Clarisse David's Blog

Hiiiiiiiii.

In today’s blog post, we’re going to talk about my January favorites. I don’t have a Violet Chachki-level aesthetic, but if you continue reading, you might discover your next favorite book or lipstick shade.

Let’s get the ball rolling.

Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink (Seductress)My first favorite is Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink liquid lipstick in the shade Seductress. If you’re wondering how it looks, I am actually using it in the selfie below.

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A post shared by Clarisse David (@authorclarissedavid) on Dec 29, 2018 at 11:01pm PST

The lipstick is called SuperStay, and it does exactly that. Even after I’ve eaten two meals, the lipstick stays on. You might need to do some heavy duty making out to remove it.

Or you can use makeup remover. Whichever option sounds better.

In all seriousness, I love this shade. It makes you look fresh and bright even after you spend an entire night marathoning season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race. By the way, that’s a completely hypothetical scenario. I’m not talking about myself...or anyone in particular.

My Gratitude Journal

I’ve been using my Starbucks planner as a gratitude journal.

I felt like such a fraud while writing that previous sentence, because I don’t even go to Starbucks that often. I’m a complete cheapskate and I only buy a drink there three times a month at the most.

This is not related to my gratitude journal, but let me tell you a quick story. I love chai tea lattes from Starbucks, but I don’t want to spend almost 200 pesos every time I feel like drinking one.

So, I tried to make my own chai tea latte. I bought chai tea--you know, the ones in tea bags--from the grocery store and tried to mix it with Nescafe three-in-one coffee.

Needless to say, my experiment did not turn out well.

Back to the gratitude journal. My boyfriend is the one who buys a lot of Starbucks drinks, and he ended up getting me this planner. It looks pretty, but I had no idea what to do with it at first because I use online tools to plan my life.

I decided to use it as a gratitude journal. If you don’t know what that is, you list down things you’re grateful for every day before you go to sleep.

Keeping a gratitude journal put things into perspective for me. I didn’t realize it would be so hard. If you asked me to make a list of the things that went wrong during the day, I could go on and on.

And on.

Thinking of things that went right, that I was thankful for actually took me a while. Now, I’m forced to be more aware of things, because I’ll have to write them down later. It makes me realize that I have a lot of things I barely noticed before that I’m lucky to have.

Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn Romancelandia kept buzzing about Kate Clayborn’s books in 2018. I made a mental note to check out her books, but I never got around to it until January 2019.

And I got a little mad at myself for waiting so long.

Beginner’s Luck is such an incredible book. The main character, Kit, is a scientist who went through a lot and has now FINALLY settled down in a place she calls home. Ben is the recruiter tasked to lure her with the promise of a high-paying new job that will require her to move.

Tons of conflict already, right? All that happens in the first chapter.

I didn’t even understand all the scientific theories Kit was talking about most of the time, but I kept reading and trying to learn anyway. Kate Clayborn’s writing made me fall in love with her passion for her field of study.

I totally get the hype now, Romancelandia.

Heeeey.

It feels like I was humming along to Wham's Last Christmas just yesterday. I can barely believe that it's 2019, much less that February is almost here.

This is such a cliche, but where did all that time ago?

Needless to say, it's now time to look back on the goals I set in 2018 and see if I actually achieved any of them.

Ahem.

1. Read 50 books.

What's your favorite August read? August has been an amazing reading month for me. I read 8 books and loved all of them, so I can't even choose a favorite. Haha. #bookstagram #books #authorsofinstagram #authorsofig68 Likes, 0 Comments - Clarisse David (@authorclarissedavid) on Instagram: "What's your favorite August read? August has been an amazing reading month for me. I read 8 books..."

I didn't read 50 books in 2018. I read 72! *insert smug smile here*

72 sounds small in comparison to people who read hundreds of books every year. I'm still very proud of it. I read more books in 2018 than I did in the last couple of years.

And I'm even prouder because a large portion of those books was diverse. Yes, I mostly stuck to the romance genre, but I still introduced myself to a wide variety of experiences and cultures.

