Top 5 books I read in 2019
1. Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolitto (Goodreads link - This page will require Translation, which most browsers will do)
This book, originally written in Swedish and then translated to English, follows a high school student as she battles her way through her memories of a school shooting, which her boyfriend led and she attempted to end. [Finished: January 2019]
2. On the come up by Angie Thomas (Goodreads link)
On the come up, written by the same Author who wrote THUG which has since been made into a movie, covers Briâs rise to fame as she navigates surviving in a low income neighborhood. She follows in the foot steps of her dad, who was a rap legend before he was shot and murdered. Angie Thomas portrayed the struggles of living in lower class black families through this work, raising awareness into younger generations by passing on this message. Here is a video of Angie Thomas rapping one of the raps she wrote for Bri in the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmhxVNraW2M . [Finished: April 2019]
3. The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Goodreads link)
I few years ago, I watched The Perks of being a wallflower movie (Directed by Stephen Chbosky) and never got a chance to read the book. Its about a boy, named Charlie, who suffered from mental health issues due to childhood trauma, and was about to become a freshman. He writes letters to an usdiclosed person, whom he refers to as âfriendâ, but never tells them an identifying details about himself, or includes a âreturnâ adress, so he cannot be mailed back. Two step-siblings in their senior year take him under their wing and take him to watch Rocky Horror, allowing him to fit in with their friend group. Shortly after they leave, he loses the plot. [Finished: December 2019]
4. Shooter by Caroline Pignat (Goodreads link)
Shooter showcased the mindset of 5 different people as they tried to figure out what to do about a shooter in their school. These 5 people didnât get along well at the start, but after being trapped together in the menâs room, and then attempting to save the school from the shooter, they become close and find a level of understanding. [Finished: November 2019]
5. Crime Scene by Ester Mckay (Goodreads link)
Ester McKay battles through her years of policing, describing cases she was required to attend as she changed the way that women were viewed in the Australian police force. She developed PSTD, helped with the Newcastle earthquakes in 1989 and broke down barriers for women. She paints the picture of scenes she had to look at, things she saw, how she delt with inequality and overcame workplace challenges. [Finished: July 2019]
Honorable Mentions:
We were liars by E.Lockhart (Goodreads link)
Lighter then my shadow by Katie Green (Goodreads link)
White bird by R.J. Palacio (Goodreads link)
DM me if any of these links donât work, if you want to talk about a book/suggest a book, or join my LGBT book club and talk about LGBT books with us.
