What's Dawn Devouring Lately?
March 2026
March always feels like a month of transition. The days stretch a little longer, hints of spring begin to appear, and there’s a sense of fresh possibility in the air. It’s the perfect time to lean into reading. As the seasons shift, books offer both comfort for lingering chilly evenings and inspiration for new beginnings. Whether you’re diving into something light and hopeful or a story that challenges you to see the world differently, March invites us to slow down, turn the page, and welcome a new season both outside and within our reading lives.
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Until Next Month!
Happy Reading! 🍀 📚
Anatomy of an Alibi By: Ashley Elston
“Two women. One dead husband. And only one alibi.”
This was an entertaining listen that had me reaching for my AirPods every chance I got. When two women, Aubrey and Camille, swap identities in an attempt to catch Camille’s husband, Ben, in a lie, their plan seems to be working, until Ben turns up dead.
The story moves back and forth between the timelines of “Before the Alibi” and “After the Alibi,” allowing the reader to piece together what really happened and who might be responsible. Interspersed throughout are also chapters that flash back ten years, told from Ben’s point of view, slowly revealing the events that set everything in motion.
In true suspense fashion, the author delivers plenty of twists and turns, with secrets and lies unraveling in ways that lead to devastating consequences. Each revelation creates a ripple effect, proving that even the smallest deception can set off a chain reaction. If you enjoy fast-paced books that keep you guessing around every corner, with shifting timelines and multiple points of view, this one is definitely for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
More Than Enough By: Anna Quindlen
I really enjoyed this book, especially because it was filled with so many of my favorite elements. The main character is an English high school teacher who shares a monthly book club with three of her closest friends, and she has a loving, devoted husband who is always by her side. But beneath the surface of this seemingly comfortable life are deeper struggles, infertility, a father facing dementia, and a complicated relationship with her mother. When an ancestry test kit returns unexpected results, it sets off a chain of discoveries that challenge what she thought she knew about her family and herself. All of these threads come together to create a thoughtful and engaging story that unfolds beautifully in just about 250 pages. If you like books that are character driven, explore finding self-worth and purpose, along with identity and friendship, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
Kin By: Tayari Jones
Some friendships are formed in childhood but a few are strong enough to last a lifetime.Kin is a beautiful yet raw novel that explores the true meaning of friendship. Annie and Vernice are “cradle friends,” two girls bound together by loss. Vernice’s mother was killed, while Annie’s mother abandoned her family when Annie was just a month old.
Growing up only a mile down the road from one another, the girls are inseparable until just before their high school graduation. Annie runs away in hopes of finding the mother she has never known, while Vernice stays behind to pursue a college education.
Set in the 1950s during the era of the Jim Crow South, the novel provides many obstacles that stand in the way of their dreams. Throughout the story, chapters alternate between Annie’s and Vernice’s perspectives, told through a combination of first-person narration and letters exchanged between the two friends.
If you like books about loyalty, resilience, and the enduring bond of friendship, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale and I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up on my Top 10 of the year.
84, Charing Cross Road By: Helene Hanff
Trying to read more books off my shelf this March, I picked up this short novella that I bought back in 2023 while in London. It’s an epistolary work made up entirely of letters exchanged between Helene, who lives in the U.S., and Frank, a used book dealer in the U.K. Over the course of twenty years, the two write back and forth as Frank carefully sends books across the ocean to match Helene’s tastes.
As the letters continue, their correspondence grows into a genuine friendship, even though they never actually meet in person. In addition to Frank, Helene also exchanges letters with his wife and other booksellers, which adds even more charm and personality to the story. Because the book is nonfiction, there is something especially delightful about knowing these letters and relationships were real. After many years of correspondence, Helene eventually asks permission to publish the letters in book form.
I found this book absolutely charming, with several laugh-out-loud moments along the way. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the sequel, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, was included in the second half of the edition I read. These are actual journal entries of Helene's time on her 5 week visit to the UK.
If you enjoy novellas, epistolary stories, and books with a across the pond literary feel, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale. If you'd like to also read more about this book, I've included a Substack Link to dig even deeper into the back story.
The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street By: Helene Hanff
I’m so glad this short novella was included alongside 84, Charing Cross Road as it made for the perfect companion read. When New York writer Helene Hanff is invited to London for the English publication of her beloved book, she finally gets to fulfill her lifelong dream of traveling across the pond.
