As the snow falls softly outside and the world quiets down, there’s no better time to escape into the pages of a good book. Let the chill in the air be your excuse to curl up with a warm blanket, a steaming cup of tea, and a story that takes you to another world. Whether it’s the magical landscapes of a fantasy realm, the cozy charm of a winter romance, or the thrilling suspense of a snowy mystery, let your imagination wander as you embrace the season.

This winter, may your reading adventures be as warm and comforting as a crackling fire. Happy reading!

Until Next Month!

Happy Reading! 🤓📚⛄

This month, I read a variety of books that started off my new year of reading on the right foot. After reading another Abby Jimenez book, I realized that she is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors. I will definitely be reading more of her books in 2025. I decided to join in on The Book Girls' Guide Reading Challenge this year. The overall theme is "Book Lover's Reading Challenge." The Memory Library met the criteria for "Characters Connecting Through Books" which was the January theme. (See info below if you want to join in on the challenge.) Rental House had been on my radar since it released last summer and it came in on my library hold at the perfect time. It was a short quieter book that I devoured quickly. Rachel Hollis's new book was released this month and was the Get Literate monthly book club pick. It was a good way to start the year off thinking and reflecting on her 27 questions she poses throughout the book. I rounded out the month with a cute enemies to lovers romance book, reading Sophie Cousens newest book, Is She Really Going Out With HIm?

I am so glad that I chose this book to devour at the start of the new year. This is a spinoff book with some of the characters from Part of Your World by the same author. In Yours Truly, the story focuses around Briana, Alexis’s good friend. In the beginning, she and newly hired doctor, Jacob, do not get along but start communicating through letters. Through the letters, she finds out about Jacob’s severe anxiety, large family, and that his younger brother is marrying his ex. As Jacob realizes he needs a “fake” girlfriend to prove to his family he’s ok, Briana decides to take on the challenge. As in many romances, with rivals to lovers and fake dating tropes, you can only imagine the outcome. However, if you like books that explore real life mental health issues, rooting for the under dog, and some spicy romance thrown in, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.

This book combines several of my favorite themes. The power of books, mother-daughter relationships, and caring communities. After Ella is notified that her estranged mother has become injured, she decides to travel from Australia to London to be with her. Here she learns about the library that her mom had created while she’s been gone 21 years. Each year on Ella’s birthday, her mom has put a new book with a special inscription on the shelf in hopes that Ella will read them one day. During her six week stay, many things from the past come to light, Ella meets Sally’s new friends, and she realizes how much she really misses home. I found this to be a delightful book that I devoured in 5 days and I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩on the devour scale. (Side note: it can be found in both an ebook and audiobook free on Hoopla.)

Although this is a quiet character driven book, it hooked me in right away. I felt like I was eavesdropping in on the main characters conversations, so much, that I couldn't stop reading it. Keru, like Peru, and Nate meet in college, and although from very different backgrounds, they both have strained relationships with their parents. The book takes place over two vacations that are five years apart. During each vacation, they rent a house, think Vrbo, where each time their vacation is intruded by others, mostly their own families. Here is where we see how the family dynamics play out and how Nate and Keru learn to navigate their marriage. If you like books that are character driven, made up of tricky family dynamics, along with dark humor, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.

This was my book club pick for the Get Literate group I belong to. The theme for January was "intuition" and there were many times in the book that Hollis brings up this word. This was the first Rachel Hollis book that I have read and I found it to be filled with good questions that made me think about myself while also getting to know about her own life. Throughout the book, Rachel challenges and encourages us to:

• Confront your deepest fears: “What are you afraid to admit?”
• Change your circumstances: “Would you sign up for this again?
• Lean into success: “What’s working in your life?"
• Take responsibility for your own growth: “What if YOU are the problem?”

I found this book to be the perfect "Breakfast Book" for me. As I sipped my coffee and ate my yogert and granola, I'd read a few sections and ponder on my own life. I would give this a 🤩🤩🤩 1/2 on the devour scale.

I think I found another auto-buy author in Sophie Cousens. In this one, we have Anna, a thirty-eight year old, magazine journalist. She is recently divorced and finding new contentment with her two kids, cat, and control of the tv remote.After finding her job is at jeopardy, she proposes a unique idea for a column. Seven dates, all found off-line, and chosen by her children. Her work rival, Will, decides to challenge this idea by writing about his dates that he does find on-line. However, just like any good romance book, Will and Anna start having some good office banter that finds you routing for them to fall in love. An extra bonus, at the beginning of each chapter, Cousens lists a Google Search that Anna makes each day. These searches actually found me laughing out loud and added that extra bit of humor to the book. If you like the troupe of enemies to lovers, office romance tension, and a strong lovable female character, then this is a book for you. I devoured it in a week and gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale

This is a domestic thriller that I read back in 2021. It is set in winter, so I thought it would be the perfect back list book to include in this January edition. It is also one that I still remember today because of the all the plot twisst and turns through out it.

