6 Book Recommendations for 6 Different Moods

I can’t believe it’s November already. October went by in a whirlwind. Maybe that was because I was reading reading reading like a maniac. I had set a goal to read two books in October because I knew it was going to be a busy month, but I ended up reading NINE. All in between writing 30k words on my new book, so October was a month of lots of words for me!

But that’s good news for you because that means I have book recommendations. :-) And because I’m working on my Read Wide reading challenge, the recs fall across various genres and are pretty different from each other. So I thought it’d be fun to give recs based on the reading mood you might be in.

Ready? Let’s go!

1. I am overwhelmed, and I need an easy, page-turning read that will not stress me out and will give me the warm and fuzzy romance feeling.

Smooth-Talking Cowboy by Maisey Yates

Maisey’s books are where I go when I need a sure thing, feel-good read. Her characters are likable, the love scenes hot, and the story fun.

2. I’m feeling a little down and I want a sweet read that’s going to make me smile.

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

This story of two teen boys falling for each other, one a Mormon, is a sweet, moving story of young love. I adored the fun voice of the main character, and it had the right amount of angst to make you worry for them.

3. I am in a really good place and can handle a beautiful, epic read that’s going to rip my heart out and (kind of) put it back together again. (Or I’m in need of a good, hard cry.)

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Okay, y’all. ALL the warnings here. If you are in any way feeling down or depressed, don’t pick up this book yet. It’s an emotional wringer. I’m glad I read it on a sunny vacation in Phoenix to offset the heartbreaking story. Having said that, it was a beautiful, amazing story. And the setting of the Alaska in the 1970s was so well drawn that I felt like I was there. It’s one of those books that I’m happy I read but that I couldn’t read again, if that makes sense. It gutted me. The ending is hopeful. I wouldn’t recommend one with a completely tragic ending, but don’t go in looking for an “Ahh” feeling happily ever after. (Also trigger warnings for domestic violence.)

4. I’m looking for something totally different, and I have time to listen to a story during a commute or during chores.

Dead Air by Gwenda Bond, Carrie Ryan, and Rachel Caine

Now for something a little different…Dead Air is on the new platform/app for serial stories Serial Box. The story is told in episodes and has full sound effects and such, so it’s different from a straight up audiobook.

I was curious about the format so I started listening to Dead Air while I was washing dishes and driving. I got hooked after probably two episodes, and that’s saying something because, though I listen to a lot of non-fiction in audio, I have yet to get into fiction audiobooks. This one held my attention. And I didn’t figure out the mystery ahead of time. There’s also a new adult romance mixed into the story. I believe you can try the first episode free if you want to see what it’s like. If you like it, you can buy the whole season for the price of a book.

5. I’m already missing Halloween, and I’m looking for a scary book that will have me peeking out my windows to check that no one’s out there.

The Surviving Girls by Katee Robert

I happened to be reading this book the same week that I saw the new Halloween movie. This book and that movie have a lot in common. It’s about a survivor (or survivors) going up against a human monster that ruined their lives in a tragic way when they were teens. In this case, two women who survived a sorority row slaying are being hunted again by the killer (or are they?) This is a thriller, but it also has a strong horror feel to me. There is a minor romance in it as well.

(This one is free in Kindle Unlimited if that’s your jam.)

6. I’m in the mood to learn something.

Overdressed by Elizabeth L. Cline

I got this in audiobook from my library, and I found it really eye-opening. If you ever wonder why those tops at the store can be sold for five dollars (or wonder if they should be that cheap) and why pretty much any clothing you buy these days falls apart after a few washes, this book will answer those questions. Be warned, it’s one of those topics you can’t “unsee” once you know about it. It’s made me look at clothes shopping through a whole new lens. Also, if you get this in audiobook, the narrator takes a little getting used to.

All right, those are the six picks I have for you today. What have you read lately that you loved? Are you a mood reader?

