February is almost upon us! If you’re participating in the Read Disabled 2026 challenge, you may be planning what to read for February’s prompts, so I wanted to tell you a bit about the books I’m planning to read, and recommend some other books I’ve loved that fit next month’s prompts! 

February Main Prompt: A Book by a Black Author

What I’m Reading: King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin (ADHD representation, lived experience)

February is Black History Month here in the U.S., and I wanted to honor that with this month’s prompt. For much of American History, Black voices and their role in our country’s history was silenced. The aim of Black History Month is to uplift those previously suppressed stories and the impact that the Black community has had on America, as well as continue to strive for racial equality and justice.

Because Black History Month celebrates Black History, specifically, I originally wanted to prioritize a historical fiction book by a Black author for this prompt. However, because I am choosing to read only books by disabled authors for this challenge, I was unable to find a book that fit those prompts.* I will be prioritizing books about Black history in my reading outside of this challenge, and decided to instead choose a book about Black disabled joy with King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin. This is a YA coming-of-age novel in verse following Pernell as he finds his self-expression and first love while working to catch up on his classwork during summer school. 

*There are not no books by Black disabled authors that are historical fiction! In my searching I found Sorrowland (set in the 20th century ft. low vision rep) and An Unkindness of Ghosts (technically this is futuristic scifi, but the society that the MC lives in is based on the Antebellum South ft. lived experience autism rep) by Rivers Solomon, however these books are also horror novels, which is a genre that I personally cannot read. Alternately, Octavia E. Butler’s works all heavily metaphorize disability in their themes and worldbuilding according to modern disability scholars, which makes them eligible for this prompt as well–I just chose to go with a literal representation of disability in my choice for this prompt. I intend to also read Kindred in February, just not specifically for this challenge.

My Recommendations:

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (non-verbal representation)

I do not know how to pitch this book, but bear with me–it feels high concept literary-fantasy to me, while still being accessible to read, as it is a YA novel written with teens in mind. Our main character Lucille lives in a utopian world in which monsters no longer exist, but when her blood seems to accidentally summon Pet, a winged and horned creature, she is forced to reconsider what she has always been told. Pet says that he is here to hunt a monster, and Lucille must learn what monstrosity really is, and save the world from the monsters that no one else will admit exist.

My Rating: 3.75 stars (circa 2024)

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (autism representation, lived experience)

If you have not read Get a Life, Chloe Brown, start there–but since our book club already read books 1 and 2 in this series, I thought I’d skip straight to book 3 for this recommendation. Eve Brown is the youngest of the Brown sisters, and she’s also kind of a hot mess. Desperate to prove herself, Eve interviews for a job at a bed and breakfast…and then proceeds to run over the owner with her car. Now Jacob is in a cast and Eve has taken the job and committed herself to taking care of him as he heals. Though Eve and Jacob could not be more different on the surface, the more time they spend together, the more the animosity between them grows into something else.

My Rating: 5 stars (circa 2022)

Icarus by K. Ancrum (EDS representation, lived experience)

Another YA book that reads like literary fiction, though this one pitches itself as a contemporary romance. Our titular character Icarus is a thief who steals priceless artefacts and replaces them with his father’s forgeries. When Icarus is caught by the son of the man he is stealing from, he expects to be turned in, but Helios has been under house arrest by his father, and he gives Icarus something far more dangerous in exchange for freedom: friendship that grows into something more, something that could damn them both.

My Rating: 3.75 stars (circa 2024)

February Bonus Prompt: A Romance Novel

What I’m Reading: A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams (unsure of representation)

February is, of course, also the month that features Valentine’s day, and as such a romance prompt is all but required. The book for this prompt does need to be capital-R Romance, aka genre romance–and not just romantic fiction. Paranormal, historical, and even (arguably) fantasy romance all count, so long as the romance storyline is the A-plot and the book ends in a Happily Ever After (or a Happily For Now).

I decided to go with A Love Song for Ricki Wilde for this one because I adored Seven Days in June and finally snagged myself a copy of this one back in November. It’s also set in February, which makes this the perfect time to read it. I’ve seen this one on disability recommendation posts with a mixture of vague disability categories assigned to it (“mental health”, “invisible illness”, “chronic pain”), but have been unable to ascertain specifics. If it turns out there isn’t disability representation I’ll end up using the Chronically Romantic book club’s February pick (Dukes and Dekes by Torie Jean) but I’m trying to push myself to read additional books alongside the book club selections to push myself to read even more books by disabled authors.

