Welcome to Quick Lit: August 2026 Edition, where I share books I chose for my own reading enjoyment in a mini-review format. These are not books I received for review, but books I’ve wanted to read or that have caught my attention. Most of them have been talked about ad nauseam or have been on my to-read list for a long time, so they don’t really need a full review. But I’d still like to give them some space here on the blog, so instead, I’m offering mini-reviews of the books that won’t get full-page space here on the blog.

I’ll be sharing with Modern Mrs. Darcy and her monthly Quick Lit post. Be sure to head over to see others share their Quick Lit posts in her comments.

This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read more about that.

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Did you know I also regularly review children’s books? Check them out HERE.

I’m currently reading LIARS DICE on my Kindle for review, and CLEO DANG WOULD RATHER BE DEAD also for review. I’m listening to THE CALAMITY CLUB.

I recently reviewed SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU SOONER. My Summer-Read-to-Learn series is wrapping up this week. All summer I shared excellent children’s books to keep kids reading and learning, but these books are also great for extended learning during the school year or for adding to your homeschool curriculum.

Did you see I was a guest on a podcast? Check out the episode HERE.

What I’ve been watching lately: Pat and I are still watching Modern Family together. We are now into Season 6, and it is still making us laugh out loud. I also watched The Great American Baking Show Celebrity Summer on Roku, which was so fun to watch! I laughed the whole way through.

I’m starting the school year subbing long-term, so I’ll be a bit more limited in this space through October. I’ll continue posting as I have time. Thanks for being here and continuing to support this space through your Amazon purchases. As always, you can save THIS LINK for all your Amazon purchases.

Follow me on Goodreads, HERE.

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SUMMER STAYCATION
Summer Lovin’ #5
By: Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Published: May 26, 2026
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Romance Novella
Format: eBook

I think this was my favorite of the Summer Lovin’ Romance Novella series. Check out the other 4 in last month’s Quick Lit. I adored the characters Beck and Luke and the Florida setting. Beck is a marine biologist and is an expert in sea turtles. Luke is a travel blogger who notices Beck in the coffee shop on his quick weekend visit. He becomes enamored with Beck and her quirkiness. This romance was sweet, and Luke was so kind and interested in Beck and her career, her neurodivergent tendencies, and respected her sensitivities. This one made me smile the whole way through.

SUMMER THAW
Summer Lovin’ #6
By: Rebecca Jenshak
Published: May 26, 2026
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Romance Novella
Format: eBook

This is the last book in the Summer Lovin’ Romance Novella series. I’m certainly glad I stepped back into romance for the summer, and this novella series was perfect when I needed a quick read that I didn’t have to spend hours reading and was just the right kind of palate cleanser when I needed something light and fun.

This college-aged romance between two hockey players was sweet and fun. Hattie has recently broken up with another hockey player on the men’s team, but Collin has always been someone she was attracted to. Collin doesn’t realize they are no longer together until a team trip puts the two, as team captains, in charge.

LITTLE PIECES OF HOPE
Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World
By: Todd Doughty
Illustrated by: Josie Portillo
Published: October 12, 2021
Publisher: Penguin Life
Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback

This is one of the books from my Read the Gifts Challenge. My best friend, Tammy, gave me this book for Christmas 2021. The author wrote it after COVID shut the world down in March 2020. The book is a series of lists of random things, people, shows, celebrities, art, books, quotes, and music that make the author happy. I decided while reading this book that I would underline anything that also made me happy. I found I was underlining something on every page. Some things were nostalgic, like that “Peter Comes Home” Folgers coffee commercial that ran over the holidays when I was a kid, while others were a reminder to me that yes, I love that too, such as cardinals in the snow.

Several times the author asks you to Google things like “Grand Canyon + Sunset. Which, of course, I had to do, and the images did not disappoint. Other times he asks you to listen to a particular song. I created a list of ones that were new to me, and I look forward to listening to them. I love adding songs to my playlists, so I look forward to that adventure. The best thing about this book is that it made me happy while reading it. I would read a few pages at a time and always set the book down smiling. I’ve even started my own Happy Making List in my journal! This would make a great gift for someone struggling or needing a pick-me-up!

DEMON COPPERHEAD
By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
Published: October 18, 2022
Publisher: Harper
Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook

What a ride this story was. I’d avoided it because of the number of hours it would take to listen (21 hours) and because it was emotionally heavy. I was also worried since I had read THE POISONWOOD BIBLE many years ago and didn’t enjoy it. But after reading this and feeling in awe of Kingsolver’s writing, I feel like I need to read it again. Damon, aka Demon Copperhead, melted my heart. I was cheering for him on every page, hurting with a momma’s heart, hoping he would make it through this next challenge, and crying when he didn’t. There just wasn’t a lot of happiness in this story, but I grabbed onto every happy moment in Demon’s life that I could.

