February is the perfect month to slow down, savor quiet moments, and get lost in a good book. Whether you're curled up by the fire, wrapped in a soft blanket, or sipping a warm drink by the window, let the pages transport you to new worlds. From heartwarming love stories to mysterious wintery tales, there’s a book to match every mood. Let this month be a time for reflection, imagination, and the simple joy of reading. Stay cozy and keep turning the pages!
February is also the perfect month for self-love and self-care. I've included some things in this issue that I've been learning and loving to help with staying and looking youthful.
Until Next Month!
Happy Reading! 🤓📚💞
Tell Me Everything By: Elizabeth Strout
I have read other books in the Amgash series and I agree with others that although this can be read as a stand alone, it is nice to know the back story of the other characters. In "Tell Me Everything", the story centers around Bob Burgess, a lawyer in Maine, and his will to help a recluse in the town, being accused of killing his mother. The book also centers around Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton meeting often to just tell each other stories about other people they have known in life to share their "unrecorded lives" as Olive calls them. If you like books about friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
The Best Life Book Club By: Sheila Roberts
What happens when your husband leaves you for your best friend? You uproot yourself and your daughter to a new house in hope of a fresh start. After meeting her two neighbors, Karissa realizes they could all use a distraction, and a book club seems like just the ticket. Together, the three women, along with Alice's grumpy older sister, Josie, embark on a literary journey that just might be the kick-start they need to begin building their best lives yet. Through the different books the women select for the book club, many life lessons are learned. I also liked how the author started off each chapter with a quote from the books they were reading. If you like books about women friendships, finding love again, and starting over, this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale. Side note: I read this as both an e-book and listened to some of it as an audio book; both versions are available free on hoopla.
The Fall Risk By: Abby Jimenez
Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a romantic short story by Abby Jimenez. Being only 75 pages, I was able to devour this book in a couple of hours.
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. When disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale. This title is only available on Amazon First Reads.
Amazon First Reads
Amazon First Reads is a program that offers customers early access to new books across popular genres.
- Every month customers can choose one of the Kindle books selected by our editors for $1.99, or FREE for Prime members. This month, customers can also get a bonus short read for $1.99, or FREE for Prime members.
- Amazon First Reads Kindle books can be read on any compatible Kindle device or free Kindle reading app and become part of customers’ permanent libraries.
- Joining is free with no purchase obligation. By joining, you receive a monthly e-mail announcing new Amazon First Reads picks.
The White Lotus - HBO/Max
An all-star cast head to a resort and unleash their worst, most privileged impulses. The series is a sharp social satire following the exploits of various guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose stay becomes affected by their various dysfunctions. A week in the life of vacationers is unravelled as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. With each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel's cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself. Watch Season 1 Trailer Here, Watch Season 2 Trailer Here, Watch Season 3 Trailer Here
C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart - HBO
Based on the best-selling novels by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling), Tom Burke ("The Musketeers") stars as private detective Cormoran Strike, a former war veteran now working out of a cramped London office. Together with his assistant, Robin Ellacott, Cormoran tackles cases that have, so far, baffled the police. Though struggling with the psychological and physical toll that combat have wrought on him, Cormoran is well-equipped to delve into complex conundrums thanks to his background as a Special Investigation Branch investigator.Watch Trailer Here
Red Light Therapy
""Red light therapy has exploded in popularity lately because it's a convenient, non-invasive treatment that uses a specific spectrum of visible light that offers a host of beauty benefits—low-level laser light therapy can effectively treat scars, vitiligo, and psoriasis, research shows. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and can even help to smooth wrinkles, too. So, how does it work? We know that red light penetrates 2 to 3 millimeters into skin's dermis, where it's “absorbed by light-sensitive porphyrins in the mitochondria of skin cells, stimulating energy production in fibroblasts to churn out more collagen,” explains Beverly Hills-based dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD, a former assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the UCLA-Geffen School of Medicine." Read the entire Article here.
Live Your Best Midlife By: Jill Lewis (New Episodes: Every Wednesday)
This month, I've been listening to this weekly podcast by Jill Lewis. She is a nutrition and fitness coach that works with Gen X and Baby Boomers to ditch the old school diet mentality while learning strategies to live a healthy and energetic life. Her episodes are practical, straight forward and easy to understand. I've included two recent episodes below that I particularly enjoyed. Podcast Link
