Authors I’m Grateful For

Growing up I never saw characters in books that looked like me and come from a similar culture so the last few years when we are finally getting these books, it has made me so incredibly excited and grateful to these authors who created these characters and fought for them to be published.

S.A. Chakraborty – It’s no surprise that Shannon is on this list. The Daevabad Trilogy are books that I love with all my heart and soul. I adore the story and the characters and I love that Shannon immersed us in the history too. I will forever be thankful that she gave me Alizayd, a practicing Muslim man who is driven by his religious beliefs, especially social justice. His journey to learning how best to bring justice for all to Daevabad was incredible to read. I felt so seen and I will always have a special place in my heart for these books and especially Ali.

Sabaa Tahir – The first time I saw a main character who was brown and the hero was Laia and Elias. It was an incredible moment for me and it was written by a Muslim woman. I loved these two so much because they were the first characters I saw who looked like me. I loved that the culture was woven into the story and discussions of colonisation was included in the story. It’s something I related a lot to.

S.K. Ali – Sajidah gave me Zayneb, an unapologetic Muslim teen who just wants to live her life but is angry because of all the injustice she faces because she chose to wear a headscarf and it marks her as Muslim. I related so much to her and I loved how she contrasted with Adam. I loved that we got a love story between two Muslim teens and it was all halal. I wish I had this book as a teen.

Hafsah Faisal – Hafsah gave me hope. A niqabi who published an incredible book and it was supported by so many. I saw her and I knew that those of us who are struggling to find our way to achieve our goals will get that boost because when do women in niqab get published by a mainstream publisher?!  

Yasmin Rahman – I sobbed after reading the first chapter of All the Things we Never Said because I felt so seen. The way Mehreen feels, how Islam is an important part of her life and she takes that into account when trying to work through her suicidal thoughts. It isn’t something that is discussed in the Muslim community and I hope that this book helps others. Yasmin also started the book with Bismillah and I just knew I would love it after reading that.

Is there any authors who you’re grateful to?

Fiction Books With Mental Health Rep – World Mental Health Day

It’s World Mental Health Day and I am really glad to see more people talking about mental health. It affects so many people and yet there is still so much stigma around it.

So I wanted to share some books that I’ve read and loved that have really great mental health rep. I will also be writing a post about non-fiction mental health books, so keep an eye out for that too!

So here are some of the books that I read that I think have great mental health rep:

1 All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman – This deals with depression, self harm and suicidal thoughts so it can be a difficult read but I really loved the rep. You can read my full review here

2 The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf – This book is an ownvoices book with really great mental health rep especially as it discusses how cultural or religious beliefs impact someone seeking help.

3 Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – This was one of the first contemporaries that I read and loved because I really related to Cath and how her anxiety affected her when she started university. You can read my full review here

4 No Fixed Address by Susin Neilsen – This book shows how a parent having mental health problems can also affect their children. You can read my review here

5 Are we all Lemmings and Snowflakes? By Holly Bourne – I really loved seeing characters all struggling with different mental health problems in this book. You can read my review here

6 The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James – The main character suffers from anxiety in this book and I really loved how it was shown.

7 Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – I really loved seeing how Kaz deals with his PTSD in this book. You can read my review here

So these are some of my favourite books featuring mental health. Let me know what books you’ve read with great mental health rep!

Books I Love By Authors In The UK – Part 1

In this post I want to share some of my favourite books by authors in the UK. I feel like several of these authors deserve more love and that you should all go read their books!

1 The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon – I am impatiently waiting for the next book because I love this series so much!

2 The Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton – I adore this trilogy! And Alwyn has recently announced that she will be releasing a new series set in the same world!

3 The Summoner and Contender series by Taran Matharu – I loved the Summoner books and I recently read the first Contender book and loved it too! It’s also ownvoices! You can read my reviews of The Outcast here and of The Chosen here

4 All the Things we Never Said by Yasmin Rahman – A book dealing with mental health and suicidal thoughts and how important friendship can be. You can read my review here

5 Viper by Bex Hogan – Pirates and Assassins and a bloodthirsty and violent world and I loved it! You can read my review here

6 Darren Shan Saga by Darren Shan – A childhood favourite about vampires and I really loved the whole series!

7 Gilded Cage trilogy and Sanctuary by Vic James – A dystopian UK where those who don’t have powers must serve those with powers for 10 years and are effectively slaves for that period. Sanctuary is a dark witchy book and I loved all of her books! You can read my review of Sanctuary here

8 She Wore Red Trainers by Naima B Robert – I really love all the books Naima rights but especially this one as it’s a Muslim love story! You can read my review here

9 You’re Crushing It by Lex Croucher – I really loved reading through this book. It’s about mental health, building your self-esteem and so much more.

10 I Am Thunder and Kick the Moon by Muhammad Khan – Both deal with very relevant issues and I highly recommend reading them! You can read my review of Kick the Moon here

11 A Pocketful of Stars by Aisha Bushby – I really loved this book that deals with growing apart from friends, being true to yourself and standing up for what’s right. You can read my review here

12 Jinxed by Amy Alward – This book was one of those books that I came across accidently but I ended up falling in love! It’s a dystopian sci-fi with unapologetically nerdy, smart female characters who excel in STEM areas. You can read my review here

So when I started writing this post I actually realised I knew a lot more UK authors than I thought so there will be a part 2 posted in a couple days!

Friday Favourites – Books Outside Your Usual Genre

This is hosted by Something of the Book who created this tag out of a love for lists. There are different topics for us all to be able to take part and you can find the prompts here. There isn’t a specific number of favourites so it’s entirely up to you how many you share. You can share your most or least favourites too!

So this weeks topic is books outside your usual genre, I tend to read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi so I guess they would be my usual genre so I’m going to share some books that I loved that were outside my usual genre.

1 The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty – Okay so if you know me then you know that I will shove this book in your face any chance I get and yes while this may count as fantasy it also counts as historical fiction so I’m including it! So anyways…GO READ THIS BOOK!

2 One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus – this is a thriller and I don’t usually read them but this intrigued me as it got so much hype and I’m so glad I read it because I loved it!

3 Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali – I never usually read romance but a halal romance with a hijabi on the cover? How could I resist?! It’s safe to say I loved this book!

4 All the Things we Never Said by Yasmin Rahman – I have never related to a contemporary book dealing with mental health so much! There’s a Muslim character and her religious beliefs are a part of her life so it was amazing to see that in there!

5 Geekerella by Ashley Poston – contemporaries have always been a hit and miss for me but I adore this book! It’s super cute and nerdy and I adore the characters!

So these are some of my favourite books outside my usual genre!

What books have you loved outside your usual genre?