Get To Know Me

Hello and Welcome to Book Nerd 101 

 I am your resident nerd, Leah.  I am 35, almost 36 (October 2nd, in case you are wondering!)

I started this blog 10 years ago and after a very long hiatus, I am trying to find that happiness that I once had.  My life has taken many twists and turns over the past 10 years.  I lost my dad suddenly, found my now fiancé, moved out of my family home, had a baby, lost my grandmother, got another cat, and switched jobs a few times. These are just the highlights, both positive and negative.

I am currently trying to bring back my joy and I've been focusing on self-care.  Reading has brought so much joy into my life once and I am so happy to say that it is all coming back.  I have currently been reading every single day for over a year and it has brought me so much peace.  I have found that I truly love spicy, dark romance.  I love the villain!

So here go the random facts

Professional Life: Virtual 5th grade ELA teacher.  I will be starting my 3rd school year in August '23 and I couldn't be happier.  I have dreamed of being a teacher since I was 7 years old, so to finally hold that title has been a dream come true.  I have found my place.  I have met some of the most amazing people through teaching, co-workers that have become friends, or even family after my 13 years in the field and I am so happy to continue on this journey.  My first year of transitioning to online teaching was overwhelming but ignited that spark for reading again.  I had a student who was the self-proclaimed Book Queen and I know I will see her name on the New York Times bestsellers list before long.  I can't wait to share reviews for her books when she finally gets there.  I am so excited to get students excited about reading and writing.

    Personal Life: I am a mama to an 8-year-old little girl.  She is super smart and sassy.  I have shown her how exciting reading can be and she is loving it as well.  We compete with each other to see who can read the most books.  She is really into the Fly Guy series and also loved the Owl Diaries.  I have been engaged for 7 years and we have been together for 10 years.  It's been a rollercoaster ride, but I can't imagine life without him.

Book Life: I have been reading and reviewing books through Netgalley lately and I have been trying out different genres.  I have also found some amazing Indie Authors on Bookstagram.  One of my favorite things to do is to promote Indie Authors.  I really love to read rom-cons, romance, memoirs, NA, YA, erotic, and supernatural.  I am open to learning about more genres and I am open to reading and reviewing all different works.  I am really in my dark romance era right now.  Haunting and Hunting Adeline, no need to say more!!

Random Favorites: I love the color blue.  My favorite wild animal is a gorilla, and my favorite domestic animal is a cat.  I love eating tacos and pizza.  I really love sweets.  I am an avid coffee drinker. I am obsessed (that may be an understatement) with Lin Manuel Miranda and Hamilton.  During the summer of 2022, I won lottery tickets to see Hamilton live and I had to really hold back my tears of excitement.  It was absolutely amazing, and I am working on seeing it again.  Music is very important to me.  I love making crafts.  I enjoy meeting new people who bring me joy.  I prefer to read on my Kindle but I am an avid book collector.  I do also listen to audiobooks, but I find it takes me longer to listen to a story than it does for me to just read it myself.  I am a horrible speller, thanks to Grammarly and Spell Check for making me look smarter than I am!  I like the New York Yankees, The Pittsburg Steelers, and The Phoenix Suns.  I am not an avid sports fanatic, but I do like attending baseball games.  I love reality TV.  90-Day Fiancé is my jam!