The Death Swing at Falcon Lake: and S'more Summer Stories to Make You Poop Your Pants

by Jeremy John

A hilarious, sometimes bone-chilling, collection of summer stories, perfect for sharing around a campfire, in a tent, or relaxing on the dock.

Time to hit the the minivan is packed, the cooler chock full, and the lake beckons. Summer is the perfect setting for sharing short stories at the cottage, around the campfire, in the tent, or on the long ride to camp. The Death Swing at Falcon Lake has the perfect story for each occasion. There are epic tales of neighbourhood battles about who could build the best tree fort, harrowing stories of the kind of bravery it takes to walk to the outhouse in the dark, embarrassing recounts of falling in love at summer camp, and a few about the monster watching you from the shadows while you read this beside the campfire.

Raconteur Jeremy John delivers another hilarious, heartfelt, and occasionally scary collection of short stories that make for perfect summer reading.

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2024

About the author

Jeremy John is currently ranked as the sixty-second most famous person from Brantford, Ontario. (Look it up. There are a lot.) Jeremy’s career in broadcasting has included co-hosting shows on 680 NEWS, KiSS FM, and Breakfast Television. Jeremy lives in Sudbury, Ontario.

He has written two books, both for Dundurn Press. "Robert's Hill (or the time I pooped my snowsuit) and other Christmas stories", December 2021. "The strange grave of Mikey Dunbar and other stories to make you poop your pants", October 2022

The third book in the "poop trilogy" will be released by Dundurn Press May 14th 2024. A collection of short stories perfect for summer reading, it is called " The Death Swing at Falcon Lake: and S'more Summer Stories to Make You Poop Your Pants"

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting set of stories that kept me entertained. Perfect summer read for around a campfire.

Thank you Dundurn press for the complimentary copy.

[Jeremy John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really impressed myself with this one. three books later and i'm starting to get good

[Cameron MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

[Krista Dollimore · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun time this collection is. I think I love short stories so much due to the fact that I can take as much time as I want working through them. I love the long leisurely stretching of a book. I will often read a story or two, put the collection down, read another book, and then pick back up right where I left off. It’s a wonderful experience. And Jeremy’s summer collection was perfect for this. These stories are nostalgic, hazy summer reads that remind me of my childhood. Each story holds a different feeling of reflecting back to how it feels growing up. “The Death Swing at Falcon Lake” reminds me of the sense of finding your courage in the face of total fear. Its blend of humour and the tenderness of what it means to be eleven and feel like you are staring death in the face.
Zoey: A Summer Camp Love Story captures that awkward isolation of feeling like you don’t belong, and finally meeting that one person who allows you to feel seen.
Frogs and Forts makes my heart ache at the lessons one learns when they get a little too big for their britches and the fall out of it all.
Our Secret Fishing Spot and its quiet way of working through anxiety and loss.
These are just a few of the great stories that bring summer straight to the campfire of your heart.
Winnie, Vicky, and Portia still has me feeling unsettled… as does The Brave Knight and the Distant Outpost.
I really enjoyed myself in the mini-verse surrounding Falcon Lake.
Thanks Dundurn Press for sending me an ARC and thanks Jeremy for these weird and wonderful stories. I had such a good time and I would highly recommend 🖤

[Sarah Butland · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I thoroughly enjoyed this short story collection would be an understatement. With one exception, there wasn't a story I didn't love despite it's variety of genre and topics. Centered around Falcon Lake, as the title alludes, each story battled it out to be my absolute favourite and won, depending on my mood or the weather.

These stories made me feel more than read. While I tried to anticipate the next big event or character shake up, I was mostly absorbed in the events and relating to the emotion. I also tried to find a reason not to recommend this to my fourteen year old, but with each page turn I was convinced the audience of The Death Swing shouldn't be small. Of course, with it's mission of making you poop your pants, along with a story titled Camp Poop, the layers of entertainment with valuable lessons is mixed with delightful everyday moments made magical.

What's even greater about this book is Jeremy John has two more collections for me to sink my soul into.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun collection of short stories!

I have a love/hate relationship with short stories - sometimes I love them and feel like I got everything I needed and sometimes I hate that all I want is to know more!

This collection had a great mix which kept me engaged. My favourites included The Death Swing at Falcon Lake, Zoey: A Summer Camp Love Story and Learning to Swear in Italian.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy!

[Raymond Torbiak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun; imagine a summer walk through the pines, first crushes, birdsong and endless blue skies.
This book is pure nostalgia in all its bittersweet glory. A fun summer read for the kids and a guilty pleasure for the parents.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grade 7 and 8 students were really into this book :) their main issue was that “that Italian word” was not revealed.

[Kristina Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!!!! Every single short story in it was perfection. ‘Trust me when I say this, to a human, nothing is more powerful than a good story.’ Yes, yes and yes!