Read With Keri: Books I Read in July

Before opening up this blog post to start writing, I thought this would be a pretty short post. But, I somehow read 5 books in July, even though it felt like a slow/not very exciting book month. I did read one book that is probably one of my favorites of the year, and that makes up for the other 4 “eh” books I finished.

Here are the five books I read in July.

{ONE} Super Competent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best — Laura Stack (3.5/5 stars)

I enjoyed this audiobook because 1) it was short, and 2) it was filled with a lot of great tips to be “super competent.” The premise is that it’s simply not enough to do the “bare minimum” at your job (a.k.a., being competent). To get an edge and succeed, you have to be Super Competent. The 6 keys are: 1) Determine what you should be working on, 2) Make time for it, 3) Focus on those tasks, 4) Organize the information needed to complete it, 5) Be responsible for your results, and 6) Never give up.

{TWO} The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom’s Guide to Style, Sanity & Success After Baby — Lauren Smith Brody (3.5/5 stars)

This is a dense, research-heavy book but full of great thoughts and tips. It is a bit outdated (published in 2017) so some sections were skippable/not accurate to the post-Covid world. It is also definitely biased in a few areas, which I didn’t really appreciate, especially for promising a non-biased view of some hot topics. However, it’d be a great read if you’re pregnant or in your fourth trimester, because a lot of this info would’ve been great to keep in mind when deciding on childcare options, prepping to go back to work, etc.

{THREE} The Fire Next Time — James Baldwin (4/5 stars)

This is a passionate essay written during the emerging civil rights movement in 1963. It’s powerful, thought-provoking, disturbing in some parts, and deeply personal.

{FOUR} The Family Across the Street — Nicole Trope (5/5 stars)

One of the BEST books I’ve read this year! I purchased this on a whim at a local bookstore and finished it SO quickly. I loved it, but haven’t heard anyone talk about it among the book community. It’s a great psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the end. Set in Australia, the family across the street is going through a hostage situation. The story provides a few different perspectives, which I really enjoyed and didn’t find confusing to switch back and forth. It is intense, but not overly graphic. It is suspenseful and well-written. Highly recommend if you’re into thrillers.

{FIVE} Below Zero — Ali Hazelwood (2/5 stars)

This was a short novella offered as an audiobook from Ali Hazelwood (author of The Love Hypothesis and a few other books that were super popular recently). Transparently, I skipped some sections because there are some unnecessary steamy scenes that had nothing to do with the overall plot. It’s a predictable romance that didn’t capture or keep my attention. By the time I realized it wasn’t for me, I didn’t have much left to go or else I would have DNF’d it (Did Not Finish).