I don’t always participate in readathons, but when I saw that this round of the buzzword readathon included s i x different words, I couldn’t say no. I’m obsessed with finding books to fit reading challenge prompts, and needing to find six different words to fit this challenge only made me want to do it more. Maybe it has to do with my journalism background, but when I heard the buzzwords for this round were going to be who, what, when, where, why, and how, I knew I had to participate. And I’m going to tell you, this was not easy. For some words I had a plethora of unread books on my tbr that would fulfill the goal. Others, however, had no options. ZERO BOOKS! The unfortunate words were who, why, and how. Either I’d already read them or there was nothing I was interested in. I scoured multiple goodreads lists and watched the readathon announcement videos multiple times before I decided it was time to branch out of my comfort zone and try something new.
Before you say there is no requirement about how many of the words you need to cover– I know. This is just a personal challenge for myself because for some reason I love to make things difficult. What’s the point in having six different buzzwords if you’re only going to choose one! It’s just not how my brain works, folks. So, I’ve found at least one book for each buzzword and a coule extra just incase I’m not in the mood. I haven’t decided which I’m going to choose for each word, so we’ll see what my brain is feeling when the week approaches.
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky | Heidi Durrow
This is the TBR full of books that I’m sort of 100% unfamiliar with. I heard BooksandLala talk about this book in the readathon announcement, and I had no other books that could fit this category that I hadn’t already read. I almost always love her recommendations, though, especially when it comes to YA contemporary, so I’m hoping I will resonate with this one. I know it involves a girl who is the only survivor of a family tragedy, but that’s pretty much it.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon | Kelly Barnhill
It’s been a minute since I’ve read a new middle grade fantasy. I haven’t heard many people talk about this (good or bad), but I love me some witch energy and girls saving themselves. We’ll see if I’m actually in the mood to read a middle grade when the week arrives, but for now I’m liking this pick.
What If It’s Us | Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
This is a book I’ve been pushing off for awhile now, and I have no good reason why. Fear, possibly? I love Becky Albertalli’s ligh-hearted reads, but as she paired up with Adam Silvera for this one, who knows what’s going to happen! I’ve only read one Silvera book (They Both Die At the End), and he’s pretty well known for writing some pretty heartbreaking endings. How will these two styles converge?! I’m nervous. I guess I’m going to end up finding out this month. All I know about this one is that it involves a m/m romance and possibly a missed connection?
What I Lost | Alexandra Ballard
Another contender for the “what” category. This is a book that I know almost nothing about. I’ve heard Emma from emmmabooks rave about it and its mental health/eating disorder rep on her channel. I have not read many books covering eating disorders, and if this one has good representation of it, I think it is a good place to start. I love reading books about mental health, and especially those that do it respectfully and accurately.
When The Sky Fell on Splendor | Emily Henry
I’ve only read one previous book by Emily Henry, but I LOVED it. I bought it on a whim last year from Book Outlet after I heard BooksandLala talk about it on her channel. I had no idea what I was in store for. I sincerely hope this book is able to draw the same reaction from me as her last did. I don’t know much about it, but from the cover I’m assuming there are aliens involved? A UFO sighting? Her previous book had a speculative aspect, and I have a feeling this one will as well. Can’t wait. s o excite!
Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng
I read Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You last year and absolutely loved it. It dealt with complexity of family dynamics and relationships in a very real way. I’ve heard her more recent release is just as good, if not better. I think it’s a hard-hitting books about a custody battle involving an adopted baby and its effect on a community? Could be totally wrong? And yet, I’m completely excited to dive it.
The Nowhere Girls | Amy Reed
This book came out two years ago, and I’ve just only really heard about it in the past couple of weeks. Chelsea from chelseadolling reads was straight raving about it, and that is enough for me to give it a try! I believe this one follows three girls who decide to avenge the rape of their fellow classmate. I’m all for any book covering rape culture and incessant misogyny in schools, so I have a strong feeling I’m going to love it. I think this is going to be a tough book to read, but very much worth it.
Why Not Me? | Mindy Kaling
I read the audiobook for Mindy Kaling’s previous memoir and completely adored it. I almost exclusively listen to memoirs via audiobook, and I feel like it’s a little more intimate like they’re just chatting with you, their friend. I have no idea how this book differs from her previous one, but I’m sure it will be a hilarious read.
How Long ’til Black Future Month |N.K. Jemisin
An author that I’ve been putting off reading due to my own personal intimidation is N.K. Jemisin. I know I will love her books. They’ve won multiple awards and are a diverse, well-written collection of speculative fiction. I really have no idea what is holding me back other than my own fear (the expectations? Who knows.) I’m hoping starting with this short story collection will get me hooked enough on her writing that I just can’t resist running full speed at her series.
How To Love | Katie Cotugno
I’ve read my fair share of YA contemporary, but an author who I have not yet gotten to is Katie Cotugno. I’ve heard a lot of good things about her books, but I haven’t made my way to them just yet. So, why not start with her debut? I know this involved a pregnancy and a couple breaking up and possibly getting back together? We shall see.
