Reasons to Read Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali

This book means so much to me in so many ways and it will forever hold a special place in my heart and I just want you all to experience this beautiful story too. So here are some reasons why you should read this book.

A Cute Halal Love Story

We get to see how you can truly fall in love and find the person you want to spend your life with while maintaining the boundaries set in place by our religion. Their faith was so important to them and so it influenced how they interacted with each other and it was so beautiful to see these small moments like Adam putting his hand on the table saying he wants to hold her hand but can’t so this will be the replacement. It’s so amazing to see that they put their faith first.

Adorable Meet Cute

Everyone loves a meet cute and this is one of my favourites! They meet at an airport and end up on the same flight where they interact for the first time after spotting each other and sharing a special connection by saying salaam to each other.

Disability Rep

Adam is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which is what makes him decide to quit university and go home. The rep was so great, we see him battle his many feelings about how this will affect his life but also his families. We see him struggle to manage it initially but eventually find his new normal. He never thinks he needs fixing or that there is something wrong with him and I really loved seeing how relatable it was.

Female Friendships

While this is a love story we also see love in many forms including the friendships that Zayneb has with her friends and how they care deeply for each other and if they mess up they apologise and try to make amends. It was so great to see women supporting women.

Smart Assertive Muslim Women

This is a story with multiple women who are so different from each other and yet are united in the battle against injustices.They may approach it in different ways but they are all incredible and resilient and they have each others backs.

Cinnamon Roll Love Interest

Adam is so sweet and an introvert to Zayneb’s bold and outgoing nature and it was so lovely to see a sweet soft boy. He shows strength in so many ways but I loved how his nature was to be kind and sweet and thoughtful. I loved his relationship with his little sister and his dad and how much he cared for them. We see how he is with Zayneb too and how he isn’t afraid to express how he feels and I just love him so much.

#EatThemAlive

This book also deals with Islamophobia both in the west and in Muslim countries. It discusses how it’s a thousand small cuts that slowly diminish us and that we face so many injustices because we chose to wear a scarf on our head or cover up in a swimming pool. We are judged and looked down on just because we are Muslim and how that affects us and our everyday lives and how it can make us feel hurt and angry and want to fight these injustices but that it also drains us. 

I just need you all to read this incredible book especially as the sequel, Love From Mecca to Medina, will be out on October 18th.

International Cat Day – Books With Cats

Anyone that knows me knows that I adore cats so some of my favourite things in books is of course a character having a cat companion! So for International Cat Day i wanted to share some books I love that feature cats!

Middle Grade Books

City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Diana and the Island of No Return by Aisha Saeed

Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found by Aisha Bushby

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

Young Adult Books

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Shadow & Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Adult Books

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes

The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa

The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura

Books Coming Out Soon

Love From Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

Do share some of your favourite books or books you want to read that have cats! I am always looking for more recommendations!

Why I Love the Disability Representation in The Theft of Sunlight Duology

The Theft of Sunlight and its sequel, A Darkness at the Door by Intisar Khanani has some of my favourite disability rep. It made me feel so seen and I was literally sobbing at how wonderful the rep is. This is a book I think everyone should read for so many reasons and it will always hold a special place in my heart because of the incredible disability rep.

These books mean so much to me not only because being Pakistani and seeing a desi inspired magical world with brown characters but also because the main character has a physical disability and the representation was so well done and made me feel so seen. As someone who has a disability that affects my mobility it was so refreshing to see a young woman who has similar issues but this isn’t her whole personality nor is it tokenised. 

She fights injustices that she sees and while her mobility may limit her in some things she adapts and continues the fight. She is constantly underestimated because people only see her disability but she proves time and time again through her actions and the person she is that she is more than capable. 

I also loved seeing that Bren accepted her completely and entirely as she is and didn’t for even one second think less of her or pity her because of her disability. I think it’s so important for people with disabilities to see that. To be reminded that they are enough the way they are and they don’t need to hide or minimise themselves to fit in or be loved. That they are deserving of love just the way they are. That Bren supported her and when he overstepped, she told him and he realised and fixed himself and did not take it out on her that she should be grateful and appreciative of receiving any help at all. 