Off the top of my head, some favorite new-to-me authors include R.F. Kuang, Talia Hibbert and Suleikha Snyder.

2. Finish writing two books.Can we skip this one? HAHAHAHA.

In all seriousness, take a seat. Get comfortable. Here's a cup of chai tea and some gingersnap cookies. We're going to talk about some THINGS.

Depression struck me hard in mid-2017 and has since refused to leave. I questioned every single aspect of my life. What was I even doing? Who did I think I was, trying to write and even attempting to get paid for it?

Needless to say, I could barely write a thing. When I did write, the whole process was slow and painful. I thought every word and idea was crap.

It was even harder because I kept thinking of BEFORE. I kept comparing my current self to the version of me who went to the gym three times a week, had an active social life, wrote almost 2,000 words daily and had her shit together.

Who was that person? Where did she go?

This is still hard to write about because I'm still struggling. Things have gotten better, but they're not exactly amazing, you know?

I am, however, proud to say that I have finished a book. I tried so hard to finish it in 2018 which resulted in a crap ton of mental pressure.

In the end, I decided to let go and just write as often as I could. I finished the book on January 7, 2019. It's still in the revision stage, but it's this fully-formed thing I can rip apart and improve.

I hope you get to read it soon.

3. Explore more.Oh, wow.

I have definitely explored A LOT since I wrote the original 2018 goals post. Some major milestones include:
spending Christmas and New Year's Eve outside of Iloilo for the first time in my life.going to events by myself.moving from Iloilo to Makati. We'll talk about this later.4. Save more money.*cue the sound of my crying bank account*

I didn't save as much as I thought I would, but--this is not an excuse, I swear--most of the money was spent on things that make my life better.

For example, my old laptop broke so I unexpectedly had to buy a new one. I wrote the entirety of my new book on said new laptop, so I don't feel so bad about the expense.

5. Do something that scares me.

Homesickness is eating pasta from two different restaurants in a week, hoping that one of them will taste like the aglio olio from your favorite restaurant back home. No dice. Haha.41 Likes, 1 Comments - Clarisse David (@authorclarissedavid) on Instagram: "Homesickness is eating pasta from two different restaurants in a week, hoping that one of them will..."

This is the goal I can say I achieved with flying colors.

In mid-2018, I moved from Iloilo, the only home I've ever known, to Makati. I quit my job as a Team Leader at a call center to be a copywriter for a digital marketing agency.

Let me summarize. I moved to a somewhat terrifying city and switched careers.

It has not been easy, but has it been wonderful?

DEFINITELY.

During my first couple of months in Makati, I was so excited. It was like being a sugar-addicted kid with an unlimited budget in a candy store. Everything was fresh and new.

And I was a copywriter! It was job title I never thought could be applied to me for some reason. I couldn't wait to start my new life.

It took the reality of what I'd done a few weeks to sink in. LOL.

Homesickness sneaked up on me. Sometimes, while walking in the underpass or sitting at Ayala Triangle, I'd see an acquaintance. Someone I worked with a lifetime ago or a high school classmate I wasn't even friends with.

But then, I'd take a second look and realize it wasn't them. Just someone who vaguely looked like them. Soon enough, I started crying after video chats with family and friends.

All those experiences made me value my life here--in this new place--even more. I sacrificed a lot to move here so I have to make the most out of it, you know? Live my best life and all that jazz.

Despite everything, I'm so thankful I'm here. With a difficult job I'd never trade, new friends and the brand-new resolve that I'm going to be just fine.

Hey!

We have an excellent treat in store for you. Today's the cover reveal for the second books in the Backstage Pass series by Tara Frejas.

Are you ready?

OK.

1...

2...

3...

Here it is!

Play It By Ear (Backstage Pass #2) by Tara FrejasGenre: Contemporary Romance / NA
Release Date: December 2018
Illustration: Shaira Bea San Jose
Book Cover Design: Tara Frejas

SYNOPSISWhat does it really take to be a champion?

