) shares the perfect mixture of life and work photos. Seriously. I find myself getting lost in her feed a lot.

@emilybelden - Honestly, I follow Emily because I'm curious about her life... and I mean that in the least creepy way possible. But seriously, she's awesome. We had a DM conversation about my wedding bands the other day. She's a cool gal.

@colleenhoover - Colleen just makes me laugh; it's as simple as that.

@suzykrause - I adore this lady, and not just because I can email her complaining about how damn hard writing is and she will understand. I love the glimpses I get of her life, and even when she's writing about the seemingly mundane sides of life, I'm always in awe.


WRITERS ON TWITTER

@blotsandplots - I have a soft spot for miss Jenny, if you can't tell by now.  She has been someone I've gone to for advice and for beta reading and she has never let me down. If you're a writer (or aspiring writer) you need to be following Jenny. Enough said. And join her facebook group!

@shesnovel - Like Jenny, this is an account you need to be following if you're a writer as well. Kristen posts some seriously amazing stuff.

@emilyhenrywrite - Emilys' twitter feed makes me laugh, and I love how she pretty much responds to every tweet sent her way. I just read her book, The Love That Split The World and.... wow.

@kseniaanske - This woman amazes me, and her words and encouragement push me to be a better writer and reader. Follow her asap.

Here's what I read in February:

EIGHTYSIXED by Emily Belden
I had wanted to read this one for a while and when a deal popped up I took the leap and ordered it. I read this one over a weekend and vacillated between laughing, covering my mouth in awe and smiling as a feeling of hope spread through me. Even though I'm no longer in my twenties and it's been a while since my dating days, this book took me back in good ways and in bad. All in all, it was a light, enjoyable read that got me over my I-can't-get-into-anything slump. Thank god for that.


THE DOLL'S HOUSE by M.J. Arlidge
I mentioned that I was reading this series in my post about suspense/thriller books. This is the third book of the series, and after devouring the first two, I had high hopes for this one. It was just as fast-paced and juicy as the first two books, but I found this one easier to put down. I will, however, still be buying the fourth book that comes out June 7th, my birthday nonetheless :)


MOMENTS LIKE THESE by Jenny Bravo
I had the privilege of getting an early look at this novella and pretty much read through it in one night. What's unique about this book is that it's basically her "These Are The Moments" story (which was told from Wendy's perspective) told from Simon's perspective. This was one of those books I could see myself reading while sitting in front of the pool in the summer.


CHASING SPRING by R.S. Grey
This was my first RS Grey read, and honestly: I had high expectations because of how loved she seems to be. Overall, I wasn't bowled over by this one, but I think that at almost 32 I may be outgrowing young adult books, which is definitely no one's fault but my own. I can see how younger readers would enjoy her, though.


HIDDEN BODIES by Caroline Kepnes
I really can't say enough about Kepnes and this book. The second I picked up her first book, You, I was hooked and I never imagined there would be a sequel. But here we are. I devoured this book and just like You, I wish I could wipe my mind and read it all over again for the first time.


What books have you read lately? What should I read next?