30 Books I Read in 2018: 16-20

654 words 

5 minute read

Books 1-5 | Books 6-10 | Books 11-15

16. My Story by Elizabeth Smart

Genre: Autobiography / Memoir

Disability Representation: Yes (trauma)

Rating: 4 Wheels

Age Range: 18+

Excerpt of Goodreads Summary: For the first time, ten years after her abduction from her Salt Lake City bedroom, Elizabeth Smart reveals how she survived and the secret to forging a new life in the wake of a brutal crime.

What I Thought: This was a reread for me, and a strong one.  I get more out of this book each time I read it.  Elizabeth is such a strong voice in the survivor community and I appreciate her willingness to speak out.  


17. Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Genre: YA

Disability Representation: Yes (mental health)

Rating: 1 Wheel

Age Range: 14+

Excerpt of Goodreads Summary: Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn’t say.

What I Thought: I liked this book so much until the end, which kind of soured it for me.  Would not reread, but I am glad I read it once.


18. TRUST by Iyanla Vanzant

Genre: Self Help

Disability Representation: No?

Rating: 1 Wheel

Age Range: 18+

Excerpt of Goodreads Summary: “You just can’t trust anyone!” seems to be a constant refrain in the modern world. Indeed, learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult lessons. “That’s because trust is not a verb,” says legendary life coach Iyanla Vanzant, “it’s a noun. Trust is a state of mind and a state of being.”

What I Thought: I was a big fan of Iyanla Vanzant on the show Starting Over, back in the early 2000s.  But this all just seemed too much to grasp too quickly for me.  I felt like this was Trust 5.0 and I was missing a bunch of levels before I got here.  The one takeaway I got?  "The chef's job is to be the chef.  You are not the chef.  You are the carrot.  Your job is to be a carrot."


19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Genre: Fantasy

Disability Representation: Yes (trauma)

Rating: 3 Wheels

Age Range: 12+

Excerpt of Goodreads Summary: Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

What I Thought: I first read this book a couple of years ago, and thought it was time to give it another chance.  Strangely, I found myself enjoying it more this time around.  Though I had to keep notes to keep track of some of the more fantastical elements, the overall story was engaging, and I really enjoyed it this time.


20. VOX by Christina Dalcher

Genre: Science Fiction / Dystopia

Disability Representation: Yes (trauma)

Rating: 3 Wheels

Age Range: 18+

Excerpt of Goodreads Summary: Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter...

What I Thought:  The premise is what got me reading this one!  So intriguing and strangely believable.  While I wasn't super invested in every aspect of this (romance), the story itself was strong enough to keep my interest and I found myself wanting to know what would happen next.  A real page-turner.

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