Here's the blurb from Goodreads, Think you know the person you married? Think again. Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.
Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.
Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget. in 2021, I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.

New year, new goals!!! Do you set a yearly reading goal? Goals do not have to be just the number of books you read each year but can be many other things. A goal could also be to complete all the prompts in a reading challenge. (See the articles below for the different challenges you may want to try this year.) A reading goal could also be the amount of minutes you want to read daily. Gretchen Rubin is challenging herself and others to read 25 min a day in 2025. https://gretchenrubin.com/read25in25/ Whatever reading goal(s) you may select this year, I hope it's manageable and it becomes a way to stay motivated, explore new genres, and enhance your reading life in 2025.

In between watching the Lions games and MSU Basketball, I found some time to watch a few shows. I loved the Home Edit when it was on Netflix and was glad to see Clea and Joanna branching out into the Extreme Makeover show. I always seem to find a little take away in these episodes, along with feeling good for the families they have touched after the makeover is revealed. Queer Eye, Season 9, dropped at the end of December, and Gary and I managed to squeeze in all eight episodes this month. This time the Fab Five are in Las Vegas and again the people they selected couldn't have been more deserving. After finishing both seasons of Bad Sisters, I read that the Hulu show This Way Up was a good comparison show. I couldn't agree more and I found myself really liking this show as well.

A new iteration of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is set to return to ABC and stream next day on Hulu for the 2024-2025 season. Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, co-founders of the global lifestyle brand The Home Edit and the duo who made America fall in love with getting organized, are on board as hosts. The most widely recognized home makeover show to ever exist returns with Shearer and Teplin's world-renowned organizational expertise to thoughtfully design and specifically tailor each home from the inside out. Like the original series, this reimagining will showcase heartwarming stories, inspired volunteers, and mind-blowing builds for deserving families who give back to their communities. Watch Trailer Here

This Way Up is a comedy about moving on, moving forward and trying to find happiness. Aine, played by Irish writer & comedienne Aisling Bea, is a whip smart English-as-a-foreign language (TEFL) teacher trying to pull her life back together after a “teeny little nervous breakdown”, as her sister Shona, played by Sharon Horgan, worries, not only about her younger sibling, but also about her own life choices. The TEFL school where Aine teaches brings together a room full of characters also trying to find their own hope, direction and happiness in this messy world. Watch Trailer Here

This month, I attended a three-day FB Live session on decorating your home. Stacey, from Wilshire Collections, shared an hour each session and gave great DIY tips to update your home decor. On the first day, she mainly spoke about shopping your own home. With this idea, you can move items around and/or look for items you may have shoved in a tub or closet and forgot all about them. The second day, was about rug sizing and window treatments. After this session, I was able to find and purchase the perfect rug for under my kitchen table. The third day was how to create small vignettes around your home by adding different textures and color. I loved her fast perky pace, as she talked and walked around her home to show us how real life examples of how she decorated. I've included her blog link below, as she includes some free content and printables that you can DIY craft from. I also included a "Love it or Leave it" free guide that she provided, if you want to start purging and get ahead start on your spring cleaning. Here is her FB link: https://www.facebook.com/wilshirecollections/

When I was younger, I couldn't wait to catch the Oprah Winfrey Show daily. Through the years I've also followed her book club recommendations. Now, not surprisingly, she has a new podcast. On these weekly episodes, she's combing her interviewing skills along with her book club discussions to bring a show about what matters most to people in their every day moments. Catch new episodes every Tuesday.

The Oprah Podcast is home to all-new conversations featuring Oprah Winfrey and today’s foremost thought leaders, global newsmakers, best-selling authors, visionaries and cultural changemakers. Exploring timely themes, including happiness, resilience, consciousness and connection, the weekly series aims to help listeners on their journey to lead their best life. Oprah talks to people about what matters most to them in this moment. Every month, she will feature conversations with authors called ‘Oprah’s Book Club Presented by Starbucks’ with live audiences in Starbucks cafés across the country. Podcast Link

My husband has officially declared my nickname to be "Gadget Girl". Here are two examples of new gadgets that I received for Christmas from him. I have to say they both are great additions to my reading life. The first one is my new ipad stand. Not only does it let me adjust the height of the ipad, good-bye tech neck, but it has a bowl for snacks too. The next gadget is my new organizer on my table. I love that it have two cup holders, a spot for my pens, bookmarks, sticky notes, etc... and don't forget the wooden phone holder on the corner. I have to admit, there are some gadgets that I have bought that have been a fail, but I can honestly say I highly recommend these two items.

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Did you happen to miss a month or two? Wish you could go back and find that show or book that I reviewed months ago? Now, you can go back to past issues of What's Dawn Devouring Lately? I will continue updating this section each month, so you can always go back without having to search on social media to find a past edition.

January 2024

February 2024

March 2024

April 2024

May 2024

June 2024

July 2024

August 2024

September 2024

October 2024

November 2024

Holiday Gift Guide 2024

Favorites of 2024