When East Genesis Project’s Jo Yihwan reluctantly pinch-hits for injured band mate Steven Bae in a reality TV-slash-talent competition, he decides he’s only in it to win. After all, he is representing his band, and the All-Kill Champion title had some handsome perks attached to it.

But he didn’t expect to meet a gutsy, driven teammate like Ha Yoojung, or feel drawn to her incandescent spirit week after week after week. He didn’t expect her to be carrying a devastating secret that could cost them the grand prize, either.

What starts as a competition becomes so much more. With careers, a long-held dream, and honor at stake, can Yihwan and Yoojung's hearts survive?

Your pair of socks often comes back as...one sock from the laundry shop.Audiobooks are lifesavers for when you keep getting migraines but want to read more.Making new friends as an adult might not be as hard as you think. Well, no, scratch that. It's definitely as hard as you think, but it gets easier after a while.Homesickness sometimes means seeing the faces of acquaintances in random strangers. You could be walking in the underpass, and all of a sudden, you see this girl you worked with two years ago. But it's not her. Just someone who looks like her. You don't know why you thought of her, because you weren't even that close. This happens to you over and over until you realize you're missing the place summed up by these bits of memories.Grocery shopping is only fun the first couple of times you do it. You're excited by the thought of buying anything you want no matter how unhealthy it is. No one is here to hold you back. Then, after a couple of times, you calculate how much money you're spending on Pepero and mango-flavored marshmallows and decide that you need to get your life together.Getting your dream job or relationship doesn't mean you'll be happy FOREVER. You're still going to face a lot of problems, but they're at least related to something worth fighting for.Cockroaches are the most disgusting things to ever walk this earth. You invest in roach-killing chalk and learn the difference between water-based and ohmygod-I-inhaled-poison insect sprays.You learn to interact with people you find intimidating. If you let every single one of them scare you, there will be nothing left of your self-esteem.Getting to speak your native language, the one that rolls off your tongue without effort, is a privilege. When you hear two women speaking Hiligaynon at the crosswalk, you smile inwardly and yearn to join their conversation.Growth comes with a price. You only have to decide if it's worth it.

Writing tools are fantastic.

When you're struggling, they give you that extra push so you can reach your word count target.

In this blog post, I'm going to talk about five writing tools that have helped boost my daily word count immensely.

Before we begin, though, I'd like to remind everyone that these are tools that worked for me. My writing style might be completely different from yours. If one tool doesn't work for you, go ahead and explore something else, okay?

Now that we have that out of the way, let's get started.

1. ScrivenerScrivener has been a complete game-changer for my writing. It's a writing processor for fiction writers. As soon as I open it, I get into the Must Write This Novel mindset, and I get excited to tinker with and add to what I've written so far.

Also, it's not just for drafting your book. You can also use it for plotting, developing characters and so much more. Once you're done, you can even export your draft into epub or PDF formats.

2. WriteometerThis is an Android app that helps you track your writing. You can add a writing project and set a completion date for it. The app will then calculate how many words you need to write per day to meet your deadline.

It has a simple but very motivating reward system. Every time you complete a twenty-five-minute writing sprint, you get a guava. You can use your guavas to reward yourself with a cookie or anything that will motivate you to INCREASE YOUR WORD COUNT.

3. Sprint Writing TimerThis website helps me so much every time I don't feel like writing. In essence, it's a timer that lays out everything for your writing session. It gives you three minutes to prepare then you're supposed to write for forty-five minutes (divided into three fifteen-minute sessions with ten-minute breaks in between).

If you need more structure in your writing sessions, Sprint Writing Timer will do wonders for you.

4. Write or Die 2Write or Die 2 is quite similar to Sprint Writing Timer, but it's ten times more extreme. The goal is to write 500 words in fifteen minutes.

You have to write without worrying about grammar or spelling or if you're saying things right. If you stop writing for more than a few seconds, the screen will go red and you'll hear this alarming sound.

If you want something more hardcore, you can write in Kamikaze mode. That particular mode actually deletes words if you stop writing for a little while. It's even more evil because it deletes words randomly instead of in the order you wrote them.

