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Settled in to finish off "Darius the Great is Not Okay" in a cafe earlier today ?
I loved the vivid descriptions and reading from Darius' perspective - I didn't always agree with how he saw things but I could understand why he felt the way he was feeling.

Time to crack on with this one! (Due back at the library in 3 days 😦)

Had to stop reading for a sec because I got a little something in my eye 😢

1) Brave, Vengeful, tagged book on audio

2) Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 2

3) Fruits Basket and Game of Thrones since I did watch 2 episodes this season just for the relationship between Jaime and Brienne.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Lord I love these sweet boys.

Well ain't he a real peach of a parent? Newsflash: you don't blame the person being bullied for the fact that he's bullied, you blame the person doing the bullying.

I liked how this story dealt with real issues such as depression and racism. I loved the family dynamic and the culture. I liked hearing about Iran and learning somewhat how it is there. This book was a little slow go but overall the story will stick with me for a long time.
4⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yesterday was both my birthday and the kickoff of the library book sale! Two favorites in one! #bookhaul

Guess where I am?! 💜💜💜 #NTTBF19

Just finished this beautiful novel by Adib Khorram. And oh my goodness did I love it. Lord of the Rings and Star Trek references aren‘t the only thing that make this book worth reading. Family relationships, loveable characters, and a very real portrayal of depression. Just trust me, read this book.

Just finished this for the teen book club I run at work and it‘s wonderful. It‘s just the sweetest friendship story. Also a story about a boy who is learning to stop apologizing for who he is.

I could not love this book more. Or have cried more. (My son said at one point that I looked like I was getting a cold. It was because my face was so swollen from crying.) Darius is a brilliant protagonist who is funny and sad and realistic. (continued in comments)

Here's my February wrap-up:⠀
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27 books (2 nonfiction, 4 audiobooks, 1 graphic novel, 1 novel in verse, 1 graphic novel, 1 short story collection, 10 YA, 2 middle grade)⠀
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Here are my ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ reads for the month: Darius the Great Is Not Okay, Winter of the Witch, Parkland, Dumplin', Speak: The Graphic Novel, Blood Water Paint, The War That Saved My Life, Circe⠀
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I had a ton of four-star reads, too--I read some amazing books this month!!!

Trying genmachai, Darius's favourite

This book was an interesting look at diversity (the majority of it takes place in Iran, where Darius goes for the first time bc his grandfather is dying.)I loved it's portrayal of depression and how it affects both individuals and families.I also really liked it's portrayal of a friendship, and the way a friend can change the way you feel about yourself.It's likely the only book I will finish during #contemporaryathon - v sick husband & depression

1. Historical fiction.
2. Lots of sleep and reading and a wslk outside tomorrow. y
3. Tagged
4. Nope
5. 🖐

@howjessreads #friYAYintro

Teenage boy who doesn't fit in at hime goes on a family visit to his mother's family in Iran and has to navigate a foreign culture. Enjoyable but doesn't really fulfil the author's objective stated in the afterword.

#teaandabook

I'm sure Darius would want to know it's Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong black tea

I can now announce that our committee chose Darius The Great is Not Okay as our 2019 Morris Debut Award Winner! Here I am with a couple of our committee members congratulating him in person after the award ceremony.

Thanks to @penguinteen for the free arc of this way back at #nerdcampmi!
This #ownvoices book will be great for middle and high school students searching for a story about Persian boys or Iran. Lots of excellent descriptions of the beauty of Iran, family dynamics, and how to get along in a world where you feel like you don‘t belong. Love that the main character has depression too!

1.) 🇺🇸

2.) 🇮🇷

3.) 🇺🇸

4.) 🇫🇷 and 🇬🇧 and 🇮🇳 and 🇮🇹 and 🇨🇦 and 🇦🇺 and 🇯🇵 and 🇳🇿 and 🇲🇦 and 🇨🇷 and 🇮🇪 (I want to see so many places)!

#HelloThursday (aka #FridayEve) @WanderingLynn

Friendship, family, identity, Star Trek, and really good tea... This YA is not what I expected. For one, romance does not play a role (which is surprisingly refreshing). Main character, Darius is figuring out where he fits, and he struggles with depression. However, the book manages to uplift and makes you want to hug a teenager (or your teenage self).

#Booked2019 (Happy Place) @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage #recomendsday

Really enjoyed this book. I think this is the most understated truth about depression ever.

I‘m enjoying this book about 2 boys who become friends. Darius‘ inner dialogue is sometimes overwrought you just want to step in and protect him. It‘s such a relief when he finds a friend. Also the audiobook is great because there‘s quite a bit of Farsi. Be prepared to be starving by the end of each chapter! This is from @MallenNC ‘s #NewYearWhoDis list. Very enjoyable.

