Hello! I’m back today to talk about my June reads for the Buzzword Readathon! **And every day we are reminded that discrimination against marginalized communities is still a serious problem, so click here to find a compilation of resources where you can donate your time, money, or whatever you can to support these communities. I still encourage you to research these causes on your own to educate yourself and find the best way to lend your support.**
This is the sixth post in my “Buzzword-a-thon” series. In case you’re new here, Buzzword-a-thon is a read-a-thon originally created by Kayla at the YouTube channel booksandlala. It centers around readers choosing books that include specific words or ‘types’ of words. This year, all prompts were selected in advance and it’s been loosely hosted once a month. I’m making a yearly challenge for myself to at least read one book with the buzzword each month, and also include one recommendation and one anticipated read in my monthly post. The theme for June was “books that have a name in the title.” I think this is the first month so far where I’ve read more than one book to fulfill the prompt, so it’s been fun to narrow down my choice to talk about, and here are the ones I finally decided upon.
Read in June – Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
-In the month of June, I read a total of three books with names on the cover (if we’re strictly talking about names of characters, if we include places that increases to places and/or royalty, that increases to five). I reread Keeping Casey, the first book in the “Keeping Him” series by Amy Aislin so I could read the new release Keeping Kellan – I’ve really enjoyed these characters and while I liked Casey and Ethan’s story a bit more, I’m glad Brant and Kellan finally got their happy ending after all. The one book I read in the technical Buzzword-a-thon week (always the first week of the month) was Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes. It’s an adult contemporary / fiction novel that I received as a part of a mystery box from an independent bookstore earlier in lockdown. The story follows Evvie Drake, who, a year after her husband’s death, is barely seen in public. Members of the seaside town in Maine believe she’s been overcome with grief, and she does’t correct them – in reality, she was running away the day she received the phone call. Meanwhile, Dean Tenney was former major league baseball player whose downfall was suddenly losing his ability to pitch. As a former Yankees player, New York City leaves him with little to no privacy. So he rents out Evvie’s spare room for the year to find himself again. They agree to some ground rules, which include not discussing Evvie’s husband or Dean’s career. Rules, though, have a way of begging to be broken, and as a friendship forms, the secrets of the past can find their way to the surface. I am a fan of baseball, so I found Dean’s chapters interesting when he discussed his career, stats, etc. He talks about how learning how to pitch isn’t something you forget to do overnight, but all of a sudden those pitches that were previously right above home plate now end up in the stands. It’s also extremely hard having your downfall spotlighted and highlighted by media outlets, to the point where praise from former fans has turned into hatred. What was interesting with Evvie’s chapters is the discussion of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband – she was being emotionally abused and gaslit by the only man she’d ever been with, and when he died she was, perhaps, glad it was over, but had to play the part of a grieving wife. She wanted so much to be free and be on her own, that she kept those who loved her in the dark, and never, for one second, consider their feelings. It was certainly an interesting read with great conversations about wanting to be someone’s savior, going to therapy, and finding out where you want to be in later life. While it wasn’t a new favorite, I’m still glad I gave it a chance.
Recommendation – The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper
–The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney came out in 2007. I first read it as a part of an after-school book club in 8th grade, which was started by my 7th grade English teacher. This is the only book I can distinctly remember reading (and enjoying) as a part of that club, and I lent my physical copy to someone in high school who has never returned it and I’m still just a bit mad about it, but hey, at least now I have the ebook. This YA contemporary follows Sparrow Delaney, the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter who is supposed to possess enormous psychic talent but hasn’t shown any natural abilities as a medium in her life. At least, that’s what she wants her family to think. In reality, she’s been demonstrating all four kinds of psychic ability since childhood – she can see ghosts, hear them, feel or sense the presence of them, and sense smells or tastes associated with them. Obviously not ideal. When she starts attending a new high school, Sparrow is finally out of the shadow of her six older sisters, makes a new friend, and has perhaps caught the eye of an irritatingly cute guy in her history class. But when another boy, a spirit boy, also catches her attention, he won’t leave her alone until she’s helped him Move On. Now, is this book spectacular beyond belief? No. Do I wish some aspects would have been explored or explained a bit more? Of course. Did I want more page time with Jake and Luke? Certainly. But I recently reread it and still find it a unique and solid read that brings me so much nostalgia. Plus I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone talk about this on the bookish-internet, so here you go!
Want to Read – Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
-Since lockdown has begun, I have attended several virtual book events and panels, and author Adib Khorram always is a joy to see on screen. I’ve had his debut novel, Darius the Great is Not Okay on my Kindle for a while now, and I honestly have absolutely no idea why I haven’t picked it up yet. Maybe I’ve just been looking for the right time, and to be in the right headspace to appreciate all the book has to offer, so hopefully I’ll get to it soon! This YA contemporary follows Darius Kellner, a Persian-American teen dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving father, and an almost nonexistant social life. When he makes his first trip to Iran, he gets to know his mother’s family he’s never known, including his ailing grandfather and loving grandmother. He also meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything. Soon, Darius is finally starting to feel like the true version of himself, and hopefully that will remain the case as he heads back to his home in America. This sounds like such a great read, and I can’t wait to finally get around to it.
In conclusion, apparently I’ve read a lot of books with names in the title. I’m honestly astonished I’ve made it through half a year fulfilling these prompt,s and I can’t wait to see what the remaining half has in store for me.
Where to find all these books:
Evvie Drake Starts Over: Bookshop Amazon Goodreads
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney: Bookshop Amazon Goodreads
Darius the Great is Not Okay: Bookshop Amazon Goodreads
Authors’ sites: Linda Holmes Suzanne Harper Adib Khorram
(H.C. author page)
Thoughts About Things 