#darius the great is not okay
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"It's been a month since Young Royals officially ended and, if you're like me, you're still sobbing over that beautiful finale and missing Prince Wilhelm, Simon, and the entire squad from Hillerska (and Bjärstadt).
Don't worry, I've got some royally good YA book recs for your favourite characters from YOUNG ROYALS that you can add to your TBR to fill the space we're all missing after watching this fantastic series."
From YA author Julian Winters on IG @wintersjulian
#young royals#simon eriksson#prince wilhelm#wilmon#Young Royals Book recs#julian winters#Prince of the Palisades#rosh and ayub#august horn of årnäs#felice ehrencrona#sara eriksson#nils young royals#lgbtqia+ya#young royals book recommendations#prince of the palisades#her royal highness#ander and santi were here#the luis ortega survival club#the cruel prince#the belles#darius the great is not okay#you don't have a shot#jay's gay agenda
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Favorite Non-Sapphic Books
Hey, everyone! Although this is a blog for sapphic books, I thought it might be nice to share some of my other favorite books. (By the way, this is a really long list.)
#the unpopular vote#every heart a doorway#piranesi#a psalm for the wild built#son of the storm#all systems red#murderbot#the extraordinaries#the descent of the drowned#and i darken#a complicated love story set in space#the merciful crow#the queens rising#sisters of sword and song#scythe#renegades#legendborn#darius the great is not okay#an ember in the ashes#soulswift#winter's orbit#vicious#the wolf and the woodsman#truly devious#a marvellous light#loveless
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10 book recommendations for if you like Persian culture or Iranian history
Here's another book recommendations post! Please note that I myself am not Persian nor have I ever even been to Iran. These are just some books by Iranian or Iranian-American writers that I enjoyed.
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
- historical fiction, historical romance, based on the 1950s Mossadegh coup, broke my heart into a million pieces, beautiful story, love it
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
- memoir, set between the 70s-90s in Tehran, examines the role of literature and art and censorship in revolution, very feminist work
Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer
- YA set in 1979, based around the Revolution and the American media's coverage of it, coming of age story with Iranian-American fmc
They Said They Wanted Revolution by Neda Toloui-Semnani
- memoir, set in the time way before and during the Revolution, about the memoirist's parents roles in the Revolution, super powerful book
An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi
- YA set after 9/11, Iranian-American fmc dealing with her faith and Islamophobia and family, coming of age story, sad and profound
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adim Khorram
- YA contemporary, persian mc goes to iran and discovers his roots, explores zoroastrianism in Iran, mental health emphasis, pretty funny ngl
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- graphic novel memoir, relative of the Shah recounts the Revolution as experienced by women and girls in a rapidly changing Iran
The Woman Who Read Too Much by Bahíyyih Nakhjavání
- set in 19th century Iran, about a mystical poetess who has the power of prophecy, themes of mysticism, very lyrical storytelling
The Essential Rumi by Rumi
- poetry, collection of Iran's greatest poet's works, lots of Sufi mysticism and beautiful poems about love and spirituality and the self
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
- YA fantasy, set in a fantasy world inspired by ancient Persia and is a retelling of the Shahnahmeh, there's romance and action
#book rec#book recommendations#persian#iran#farsi#iranian revolution#ya lit#tahereh mafi#the stationery shop#darius the great is not okay#reading lolita in tehran#books and literature#book blog#persepolis#favorite books#ya books#chain of gold
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JOMP BPC - June 6th - Fat and Proud
something I loved about the Darius the Great duology by Adib Khorram was the exploration of Darius’s body issues. we need more fat positivity for boys around here
#darius the great is not okay#darius the great deserves better#adib khorram#justonemorepage#jompbpc#booklr#bookblr#trcc original#portraits#lgbt books#mlm reads#authors of colour
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Dear Mr Khorram,
I recently read one of your books, Darius the Great Is Not Okay, and I’m so glad that I did. I had heard talk of the book floating around and I never knew why, but now that I’ve read it, I’m incredibly grateful that I did. Reading about Darius’ experience with his culture, his family, and his depression hit me right in the heart, as I have gone through very similar things. Seeing someone else go through things that I’ve gone through makes me feel so much less alone, and even if it’s still hard, I know that it’s a feeling that I can share with others.
