The Overflowing Library

I have a feeling this one is going to scare me rotten but I am so excited about this 2012 debut. Hollow Pike by James Dawson Published by Indigo Something wicked this way comes... She thought she'd be safe in the country, but you can't escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she's being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn't believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn't believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you're alone in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps... Hollow Pike - where witchcraft never sleeps.

Yes I know my blog is about books but in this case I am about to make an exception to tell you all why you should watch Firefly Firefly is absolutely without a shadow of the doubt the best thing to ever have graced our TV screens. I am not one for watching a huge amount of TV (Until last week I didn't even have a TV signal in our house) but I absolutely love this. Hadley and I just finished rewatching the series for the third or fourth time and it absolutely still holds all the magic it had when I watched it the first time around. Firefly was created by the genius that is Joss Whedon (for those of you who don't know he created Buffy the Vampire slayer). It is described as a Western set in Space and is nothing like anything else you will ever see on TV. It ran for 13 episodes and had a film called Serenity which continued and tied up the story somewhat. The real brilliance of the series is in the characterisation and the world that is set up around those characters. The s...

Tiger's Voyage Published by Hodder Series: Tiger Saga #3 Source: Review copy In the third installment of the Tiger series, Kelsey Hayes pushes through the pain of lost love and strengthens her friendship with Kishan. Despite his strong feelings for her, Kishan has agreed to be her ally in helping her reunite with the man she still loves. Together, they seek to help Ren regain his memory and begin the search for the third magical gift—an object of power that will help break the curse that causes them to live part of their lives as tigers. They board a luxury yacht and seek Durga's aid once again, who supplies them with her golden weapons. With Nilima, Mr. Kadam, Ren, and Kishan at her side, she soon learns that the task ahead will be even more difficult than the others. Confronting a dark magician, multiple dragons, and terrifying denizens of the deep seems easy when compared to facing the daunting task of stitching up her heart. Just when she thinks she...

In my mailbox is hosted by Kristi at www.thestorysiren.com A quiet (but awesome) week for books at the Connor household this week.... For review Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (UK paperback collector edition) Yes I know!!!! I was all kinds of excited when this bad boy finally arrived! Bullet Boys by Ally Kennen (UK paperback) Trapped by Michael Northrup (UK paperback) Read it in one evening and enjoyed a lot. Definitely worth the wait (I've had my eye on this since early last year)

Kirsty has kindly agreed to let me ramble on about my bookcases so that is what I am going to do.   At this moment in time I am waiting to move, so unfortunatly at the moment I have 4 empty bookcases and at least 11 boxes of book waiting to be moved.  This is my current home for my books, I think one little box has games/DVD's but the rest are books, even the big boxes         I do however have 2 shelves of books that I purposely kept out, either they are books to review on my blog Much Loved Books, or they are books waiting to be read when I get the time.   On the first picture, the books on the left of the shelf are my review books.  These books have either already been released with a second one out soon or are new out next year, so I have a lot of reading to catch up on for new releases.       The books in the middle are books I got from Harper Collins event, or books that are my own and ...

A few weekends ago I had the chance to attend a conference organised by the Ipswich Children's Book Group about Historical fiction and the uses of it to support the teaching of history in schools and I had a brilliant time. I love the idea of using historical fiction to assist the teaching of History in schools. On my school blog mrsconnorloveshistory.blogspot.com I have a page where I recommend books about periods of history we study and find it really helps to broaden a student's knowledge base and engage their interest in the topics we study in the classroom.   Some parts of the day which were really highlights for me and made me think both as someone who loves reading but as a history teacher teaching teenagers ... The main reason I went to the conference was to meet Harriet Castor. If any of you regulary read my blog or follow my random ramblings on Twitter you will know her book VIII was one of my favourite books this year so far. I loved how her book really got u...

Vampire Academy Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead Guest Review by Hadley Published by Razorbill Source: Review copy After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It's filled with intrigue, danger - and even romance. Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life. *** Although not unfamiliar with Richelle Mead I had not previously read the Vampire Academy novels. Despite this I did not feel I was missing out by reading an abridged graphic novel which can never have the level of detail of a full novel. The story flowed coherently with sufficient time devoted to character interaction and deve...

I love the cover for this one will probably be buying it just for that reason alone!! Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries. Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld Published by Simon and Schuster Series: Leviathan #2 Source: Purchased for myself The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers. Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan , they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan 's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead. *** I loved Leviathan being a fan of Steam Punk and a history geek and was so excited to get round to reading Behemoth. I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed and enjoyed it as much as Leviathan and am equall...

Crossed by Ally Condie Published by Razorbill Series: Matched #2 Source: Review copy Rules are different outside the Society. Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky-taken by the Society to his certain death-only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again. Narrated from both Cassia's and Ky's points of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever... *** I was a huge fan of Matched. I loved the characters and the world built up around them. By the end of the book I was desperate to know what happened next and ...

In my Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at www.thestorysiren.com This week was relatively slow book week for me but I did get some good titles ... How to be a cat by Matt Haig (UK proof) This looks really cute The Brides of Rockroll Island (Sea Hearts) by Margo Lanagan (UK proof) I've heard amazing things about this one from Marilyn at the children's book centre. Looking forward to starting it. Pure by Julianna Baggott (UK proof) I've heard brilliant things bout this one from loads of people. Snow child by Eowyn Ivey (UK proof) The proof for this is so beautiful. Definitely looks like a wintery read.