I know very little about this book except that it follows our main character Ricki as she moves to Harlem to chase her dream of opening a flower shop, and on one February evening meets a mysterious man who turns her life upside down. There is a magical realism bent to this one as well, and I believe it involves time travel/blurring between the present day and the Harlem Renaissance.

My Recommendations:

Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese (anxiety and autism representation, both lived experience)

Chloe Liese is a master of disability representation, and Two Wrongs Make a Right is no exception. This is a Much Ado About Nothing retelling following Jamie and Bea, who could not be more wrong for each other, as they join forces to concoct a plan for revenge on their meddling, matchmaking friends: They’re going to fake date, and then they’re going to fake a disastrous break-up. But the longer they pretend, the less they feel like they’re faking, and they can’t help but wonder if their friends were so off the mark with their matchmaking.

My Rating: 4.75 stars (circa 2022)

You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie (anxiety, lived experience)

Vale’s life revolves around soccer, but when she starts a fight with her long-time rival Leticia, everything she’s been working towards becomes suddenly out of reach. Her only hope for redemption? Winning the tournament at her summer soccer camp. But when she arrives, she learns she will be co-captaining the team with none other than Leticia herself.

My Rating: 4.75 stars (circa 2023)

Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean (endometriosis representation, lived experience)

If I have the opportunity to recommend Torie’s books, I will be doing so. She writes what is, truly, some of the best chronic illness representation I have ever read. When Evie needs a fake date to bring home to keep her overbearing mother at bay, she last person she wants it to be is Liam Kelly, her childhood friend turned nemesis, but when he unexpectedly turns up in Paris, it appears he’s her only hope. But in order to make this farce convincing, Liam insists on practice dates that ignite long-suppressed sparks in Evie.

My Rating: 5 stars (circa 2022)

Both Prompts: A Romance Book by a Black Author

I know for some people, reading two books per month for a reading challenge can be too much of a stretch, but if you’re interested in being a completionist: here are books that count for both prompts simultaneously!

Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant (migraine representation, lived experience and dyslexia representation)

This YA contemporary romance follows Reggie and Delilah when they first meet on New Year’s Eve, and then continue to connect through chance meetings on subsequent holidays (Valentine’s, St. Patrick’s Day, etc)--as if the universe itself is pushing them together. I loved this book, and I don’t want to say more for risk of spoiling things, but it’s one of my favorite YA contemporaries.

My Rating: 4.75 stars (circa 2023)

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan (depression representation, lived experience)

This is one of the (if not the) best books I have ever read in my entire life. It will tear your heart out of your chest, crush it into a million pieces, and stitch it back together in a way that makes you believe in love like never before. After the devastating loss of a stillbirth, Yasmin and Josiah’s marriage fell apart. Now, they are finding a new rhythm, coparenting their children and learning to find joy again. But they are drawn to each other, even know, and as they heal they begin to reconnect–but doing so reopens old wounds, and they must find out if it is too late for them to find forever.

My Rating: 5 stars (circa 2024)

Outdrawn by Deanna Grey (anxiety representation, lived experience, and carpal tunnel representation)

Noah has finally gotten her foot in the door to achieving her dream–her viral web comic scored her a job at a legendary comic company. There’s nowhere for her to go but up, if not for the fact that Sage is standing in her way. Sage and Noah have been rivals since art school, and now they’re assigned to work as a team on a career-defining comic release. The more they butt heads and are forced to spend time in close proximity, the more sparks begin to fly.

My Rating: 4.5 stars (circa 2024)

What will you read?

I love how much people show up for the Read Disabled challenge every year, and I love seeing what everyone reads--if you've decided what you're reading for either prompt, leave a comment!

And if you have Storygraph but haven't officially joined the challenge yet, you can do so HERE.

While reading books by disabled authors is not required for this challenge, it is encouraged, and all of the authors featured here are disabled, though they may not have the specific disabilities represented.

Thank you all so much for participating--I hope you enjoy your February reads!

Hey hi hello! Apologies on the delay here--the first week of January kicked off my busiest quarter of university so far (two STEM classes...put me out of my misery).