Originally, I read this book as a way to look into another perspective, a type of ‘window,’ but the more I read, the more I saw myself in Darius. I understand how he feels when his father seems disappointed in him all the time for things he can’t control, because I’ve been through that too. My parents don’t always understand that sometimes the best I can do is just getting up and staying awake. Being excluded from the group, dealing with bullies that target you for things you don’t have control over, and struggling to understand what you’re supposed to do when you’re around others isn’t too far from home. It made me sad to realize that Darius and myself had gone through very similar situations.
More than that, I saw myself in Darius’ experience trying to connect with his culture. My family comes from many different places, and I’ve never been as connected as I’d like to be. I didn’t even know about part of my heritage until I was older, since my parents never talked about it. The lack of knowledge made me feel like I couldn’t really claim the culture as my own. Darius’ hesitancy to engage in things and his uncertainty about how to talk with other people in Iran, felt like someone had taken my anxieties right out of my brain and put them onto a page, just with a different background. It makes sense that plenty of people feel that way, especially when you’re the child of an immigrant, but it still was very special to see that struggle represented.
The thing that was maybe most impactful to me was Darius’ connection with his grandfather. I lost my grandfather around a year ago, and since he lived in Germany, I didn’t get to see him as much as I would have liked. I also had to leave knowing that I wouldn’t get to visit my grandfather again, and I’ll admit that I cried a bit reading that part of the book. Losing someone is always hard, but knowing that you won’t be able to go visit them again hurts. Losing someone hurts even more when it feels like you haven’t had enough time with them. The way that you talked about Darius’ feelings hit me right in the gut, and I still haven’t fully gotten over it.
Darius’ story was a reflection of mine in so many ways, and I’m forever grateful that I took the chance and read your book. It was a book that I will probably think about for some time to come. Darius’ struggles with his mental health, with connecting to his culture, and with knowing that he won’t get to see his grandfather again all painted a very realistic portrait of teenage life, and I’m glad that I read the book. Congratulations on your newest book! I hope to hear back from you. It would be awesome to get a ‘letter’ back from an author I admire, and my teacher promised me extra credit points if I got a response back, although I was not expecting this to be done through a tumblr ask.
Sincerely,
Tobie
Hi Tobie,
Thank you so much for your lovely message. I'm so honored you saw yourself in Darius's story, and I hope it was a balm to you through your own rough times. I wrote it for folks who feel like you do—and like I do too, tbh.
I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather passing away. Mine are both long gone, but I think of them often, especially my Iranian one, who went through so much in his life but, in his later years, was more content than maybe any person I've ever known. He would sit on the porch of my aunt's house (where he lived), looking at the garden and the sunlight, and say "Khaylee khoob" (very good) to himself.
I hope you're taking care of yourself as best you can. And I hope, like Darius, you find the people that love you for who you are.
Yours,
Adib
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New Year Book Haul
I’ve been largely inactive since September, but I’m officially back with a New Year book haul, alternatively titled All the books I amassed during my absence.