Today I am delighted to have author Katy Moran on Bookcase Showcase ... My husband and his assistant (our three-year-old son) finished making these bookshelves just in time for you to drop in. Up till a few days ago, most of our books were languishing on windowsills and in piles, so this bookcase showcase has been a very good excuse for a bibliographical tidy-up. I keep my books in no particular order but I know pretty much where each one is. They’re a mixture of research and inspiration. The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller was one of my chief resources writing Dangerous to Know – the author’s account of her encounter with mental illness profoundly shocked me, and I hope her recovery continues to this day. I was addicted to Ellis Peters’ Cadfael mysteries as a teenager: they definitely inspired me to write historical fiction. I bought this humdinger of a compilation when my oldest son was a newborn, and read the whole thing on a sofa with him curled up on my chest – a lovely exper...

Today's post isn't a review as much but just an excuse for me to fan girl away about the awesomeness that is Malorie Blackman and her noughts and crosses series I'm going to start my saying I freaking love Malorie Blackman and everything I have read to date of hers I have loved. I was lucky enough to meet her back in September through an event planned by the North Norfolk Children's Book group (which I would totally recommend you join if you live in Norfolk and love children's books). She was as warm and bubbly as I have always expected her to be and speaks faster than I do which is impressive. I loved hearing her talk about how she came to being an author and loved the insight I got about her noughts and crosses series by listening to her talk about how much of her inspiration for the novels came from her own personal experiences. I read noughts and crosses well before I started blogging back in the days where I randomly picked up books because the cover look...

Immortal beloved by Cate Tieran Published by Hodder Source: Gifted by my lovely blogging friend. New name, new town, new life. Nastasya has done it too often to count. And there's no end in sight. Nothing ever really ends ...when you're immortal. But now, after centuries of feeding from the lives of the innocents around her, of living with little care for others, Nastasya is ready to turn towards the light. 'After some of the events I've witnessed I felt like I was a shell with nothing alive left in me. I hadn't been going around killing people, but people were hurt -- the memories just kept trickling in like rivulets of fresh acid dripping into my brain until I wanted to scream. It was in my blood, I knew. A darkness. The darkness. I had inherited it, along with my immortality and my black eyes.' Captivating, intense and with an incredible and original voice, EVERLASTING LIFE is a haunting story of friendship, love and secrets, tragedy an...

I can't wait for this because I loved Wither Fever by Lauren DeStefano Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind. Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary. In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s har...

It only seems apt to post this review during Anti Bullying Week Dear Bully by Various authors Published by HarperCollins USA Source: Gifted from my Blogging Friend You are not alone Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the “funny guy” into the best defense against the bullies in his class. Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal. ***   This is a book I certainly will be recommeding it to everyone to buy and read simply because of the values it promotes. It is an anthology which has been put together to make people more aware of bullying and help those reading it to ...

Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke Published by Allison and Bushby Source: Review Copy Zoë Sorensson is perfectly normal, except she's been told she's destined for great things. Zoë's the one female dragon shapeshifter of her kind. But Zoë is at the bottom of the class when it comes to being Pyr and her powers are AWOL, so she's sent to a Pyr boot camp. Zoë quickly realizes that she has to master her powers yesterday, because the Pyr are in danger and boot camp is a trap. The Mages want to eliminate all shifters and the Pyr are next in line-unless Zoë and her friends can work together and save their own kind. *** I'm quite happy to say that I might be doing this book an injustice with my review as I really didn't get on with it. Maybe it was because I read it to close to reading Firelight, another dragon shapeshifting book but for a variety of reasons I'll go through below this book really didn't do it for me. The story itself is i...

IMM is hosted by www.thestorysiren.com For review Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (UK proof) This came in a gold envelope which was very very exciting. Looking forward to it muchly. Wink Murder by Ali Knight (UK paperback) An adult title by a debut British Author which looks good. I will actually be running a giveaway for this one early on in the new year to fit in which my new project. BZRK by Michael Grant (UK proof) I love Michael Grant's Gone series (even though it scares me) so looking forward to seeing what this is like. Tiger's Voyage (UK paperback) Yay. So excited for this one Destined by PC Cast (UK hardback) Not sure whether to be excited or frightened about this one ... time will tell. Enthralled by Various authors (UK paperback) I like loads of the authors in this one so hopefully it should be good. Bought The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland (UK paperback) I went to a historical fiction conference at the weekend and saw Kevin speak about histo...

Today I am really pleased to be hosting one of the stops on the blog tour of The Haunting of Charity Delafield These choices are strictly personal and in a vaguely chronological order. I could have chosen any number of books from my library, which is all consuming but these mark key points in my reading history so to speak and stand out as special mainly for reasons of sentiment. Book 1. . The Time Machine by H G Wells I saw the George Pal film adaptation of H G Well’s book at the long demolished Odeon Hove in 1961. I was 13 and I was at once entranced and obsessed. I sought out the original book. It was the first book I ever bought with my own pocket money.   . Very happily it led me into further reading. All of H G Well’s short and long stories were followed in quick succession by a wholesale devouring of Ray Bradbury, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, and all the rest for ever. It set me off on the path that I am still on and it marks the beginning of my obsessive bo...