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Since I am on Summer Break, I thought I’d get a lot of reading done; however, the doom scrolling and couch rotting have been real! In these last two months, I’ve only read 4 books, and one of them was work related! I know I have to get back to reading, so please leave me some 5-star recommendations in the comments. My goal for 2026 is to read 36 books, and so far, I have read 21. If you’re curious to know what I read, a summary, and my honest opinion, this post is for you. I’ll also share my top pick of the month and what’s TBR for August!
Book List Overview (with links to purchase)
- Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray
- Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
- Take a Shot on Me by Leigh Carron
- Teach Like a Champion 3.0 by Doug Lemov
📖 Dissection of a Murder – Jo Murray
- Genre: Legal Thriller
- Why did I read this? It was one of the “Book of the Month” reads, and the description sounded very interesting. It kind of reminded me of The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose, so I had to get it!
- Synopsis: Leila is defending her first murder case, and her client is refusing to talk. To make matters worse, the prosecutor is her ruthless husband who has taught her everything she knows. Secrets, lies, and a double past creep up on Leila as she navigates the biggest case of her life. Can she get out of the dirt while keeping herself clean?
- Tropes/themes: Plot twist, surprise ending, legal thriller, lots of characters, multiple POV, secret identity.
- My Thoughts: This book is one that I kept reading waiting for it to get better, and it never did. First of all, it gives way too much background information about the English justice system, so it was a little difficult to get into. Second, the main character Leila made me so angry! I don’t think I’ve ever hated an ending more than I did with this book. Leila definitely could’ve taken some pointers from Sarah Morgan in The Perfect Marriage! The entire lead up in this book just to be let down left me so angry, that I finished this book and took it right to the Salvation Army in the same day.
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? Absolutely not! Don’t even waste your time with this one. Just read Jeneva Rose or Kendra Elliot instead.
📖 Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes – Sandra Jackson-Opoku
- Genre: Cozy Mystery
- Why did I read this? The front cover stood out to me at a bookstore, and the description sounded very cute, cozy, and interesting. I knew it wouldn’t be anything deep, but I was hoping for a mystery with lots of quirky characters and small town vibes.
- Synopsis: When two people die after eating Savvy’s sweet potato pie, no one wants to step foot in her restaurant! With a town full of nosey suspects, slimy politicians, and surprising love affairs, Savvy must uncover generations of secrets to redeem herself and keep her family’s legacy alive.
- Tropes/themes: Black author, who-dun-it, small town, lots of quirky characters, some humor
- My Thoughts: This book had the potential to be really good, but it missed the mark. Although I knew it was a cozy mystery, I still wanted a little more depth with the storyline. At some points it dragged, but at other points, it glossed past things that seemed to be important or relevant. There are more books in this series, but I don’t think I will read them.
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? No, there are better cozy mysteries on the market.
📖 Take a Shot on Me – Leigh Carron
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Why did I read this? This book as been on my TBR for months, and I finally got around to reading it. The cover is beautiful, and the plot sounded right up my alley!
- Synopsis: Lot returns home to help her father with his bar and runs into her old best friend (and longtime childhood crush) Dice. When she left for New York years ago, Dice seemed as if he couldn’t care less, but now that Lot is home, he is acting like nothing changed. When old feelings creep up on both sides, Lot and Dice begin to get cozy and lines get blurred. They both know that this is temporary because Lot has to return to her career in NYC. But things are a little deeper than the last time Lot left. How can they both have everything they want?
- Tropes/themes: Black author, Black romance, friends to lovers, VERY spicy, family trauma, childhood crush, plus size FMC, dual POV
- My Thoughts: Although this book sounds exactly like something I’d love, it took me over a week to finish. The plot was kind of a drag, and there were so many spicy scenes, I had to start skipping through them. There was one storyline with Dice that I wanted the author to delve deeper into, but it just ended abruptly. Overall, the book was okay and the characters were very likable, but I’ve definitely read better, deeper, funnier romances. If a romance is going to be 400 pages, it has to be really good!
- Favorite Quote: “It’s as if every kiss before her were merely campfires. But this? A whole damn blaze.”
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? Maybe–if you want a Black romance with likable characters, lots of spice, and family drama, you’ll like this one. If you’re a fan of Natasha Bishop and Danielle Allen, Carron’s writing is similar.
📖 Teach Like a Champion 3.0 – Doug Lemov
- Genre: Education/Professional Development
- Why did I read this? I’m going into my third year as a 4th grad teacher, and I want to expand my toolbox. When I was cleaning out my classroom in June, I found this book, and I’ve been to many professional developments that reference it, but I’ve never read it for myself. I figured, this summer would be a great time.
- Synopsis: This book focuses on concrete techniques for teaching with rigor and maintaining classroom management.
- My Thoughts: For this to be a professional development book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and watching the videos that supplemented the reading! A lot of the techniques were actionable, and I want to implement them in my classroom. I also enjoyed seeing the research to go along with what my Academic Coach has been telling me, and I think all teachers should read this book for themselves.
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
- Would I recommend it? If you are an educator of any kind–yes! This book is full of gems that can take an educator from good to GREAT!
My Top Pick this Month is…
Take a Shot on Me by Leigh Carron! I love a good romance, and the combination of lovable characters and an interesting plot made this book my favorite read this month!
What’s TBR for August?
Even though I return to work this month, I want to get in a few more good reads:
- The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest
- Sailing into the Heart by Tana Jenkins
- The Teachers of Hardwood High by Nina High
That concludes June and July’s reading wrap-up! What have you read this summer? What are you looking forward to reading in August? Let me know, and don’t forget to share this post with any book lovers you know!