5. Block Site
This isn't a writing-specific tool, but it's going to boost your word count nonetheless.

Block Site is a Google Chrome extension that does exactly what its name says. You add websites to your Block List, and you won't be able to access them anymore. Every time you attempt to do so, you see a guilt-inducing message that reminds you you're supposed to be working.

I often hang out on Twitter and Instagram when I should be writing instead, so this tool has minimized distractions and forced me to focus.

P.S. Earlier this year, I swore to myself that I wouldn't post writing advice on this blog. But desperate times call for desperate measures. It's only day 3 of Blogtober, and I'm already running out of content ideas. Haha.

Becoming active in Twitter's romance-reading community has done a lot of damage to my book-buying budget.

Almost every day, I discover a new-to-me romance author with an extensive backlist whose books I need to devour ASAP. Or a favorite author tweets about a new books that's releasing in 0.25 seconds.

It's been wonderful.

Here are some contemporary diverse romance books I read/discovered recently. They tackle important issues and deliver a healthy dose of #swoon.

1. A Girl Like Her by Talia HibbertBuy on Amazon
SummaryEveryone has secrets. He wants all of hers.

Meet the man next door…

After years of military service, Evan Miller wants a quiet life. The small town of Ravenswood seems perfect—until he stumbles upon a vicious web of lies with his new neighbour at its centre.

Ruth Kabbah is rude, awkward, and—according to everyone in town—bad news. Thing is, no-one will tell Evan why. Does she perform ritual sacrifices? Howl at the moon? Pour the milk before the tea? He has no clue.

But he desperately wants to find out. Because Ruth doesn’t seem evil to him; she seems lonely. And funny, and clumsy, and secretly quite sweet, and really f*%king beautiful…

The more Evan’s isolated, eccentric neighbour pushes him away, the more he wants her. Her—and all her secrets. Because there’s no way a girl like Ruth truly deserves the town’s scorn.

…Is there?

2. Grumpy Fake Boyfriend by Jackie LauBuy on Amazon
SummaryI'm a pretty simple guy. When I'm not writing a science fiction novel, I'm watching a good movie or reading a book. Alone. I like my reclusive life. That is, until my only friend asks for a favor—pretend to be his baby sister's boyfriend on a couples' getaway. Her ex is going to be there and she needs me as a buffer.

I should have said no, but Naomi is bubbly, energetic, and beautiful. She also means everything to her brother. But now, our fake romance is starting to feel all too real, and I find myself stuck between the promise I made to my friend and risking my heart to the one woman who might actually get me…

3. Start Here: Short Stories of First Encounters by various #romanceclass authorsBuy on Amazon
SummaryThere’s a first time for everything. Gatecrashing a KPop concert with an oppa in a business suit. Taking shelter from the storm with the girl you’ve been meaning to shake off. That kiss that blurs the line between friendship and something more. A one-night stand (or, is it?) with your best friend from across the hallway.

Dive into these 10 stories of first encounters – unapologetically queer, happy endings required, with a smattering of that signature #romanceclass kilig. Whether you’re recalling your own firsts or out there looking for one, there’s a story in here for you.

So, go on.

Turn the page.

Start here.

(Edited by Ronald S. Lim and Brigitte Bautista. Featuring short stories by Agay Llanera, H. Bentham, Ella Banta, Danice Sison, Yeyet Soriano, Barbie Barbieto, Katt Briones, Bobbi Moran, Motzie Dapul, and Brigitte Bautista. This anthology contains M/M, F/F, F/NB romance stories with happy endings. Some stories have a high heat level.)

4. A Duke by Default by Alyssa ColeBuy on Amazon
SummaryNew York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and—most importantly—herself. An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker in Scotland is a chance to use her expertise and discover what she’s capable of. Turns out she excels at aggravating her gruff silver fox boss…when she’s not having inappropriate fantasies about his sexy Scottish burr.

