What's Dawn Devouring Lately?

Although March can be long, it's one of my favorite months. It's National Reading Month, Middle Grade Book Month, National Academy Awards Month, and March Madness! In this third issue, I'll be giving you some book recommendations, including a Middle Grade book, an Oscar Nominated movie recommendation, and a bookish podcast episode with a March Madness twist.

Do you know why March is "Reading Month"? In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, March 2nd, March was designated as National Reading Month - a month to motivate Americans of all ages to read every day. Although, I think every month should be reading month, 😄 I am glad there is at least one month a year designated to celebrating reading.🤓📚

Speaking of March reading, I've been loving the early spring weather we had in Michigan earlier this month. I enjoyed being able to move my daily reading to outdoors whenever I could. Whether it be poolside, backyard patio, or hanging in my hammock, I am looking forward to the change of scenery while reading this spring.

Happy Reading! 📚☕

💗Dawn

This month, I tackled some longer and deeper reads. I read two historical fiction novels that take place in the seventies, a mystery-thriller, and one family drama. I also found an audio book,Mary Jane, that I enjoyed more than the print copy. This doesn't happen often for me. 😀 And with March being Middle Grade Month, i squeezed in a children's book by a favorite author.

Each month, I review one bonus book that did not appear on my regular Instagram reviews. This month, is the book, Mary Jane By: Jessica Anya Blau. It's free and available on "hoopla"both in ebook and audio format. I highly recommend the audio, See review below and to learn more about the "hoopla" app.

As a reminder, if you click on each book cover, it will take you directly to the Bookshop.org link to purchase the book.

I devoured this literary novel in less than a week. When teenage Marley and her single mom show up in Mercury, PA, they think they’ve found the perfect place to settle down. Soon after, Marley becomes entangled with the Joseph family and their roofing business. This character driven book tells the story of this family and how their world is turned upside down, over and over again. If you like books with family bonds, long-hidden family secrets, and complicated characters, then this book is for you. I gladly gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the dawndevoursbooks scale and I know the Joseph family is one I won't forget soon.

I can see why this book was selected as the GMA March Book Club selection. I devoured it in 3 days and couldn't wait to get back to it every chance I could get. It is a fast paced page turner that hooked me right from the start. Here's the opening line, "A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I'm buying a chicken." 😂 The story focuses around Lucy and Savvy, two best friends, that are there for each other no matter what. Until, Savvy is found dead and Lucy is to blame for it. Due to head trauma, Lucy can't remember anything from that night. Fast forward five years, and Ben, a podcaster, shows up to start interviewing everyone that was around the night of the murder and suddenly Lucy's memory starts to come back. Told in alternating chapters between Lucy and podcast episodes, this one will keep you guessing until the end. If you like thrillers, trying to guess "whodunit" and books about friendships, then this book is for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devourscale.

Wow! I can definitely see why so many people are devouring Kristin Hannah's newest book, The Women. If you haven't heard about it by now, it's a historical fiction book taking place during and after the Vietnam War. This story focuses on Frances, or Frankie, and her trials being a nurse during this war. As Kristin Hannah is known for, the description and details are amazing throughout the book and you feel like you are right there along with Frankie. One phrase that kept coming up that stuck with me was, "There were no women in the Vietnam War". This really had me thinking about the all the women that went to war as nurses and put their own lives in harms way. This is something I learned more about through this book. If you like learning about history, books with tight women friendships, and can handle graphic war descriptions, then this book is for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devourscale and think this is a book everyone needs to read.

I finally got around to devouring this book this month and I am glad I stuck with it. It had a slow start but by the second part, I was all in. This book is filled with a diverse cast of characters each with their own background and story. But after all, isn’t that what a true community is? James McBride is uniquely talented at weaving it all together and by the end of the book, everything falls into place. If you like character driven novels, set in the past, and have a bit of mystery to them, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devourscale.