You can fill out the January Google Form HERE.

Bindery has also launched their own Book Rec capabilities through the Bindery website & app. You can also request your recs by clicking on the "Get a Rec" button instead. At some point I hope to switch to that completely, but I'm still trying to figure out how exactly it works so for now, please fill out the Google form if you want a guaranteed response, but feel free to also use the Get a Rec function for additional recs! I will answer them, presuming I can figure out how!

Hope 2026 treats you all well!

In Your Dreams (When in Rome #4)

by Sarah Adams

genre: contemporary romance

representation: anxiety and panic attacks (lived experience)

rating: 3.75 stars

Madison Walker is the family wild child–and the town disaster. After barely scraping her way through culinary school, she’s in desperate need of a fresh start with nowhere to turn, when an unexpected job opportunity is dropped into her lap: Return to her hometown of Rome, Kentucky to open a restaurant with her brother’s best friend, and her childhood crush, James. But everything is riding on this restaurant’s success, and Madison isn’t sure she’s up to the task.

Sarah Adams’s books are undeniably bingeable, and In Your Dreams is no exception. It was light, easy to read, and tooth-achingly saccharine. Madison is my favorite protagonist of the series, but unfortunately, I felt rather apathetic towards James, and was unmoved by the dynamic between the two of them. It seemed like a solid 75% of James’s personality was that he was in love with Maddie and had been forever, and it was so unconvincing to me. We are not led to believe that he and Maddie interacted much beyond a passing interaction before the start of the book, and he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in over two years. And yet he is completely in love with her and knows everything about her? He’s never had a meaningful interaction with her in his life, and yet he knows her better than her own siblings, with whom she is incredibly close? The story was told entirely in the present day, and there were no flashbacks or even references to touchstone interactions between the two of them from which his emotions could stem, and that left the whole dynamic shallow. Maddie’s feelings–a schoolgirl crush she outgrew, that was resparked when he re-entered her life–were solid, but since James’s feelings were the lynchpin of their dynamic and the foundation that their relationship was built on, the whole thing didn’t work for me.

However, I adored Madison’s journey outside of the romantic arc as she grew to believe in herself and learn who she is and who she can be in this town where everyone already has all of these set (and rather negative) expectations of her. I connected so deeply to her fears and self-doubt and her desire to be known, and her character arc of coming to trust herself was compelling, and I did appreciate how James encouraged and supported her in this growth. Some of the plot was rather ridiculous (namely, everything with Tommy–who, by the way, sucked way more than the story gave him credit for), but it worked in a silly goofy kind of way. I do love the town and family dynamic Sarah Adams constructed in this series, and I’m sad to say goodbye to Rome, Kentucky, and the Walker siblings. I wish the series had ended on a stronger note, but I’m looking forward to see what Sarah Adams has in store next.

Happy January, lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. This month's round-up is rather sparse--publishing goes on a bit of a hiatus in December, so not much was released. January's list is already longer than December and I have barely started looking! Though there aren't many, there are a few that I'm excited about in here, so I hope you still find something that piques your interest, and if not--next month!

JANUARY DISABILITY RELEASES:

Kissed by Frost and Moonlight

by E.J. Lindell

genre: romantasy

representation: hard of hearing

~

Shutout (Rules of the Game #2)

by Avery Keelan

genre: sports romance

representation: ADHD

~

An Archive of Romance (A Study in Drowning #2.5)

by Ava Reid

genre: young adult fantasy romance

representation: PTSD, psychosis, depression (all lived experience)

~

The Many Mistakes of Zoey Andrews (Many Mistakes #2)

by R.A. Hunter

genre: ADHD

representation: romance

~

Downpour (The Griffith Brothers #2)

by Maggie Gates

genre: cowboy romance

representation: wheelchair user, paraplegia

~

Scandalous (The Missarali Storks #2)

by Lottie Moore

genre: sports romance

representation: diabetes

~

In Your Dreams (Rome, Kentucky #4)

by Sarah Adams

genre: contemporary romance

representation: anxiety, panic attacks (lived experience)

Happy Holidays lovelies! Last night was the first night of Hanukkah, and I figured what better to kick off the official start of the winter holidays than a round up of every single holiday romance book with disability representation that I know of? This is every book that has ever crossed my radar, whether that’s because I’ve read it, a friend of mine has, or even just that it’s been logged by participants in Disability December over the years. I did my best to double check, but I can’t guarantee that the info for each of these is 100% correct–only for those which I have myself read, which are denoted by my own ratings (out of 5 stars).

