This summer I really held myself accountable to my summer reading lists (published here and here). I kept a printout of the covers above my desk for reference and checked off each as I completed it. On August 5, I still had six left, which left a hefty load for August, but I was determined to do it. And, I left some of the best for last: The Pull of the Stars, Memorial Drive, Sex and Vanity, The Life Intended, Just Mercy, and Raising Our Hands. What a good mix. It made for a fun month of reading for sure! So, now for the overall reviews and recommendations from those I had chosen for the summer:
Hidden Valley Road
Stamped
So You Want to Talk About Race
To Obama, with Love, Joy, Anger, and Hope***favorite book I read this summer!
Waking Up White
Rodham
Memorial Drive
The Life Intended
Just Mercy
And, even though these weren’t on my TBR list for the summer, here are a couple other 5-Stars from my summer selections:
The Vanishing Half
The Beauty in the Breaking
Notes from a Young Black Chef
Read Between the Wines 
I love getting your book recommendations. Thank you! I send them to my mom, and she usually reads them. I’m curious why you didn’t give Just Mercy five stars. That one blew me away! I am reading So You Want to Talk About Race right now and had my 14-year-old read it too. Thank you for that one.❤️💕
Michelle Jacoby Owner DC Matchmaking & Coaching http://www.dcmatchmaking.com
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Dear Michelle, thank you for the praise and I am so glad your mom reads the recommendations too. I liked Just Mercy a lot, and I think if I had read it earlier in the summer, I might have given it more stars. However, I got a little distracted in the middle/latter half, so it didn’t resonate as strongly as it might have. xoxo