GUEST POST: M.G. Buehrlen's TOP TEN Time Travel Films: The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare BLOG TOUR

Hello! Today, we're really excited to bring you a guest post from M.G. Buehrlen, author of The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare, out earlier this month from Strange Chemistry! Before we get to her Top Ten Time Travel Films though, here's a little bit about The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare and M.G.! You can also check out Ashley's review by clicking here.

About the Book: 

Title: The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare
Author: M.G. Buehrlen

Release Dates: 
March 4, 2014 (US)
6 March 2014 (UK)

Purchase Links: 
Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | Amazon | Indiebound | The Book Depository | Waterstones

Publisher: Strange Chemistry
ISBN: 9781908844934

Synopsis: One girl. Fifty-seven lives. Endless ways to die.

For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

About the Author:

When she’s not writing, M.G. moonlights as a web designer and social media/creative director.

She’s the current web ninja lurking behind the hugely popular website YABooksCentral.com,
a social network for YA (and kids!) book lovers. The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare is her debut novel. M.G. lives nestled away in Michigan pines, surrounded by good coffee and good books, with her husband and son and three furbabies. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Social media links: 

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Web

Top Ten Time Travel Films

guest post by M.G. Buehrlen

In my debut novel, The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare, my main character Alex can travel back in time to her reincarnated past lives. The inspiration for this *may* have come from my obsession with time travel films in all shapes and sizes. (Also time travel TV shows, but that’s another list for another day.)

Here are a few of my favorite time travel films in no particular order. If you haven’t seen any of these, make haste and get them lined up in your Netflix queue. You won’t be disappointed.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure / Bogus Journey

Time travel method: Phone box time machine
What I loved: Smart humor, tons of quotable lines, and the ability to watch over and over without ever getting old. I don’t think I’m too far off if I say this is possibly Keanu’s finest role to date. ;)

12 Monkeys

Time travel method: Time machine
What I loved: Brad Pitt is a perfect psycho, and he delivers the performance of a lifetime in this mind-bending futuristic thriller. His performance outweighs everything else in the film. Everything. Else.

Midnight in Paris

Time travel method: Uncertain (“time slip”)
What I loved: I’ve always had a soft spot for simple time travel, where someone slips seamlessly into another time. They aren’t quite sure how they got there, but they’re going to enjoy the ride while it lasts. Plus, 1920s Paris? Yes, please.

Time Traveler’s Wife

Time travel method: Born with a time travel gene
What I loved: The unique and interesting side effects of time traveling, such as always ending up naked every time Henry travels. So many great ideas are touched on here, like being able to make out with a younger version of your spouse. (It wouldn’t be cheating, would it?) Mind twisty stuff!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Time travel method: A magic “time turner” device
What I loved: It’s my favorite of the Harry Potter series. It’s darker, twistier, brilliantly executed, and Ron and Hermione’s budding romance is Super Sweet. Harry knowing he could defeat the Dementors because he’d already seen himself do it was a twist I hadn’t yet seen in the time travel genre.

Back to the Future

Time travel method: Delorean (time machine)
What I loved: The idea that Marty McFly might inadvertently erase his own existence by tampering with time is the age-old time travel question. Back to the Future approaches it best. Plus, young Michael J. Fox? Yes, please, and thank you.

Groundhog Day

Time travel method: Uncertain (trapped in time)
What I loved: Bill Murray gets the Ebenezer Scrooge test in this film about reliving the same day over and over again. Selfish jerkwad learns a lesson about having a heart and becomes a better man. Who wouldn’t love that?

Meet the Robinsons

Time travel method: Time machine
What I loved: This is one of my favorite Disney films, one that is often overlooked. It shouldn’t be! Not only is it a great time travel film with great twists, it’s a heart-warming story about family and finding where you belong. Also, I’m an adoption advocate, and the adoption themes are beautifully done here. *wipes a tear*

Star Trek

Time travel method: Black hole
What I loved: Besides the fact that JJ Abrams can deliver a kick ass adventure film? I actually enjoyed the implications of the new timeline Nero created by killing Kirk’s father. I liked that the heroes didn’t scramble to reverse the damage done, and that this new timeline sticks in the end and the characters must play it out. I love when time travel endings are messy and flawed, rather than tied up nicely with a bow (put back to normal).

Kate and Leopold

Time travel method: Falling through a portal
What I loved: I’m not sure why this film has such low ratings. It’s utterly delightful and unconventional. The quirky, brilliant ex-boyfriend having to help his equally quirky and brilliant ex-girlfriend find love? Delightful. The juxtaposition of gentleman-era New York to hardcore present day NYC? Delightful. The idea that you might have to change history in order to NOT change history? You guessed it. Delightful. Also mind-bendy. I love it.