Without further ado–here are the books!

Title: Eight Bright Lights by Sara Gibbs*

Representation: autism

Holiday: Hanukkah

Title: A Little Magic by Lindsey Lanza*

Representation: lupus

Holiday: Hanukkah & Christmas

Title: To Touch the Light by E.M. Lindsey*

Representation: low vision, partial blindness

Holiday: Hanukkah

Title: The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish*

Representation: autism

Holiday: Hanukkah

Title: Mistletoe and Mishigas by M.A. Wardell*

Representation: PTSD, anxiety

Holiday: Hanukkah & Christmas

Title: Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West*

Representation: autism, cane user, chronic pain

Holiday: Hanukkah

Title: Eight Nights to Win Her Heart by Miri White*

Representation: hard of hearing

Holiday: Hanukkah

Title: Second Chances in New Port Stephen by T.J. Alexander

Representation: alcoholism

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Christmas by the Coast by Mandy Baggot

Representation: amputee

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young

Representation: ADHD, autism

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Title: Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun*

Representation: anxiety, ADHD

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 5 stars

Title: All I Want for Christmas is Them by Adora Crooks

Representation: kidney failure

Holiday: Christmas

Title: A Merry Murderous Midwinter by Dahlia Donovan*

Representation: autism

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Big Nick Energy by Morgan Elizabeth*

Representation: migraines

Holiday: Christmas

Title: My True Love by Melissa Foster

Representation: amputee, prosthesis

Holiday: Christmas

Title: A Handyman for the Holidays by Valerie Gomez

Representation: verbal apraxia, Deaf

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Meddling Under the Mistletoe by Melissa Grace*

Representation: fibromyalgia

Holiday: Christmas

Title: How the Duke Saved Christmas by Anna Harrington

Representation: physical disability due to leg injury

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood

Representation: anxiety, panic attacks

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 4.25 stars

Title: Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert*

Representation: anxiety

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Title: Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert*

Representation: autism

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Merrily Ever After by Jenny Holiday

Representation: endometriosis

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Under the Mistletoe With You by Lizzie Huxley-Jones*

Representation: non-epileptic seizure disorder, anxiety

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones*

Representation: hEDS, autism (undiagnosed)

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Title: A Pucking Wrong Christmas by C.R. Jane

Representation: depression

Holiday: Christmas

Title: You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

Representation: anxiety

Holiday: Christmas

Title: The Holidate Switch by Torie Jean*

Representation: endometriosis, adenomyosis, ADHD (undiagnosed)

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Title: A Lord’s Guide to Mutiny, Marriage, and Mistletoe by Anne Knight

Representation: chronic pain, amputee

Holiday: Christmas

Title: At Home With You This Christmas by Marie Landry*

Representation: anxiety, depression

Holiday: Christmas

Title: A White Lie Christmas by Suzy Langevin*

Representation: allergies, vision impairment, anxiety

Holiday: Christmas

Title: The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese*

Representation: autism, type 1 diabetes

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 5 stars

Title: A Moonlit Christmas Kiss by Larissa Lyons*

Representation: physical disability due to leg injury, cane user

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll*

Representation: autism

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows

Representation: celiac disease, depression

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 3.75 stars

Title: The Christmas You Found Me by Sarah Morgenthaler

Representation: chronic kidney disease

Holiday: Christmas

Title: A Daddy for Kinkmas by Reese Morgan

Representation: ADHD, autism, stutter

Holiday: Christmas

Title: A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy* and Sierra Simone

Representation: ADHD

Holiday: Christmas

Title: A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy* and Sierra Simone

Representation: narcolepsy

Holiday: Christmas

Title: This Winter by Alice Oseman*

Representation: depression, anxiety, OCD, eating disorder

Holiday: Christmas

My Rating: 4.25 stars

Title: The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor

Representation: anxiety, panic attacks

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Christmas in the Cat Cafe by Jessica Redland

Representation: fibromyalgia

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Venice, Actually by Kelly Reynolds