Pictured from top to bottom: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, Husband Material by Alexis Hall, The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas, A Restless Truth by Freya Marske, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, Babel by R.F. Kuang, Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell
#Shuggie Bain#Darius the Great is Not Okay#Husband Material#The Sunbearer Trials#A Restless Truth#Eileen#Young Mungo#My Dark Vanessa#Babel#Scattered Showers#book haul#book stack#booklr#bookblr#book#books#bibliophile#your neighborhood bibliophile#your friendly neighborhood bibliophile
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Currently reading Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
#booklr#books#book photography#darius the great is not okay#adib khorram#ya contemporary#queer books#the refuge of books
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JOMPBPC September 1 TBR
#books#JOMPBPC#legend of drizzt#janet evanovich#stephanie plum#eleanor oliphant is completely fine#the heartbeat of Iran#darius the great is not okay
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darius the great was a good book, would def recommend. apparently theres a second book :0
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Day 27: JOMPBPC: Mental Illness
Both the author and the main character, of this amazing book, have depression. 💞
#justonemorepage#jompbpc#mental illness#depression#darius the great is not okay#adib khorram#beautiful book#beautiful cover#amazing author#lgbt+#pretty flowers#i love books
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“You can know things without them being said out loud. I knew Sohrab and I were going to be friends for life. Sometimes you can just tell that kind of thing.”
Adib Khoram, Darius the Great is Not Okay
#books#book quotes#booklr#bookworm#bookaddict#booklover#booknerd#book blog#adib khorram#darius the great is not okay
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#percy jackon and the olympians#a good girls guide to murder#darius the great is not okay#the crane wife
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just cried in public while finished darius the great is not okay 🥲
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Rating the gay novels i read this summer
The Song Of Achilles : 🌟🌟🌟/5
I Kissed Sarah Wheeler: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Boyfriend Materiel: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Him:🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
One Last Stop: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Red White and Royal Blue: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Darius The Great Is Not Ok: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Felix Ever After:🌟🌟🌟/5
Alex In Wonderland: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Call Me By Your Name: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
The Charm Offensive: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Playing The Palace: 🌟🌟🌟/5
#queer#queer lit#rwrb#the song of achilles#casey mcquiston#i kissed shara wheeler#boyfriend material#one last stop#darius the great is not okay#felix ever after#alex in wonderland#call me by your name#the charm offensive#playing the palace was a knock off rwrb
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I just finished Kiss & Tell today and also read both Darius the Great books last week! I very much enjoyed all of them and as a PNW resident I also enjoyed that the area played a role in the setting of all of the books. My only critique is that Key Arena has been called Climate Pledge Arena since 2018 (lol)
But seriously, I really enjoyed the everything that your books explored from the weirdness of adolescence to the entitlement society feels towards public figures. (Also, I’m a “fractional”-Asian person who watched star trek with my dad, so that part was really cool for me too.) Will definitely plan on reading your next novel(s) whenever they arrive :)
omg thank you for reading! I'm so glad you enjoyed!
And yes I don't know HOW Key Arena made it through so many edits and copy edits and stuff...except it was also the depth of the pandemic and everyone was tired and depressed. I like to tell myself it's an AU lol.
And my next novel comes out in April 2024!! It's called The Breakup Lists!
And then my next next novel comes out in September, but we haven't revealed the title yet!
#kiss & tell#darius the great is not okay#darius the great deserves better#ask adib#the breakup lists
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By popular (i.e., @ben-learns-smth’s) request, here is the list of books from my latest poll.
From top to bottom:
Reread an old queer fantasy series: Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
Queer semi-autobiographical fiction by a favorite francophone author: Un Certain Paul Darrigrand by Philippe Besson
Reread a favorite: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Queer literary fiction by a new-to-me author: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Queer YA coming of age: Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Science fiction novella: All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Sapphic historical fantasy: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
A collection of short stories: Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell
A queer historical fantasy novella: Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (not pictured)
#Luck in the Shadows#Un Certain Paul Darrigrand#Carry On#Shuggie Bain#Darius the Great is Not Okay#All Systems Red#She Who Became the Sun#Scattered Showers#Silver in the Wood#Mia pesters the people of booklr#book haul#book stack#booklr#bookblr#book#books#bibliophile#your neighborhood bibliophile#your friendly neighborhood bibliophile
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Last Seen Blogs
silviotomerandomness
Snarky Gamer Corner
plural-affirmations
Requests: OPEN!
jisookimlove
CHU
marxtheimpish
NORMAN WOULD BE SO PROUD OF ME ::3