Synopsis
Three close friends. Two unforgettable summers. One girl’s darkest secret.
Alys appeared last summer, and then she vanished without a trace. Cait’s new in town and she needs to know the truth: Who is Alys?
“A tantalizing story of summer, secrets and deep unease” – Sue Wallman, author of Lying About Last Summer.
Guest Post: My Favourite Mysteries
This film, based on Stephen King’s Novella The Body, has a very special place in my heart. Four twelve-year old boys go in search of missing boy Ray Brower. There’s a rumour that he is dead and that his body is lying somewhere outside of town. The boys want to find it. They set off together. They walk and they talk. And as they do they share the biggest and the smallest things of their lives so far in small town Oregon,1959.
Conversations range from survivor guilt over the death of a sibling through to a discussion about who, in a fight between Mighty Mouse and Superman, would win. It’s Superman, by the way. “No way can a cartoon beat up a real guy.” There’s a whole heap of other serious, funny, moving, brilliant, painful conversation in between. The boys encounter danger – a man in a junkyard, leeches in a swamp, and there is the classic moment as they walk along the railway line over a bridge that is a real heart-in-your-mouth-gasp-scream-at-the-screenmoment because by this point in the film you love these boys like they are your brothers or your sons. Well, I did anyway. I still do.
This film was made in 1986 and is definitely one of the main influences that the scriptwriters of Stranger Things the Duffer Brothers, drew on when they created the characters of Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas. In fact if you haven’t watched this film already then do, and look again at episode 4 of Season 1 of Stranger Things. I’m a huge fan of Stranger Things in part because it draws on so many of the iconic movies of my own 80’s childhood. ET, Poltergeist, Alien and Firestarter immediately come to mind, but there are references that reach far wider, small details or scenes that tip their hat to Indiana Jones (literally – see Hopper) and The Breakfast Club (see Steve and Nancy) and even extend to Karate Kid.
But what I particularly love is that I can watch the show with my teenage daughter who is as hooked as I am despite the fact that she sees none of these 80’s throwbacks and references.
Genius Duffer Brothers! I can’t wait for Season 3. And if you ever ask me if I want to sit down and watch Stand By Me again, I’ll say yes. Always yes. It’s a powerful story about friendship and coming of age and it’s brilliance, for me, never wanes.
Massive thank you to Faye for her wonderful guest post and be sure to check out all the other blog stops for more mysteries. Check back tomorrow for a full review of the gripping My Secret Lies With You!
Maresi is an enchanting read which follows a young girl who lives at the Red Abbey. This gorgeous island is home to a group of women and girls, who work for themselves and forbid men to come to the island. When their world is threatened Maresi and the sisters must use all their knowledge and power to save everything that they know.
I read and loved The Secret of the Italian Gardner by Andrew Crofts a while ago, so when I was contacted about What Lies Around Us I jumped at the chance to read it. If it’s possible this book was even more gripping and addictive and I could not put it down.
This waiting on Wednesday I thought I would talk about Here There Are Monsters, which really caught my eye recently and I’m so excited to pick it up! The cover really caught my eye and when I saw the comparison to The Blair Witch project I was pretty much sold. It sounds like a really fascinating story about sisterhood and I love a good horror novel. I haven’t read anything by this author but she also has another book called The Death Beneath the Ice that also sounds really intriguing, so I might pick that up to get a feel for her writing. I’ve seen some kind of mixed reviews for Here There Are Monsters already, some saying they were kind of disappointed with it but I’m excited to give the book a go and find out for myself if it’s worth the wait. 
Last year I read Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman and completely fell in love with the characters and the beautifully written tale. When I heard Summer Bird Blue was going to be published in the UK I snapped up a copy straight away. The story follows Rumi, a young girl who loses her sister in a car crash. Her mother, consumed with grief sends her to live with her aunt in Hawaii over the summer and there Rumi has to learn to cope with her grief and find the music that was so important to her and her sister.
I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK. Garth Nix is definitely an author that I don’t talk about enough on this blog – but that’s all going to change now. I’d pretty much credit Garth Nix and J.K. Rowling with my love of reading. I read the Abhorsen Series when I was young and that pretty much started my life long love with fantasy. Shade’s Children is one of my absolute favourite books and I’ve read Sabriel so many times my copy is barely still in one piece. I’ve been lucky enough to have been to a couple of signings that Garth Nix has done and he was always lovely and my signed copies are some of my most prized possessions. I’m so excited to read his first take on adult fantasy and this story just sounds brilliant. This has definitely become one of my most anticipated releases for 2019 and I’m obsessed with the cover. 
Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings—and all heart.
YA fantasy author, SKY IN THE DEEP, THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK (9/3/19) & the upcoming FABLE duology from Wednesday Books. Agent: Barbara Poelle, IGLA
The Bibliophile Chronicles 