Roni Recommends: Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I have made no secret that I love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books, and I think because I love them so much, I’ve taken them slow. I haven’t devoured her backlist because I don’t want it to run out too quickly. So I’ve had Maybe In Another Life on my shelf for probably about a year. But I finally hit a moment where it felt like the right time to read it. I’m so glad I did!

I love that Reid tends to make her books about a particular question. The question explored in Maybe In Another Life: Can we change our fate by making the smallest decision? Like if we turn left on the street instead of right, does our entire life change? Or are we destined to end up how we end up? This also plays with the concept of soulmates, which she’s explored in other books as well. Do we only have one?

So the premise of this story is that the main character, Hannah, goes to her a bar with her friend. In one scenario, she says yes to going home with her ex-boyfriend from high school. In the other scenario, she turns him down. What follows is a story told in two separate timelines. One follows the first version of Hannah and what happens if she says yes. The other story is if Hannah says no.

This story is heartbreaking at times, but I promise, y’all, this isn’t a sad book. That’s what I love about Reid’s books. She makes you worry about how things might turn out, but then she always gives a satisfying ending (even if it’s not the ending you guessed.) I found the book very life-affirming. It had great characters, romance, and made me think. I am very stingy with rating things 5 stars in my reading journal. This is only the 4th novel I’ve read this year out of almost 60 that got that rating from me. Highly recommended!

About the book:

From the acclaimed author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.

Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Stop Letting Your Inbox Distract You: Making Rules Work for You

I talk about productivity often on this blog and that means I often end up talking about avoiding distractions. I’ve blogged before about taming social media and how I use Hey Focus and block distracting sites when I’m writing. However, one major distraction I haven’t covered before is email. Why? Because I hadn’t figured out how NOT to be distracted by it except to close it and only check it at certain times. But that has some issues if you’re waiting for important emails.

So this is what email distraction usually looks like for me.

*Sits at my computer*

“Okay, before I get started on anything, let me check my email to see if there’s anything urgent I need to take care of.”

Maybe gets one or two emails that need quick action.

Then the pretty, shiny emails stare back at me. Ooh, these books are on sale. Ooh, this is a list of the best planners. Ooh, this is an interesting article about writing. Ooh, Audible’s got 100 books on sale, I should click and scan that list. Ooh, someone’s commented on my facebook post.

Two hours later…no real work has gotten done.

Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

It was getting bad for me. And, worse, it often felt like I was being productive because a lot of what I was reading from my email was educational. If anyone is familiar with the Strengthsfinder personality test, my top two strengths are Learner and Input. This basically means that I want to learn all the things about all the things and want constant input to get my brain going. Those superpowers can be used for good, but they also are the same ones that lead me down the email rabbit hole of click click click.

So, a few months ago, I decided that something needed to change. I wasn’t doing well at avoiding. If I saw it in my inbox, I wanted to click. I knew the only way that has worked for me in the past on other distracting things is the “out of sight, out of mind” approach. I didn’t want to unsubscribe from everything. I do learn things and get inspiration from articles and posts and other people’s newsletters. But I need to control how and when I saw it. Enter the magic of email rules.

Email rules are nothing new, and I’d used them on occasion for minor things, but I’d never looked at them as a way to truly take control of my inbox. Before now, I’ve always relied on organizing by folders—but folders that I used after the fact. Like a receipt would come to my inbox, and I would manually file it away in the receipts folder. That’s not helping with the flow of incoming email.

So I decided to really go after the problem with rules. I set up folders for the main categories of things that come into my inbox. This will be different for everyone, but here are mine.

Categorizing

• All the Input - This includes all the non-bookish newsletters, article round ups, the New York Times newsletters, what’s new on Netflix and Hulu, announcements of local concerts and events, the local newspaper’s newsletters, blogs I subscribe to, etc. Basically, all the things I love to read and feed my brain with but that aren’t urgent.

• Bookish Things - This includes Daily deal book emails, bookish blogs, newsletters from BookPage, B&N, Audible, BookBub, Goodreads. I separate these out from the input folder because they include time-sensitive deals. So it’s something that I want to check daily, but that I know I need to check at a break time because it will suck up time to scan lists of what’s on sale.

