Hello to all of you out there in the world 🙂
We’re getting closer to the end of the year, and have now entered the spooky month: it’s Spring in the south-eastern part of Australia, and Autumn in the northern part of the globe, but it’s Halloween season all over. All Hallow’s Eve is a time for looking inward, reflecting on the past and remembering those who’ve departed. We’ve lost so many people this year – and one of them was the extraordinary Steph Bowe, which is why this month’s title is Steph’s last published novel NIGHTSWIMMING.
Steph was – and remains – a sincere and special person. She was warm, clever and generous of spirit, and she was also a kickarse writer. You can read more about her life and her passing here and here. NIGHTSWIMMING was Steph’s final book, and it shows that she had so much left to give in her writing – here’s the synopsis:
Imagine being the only two seventeen-year-olds in a small town. That’s life for Kirby Arrow—named after the most dissenting judge in Australia’s history—and her best friend Clancy Lee, would-be musical star.
Clancy wants nothing more than to leave town and head for the big smoke, but Kirby is worried: her family has a history of leaving. She hasn’t heard from her father since he left when she was a baby. Shouldn’t she stay to help her mother with the goat’s-milk soap-making business, look after her grandfather who suffers from dementia, be an apprentice carpenter to old Mr Pool? And how could she leave her pet goat, Stanley, her dog Maude, and her cat Marianne?
But two things happen that change everything for Kirby. She finds an article in the newspaper about her father, and Iris arrives in town. Iris is beautiful, wears crazy clothes, plays the mandolin, and seems perfect, really, thinks Kirby. Clancy has his heart set on winning over Iris. Trouble is Kirby is also falling in love with Iris…
If you’d like to get in the mood for this one, here is the video for NIGHTSWIMMING by REM, which is aptly named and has a lovely mood.
You can get a copy of NIGHTSWIMMING through Boomerang Books and receive free shipping by using the ‘loveoz’ code. You can also find a copy of the ebook here. Feel free to join in on Facebook at the #LoveOzYAbookclub page anytime!
Please join me in celebrating Steph’s life during this month of reading her quirky, adorable book. I’m looking forward to reading NIGHTSWIMMING and thinking of her: it’ll be a time to celebrate old friends, good memories and times gone by… Let’s remember the past, then shake it off to move towards a bright future 🙂
With lots of love,
xxEllie