Thanks for joining us! This month we are discussing Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

SYNOPSIS

In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Weeknd’s Superbowl Halftime Show

Book Pick from Toby Cygman, one of WPL’s Outreach Librarians: To be Taught If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

TELL US ABOUT ANOTHER BOOK I MIGHT LIKE

Trevor: Vacationland: true stories from painful beaches by John Hodgman

Kirsten: Timeline by Lily King (short story)

Dennis: Big Trouble by Dave Barry

NERD WORDS FOR WORD NERDS

Trevor: The Weekend

Kirsten: Splendid, as in Splendid Isolation

Dennis: The Zone

Remember to wash your hands frequently, limit your contacts, and STAY HOME if you are feeling sick.

Next month we will be talking about The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson.

We’re looking forward to hearing what you think! Join our Facebook group, or follow Winnipeg Public Library on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Email us at [email protected] with suggestions, comments, and questions. Visit us at wpl-podcast.winnipeg.ca.

Time to Read is a production of the Winnipeg Public Library. Our panel today included Kirsten Wurmann, Dennis Penner, and Trevor Lockhart.