Representation: PCOS

Holiday: Christmas

Title: A Case for Christmas by J.A. Rock and Lisa Henry

Representation: autism

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Hot Chocolate and Holiday Mishaps by Samantha Picaro*

Representation: autism

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Christmas by Design by Allie Samberts

Representation: anxiety, panic attacks

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Hook-Up to Holidate by Rose Santoriello*

Representation: anxiety

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Peppermint Bark, No Bite by Bailey Seaborn

Representation: PTSD

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Silent Night by Lily Seabrooke

Representation: auditory processing disorder

Holiday: Christmas

Title: You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan

Representation: anxiety, panic attacks

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Homestead for the Holidays by Wren Taylor

Representation: anxiety

Holiday: Christmas

Title: All Is Bright by RaeAnne Thayne

Representation: spinal cord injury

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Christmas in Snowflake Canyon by RaeAnne Thayne

Representation: amputee, PTSD

Holiday: Christmas

Title: Mistletoe Misconduct by Giuliana Victoria*

Representation: schizophrenia, chronic headaches

Holiday: Christmas

Title: There’s Always Next Year by Leah Johnson and George M. Johnson

Representation: anxiety

Holiday: New Year

Title: New Year Knew You by Evie Mitchell*

Representation: traumatic brain injury

Holiday: New Year

*representation is confirmed to be own voices and/or by an otherwise disabled author

Happy holidays and happy reading!

~Kaley

Hey hi hello! Apologies for such a late send out of December's Inner Circle perks form! I am officially finished with finals (I think I did well, but won't hear back for another week or two), and am playing catch up on everything that fell off my radar during dead week and finals.

To get your December Personalized Book Recs fill out THIS FORM.

Due to the fact that I have fallen massively behind on book reviews (both for y'all and for publishers) I am temporarily pausing the nominations of books for me to read and review. My goal for winter break is to catch up on reviews, after which I will hopefully reopen that aspect of Inner Circle perks. Every review I do post will go up on here as usual, but since I'm expecting several over the course of the month, I won't notify y'all by email every time--if you want a notification for book reviews, react to the message in #welcome in the discord server to get tagged on discord when posts go live.

To make the lack of this perk up to you, I've got a book round up of Holiday romance novels (58 books--mostly Christmas, some Hannukah, two New Years) ft disability representation coming your way soon! I'm still working on the graphics, but you can expect the post for sure by the first day of Hannukah (12/15).

Happy Holidays!

~ Kaley

Title: The Awakening of Lora Abernathy by M.J. Abernathy*

Representation: autism, migraines

Genre: young adult horror fantasy

Title: Lovestruck by Ivy Dawes

Representation: eating disorder

Genre: romance

Title: Highest Point by Kels & Denise Stone*

Representation: anxiety, panic attacks, mental health

Genre: romance

Title: Meddling Under the Mistletoe by Melissa Grace*

Representation: fibromyalgia

Genre: romance

Title: Sweet Caroline by Hannah Brixton*

Representation: ADHD, alcoholism

Genre: romance

Title: Mixing Magics (Accidental Demons #2) by Clare Edge*

Representation: type 1 diabetes

Genre: middle grade fantasy

Title: Chocolate Pudding and Wicked Queens (Cinnamon Rolls and Villainy #2) by Chanté A. Campbell*

Representation: chronic pain, autism

Genre: fantasy romance

Title: Freeing the Wild by Paisley Hope

Representation: anxiety, panic attacks

Genre: romance

Title: Popcorn Disabilities: The Highs and Lows of Disabled Representation in the Movies by Kristen Lopez*

Representation: many

Genre: nonfiction

Title: Stone’s Throw by Patricia D. Eddy

Representation: TBI, physical disability

Genre: romantic suspense

Title: White Lie Christmas by Suzy Langevin*

Representation: allergies, vision impairment, anxiety

Genre: romance

Title: Husband of the Year by M.A. Wardell*

Representation: ADHD

Genre: romance

Title: Cinderella’s Bargain With the Billionaire by Mariah *

Representation: POTS

Genre: romance

Title: Tethered by T.J. Williams*

Representation: neurodivergence, physical disability

Genre: science fiction

*this book is confirmed to be own voices and/or written by a disabled author