When one of your favorite children's authors comes out with a new book, you must put other things aside and read it in one sitting. It's the summer before fifth grade, and for Ferris Wilkey, it is a summer of sheer pandemonium: Her little sister, Pinky, has vowed to become an outlaw. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley, and Charisse, Ferris's grandmother, has started seeing a ghost in her room. But as Charisse likes to say, "Every good story is a love story," and Kate DiCamillo has written one for the ages. I'm giving this middle grade novel 🤩🤩🤩🤩on the devour scale and recommend it for all ages. For my teacher friends, this book would make a great read aloud. 😍

I kept hearing about this book on different podcasts and they always mentioned that they preferred the audio version. Since both formats were available on hoopla, I decided to give it a try. I have to agree that the narration was amazing and I was looking for every opportunity to listen to it. There is even a bonus song at the end of the audio book.

This book is about a fourteen-year-old girl's coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her straight-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for--who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer.

Over the course of the summer, Mary Jane introduces her new household to crisply ironed clothes and a family dinner schedule, and has a front-row seat to a liberal world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Caught between the lifestyle she's always known and the future she's only just realized is possible, Mary Jane will arrive at September with a new idea about what she wants out of life, and what kind of person she's going to be. If you like books with a 70's vibe, told from a teenager's viewpoint, and makes you laugh out loud at times, then this book is for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.

Do you have a pubic library card? Does your library participate in Hoopla? If yes, did you know you can borrow and enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, TV, magazines, or music everywhere you have a screen-your computer, your phone, your car, even your TV. All you need is a library card. Hoopla syncs across all your devices, so you can stream titles immediately or whenever you're in the mood. Most titles can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet. hoopla offers more content, in more places, than any other digital library platform and it's all FREE thanks to your public library! Titles may vary based on library catalog and you can borrow up to 5 items per month. Another perk, is that there aren't any holds. If you see an item you want, it's readily available.

I read this book back in 2022 and remember it being a family drama that I couldn't put down. I was pleased to see it was made into a seven episode series with all episodes dropping this month on Peacock. It's based on Liane Moriarty’s New York Times bestselling novel, Apples Never Fall centers on the seemingly picture-perfect Delaney family. Former tennis coaches Stan and Joy have sold their successful tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their retired lives. While they look forward to spending time with their four adult children everything changes when a wounded young woman knocks on Joy and Stan's door, bringing the excitement they've been missing. But when Joy suddenly disappears, her children are forced to re-examine their parents' so-called perfect marriage as their family’s darkest secrets begin to surface.I highly recommend this series, as it follows the book closely. Watch Trailer Here

After watching the Oscars and seeing Da'Vine Joy Randolph win Best Supporting Actress, we decided to give this one a watch one evening. It did not disappoint. Here's the set up: a curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school's head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War. Set in 1970, you'll feel like you are back in that era as these characters get to know each other during the holiday break they are forced to spend together. I highly recommend this movie especially if you grew up in the 70s. Watch Trailer Here

Here are a couple more bookish podcasts that I enjoy listing to during the week.I love the connection that the two main hosts, Meredith and Kaytee of Currently Reading have while they discuss their books.They really are two bookish best friends.

From the Front Porch is run by Annie Jones, an independent bookstore owner, in the south. I really like the different formats that she provides and her book selections are always spot on with my taste of books.Every March, Annie and her husband record an episode based on March Madness brackets and books. I have included that link if you want to give it a try.

Currently Reading is a podcast dedicated to the love of books and reading. Bookish friends discuss what’s on their nightstands, in their earbuds, and on their Kindles right now, in addition to books they’ve loved forever, and a variety of other readerly topics.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/currently-reading/id1435363675

Welcome to From the Front Porch, a weekly conversational podcast on books, small business, and life in the South, produced by The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. Hi, this is Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf and host of From the Front Porch. Since 2014, From the Front Porch has been a bookish podcast for readers of all types. While we’re always about books, some episodes have guests, some are full of great book recommendations, and some have hot takes. Other episodes include silly moments, as well as serious book-reading therapy.

But in every episode they dive into the world of books, old and new, helping you find your next book and a readerly community. Join us every Thursday on From the Front Porch, your new podcast home for all your literary needs. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-front-porch/id906463114

In this episode, Annie and her husband talk through books March Madness style. March Madness Episode

This month, I have been learning how to backup my digital photos. As I have thousands of photos on my phone, I wanted to learn how to best save them. I also have been learning about the mental health benefits of writing and sending cards and letters. While doing this, I stumbled across a small sister owned business, Tiny and Snail, that supports this research and has some beautiful cards to purchase.