A huge thanks again to MG for taking the time to stop by our blog and talk about some of her favorite time travel films. We'll definitely be checking out the ones we haven't seen yet! Don't forget to pick up your copy of The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare from your favorite online or local bookseller! You definitely won't regret it.

--Ashley & Paul

The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare (Alex Wayfare #1) by M.G. Buehrlen - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare (Alex Wayfare #1)
Author: M.G. Buehrlen
Publication Date: March 4, 2014

My The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare Pre-Reading

Synopsis: For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

------------------------------------------------

Review: Guys, Alex Wayfare completely blew me away. I mean, I was expecting quite a bit from this book based on the synopsis alone, but M.G. totally delivered in her debut novel. It's fun, it's suspenseful, it's mysterious, it's heart breaking, and really just everything I hoped it would be. I loved Alex, I loved her story, and I really, really can't wait to find out where she ends up next. 

Before I get ahead of myself, I guess I should tell you why I loved this book so much. Alex's visions prevent her from living a normal life, and they even impact those who are closest to her. Her parents won't let her sisters have a cat because Alex doesn't like them, the only movies her family watches are old classics because Alex doesn't do well with contemporary movies, Alex's sister has to walk home from school because Alex can't drive... it's basically just a mess, and everyone thinks Alex is just a spaz. But there's so much more to her than that, and I thought her visions and her quirks made her even more likable. Like, I want to be real so that we could be friends. 

The time-travelling was done really well in this book. I liked how things were explained, and how we were able to experience the "visions" exactly as Alex did. Things were shown rather than told, and I was kept on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what situation Alex would be thrown into next, who she would be, and who she would encounter. And also how everything would eventually tie together. 

There's a little bit of romance, but it definitely takes a backseat to the action and adventure here, although I have a feeling it will come in to play in the next books. Or maybe not - it could have just been Alex trying to figure out who she is and who the mysterious boy with the blue eyes is. As her memories from her past lives comes back, things could always change! If it is a budding romance, I'm excited to see where it goes. I feel like it's setup to go either way, and I enjoyed that. 

Every character in this book is so well written, and I can't wait to find out more about them. I want to know more about Alex's connection with Blue, and to find out who he is in base-life! And of course Porter and Gesh and AIDA. Gesh is super weird and creepy and I'm terrified for Alex having to cross paths with him again. And then there's Jensen - I really want to know if he's connected to this whole thing or if he's just relevant to Alex's base-life. There are just so many excellent secondary characters and I can't wait to learn more about each one. 

One of my favorite things about this book were the subheadings in each of the chapters. They're definitely in Alex's voice and straight out of her mind, and some of them are so sarcastic that I can just see her rolling her eyes as I read them. I think they helped break up what could have been really jarring transitions between reality and past lives, and that was very much appreciated. I thought the overall pacing was just right as well, and never felt like I was being rushed or that the story was dragging. There are enough details so that you can figure out what's happening, but not too many that you feel like they're there just for the benefit of the reader. I felt immersed in Alex's mind from page 1, and I really enjoyed finding things out as she did. 

I just really loved this book, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it. It's different from pretty much every other YA book I've read recently, and it was really refreshing. I think anyone looking for a good sci-fi read or anyone who enjoys Dr. Who would pretty much like this book. The time travelling is done really well, and I'm really looking forward to finding out more about the lives we didn't get to experience! I'm so looking forward to book 2, and will be recommending this book to pretty much everyone I know. A glowing 5/5! 

Also! Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks, as we'll be hosting MG on the blog as part of the Alex Wayfare blog tour! 

--Ashley

The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare (Alex Wayfare #1) by M.G. Buehrlen - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an eARC from Strange Chemistry/Angry Robot on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare (Alex Wayfare #1)

Author: M.G. Buehrlen

Publication Date: March 4, 2014

Synopsis: For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

Why?: This synopsis sounds so cool - a girl with flashbacks to history who has actually lived those lives.  And then there's the part where someone wants her to stop traveling which means mystery and danger and I am really excited about that too!

Expectations: Since I have yet to be disappointed by a Strange Chemistry or Angry Robot novel, I have pretty unreasonably high expectations for this book. Not only does it sound like something I would love, but it's also published by one of my favorite publishing houses.

Judging a book by its cover: I love the colors of this cover, and I really like how the girl is standing in the woods but all you can see is her silhouette. The cover is really pretty too, and I like how the author's name is a different color than the title. I would be pretty likely to pick this book up based solely on the cover.

--Ashley