The Overflowing Library

Another busy month for me as I've been helping kids get ready for their GCSE exams Read in June Buffy season 8 graphic novels Angel after the fall graphic novels Someone like you by Sarah Dessen Grave Mercy by RL Fevers The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame Soul Fire by Kate Harrison Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld Deadly Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock Unison 3.0 by Andy Marino Shift by Kim Curran Blackwood by Gwenda Bond Time between us by Tamara Ireland Stone Girl in the Clockwork Collar Glimpse by Claire Merle Book of the Month quite honestly nothing I've read this month has blown me away so I'm giving book of the month to Emma Hearts LA by Keris Stainton because it published this month (I read it last month) and was fab Book Events I went off to London and for the Random House Bloggers Brunch which was generally a little bit awesome main because I got to see my lovely blogger friends and...

Someone like you by Sarh Dessen Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she's carrying his baby, she's devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Their friendship may bend under the weight, but it'll never break--because a true friendship is a promise you keep forever. *** This is less a review and more a fan girl waffle on about why I love Sarah Dessen. I picked up this book because I was struggling to get through books and I needed something to kick start my reading habits again and Sarah Dessen is my go-to-girl for that sort of book. This book like her others are perfect girly summery reads which I find myself flying through. I find them effortless to read and after finishing reading them I'm left with that lovely gooey feeling of general niceness. What I particularly enjoyed about this book wa...

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead Published by Razorbill The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought. Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier...

At the beginning of the month I had a real problem getting through books so I turned to some graphic novels. I started with Buffy Season 8 but then also turned to Angel: After the Fall. If you loved the show this mini series is a really interesting insight into where Joss Whedon took the characters next. It was fab to see the characters again but really interesting to see how very different their world is. What I did particularly love about it is that it can go anywhere and use any characters from previous series as it doesn't have the same restrictions a TV series does. Well worth a look!

I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I loved watching the show when it was on and even now every couple of years or so we'll pull the boxset out and start watching it from the beginning again. I love the main characters especially Willow and I love the experience of getting immersed into that world again. Now a few years back I start to read the Buffy season 8 Graphic Novels but lost interest simply because I was having so long between issues. However now they've finished I've finally managed to get them all and I decided to read them all in one go. If you are a fan of the TV series I would urge you to read them. They still have all the things that I loved about the show namely awesome characters with witty dialogue and a brilliant story line. The main differences being that because anything can go because the writers and artists are not restricted by a TV budget and my word anything does go. There are so many crazy things that kick off and guest appearances from much...

Grave Mercy by RL Fevers Published by Andersen Press Young, beautiful and deadly. Trained as an assassin by the god of Death, Ismae is sent to the court of Brittany, where she finds herself under prepared - not only for the games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? *** I was really excited about starting this book. I mean look at that cover and it's about assassin nuns? Way to draw me in! I must admit that unfortunately this book was really for me. Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad but it really didn't draw me in as well as I though it would do. The book started well. You meet Imae, the protagonist, as she escapes a life of brutality with the man she was forced to marry. It's pacey and exciting as she makes her escape and arrives at the convent where she'll spend the next few years of her life. However I...

Kirsty asked me months and months ago if I would be interested in taking part in Bookcase Showcase, and naturally I said of course I would. Sorry it has taken so long – my only excuse is that between teaching, reading, blogging and writing some plans just tend to slip by the wayside.   I warn you in advance – I am a book addict and we are constantly running out of shelf space. This means that the majority of shelves are double-stacked (and yes, it is a pain when trying to find a specific book), and more recently I have started to box books up (all carefully wrapped in plastic to keep them nice and shiny). I am incredibly fortunate that we could afford to have an extension added to our house a few years ago. This meant I could have my very own room, for my books CDs and records (far too many of these as well), and (in the words of my wife) any other junk I wanted to have on display. It means that after a long day at work, I can come home and surround myself with my books, gu...

Saving June by Hannah Harrington Published by Mira ‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’ Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why. When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going, California. Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you throug...

So today I had planned to do some kind of witty discussion post but it didn't happen. for a variety of reasons. The main reason being that today I haven't been near a computer for the last few days because I'm been prepping the kids for GCSE exams (all 150 of them) and today because we've finally finished all the GCSE exams and because my PGCE student who has been fantastic finished his placement with me today I still haven't been able to get near a computer. So, to cut a long story short, today ended up with me and the kids partying at lunch time in a double celebration (albeit a bitter sweet one) and saying goodbye to them all. I ate too much sugar goodness and ended up doing this... I now hit my busiest time of the year as I decend into the madness that is examining for one of the Exam boards marking 100s of GCSE papers so if I don't reply to emails and am not to twitter don't worry. I have loads of reviews for some awesome books scheduled a...

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson Published by HarperCollins Seventeen-year-old Ginny Blackstone is off on another fun, romantic, and hilarious European adventure in this irresistible sequel to Johnson's breakout hit "13 Little Blue Envelopes." *** I enjoyed reading The Last Little Blue Envelope and like the closure it gave the series. It was a fun, fast paced and light read which was perfect for a sunday afternoon read. The books picks up after the first book as Ginny gets an email about the final of the 13 envelopes which she never got to read after her bag was stolen towards the end of her adventure whilst in Europe in the previous summer. For me this book was a bit of a comfort read. You knew exactly what was going to happen from the moment you opened the first page and you pretty much had a rough idea of where the story was going to go. Don't mistake this as a criticism as it isn't because sometimes that's exactly what I w...

The Selection by Kiera Cass Published by HarperCollins Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals… It’s the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon's love. Swept up in a world of elaborate gowns, glittering jewels and decadent feasts, America is living a new and glamorous life. And the prince takes a special interest in her, much to the outrage of the others. Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don’t know is that America has a secret – one which could throw the whole competition… and change her life forever ***  I've committed that silly mistake of leaving a huge gap between reading and reviewing this so I'm going to do this review slightly differently... What I liked about it. I liked the main character America a...

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson Published by Simon and Schuster Taylor's family might not be the closest-knit – everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled – but for the most part, they get along fine. Then they get news that changes everything: Her father has pancreatic cancer, and it's stage four – meaning that there is basically nothing to be done. Her parents decide that the family will spend his last months together at their old summerhouse in the Pocono Mountains. Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven't actually gone anywhere. Her former summer best friend is suddenly around, as is her first boyfriend. . . and he's much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve. As the summer progresses, the Edwards become more of a family, and closer than they've ever been before. But all of them...

E-books are not for me. I love books as physical objects almost as much as the stories they contain. I hate creased spines or mucky covers, and I try to collect hardbacks. Oh, and I believe in the saying “only fools lend books”. I’m much happier buying them for people. Since I live in a small attic flat, I have to be really selective about which books I keep and which I give way. I aim to arrange books according to genre. Unfortunately, this system is undermined by the fact my books and shelves come in different shapes and sizes. The usual nineteenth-century suspects are here, jostling for space with my children’s library. My favourites of these are the picture-book Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak, and The Midnight Folk by John Masefield. Authors Diana Wynne-Jones and E. Nesbit feel like old friends, and I reach for the Just William series when I’m in need of cheering up. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but I try to swot up on ancient ...