Are your digital photos a complete mess? Do you feel confused by ‘backups’ and ‘the cloud’? Are you worried your hard drive or phone will crash and take all your precious photos with it? These were all questions that I had before I bought Miss Freddy's Boot Camp Self-Paced Course. Here's what you can expect to learn if you join the course. "In the new Backup Bootcamp course, I will take you through my SIMPLE process for organizing + backing up my digital photos. Because, friend, it doesn’t have to be so complicated. Truly, Miss Freddy." https://missfreddy.com/three-tricks (Use code: SPRING to get 20% off until April 10th)

Did you know that April is National Card & Letter Writing Month? In my semi-retired journey, I have been reflecting a lot about life and how I can make my life more meaningful. Scrolling one day on FB, I stumbled across a post by "Tiny & Snail", a small business sister team, that creates beautiful homemade cards. As I dug deeper into their content, I learned some interesting research on the benefits of writing cards/letters by hand and sending them through "snail mail". Interestingly, research is proving writing cards and letters are good for our mental health. Read the research below and check out their website link provided. Also, be on the look out in your mailbox, as you just may be a person I decide to send a card to next month. 📩📫 (See picture below to see the beautiful cards I received in the Everyday Card Set I purchased from tinyandsnail) Everyday card pack

"The research about mental health is promising — cards of gratitude are one of the longest lasting interventions, positively affecting the writer's mental health for a month or more. Being grateful transforms us; everything from improved quality of sleep to improving our immune systems, to just feeling good for your soul! Writing words of gratitude and sharing them with another person multiplies the effects.

Empathy is another one of the top actions you can take to improve mental health. Empathy is looking at things from another person's perspective. Card writing happens to be great for this.

And by writing a card to someone who needs encouragement, it's extending a hand to them and checking in on them. One powerful study showed that people who had been hospitalized for suicidal ideations had a decreased rate of relapsing IF they had received a letter in the year following the initial hospitalization." /tinyandsnail.com/

Thinking you want to take on the challenge of more letter writing during April, sign-up for free on this site https://gretchenrubin.com/paper-source-write-24-in-24/ and you will receive a letter writing prompt in your inbox daily for the month of April from Gretchen Rubin.

After visiting my younger daughter one day, I felt calm and relaxed as I heard this music playing low in the background in her apartment. She explained that it was called lo-fi music and that she used it when studying or needed a mental break. This is now my go-to genre when I need some quiet relaxing background music while on my computer or sometimes reading. Here's an article I found explaining the benefits of this genre of music. https://healthnews.com/mental-health/self-care-and-therapy/lo-fi-music-how-it-affects-our-brain/

I have slept with a cold rice filled sleep mask for a few years now, but it doesn't have a strap, and falls off easily. When I saw this interesting invention, I knew I had to give it a try. I have to say I am LOVING my new NodPod Sleep Mask . I am a side sleeper, so it's long enough to be able to lay it on my pillow and cover my eyes with one end. Here's what the inventor had to say about why/how she invented this sleep mask.

"It all began when trying to find the best fill material to weight my idea for a strap-free sleep mask, I discovered the clinical phenomenon of Deep Touch Pressure- the science of applying gentle pressure to your body to relieve stress and anxiety while promoting deep, restful sleep. Pretty amazing right? I thought so too.So I got to thinking, couldn't we all benefit from this? It became my mission to create sleep products that would harness the magic of Deep Touch Pressure, as we can all use less stress and better sleep in our lives." https://nodpod.com/products/nodpod?variant=44056904401066

What have you been devouring lately? Care to share? Let me know in the comments or e-mail me at dawnnacker@wowway.com with your reading, watching, listening, and learning finds of the month. You just might see them featured in a future blog post. Do you want to make sure you receive this monthly blog via email? DM me and let me know to add you to the email list. Want to see my book reviews in real time, be sure to follow me here at https://www.instagram.com/dawndevoursbooks/