Tavish McKenzie doesn’t need a rich, spoiled American telling him how to run his armory…even if she is infuriatingly good at it. Tav tries to rebuff his apprentice—and his attraction to her—but when Portia accidentally discovers that he’s the secret son of a duke, rough-around-the-edges Tav becomes her newest makeover project.

Forging metal into weapons and armor is one thing, but when desire burns out of control and the media spotlight gets too hot to bear, can a commoner turned duke and his posh apprentice find lasting love?

5. Acute Reactions by Ruby LangBuy on Amazon
SummaryThe man with allergies never gets the girl, at least according to the movies - and Portland restaurateur Ian Zamora wants to be the guy who gets the girl. So to rid himself of the sensitivities brought on by his sometimes-girlfriend's cat, he makes an appointment with allergist Petra Lale. But he suddenly finds himself acutely attracted to the very woman who is supposed to be helping him take care of his problem.

Petra's intrigued by Ian's quiet strength and sexy body, but her solo practice is new and struggling. She can't afford to compromise her ethics - or risk her medical license - by dating a patient. Falling in love certainly wasn't this doctor's order. She tries to stay away from Ian, but fate, and her weak willpower, keep bringing them back together.

Do two career-driven people with inexperienced hearts stand a chance of finding the right prescription for love?

1. Building a writing routine.After a year of struggling, I'm slowly trying to create a daily writing routine for myself. I'm doing this by:
rereading my favorite writing how-to books.learning more about plotting and story structure.setting 500 words as my daily word count.downloading software and apps to track and boost my productivity.following writers I find inspiring on social media.
My main issue is that I keep comparing my current pace to what I was able to accomplish a year ago. Before several depressive episodes and a host of other personal problems.

I'm trying to cope by thinking of life as a series of phases. You can't expect every phase to be the same, because your opportunities and successes during each one are different. It would be illogical to expect the same level of productivity, joy and even sadness.

2. Being passionate about more than one thing.Young adult fantasy author Susan Dennard wrote a blog post about being passionate about things other than writing (a blog post I spent ten minutes trying to find sorry!). She says that writers can often get so wrapped up in writing that they build their entire identity around it.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you experience writing-related setbacks, you might start to question your whole identity. Who are you if you're not a writer? What will you be left with?

She says that you should be passionate about more than one thing, about plenty of things if possible. When writing starts to become frustrating, you can turn to something else to relieve stress and fill you with joy.

My major passions are reading and writing. Reading is supposed to be less stressful, but my writer brain keeps working even when I'm supposed to be relaxing. When I'm reading, I keep noticing particular turns of phrase, how swoon-worthy the love interest is (very important), and a bunch of other writerly things.

Sometimes, I wish I could turn writer brain off so I could just enjoy the damn story. Haha.

Right now, I'm looking for a new passion that has nothing to do with writing. Web development seems interesting, and I've signed up for an account on freeCodeCamp. It's a website that offers free web development courses. We'll see how this Find a New Passion project goes.


3. Give me all the young adult romance.I'm working on a young adult romance novella that I hope to finish by mid-December. My aim is to self-publish it in early to mid-2019.

While writing, I realized that most of the books I read this year are contemporary adult romances, and I've read very little young adult. If I'm going to write young adult romance, I need to rectify that immediately. I want to get a feel of what the recent young adult romance books are like and what issues they tackle. It's a good way to see what makes a particular young adult romance so good and sets it apart.

The most recent young adult romance books I've read include:
Heartstruck by Angeli DumatolWhen Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya MenonPride by Ibo ZoboiMy So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha SharmaP.S. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop reading contemporary adult romance books, because I adore them. I just need to figure out how to read more YA romance. LOL. Does that make sense?

4. Making friends as an adult is hard.In my last Life Lately post, I mentioned that I moved from Iloilo to Manila and started a new job.

Moving to a new city involves meeting new people and actually...interacting with them. *cue terrifying piano music*

As an awkward introvert, interacting with new people is one of my greatest struggles. I suck at small talk. After you ask how the other person is doing, what else are you supposed to say? Is it socially acceptable to just nod and smile politely? Every time I muster enough courage to blurt out a sentence or two, I question myself right away if it was cool or not.