• Promotions - This is where all the coupon emails go from stores I’ve subscribed to. Good news is I don’t even have to look at these. They are just stored there in case I find myself in a particular store and need a coupon. I don’t have to be distracted by—oh what is this new thing this store wants me to buy?

• Social Media - This is where all the facebook and other social media notifications go. This is also one that used to clutter up my inbox, but now I barely have to look at. And it’s an easy “select all” and “delete” at the end of the week.

• Planners - Because I’m a planner nerd, I separate out the emails from all the planner companies into one folder.

• Book Notes - I used the Pensieve app to send quick notes to myself when I get an idea about my book and am away from my computer. So this one is more a storage system than avoidance distraction.

How does this work?

You set up all your rules in your email system. I’m sure every program is a little different, but this is what it looks like in Apple Mail. This will take a while because you’re tackling your whole inbox. Bring snacks. You’re going to have to go through and see exactly what you’re getting, what address it comes from, and what folder you want to auto-send it to. Then you set up your rules and just start adding all those addresses. If you are using apple mail, if you highlight an email, click Mail—>Preferences—>Rules it will auto-populate the email address when you start a rule or add to an existing one, which makes things quicker.

This is what my rule looks like for the Bookish Things folder:

This can feel like a painstaking process, but once you get through the tedium of it, you’re all set. When your emails comes in, it will automatically sort into these folders. So you never have to see it until you click on that folder. All you will get in your main inbox are the emails that you want to see or need to see. I’ve kept my main inbox to where I get emails from my family, my publisher, my editor, my agent, my kid’s school, and emails from my website. Also, any emails from new sources will land there as well.

How has this new system changed things?

I can’t explain how big of a difference this has made for me. It truly is an out of sight, out of mind solution for me. I see the little numbers of new emails in those folders in the morning, but I KNOW they aren’t urgent, so I don’t have to check those folders “just in case”. I know I can leave them alone, and they will be waiting when I get time to take a break. It also gives me comfort that I’m not missing anything important in my main inbox because I can leave that box open.

And maintenance on this system is easy because when you get a new email from a company or sign up for a new newsletter, you just have to click and add it to an already existing rule. Done. The folders and rules even work on my phone, which is amazing. It’s email magic. : )

So, if you find yourself getting lost in the black hole of email during the day, maybe give this a try. It’s nice to sit down in the morning and not have a giant pile of email to sort through. You can take care of what you need to take care of and then move on.

Anyone else sucked in by the email beast? What do you do to tame it? What would your folders be named?

Other posts on Distraction:

7 Things to Reduce Distractions and Increase Focus

On Productivity and Distraction: Deep Work

Revisiting Deep Work

Device-Free Summer

BInge-Worthy TV: Younger (Or Why I Stayed Up Late Too Many Nights Last Month)

If you follow my blog, you know that my primary form of entertainment is reading books not watching TV. I love TV, but with a 10-year old at home and my not so late bedtime, my time to watch grown-up shows is highly limited. So usually, in order to get my TV fix, I choose one show to work my way through. This usually takes a long time.

Then, I started watching Younger (streaming on Hulu and TV Land) while hubs had a string of out-of-town trips. This meant I could choose a show that was just for me that I knew hubs would never want to watch together AND it meant I had no one to say, “Hey babe, it’s getting kind of late and maybe we should tun off the TV.” In other words, I was left to my own devices and ended up not getting enough sleep many a night in the last two months or so because this show is SO fun. Plus, it is a master at the cliffhanger. “Just one more” became a regular mantra. I made it through all five seasons in no time at all.