While the first book is told through letters, primarily between Helene and Frank, this follow-up shifts to her personal journal entries, capturing her experiences abroad in real time. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is an endearing and often humorous account of two very different worlds colliding.
If you like books that are charming, reflective, and full of heart, then this novella is for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
A Fever in the Heartland By: Timothy Egan
I read this for a new in-person book club I recently joined, and it boy did it spark some engaging discussion. Though it’s nonfiction, it reads like narrative nonfiction, rich with detail and seamlessly weaving in extensive research.
While many still think of the 1920s as the “Roaring Twenties” or the "Jazz Age", this book also shines a light on a darker, often overlooked part of American history: the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. It centers on D.C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of Indiana, and how he expanded the Klan’s influence across the Midwest. Equally central is Madge Oberholtzer, whose powerful deathbed testimony exposed his brutality and ultimately led to the Klan’s downfall in the region.
I read to learn and better understand the past, and while this was not an easy book, it was an important one. If you’re drawn to books that challenge you, deepen your perspective, and stay with you long after you’ve finished, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
This Story Might Save Your Life By: Tiffany Crum
This book had everything I love, blending mystery, romance, and suspense into one compelling story. Joy and Benny are longtime best friends who start a survival podcast together, and everything is going well until Joy and her husband suddenly go missing. It’s then up to Benny to try to piece together what happened.
The story structure alternates between Benny’s present-day perspective and excerpts from a memoir he and Joy had been working on, giving readers insight into their past and the events leading up to the disappearance. This structure adds depth and keeps the tension building throughout.
I also highly recommend experiencing this one on audio. It’s incredibly well done, with podcast clips, phone calls, and recordings woven in, which really elevate the story and make it feel immersive.
If you like books with secrets, friendship, and a "will-they-won't-they" romance, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
An American Marriage By: Tayari Jones
By the same author as Kin, I read this book back in 2018 and remember being pulled in right away by the story of this young married couple. Looking back, I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale. Here’s the summary from Bookshop.org: "Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy's time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward--with hope and pain--into the future."
The Last Thing He Told Me (Season 2) Apple TV (new episodes every Friday)
In season two of “The Last Thing He Told Me,” when Owen shows up after five years on the run, Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey (Rice) find themselves in a race to figure out how to reunite their family before the past catches up to them.Ahead of the hit drama’s second season premiere, audiences can dive deeper into the story with Dave’s riveting book and deeply moving sequel, “The First Time I Saw Him,” Watch Trailer Here
Mom (Season 7) Netflix
Single mom Christy has her hands full with two children, Violet and Roscoe, and maintaining newfound sobriety, when her passive-aggressive, recovering-alcoholic mother re-enters the picture, brimming with criticisms about Christy's life. As the daughter works to be the best mother she can and to overcome mistakes she made, she must also navigate dysfunctional relationships with her married lover -- and boss -- Gabriel, and with her irresponsible ex-husband, Baxter. Despite the uphill battle, Christy tries to be positive and to stay on the path to what she wants in life.
Imperfect Women -Apple TV (New episodes every Wednesday)
Based on Araminta Hall’s novel of the same name, “Imperfect Women” examines a crime that shatters the lives of three women in a decades-long friendship. The unconventional thriller explores guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that irrevocably alter our lives. As the investigation unravels, so does the truth about how even the closest friendships may not be what they seem. Watch Trailer Here
The Road Back to You: An Eneagram Journey to Self-Discovery By: Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile
Here's the description found on Bookshop.org: "Witty and filled with stories, this book allows you to peek inside each of the nine Enneagram types, keeping you turning the pages long after you have read the chapter about your own number. Not only will you learn more about yourself, but you will also start to see the world through other people's eyes, understanding how and why people think, feel, and act the way they do.
To guide your first steps into your self-awareness journey, The Road Back to You offers:
- Introductions to each Enneagram type
- Questions to help you identify your number
- Changes you can make today to pursue deeper self-awareness
- Digestible windows into the other types, helping you see others with more compassion and empathy
The wisdom of the Enneagram can help take you further along into who you really are--leading you into places of spiritual discovery you would never have found on your own, and paving the way to the wiser, more compassionate person you want to become."
