Welcome back! Apologies for last month’s hiccups – my website is under renovation, and it was a thing – but now we’re back in action!
This month’s read is by author/agent Danielle Binks – her debut YA book, THE MONSTER OF HER AGE. But Danielle no newbie: she is also the author of a middle grade novel, The Year The Maps Changed, and is a contributing editor of Begin, End Begin, A #LoveOzYA Anthology. Here’s the blurb for MONSTER:
How do you ruin someone’s childhood? You let them make-believe that they are a monster. But sooner or later, the mask must come off…
Ellie Marsden was born into the legendary Lovinger acting dynasty. Granddaughter of the infamous Lottie Lovinger, as a child Ellie shared the silver screen with Lottie in her one-and-only role playing the child monster in a cult horror movie. The experience left Ellie deeply traumatised and estranged from people she loved.
Now seventeen, Ellie has returned home to Hobart for the first time in years. Lottie is dying and Ellie wants to make peace with her before it’s too late. But forgiveness feels like playing make-believe, and memories are like ghosts.
When a chance encounter with a young film buff leads her to a feminist horror film collective, Ellie meets Riya, a girl who she might be able to show her real self to, and at last come to understand her family’s legacy – and her own part in it.
A story of love, loss, family and film – a stirring, insightful novel about letting go of anger and learning to forgive without forgetting. And about embracing the things that scare us, in order to be braver.
I hope you enjoy reading this one! You can buy a physical copy of the book at Boomerang Books and use the ‘loveoz’ code to get free shipping, or you can find the ebook version here.
Thanks so much for sticking with us during the last lean month, and we hope the books on our list are bringing you some joy in these crazy lockdown times! You know you’re always welcome to join in at our FB page, and add to the reading fun. Until next time, stay well, wear a mask, get vaccinated, and happy reading 😊
xxEllie