I did it! I said I was going to stay off Twitter for the month of February, and I did! The first few days were a little rough, and I constantly kept tapping the spot where the app was on my phone out of habit (and opening my tip calculator instead). I’d say there was basically no downside to leaving, other than it took me a few hours to find out that Bill Paxton died. It was also kind of a bummer to miss out on the Oscar tweets, but I ended up working on my revision instead of tweeting, so it worked out. In fact, that was the point: spend less time scrolling, spend more time in my life.

And boy did I.

I set a goal to read four books in February, after being in a serious reading slump in January. And without Twitter? I read 10. I set a goal of finishing my massive revision on my next book, and while I didn’t *quite* get there, after a kickass phone call with my editor today to discuss the ending, I’ll have it done in a week. I spent a lot of time in the unseasonably warm (even for Georgia) weather, playing with my kid and laying in the grass and doing some champion porch sitting.

So, the question is … am I going to go back? I’m not sure. I felt so much more relaxed this month. I definitely felt my blood pressure drop. I slept really well without the Twitter before bed, Twitter right after I wake up habit. I missed catching up with friends, but I think ultimately the pros outweighed the cons. So I think after I check in on my notifications, I’m going to disappear again. I’ve got some news that I’ll get to share soon, and once that hits, I’ll pop back in. We’ll see what happens from there.

In the meantime, enjoy my February reading list. I sure did!

How to Break a Boy by Laurie Devore … totally unexpected. Picture mean girls, but dark

The Possibility of Now by Kim Culbertson … a really sweet, fun Dessen-y type contemporary

Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki … Sorry, sometimes a mom’s gotta mom. If you’re facing potty training, I highly recommend this one

Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm … sigh, they just don’t publish fluffy contemporaries like this anymore. And it’s a damn shame, because this was FUN

The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu … good lord that was some gorgeous writing

All Fall Down by Ally Carter … a great start to a new series full of spies and hijinx

We Are Ok by Nina LaCour … is there anything I could say about this gorgeous and heartbreaking novel that hasn’t already been said?

Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez … another one that was just all about the writing that I really dug

The Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern … one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Finished it in one day. Lovely story, great characters, and a perfect romance

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan … reread this one because I needed a fun comfort read. Just as fantastic the second time around!