Darius and family are going to Iran to visit his Mamou and Babou (grandparents). Babou is ill and Darius feels unloveable and on the outside of the group. A new friendship with a young man his age, Sohrab, develops and changes everything. The MC's references to Star Trek TNG and LOTR are great.

Why are you depressed? Darius gets that a lot, but clinical depression cannot easily be explained. He‘s an overweight American teen with a Persian mother & a white father. Mostly set in Iran, where Darius makes his first real friend & learns that it‘s okay to be a boy who cries. Lots of Star Trek & Tolkien references, like calling jerks “soulless minions of orthodoxy.” A sweet #audiobook performed by Michael Levi Harris.

I listened to this on Audible and it was fantastic! I first saw this book mentioned here on Litsy, so thank you to whoever recommended it. I loved the character development of the protagonist who struggles with depression, his relationship with his father and his place as a "fractional Persian." So many issues were dealt with in this YA novel in a humorous and poignant manner. Highly recommend! #blameitonlitsy ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I was one tiny pulsar in a swirling, luminous galaxy of Iranians, held together by the gravity of thousands of years of culture and heritage.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (I love a book that makes me cry.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An interesting look at a father/son relationship, an unfamiliar culture, the idea of finding your place and still not fitting in, the workings of a true friendship that may be something more, and the effects of depression. Food plays a large part in the novel, and some of the focus on dishes I'd never heard of lost me a little, but overall, a really good read.

This book is so good I wasn‘t even shipping things like I should be but was completely engrossed in a father/son relationship.

Started this. So far, I‘m loving it. I can‘t help myself when it comes to sweet teenaged boys in books. 💗

I may have only asked for one physical book (mostly cause my TBR has so much and I know there are a lot of new year releases I‘m going to buy) but I did get a speaker so I can more easily listen to my audiobooks while doing things like cooking and washing dishes.

I want to go out and buy a dozen copies of this book to give to people I know. It was soooooooo good. A nuanced portrayal of a teenage boy navigating his identity as a Persian American, a son, a big brother, and a person with depression. I respect that Darius was a regular kid working through who he was and who others wanted him to be. Suitable for the YA crowd but by no means just for teens.... this review isn‘t doing it justice. It‘s just great.

I've heard great things about Darius the Great 😍

Oh my god, you guys!
This book is SO SO SO good!

Excellent YA Fiction look at a teen living with depression, dealing with teenage drama, and living with a foot in two cultures. I loved that he used the line.."Its ok to not be ok".. a line I use often working in mental health. ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

My October reads. I never got around to reading anything scary, but I did read several mysteries. The best was the tagged YA novel.

I absolutely loved this book. The story was great and I really grew to love this family. And it made me want tea!

The author says in the afterward that he wanted to write about "how depression can affect a life without ruling it". I really felt for Darius as his family visits Iran to see his grandparents. Darius has only seen them via Skype, and now his grandfather is very ill. I enjoyed how the author handled Darius' changing relationships with his family and his new one with a boy he meets while in Iran.

Just started this one during my lunch break. I'm still having trouble focusing on one book. Not helped by having a half dozen library holds out at once.

There‘s nothing easy about being a teenager & things are hard for Darius—there‘s the bullies at school who won‘t leave him alone, his frayed relationship with his dad & the fact he‘s clinically depressed. When they receive word his grandfather doesn‘t have long to live, the family travels to Iran. It is there, Darius meets Sohrab & learns about true friendship. A powerful YA story about being comfortable in your own skin. Recommended.

Lunch break!!! That means I have a few minutes for reading. This just came in and is blurbed by Becky Albertalli, Laurie Halse Anderson, Nic Stone and John Corey Whaley. Recommendation enough except the premise, a Persian American teen travels to Iran for the first time, sounds equally promising.

Evening reading.

If you liked Aristotle and Dante, you‘ll enjoy this. I like that in some recent YA (this one and Nice Try, Jane Sinner), they‘re depicting teens who are struggling with the kind of depression that isn‘t manic with episodes of suicidal ideation (although yes - I know this exists) - but the kind that is the persistent low hum in the background. And I also like that characters like Jane Sinner and Darius aren‘t defined by their depression.

I loved this book! Everything from Darius‘ struggle with depression, to his relationship with his father, to Iran and Sahroub was dealt with in such a quiet way. I felt like I was inside Darius‘ head, which is great character development. Highly recommended for everyone! Seriously, run don‘t walk to get your hands on this extraordinary book.