Sometimes, I wish I could skip the small-talk-getting-to-know-you-part and really start talking to people. About the movies they like, the books they read, and the things they care about with the fire of a thousand suns.

But that's not how making friends works. Haha. So, I have no other choice but to keep chugging along. Awkward small talk and all.

Wish me luck.

Perfectionism is a constant struggle.

Nothing ever gets done, because nothing is ever good enough. You look at this piece of art/writing you've created, and see all its faults. You tinker with it over and over, polishing it until it's so shiny, you see your face reflected back at you.

But it still isn't good enough. You spot a tiny dent, freak out and decide to scrap the whole thing and start over. Needless to say, being a perfectionist is exhausting.

It's something I've struggled with this for a while--in my writing and life in general. Whenever I begin to overthink the work I'm doing, I remember Arriane Serafico's wonderful advice: Done is better than perfect.

Those words have driven me to participate in #blogtober2018.

What is Blogtober, you ask?Blogtober is a yearly event that takes place in--wait for it--October. You blog every single day for the entire month about whatever comes into your mind. It doesn't matter if you usually blog about books or fashion or whatever your niche of choice is. Anything goes during Blogtober. The main point is, you're posting daily.

P.S. I googled "who invented blogtober" but didn't find anything. If you know who started this Internet event, please let me know!

Why am I participating?I'm participating for several reasons.

First of all, this event is ideal for a perfectionist overthinker like me. I can't overthink, because there isn't any time to second-guess if this one joke is funny or plain corny. I have to get the next post up before I can question myself if it's good enough or not.

Also, this little experiment will give me a lot of data about what kind of posts generate traffic. I've never posted consistently on this blog, so this will be a good chance to see what posts the handful of people (lol) who visit my blog respond to.

Lastly, I want to write mooooore. Aside from the things I have to write for my day job, I've barely written anything that is truly for my enjoyment this year. 2018 is almost over, so I want to pack as much writing into it as I can before it ends.

What about you? Does Blogtober sound like something you'd like to participate in?

Long commutes are the worst.

You're stuck in the sweltering heat with a bunch of strangers. Air Supply's All Out of Love is blaring from somebody's phone, and if they don't put a stop to it, you swear you're going to get violent. You're tired, hungry or a combination of both, and you're close to hallucinating about the comfortable bed waiting for you at home.

But this stupid bus/jeepney/train is taking forever.

Podcasts don't exactly solve the problem of long commutes. They do, however, make things a tiny bit easier.

1. Call Your GirlfriendHosted by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, Call Your Girlfriend is "podcast for long-distance besties everywhere."

They discuss a lot of feminist issues from all over the world. All in a way that sounds like you're eavesdropping on two best friends having fun (and being really, really smart) over the phone.

The wonderful women at Call Your Girlfriend also came up with Shine Theory. It says that you should celebrate and not feel envious when another woman succeeds. Her success doesn't take anything away from you, because success is unlimited. This article explains it better using Kelly Rowland and Beyonce as examples.

2. The History ChicksThis podcast is similar to Call Your Girlfriend in the sense that it sounds like you're listening in on a phone conversation between two best friends. Except they're talking about kickass women in history.

I love that they don't only talk about white historical figures. They talk about women of color we rarely hear about in pop culture like Queen Nzinga and Queen Lili’uokalani.

You can tell the hosts do a lot of research for each episode. Despite the podcast's irreverent tone, biographies written by historians and other reliable resources back up the hosts' discussion.

3. Stuff Mom Never Told YouThis is another podcast that has taught me so much about feminism. According to their website, Stuff Mom Never Told You aims to "keep it real with a research-driven rundown of the ever-evolving challenges facing women today and throughout history."

They tackle recent news items and pop culture in relation to feminism. Some of their episodes have covered the #MeToo movement, what's it like to be a married feminist and so much more.

4. Smart Podcast Trashy BooksIf you hang out in the Romancelandia corner of Twitter, you've heard of this podcast at one point. Hosted by the wonderful women behind Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, this podcast is all about the romance genre.

