The Overflowing Library

February has been an awesome reading month for me. Yay for half term, long train journeys and rubbish weather Books read 20) The Worst Girlfriend in the world by Sarra Manning (British Books Challenge) 5 star read 21) Half Bad by Sally Green (British Books Challenge) 22) Girl with a White Dog by Anne Booth  (British Books Challenge) 5 star read 23) Far from you by Tess Sharpe 24) Just a girl standing in front of a boy by Lucy-Anne Holmes  (British Books Challenge) 25) The Glass Bird Girl by Esme Kerr  (British Books Challenge) 26) The State we're in by Adele Parks  (British Books Challenge) 27) The Secret of Happily ever after by Lucy Dillon  (British Books Challenge) 28) Going over by Beth Kephart 29) Model under Cover: A crime of fashion by Carina Axelsson 30) Echo boy by Matt Haig (British Books Challenge) 31) Flirty Dancing by Jenny McLachlan (British Books Challenge) 32) You had me at hello by Mhairi McFarlane  (British Books Challenge) 33) Dead Silent by Sh

Whitley Johnson's dream summer of shopping, partying and tanning on the beach has just turned into a nightmare. Because Dad didn't tell her he doesn't live by the beach anymore, or that he's no longer a bachelor. He's picked up and moved to a tiny, lame town called Hamilton and gotten himself a fiance. A fiance whose son just happens to be what's-his-name from last week's drunken graduation party one night stand. Just freakin' great. As if the summer couldn't get worse, Dad seems to forget Whitley's even there. She doesn't fit in with his perfect new country club family, and Whitley does what any kid lucky enough to go all summer unsupervised does: she parties. Hard. So hard that she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a younger future step-sister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't 'do friends') and a smoking hot,

Ten-year-old Darcy sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her. This second book sees Darcy move-up to Big School - and all of a sudden EVERYTHING changes. Her best friend Will isn't sure he should talk to girls anymore, her new teacher may in actual fact be a cauldron-bubbling witch and, horror of horrors, her precious pet Lamb-Beth goes missing. Can Darcy face these challenges head-on, armed only with her curious, whip-smart mind and eye for a story? Joyous drawings, colourful characters and a high-energy voice - the Darcy Burdock books are packed with personality from start to finish. My thoughts Hi so much is a fab little read. Perfect for 9 - 12 year olds. I cannot recommend it highly enough. After loving Darcy burdock last year I was a bit worried about this book mostly because I've been struggling with second books series this last year or so as I've found they've never quite lived up to book one. I am so ple

Sworn to protect, honour and slay. Because chaos won’t banish itself… Kit is proud to be a Blackhart, now she’s encountered her unorthodox cousins and their strange lives. And her home-schooling now includes spells, fighting enemy fae and using ancient weapons. But it’s not until she rescues a rather handsome fae prince, fighting for his life on the edge of Blackhart Manor, that her training really kicks in. With her family away on various missions, Kit must protect Prince Thorn, rely on new friends and use her own unfamiliar magic to stay ahead of Thorn’s enemies. As things go from bad to apocalyptic, fae battle fae in a war that threatens to spill into the human world. Then Kit pits herself against the Elder Gods themselves – it’s that or lose everyone she’s learnt to love. My thoughts Just a quick review today for Liz's debut novel. Liz is one of the first bloggers I met when I first started blogging and I have been so excited for her on her road to publicati

These are the books I am desperately hoping will drop through my letterbox soon Dark days by Kate Ormand The future world has been divided into sectors--each the same as the other. Surrounded by thick steel fences, there is no way in and no way out. Yet a cyborg army penetrates each sector, picking off its citizens one by one, until no one is left. Behind the sectors' thick walls, the citizens wait to die. Few will be chosen to survive what's coming; the rest will be left behind to suffer. A new world has been created, and its rulers are incredibly selective on who will become a citizen. They want only those with important roles in society to help create a more perfect future. Sixteen-year-old Sia lives in one of the sectors as part of a family that is far too ordinary to be picked to live. According to the digital clock that towers high above her sector, she has only fifteen days to live. Sia has seen the reports and knows a horrific death is in store for he

Meet Ellie Cohen, one of the most perfect girls in London. Ellie manages a swank Mayfair gallery, but it’s her life that’s a real work of art. Great job, really good hair, loyal friends, loving family. It’s only her succession of lame duck boyfriends that ruin the picture. Oh, and the world-famous rock-star father she’s never met, who won’t even acknowledge her existence. Then Ellie’s perfect life is smashed to pieces when her secret is sold to the highest bidder and her name, face (and pictures of her bottom) are splashed across the tabloids. Suddenly everyone thinks she’s a gold-digging, sex-crazy, famewhore. Enter David Gold. Charming and handsome David Gold. On paper he’s even more perfect than Ellie, if only he wasn’t her father’s ruthlessly ambitious lawyer whose job is to manage the crisis – and her. He certainly doesn’t think that Ellie’s the innocent party and she doesn’t trust him at all. So why is it that every time they’re alone together, damage limitation i

Ever since I got a Kindle, I’m sad to say my bookshelves have become a bit of a dumping ground. I didn’t tidy up at all before taking this photo (although, I did pull the following items off the shelves: one set of ugly Peppa Pig PJs which daughter got as a present, one cosmetics bag which a friend forgot to take home months ago, and two sets of children’s headphones for an in-car DVD player). So you can see that the last cookbook I used was Ainsley Harriot’s, and if you look a little closer, you’ll be able to make out the original cover art mock-up for One Perfect Summer with bleached-out beach hut style background. As heat magazine’s former reviews ed, I was sent hundreds of books, most of which I’ll probably never read, so there are some randoms in there, including a signed book by Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fletcher, and a LOT of cookbooks, which I like flicking through when I have time, but rarely do anything with. The top left is chick-lit-tastic: Jojo Moyes, Lin

My fifteenth birthday was the worst day of my life, and it's inconceivable to think that any single day in my future will ever be as bad. My mum was killed in a freak accident on her way to pick up my cake. Even when there was still no sign of her after two hours later, and my friends started to arrive at our house, it never occurred to me that she wouldn't be coming back. That was six months ago. My mum died without telling me who my real dad was. And for a while I hated her for it. I thought she's taken the secret of my father's identity with her forever. But she didn't. Holy hell, she didn't. Because three weeks ago I found out the truth. And I'm still reeling from the shock of it. My dad is none other than Johnny Jefferson, mega famous rock star and one-time serial womaniser. And now I'm on my way to LA to meet him and his family.  My Thoughts Having only recently discovered Paige Toon I managed to read her entire backlist in a w

Some of you might know I teach History at High School. I love finding good YA historical fiction which I can use in the classroom if only to recommend to my students as wider reading. I do however find that I can be very critical of historical fiction and I do find myself having to give up on books others have raved about because I can't get over historical inaccuracies or stories where events are treated lightly. This month I have a selection of books set in and around the holocaust. In the last week or so it was national holocaust memorial day for which I made this brief video of reading recommendations for Bookish Brits. I have included a selection of novels, graphic novels (both YA and adult) and non-fiction.