The Midnight Guardians

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When Col’s childhood imaginary friends come to life, he discovers a world where myths and legends are real. Accompanied by his guardians – a six-foot tiger, a badger in a waistcoat and a miniature knight – Col must race to Blitz-bombed London to save his sister.

The best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian The best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian

I thought the book had a lovely balance of the mythical and magical, but with plenty of war time information thrown in that's loosely based on fact. I felt as though this would be a great way to introduce readers to some of the elements of the war and the Blitz, and potentially pique their interest enough to maybe look into things themselves and learn about this terrible part of history. You simply sizzle as much garlic as you like (for me, that’s a clove per person, sliced thinly), in as much olive oil as you fancy (bearing in mind it is the heart of the dish – so let’s say 30ml per person, but 50ml if you are making a single portion). Add chopped peperoncino to taste (only you know how hot you like your chillies), before adding as much al dente spaghetti as you feel like, then finish with a handful of chopped parsley. In the past I have also added anchovies, and added a topping of pecorino (both of which, you could argue, turn the dish into something else). If you peer down the hill from Matt Haig’s immaculate townhouse in Brighton, you can see the sea, which today is shimmeringly blue under a hot sun. “We bought the house for that view,” he says as he answers the door, which is painted turquoise. Bright, alive, vibrant. Haig – novelist, self-help guru, periodic endurer of depression and anxiety – needs these colours, that view, this sun, even the statement-making front door. No one really fits in, so almost everyone fits in’ ... Haig at home in Brighton. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian He is determined to stand up to “mental health snobbery … When you’re feeling a bit rough and ropey, and your mind is distracted, you can’t absorb the most highbrow text. You’re not there reading Freud and Jung and Lacan. A pop song can save your life. An episode of Friends can change your life. But when it’s in the world of books, it becomes this snobfest. I’m resistant to that. I also like confusing people, so I’ll do my big, corny, sentimental, puppy-dog line and then I’ll write a chapter about Aristotle.” I never say I’m a happy person ... It imposes certain expectations

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Just as in the other two films (Before Sunrise and Before Sunset), what is miraculous about Before Midnight is the talking. Not talking things out, or talking things through, just talking. Two or more people having a conversation somehow turns out to be as gripping as a thriller. The second scene of this film shows Jesse and Celine driving home from the airport: a scene that plays out, in one continuous take, for around seven or eight minutes. And what happens? Nothing, or rather everything. They talk about important things.

The Midnight Guardians - Ross Montgomery - whatiread

This is a streamlined novel; no side plots, no broad cast of characters, no twists of fantasy for the sheer joy of it. While the concept does fly high, it also flies straight. For those readers who might be put off by speculative fiction, The Midnight Library is a charming way into the genre. Glorious! I think this is Ross Montgomery’s best book an adventure across WWII wintry Britain with a Kindertransportee, a boy dressed in shorts and his three imaginary friends. A joy of a joy of a thing .” Katherine RundellBONUS SHORT: Siren’s Call, a Midnight Guardian short story, is included in some editions of Shadows Rising and available as a free read on Wattpad.