They interview authors about their writing process and recommend a shit-ton of wonderful romance books. Warning: Listening to this podcast may prove harmful to your book-buying budget.

My favorite episodes include interviews with Talia Hibbert and Lucy Parker. Both episodes are inspiring as hell if you're a romance writer struggling with your WIP. Ahem.

5. Women With BooksThis podcast by romance writer Lindsay Emory is like having a book club in your pocket. According to Lindsay Emory's website, it's "a place to discuss genre fiction for, by and about women."

Most of the episodes feature interviews with romance authors including Romancelandia favorites Alyssa Cole and Kate Clayborn. Some of the topics they've talked about are the most recent royal wedding (of course!), friendships and even the lottery. You can also expect a deluge of romance book recommendations.

What about you? If you listen to podcasts, which ones do you recommend?

Being a voracious reader can sometimes be a costly hobby/all-consuming passion. While you're scrolling through your Twitter feed, you see that your favorite author just released a new book. Your friends are raving about a book by an author you've never heard of before.

Obviously, you have to go one-click everything, and add them to the unstoppable monster that used to be your TBR pile. No shade. I'm also guilty of trying to hoard more books than I could read in a lifetime--one of the perils of being a bookworm.

During a lunch with #romanceclass people, Mina V. Esguerra mentioned Scribd and a whole new world of books opened up to me. Scribd is a "Netflix for books." For $8.99 per month, you get access to an unlimited number of ebooks.

If you love reading young adult books, Scribd is a goldmine. You get access to diverse young adult books that usually cost $8 to more than $10 each on Amazon. For only $.88 per month. This is starting to sound like an ad, but I swear to God this post isn't sponsored.

Without further ado, here are some young adult books you can start reading on Scribd right now. (Did I mention they have a free 30-day trial?)

1. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya MenonDimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

2. American Panda by Gloria ChaoAn incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.

At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.

With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?

3. Saints and Misfits by S.K. AliThere are three kinds of people in my world:

1. Saints, those special people moving the world forward. Sometimes you glaze over them. Or, at least, I do. They’re in your face so much, you can’t see them, like how you can’t see your nose.

2. Misfits, people who don’t belong. Like me—the way I don’t fit into Dad’s brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama’s-Boy-Muhammad.

Also, there’s Jeremy and me. Misfits. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don’t go together. Same planet, different worlds.

But sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right?

3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O’Connor’s stories.

Like the monster at my mosque.

People think he’s holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask.

Except me.

4. Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn OrmsbeeAfter a shout-out from one of the Internet’s superstar vloggers, Natasha “Tash” Zelenka finds herself and her obscure, amateur web series, Unhappy Families, thrust into the limelight: She’s gone viral.

Her show is a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina—written by Tash’s literary love Count Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy. Tash is a fan of the forty thousand new subscribers, their gushing tweets, and flashy Tumblr GIFs. Not so much the pressure to deliver the best web series ever.

And when Unhappy Families is nominated for a Golden Tuba award, Tash’s cyber-flirtation with Thom Causer, a fellow award nominee, suddenly has the potential to become something IRL—if she can figure out how to tell said crush that she’s romantic asexual.

Tash wants to enjoy her newfound fame, but will she lose her friends in her rise to the top? What would Tolstoy do?

5. Running with Lions by Julian WintersBloomington High School Lions' star goalie Sebastian Hughes should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing, and he's got a coach who doesn't ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood-best-friend Emir Shah shows up at summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the team's success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emir's trust. But to Sebastian's surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the town's streets, and bonding on the weekends spark more than just friendship between them.

Note: On their website, Scribd says you can listen to an unlimited number of audiobooks, but I've discovered that's not the case for me. After listening to about 3 - 4 audiobooks per month, Scribd starts to limit which audiobooks I can listen to. I can go on about this, but I'll discuss this another blog post in the future.

Despite my one complaint about the number of audiobooks I can listen to monthly, I still ADORE Scribd.