“I got up every day thinking the sun was out there shining, and it could just as well shine on me as any other human person.”

Kingsolver painted such a picture in her story. I could imagine the dog room that Demon was living in, the drugged-out girlfriend, skinny and strung out, the Appalachian mountain community that lined up for drugs at the pain clinic. I could see it all in my mind.

“Was this me now, for life? Taking up space where people wished I wasn’t? Once upon a time I was something, and then I turned, like sour milk. The dead junkie’s kid. A rotten little piece of American pie that everybody wishes could just be, you know. Removed.”

As someone who, many years ago, chose to go into social work after seeing what happened to kids in foster care, novels like this one make me realize not a lot has changed over the years. This story is set in the early 2000s, in a time before cell phones were everywhere, and still Demon couldn’t get a break. No one seemed to care, and even the few who did care weren’t willing to step up and do something. I appreciate Kingsolver shining a light on the fentanyl epidemic and the realities of foster care and deep poverty in the Kentucky Appalachians. This really is a must-read.

SOMETHING WILDER
By: Christina Lauren
Narrated by: Patti Murin and John Root
Published: May 17, 2022
Publisher: Gallery Books
Romance
Format: Audiobook through Libby

This book was in a list of books that had a “Survivor” theme. I didn’t even realize that Christina Lauren was actually two authors who write together. I actually purchased their newest book, THE ROMANCE REVIVAL, and look forward to reading more from this author team.

Since the death of her famous treasure-hunting father, Lily has lost her beloved ranch and started her own tour company through the deserts and canyons of Utah. What she doesn’t expect is to see her ex-boyfriend Leo among their next group. She hasn’t heard a word from him in years. As they head out on their adventure, something unexpected happens that will change the lives of everyone in their group.

This one had a few unexpected twists, a bit of romance, some survivor-like adventure, and it was a genuinely fun read. The audio narration was great as well, with dual narrators for Lily and Leo.

THE SEED KEEPER
By: Diane Wilson
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
Published: March 9, 2021
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Historical Fiction
Format: Audiobook through Libby and Paperback

I just finished this book set in Minnesota from the 1800s to the 2000s, and follows generations of Dakota women. I initially purchased this one due to the setting and history of Dakota women. Indigenous stories are always so insightful when it comes to nature, caring for our land and water, and for the people we love. That’s exactly what this story is about.

“Maybe we all carry that instinct to return home, to the horizon line that formed us, to the place where we first knew the world. Maybe it was that instinct driving me now.”

“Coming home was like swimming upstream, searching for the beginning, for the clean, unmuddied waters of my childhood.”

We first meet Rosalie in 2002 as she is returning to her childhood home (cabin) that has been left untouched since she was forcibly removed and sent to live in foster care as a child. As a reader, we are taken back to why Rosalie was sent to live in foster care and how living with “white people” forever changed how she saw the world. The story takes us back in time to the 1800s and Rosalie’s ancestors who suffered through the execution and jailing of numerous Dakota-Sioux men in Southern Minnesota. Rosalie finds envelopes of seeds saved over generations and finds a desire to plant them and find a connection to her past.

“Family gave me a place, history, connection, identity. Even in the midst of terrible pain and heartbreak, family held the possibility of love.”

Our book club chose this as our book this month. It brings up several topics that are front and center in our news right now, and I think it will offer lots of discussion. I also recommend DOVETAILS IN TALL GRASS for the story of the 1862 Dakotas.

Did Not Finish

HIDDEN CREATURES
Lucious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous History-Shaping World of Parasites
By: Dino Martin
Published: July 7, 2026
Publisher: Knopf
Non-Fiction
Format: eBook for Review

I received this for review, and I actually typically like reading and learning about various creatures and nature. But, pinworms….maggots…I guess I can’t handle reading about them. I gave this one a few chapters and was just too creeped out thinking about various creatures in my intestines, in the intestines of cattle, and crawling around in our dirt, the sand at the beach, and more. I was also dealing with my own unknown bug/tick/spider bite that was causing some health issues, and so reading this book made me freak out even more.

Martin’s research is impeccable, and I think if you like learning about these types of creatures, then by all means, definitely read this book. He is the expert in this area. I guess I just have too much of a weak stomach for this one.