The Overflowing Library

Summer Holidays means I have had all the reading time. In addition to the huge list below I gave up on about 10 different books so my TBR pile is getting small which can only be a good thing because it means book shopping! Books Read in August 135) We're going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen (British Books Challenge) 136) The Manifesto of how to be interesting by Holly Bourne (British Books Challenge) 137) Solitaire by Alice Oseman (British Books Challenge) 138) The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo 139) Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo 140) Acting Friends by Sophie McKenzie (British Books Challenge) 141) Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo 142) Junk by Melvin Burgess (British Books Challenge) 143) The Jewel by Amy Ewing 144) The Future for Curious People by Greg Sherl 145) Lick by Kylie Scott 146) Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins 147) The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (British Books Challenge) 148) In the Age of Love and Chocolate by Gabrielle Zevin

This summer there have been fifty benches dotted around London each with their own book design. Over the course of three days my lovely blogging friend Sarah and I decided to go out and find them all. Below is my little video showcasing them all. It was brilliant going off to find them all and discovering different parts of London whilst following the four trails. My favourite had to be the Paddington Bear bench. Which one is your favourite?

LIES 'There were a few problems . . . bullying . . . a fire . . .' LIKE' I think she's verging on psychosis . . . now she's lashing out. ' LOVE' She's got no one else to fight for her.' Sixteen year-old Audrey just wants to be normal.She's trying to fit in.But what happens when the person closest to you suffocates you with their love?What happens then? My thoughts Just a few lines for this book for fear of spoiling anything if I say too much. This book is creepy, it goes to an incredibly dark place and will play on your mind for a long time after finishing it. Exactly what I have come to expect from a Louis Reid book. Highly recommended

The first time I was born, I was Emma. I was beautiful. I had everything to live for. But I died. Now I have been born a second time, and my previous life haunts me. Because in it I think I did something very wrong. I must find out what I did to Catherine. I must uncover the truth about Emma... Intriguing, compelling, heartbreaking. What if your past life could shatter your future? My thoughts A really interesting and thoughtful book which I really enjoyed. My second life revolves around a teenage girl called Ana who remembers her previous as Emma. Throughout the course of the book she events from her previous life suddenly come back to her and she gets the awful feeling that she was involved in killing another girl and has to contact people from her previous life to find out more. I was utterly fascinated by this book and needed to know more even more desperately the further I got into it. Highly recommended

Zoe and Olivia have always been best friends. And becoming professional ballerinas has always been their goal. But when they turn sixteen the unthinkable happens as Olivia is diagnosed with leukaemia. Falling in love, coping with school and falling out with each other - everything is thrown into a whole new light. A heartbreakingly bittersweet tragedy that reveals profound truths about loss, love and the friends who mean the world to you My thoughts Maybe one day is the story of Zoe and her best friend Olivia and their friendship as Olivia battles leukaemia. If I'm honest I'm not sure I liked this book for a variety of reasons. Firstly there was a huge amount of focus on the fact the pair had quit dancing after being rejected by a dance school in New York. I'm not sure it added to the story and for me it was the reason why the book felt overly long. Secondly I felt it was trying

A search for the truth about her father’s death takes schoolgirl Peta Jones to a dangerous place ... Peta Jones is an ordinary girl struggling with the loss of her father, an army hero who died in mysterious circumstances. When she receives clues that he may still be alive, but no one believes her, she embarks on a dangerous rescue across the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean to a cliff-top castle, home to a billionaire in exile. Peta soon discovers that what some people will do for money, she will do for love My thoughts I love Sophia Bennett as an author. I have devoured every book of hers that I have picked up. I must admit I was a little unsure when I picked this up whether it was too different from her other novels to be able to pull it off but actually it was classic Sophia Bennett and a fabulous read. The Castle is an exciting and pacey story following Peta who is determined to find out about what happened to her father who is officially dead. I loved th

Despite my huge to be read pile I have a never ending list of books I cannot wait to get into my hands as soon as possible. These are the ones that have caught my eye of late. Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens Goodreads synopsis Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy's home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party isn't really about Daisy at all. Naturally, Daisy is furious. Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill - and everything points to poison. With wild storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. Not a single person present is what they seem - and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detec

Darkus Knightley's 5 top tips on being a detective: 1. Always keep your eyes and ears open. When you walk into a room try to make a mental note of every object in the room, and every face. You never know when some small detail might be essential to solving the case. 2. When you sit in a cafe or restaurant, always sit at the back of the room, facing the entrance. That way, no one can get in or out without you observing them. (NOTE: This tip unfortunately also applies to criminals when they're spotting detectives - so beware of anyone else sitting alone at the back of the room.) 3. Try to carry a magnifying glass, a jewellers loupe (a lens for observing fine detail), or a well equipped phone camera to examine any clues. 4. When following a suspect, always keep plenty of obstacles nearby to hide behind if they turn around. Preferably use shop windows, lamp posts or parked cars. Burying your head in a newspaper is a bit obvious, but a Kindle may suffice.

Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder? Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces… My Thoughts Another exciting offering from Abigail Haas. I was waiting for this book from the moment I knew it was being written having loved Dangerous Girls when I read it last year. Dangerous Boys is just as exciting and a real page turner throughout. I literally couldn't put it down because I n

Today I am delighted to be taking part in the Dangerous Boys blog tour. I loved the book and the author Abigail Haas's previous novel Dangerous Girls A big theme in Dangerous Boys is how much is hidden beneath the surface. With Chloe, Oliver and Ethan, we discover that not everything is as it seems, and there’s a hidden darkness in all of us. The question is, what happens when you see just what someone is capable of — and what about when that person is you? Book extract You can never really know someone.             Maybe you think that sounds trite, or perhaps you already learned it a long time ago. But me, I didn’t really grasp it until now: huddled in the corner of the ambulance, watching the medics try to shock life back into a motionless body.             The sirens are blaring, but everything drifts away from me. The noise and the blood, the hands tugging at my body; the light they shine in my eyes and the shock of pure oxygen from the mask st

Trouble on cable street was a really interesting read for me. The story is set in the backdrop of 1930s London in the east end. The history geek in me loved several things about it. Firstly I loved seeing the social history seen through the book. You really get a feel for the divide between the rich and poor and how most families lived on that poverty line to the point where they struggled to pay for the basics like food and medical care. I loved the detail any how you get that feel for how life was like for people at the time. The book also looks at the politics at the time. In the years before the Second World War Fascism was building a huge following across Europe. Most people know about Hitler and Mussolini and might have a vague idea about the Spanish Civil War happening but I've struggled to find anything in historical fiction aimed at children which references the British Fascists led by Oswald Moseley. This book focuses on the impact they had and the way th

Nicola's dad has been terrified around water for as long as she can remember, and will never come to watch her swim. But then Nicola starts to hear a voice in the pool which changes everything. When girls start drowning, who's to blame? What secrets lurk beneath the surface? My thoughts I really enjoyed this book. The story is super creepy and makes you think long after you've finished it. The book revolves around the main character Nicola a swimmer whose father is terrified of water but she isn't sure why. As the story continues you start to get to the bottom of why he is so terrified and start to be scared yourself alongside him and make you never want to swim in open water ever again  I loved that while it is a sequel it is a nice stand alone book in itself because I read too much and can never remember book one when I get round to reading the sequel. All in all a fabulous and creepy read which I really enjoyed.

Ten-year-old Darcy sees the extraordinary in the everyday and the wonder in the world around her. This third book sees Darcy encounter extra-large-amounts of drama - mice have invaded her house, which means the family must get a cat. Cue a mega-meltdown in a pet shop and then the arrival of Pork, an angry dumpling of a cat who terrifies Lamb-Beth. And while chaos rules at home, Will's long-lost dad has turned-up and taken him out of school. Who will Darcy be friends with now? Must she hang-out with school secretary Mavis EVERY DAY FOR ALL ETERNITY? My thoughts Just a brief few words from me today on this wonderful little book. Sorry about me is the third book in the Darcy Burdock series. It is just as fabulous as the previous two books full of heart and wonderfully funny. I adored every page and couldn't read it fast enough. I love Darcy's view on the world and you can see Laura's personality shine through on every page. I'm not a huge reader of books

Department 19 still stands against the darkness. But for how much longer? Book 4 in the epic series from bestselling author, Will HIll. When Jamie Carpenter's mother is kidnapped by strange creatures, he finds himself dragged into Department 19, the government's most secret agency. Fortunately for Jamie, Department 19 can provide the tools he needs to find his mother, and to kill the vampires who want him dead. But unfortunately for everyone, something much older is stirring, something even Department 19 can't stand up against My Thoughts A very short review for this one This instalment was exactly what I have come to expect from this series, action packed and intelligent with twists that I don't see coming. I really enjoy that this is a series where you can't guarantee who will survive as the author isn't holding back in the way his characters are treated throughout the books. The only vampire books I currently want to read because they