So, let’s back up, if you have no idea which show I’m talking about. The premise of Younger (the show’s based on a book) is that a 40-something year old Liza is recently divorced (her husband cheated) and is now left with no job and has to pay for her daughter’s college tuition. She tries to get a job in publishing, the career she was in before she became a mom, but she’s been “out of the game too long” according to everyone she interviews with. She’s frustrated and desperate. Her friend suggest she lie about her age. Liza gets a millennial makeover, claims to be 26, and lands an assistant job at Empirical Publishing. That’s the set up. Good hook, yeah?

Well, even though the show is based on this one thing—Liza lying about her age and trying to pull off being a millennial when she is definitely not one—it’s not a one-trick pony. The cast of characters is so funny and likable, the storylines so engaging, and the romances so sexy that I gorged on the seasons like candy.

The episodes are short (less than 30 minutes) so they’re easy to devour, and they are so good at the end-of-episode cliffhanger that I couldn’t help clicking to start the next one too many times. I think I particularly enjoy the premise because I was born at the end of 1979 and sit on the border of the Gen X and Millennial years, so I can laugh and appreciate both generations as they poke fun at them.

Also, the show is set in publishing, so of course I love that. However, be warned, though they get some things right, many of the things they do in publishing are NOT accurate, lol. (Cue me talking to the TV often: “That’s not how it works!”.) Also, the episode focused on romance publishing (which did a cool shout out to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books!) was a little annoying as it didn’t dispel the stereotypes non-romance readers have about the genre. However, the end of that episode made me feel a little better and not quite as annoyed. ;)

Also, if you need no other reason to watch, then watch to appreciate the male beauty of Josh (Nico Tortorella) and Charles (Peter Hermann). I’m actually using Josh as inspiration for Kincaid’s hero (looks wise) in book four of The Ones Who Got Away series.

Josh…

I'm Still Going To Walk You Home Though, Cause I'm A Gentleman GIF from Suttonfoster GIFs

Charles…

Of Course GIF from Peterhermann GIFs

So if you’re looking for something fun that’s full of strong female friendships, steamy romance, and the world of books, you can’t go wrong with this one. Now I’ll be tapping my foot until season 6 arrives.

Seasons 1-5 can be streamed on Hulu or TV Land.

Anyone else a Younger fan? What have you binge-watched lately?

A Quick, Satisfying Short Story (and it's free!): Evidence of the Affair

Typically, I’m not a short story reader. I have nothing against them and have even written a few that are tucked into the back of some of the paperback versions of my books, but I don’t often gravitate to reading them. I think there are a number of reasons for this. One, often short stories fall under the literary fiction category, and I’m more of a commercial fiction gal. Two, I like to be immersed in a story and short stories have less time to get me into that state. Three, I don’t know if it’s just been my luck, but the short stories I’ve read have often had no real ending or are super grim, and they’ve left me with a “what was the point of that?” feeling.

However, I’m happy to report that none of those are the case in the one I’m recommending today. I’m not even sure how Evidence of the Affair came into my line of sight. I’m sure the Amazon recommending machine was at work. But when I saw the cover (I love mid-century modern architecture—though I’m freaked out by all the windows now after reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark), my attention was snagged. Then I saw it was written by Taylor Jenkins Read, who has written some of my favorite books of the last decade or so of my reading life. That’s all I needed to know. I was in. Bonus surprise: the short story is free if you’re an Amazon Prime member or if you have Kindle Unlimited. (If not, the 1.99 price is still a steal.)

This story is set in the 1970s (another thing I loved about it) and told all through letters. I love stories told in interesting ways, and the epistolary format really worked here. The main letters being exchanged are from the spouses of the cheating partners. One discovers the affair and writes to the other. Interspersed are letters between the cheating couple. I wasn’t sure where the story would go and it kept me guessing (and got me worried at points), but I will say that it was a satisfying ending.

So, if you’re looking for something a little different or for a quick read to get out of a reading slump (or to beef up your reading challenge numbers!), I recommend picking up Evidence of the Affair. If you like her writing style, I highly recommend tracking down her backlist. I’m still working my way through hers, but One True Loves has been my favorite so far.

Happy reading!

Any good short stories to recommend?