Bøger af Mick Bennett

Meet Jimmy Hanlon. It's summer, 1987. Jimmy's a closeted bisexual in his late forties, nine months removed from a laryngectomy, and in this first part of a trilogy, he's anxious to find a new identity in his Jersey Shore hometown. He hitches his hopes to a 33 year old lifeguard. The two cruise into summer with an assortment of boardwalk denizens and bar hounds. When they both fall for the same pretty nurse, the ride starts to get bumpy. In Jimmy's story of redemption, dreams, familial and romantic love, misogamy and prejudice, accommodation and empathy, he discovers that the real victories occur in the small, courageous moments of our lives that overcome societal and personal prejudice.

In the trilogy's second novel, Jimmy travels a harsh road back from Key West to Belmar. Old suspicions are confirmed, party bars turn ugly, and a bizarre tragedy marks the summer's turning point. Ronny, June's companion, becomes July's antagonist. As Jimmy tries to accommodate Alice, and despite old and new heartaches, he attains his dream job, finds touching rapport with a surrogate daughter, and reconnects with his perceptive, gutsy self.

In Take the Lively Air, a minor traffic collision escalates into a confrontation between two families haunted by their pasts and apprehensive of their futures. Rage and regret butt heads against the background of America's toxic cultural climate. But saner voices discover that human frailties are best viewed through the microscope of compassion, and our common humanity must be acknowledged to make way for our futures.

Armed with a second hand push bike, two sets of clothes, some camping gear and a tonne of youthful naivety, Mick Bennett sets off in an attempt to cycle two-thirds around the world. Joining him is his good friend Steve and two strangers they met on an internet forum. Together they blindly set off on a 14,000 km cycle trip from Scotland to Beijing, where they must overcome trials and tribulations caused by their lack of preparation, knowledge and just plain life experience. With their 'let's go for it' attitude combined with a thirst for adventure, this 'curiosity almost kills the cat' story follows four young and naïve adventurers on their expedition of a lifetime as they gather 'Roads of Experience' along the way.

Meet Jimmy Hanlon. It's summer, 1987. Image is everything in his Jersey Shore hometown. Jimmy hasn't kept up. An overweight grandfather in his late forties, he's lost a cancerous larynx, and on top of that, A.I.D.S. has spiked fears of anyone with a questionable sexual history. In a search for companionship, he encounters a blur of bars, prejudice, familial and romantic love, misogamy, and lies. Throughout his redemptive summer, Jimmy's empathy reveals how individual compassion trumps social mores and why a heart's yearning owes no explanation.

The Missing You in Belmar, NJ trilogy concludes with Summer Mirrors. Change dominates the five main characters and brings their orbits ever closer to their common sun-resilience. As Labor Day approaches, Jimmy strives for mended familial relationships and respect. But summer's chicanery isn't quite done. With the harsh reality of autumn looming, he realizes empathy doesn't need a common last name, courage can be a silent partner, and redemption doesn't need to be acknowledged by others-only by the man in the mirror.

Katie Kline, a hip, introspective eighteen year old, spins classic blues records and reads Susan Sontag. Rebellious next-door neighbor Ronny Hopkins loves everything about her. A Polaroid photo launches them on a tempestuous, romantic odyssey stretching from the Kent State shootings to the first iPhone. They discover human hearts seldom rest. Regret and resentment derail them-while Katie is lambasting Nixon and trailing John and Yoko for the Village Voice, Ronny is notching saves and sex partners on his Jersey Shore lifeguard stand. But sometimes memories can become realities, and after twenty years, a reunion offers hope. Old and new love letters, dog napping, zany fisticuffs, tattooed millennials, and renewed passion have them scrambling for one last chance...