We also see how she is defensive and has walls up to protect herself because of how people have treated her so it is difficult to accept help and see that some people are truly just trying to help her. We see how this has affected her relationships with people and that she struggles to trust and open up to people but as she meets people who truly have her back she slowly starts to break down those walls and open up to people more. I related to this a lot as it’s so tiring to have to deal with people who demand answers about why I use a walking stick or say things like, but you’re so young you shouldn’t need a stick. It is easier to just not let new people in but it does get lonely and I saw that in Rae too. 

Rae has to walk and run a lot because of what is happening in the books and because of this it causes her pain in her foot. Her chronic pain tires her quicker and slows her down and it makes her frustrated and angry at herself and I loved seeing that part of her in the books too. Having chronic pain is exhausting and yes we do get tired much more quickly than an able bodied person. It is frustrating for us and affects us emotionally and mentally and seeing this in the book just made Rae more realistic and relatable. 

But I also loved seeing how Bren and the others helped her through these times and didn’t make her feel less because of it. One scene where Bren quietly asked her if it would be more helpful to stand on her other side so she could hold onto his arm and just supported her in a way that she needed. These a tiny details in the story but for me they stood out so starkly because we don’t get to see this in books or even in real life and it was so wonderful to see these small instances in just the way Bren cared for her without expecting her anything in return. 

Then we get the scene on the rooftop in Darkness that has been seared into my memory because of just how much I absolutely loved it and I will forever be thankful to Intisar for giving me and all of us Rae and Bren. 

This duology is so incredible in so many ways and made me feel seen in ways I had never felt seen before and these books will forever hold a special place in my heart. 

Book Recommendations for Grumpy x Sunshine Trope

I love this trope so much but what I love more is when the girl is grumpy and the boy is sunshine! The books with this trope often end up being some of my favourite books so here are some recommendations which I absolutely loved!

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty – Ali is the most sunshine of sunshine boys and Nahri is grumpiest girl ever. I love them and their dynamic so much.

Nocturna by Maya Motayne – Alfie is adorable and Finn acts like it annoys her while secretly loving his sunshine.

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes – A grumpy space pirate and an oblivious elite soldier that have some great banter.

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanna A Brown – Malik is a cinnamon roll and Karina loves it even if she pretends she doesn’t.

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer – A grumpy prince that thinks nothing will change and a healer that makes the change. I love them.

Son of the Storm by Suki Davies Okungbowa – A sheltered scholar ends up on the run with a grumpy warrior. They have such a wonderful dynamic.

Secondary Characters Who Deserve More Love

Sometimes I completely fall in love with secondary characters in books, ones who don’t always get their own story or point of view. The one’s who deserve to get their own story and would happily read their book.

So here are some characters who I think deserve more love:

Zaynab al-Qahtani from The City of Brass – I would love to see the events in The Empire of Gold from Zaynab’s point of view. She goes from a pampered princess to a resistance leader and I would love to have seen that.

Luca from Nocturna – He is always there with Finn and Alfie and suffered with them and he honestly deserves all the love. I really hope we get to see more of him in the third book!

Muhammad from Misfit in Love – He is such a wonderful older brother! I loved his relationship with Janna and how smitten he is with Sarah

Muntadhir al-Qahtani from The City of Brass – Look this man was a whole disaster and yet completely took me by surprise and I really wish we could see in his head.

Despina from The Wrath and the Dawn – I loved her from the moment we met her and I just want a story from her and Jalal’s point of view.

Odette from The Beautiful – I just loved her so much and the friendship she built with Celine and how she did not care about societal norms for women and I just want to know more about her!

Kestrin from Thorn – We don’t get to see much of Kestrin as the book is from Thorn’s perspective but I really wish we got to see more of him and his reasonings for doing things. I hope we get to see more of him in the sequel of Theft of Sunlight

Dawud from City of the Plague God – I really loved him in the story and how at first you may think he’s a bit shallow but then as the story goes on you see there’s more to him than we first think. I really want to see him with Muhammad too