The Overflowing Library

This month has been a funny old month for me reading wise. Quite frankly being back at school has really taken its toll and I'm struggling to get time to read properly and less time to review so I am finding that I'm picking up a lot of non-review books because I don't need to think about them after they are done while my brain is too full of school stuff. Roll on half term and proper reading time. Read in September 161) Play by Kylie Scott 162) The Mark of Cain by Lindsay Barraclough (British Books Challenge) 163) The Italian Girl by Lucinda Riley (British Books Challenge) 164) The World Beneath by Janice Warman (British Books Challenge) 165) Buffy: The Making of a Slayer by Nancy Holder 166) Sally Heathcote Suffragette by B Talbot (British Books Challenge) 167) The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell (British Books Challenge) 168) The art of being normal by Lisa Williamson (British Books Challenge) 169) The Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult 170) Famous in love by Rebecca Ser...

I am in a reading sulk at the moment mostly because all the books I want to read aren't published yet and most of which aren't out until next year. This list could have been much much longer but I don't have any covers yet for some of them so I'll hold off talking about them just yet. Below are some books I cannot wait to get my hands on. Othergirl by Nicole Burstein Louise and Erica have been best friends since forever. They're closer than sisters and depend on each other for almost everything. Just one problem: Erica has superpowers. When Erica isn't doing loop-the-loops in the sky or burning things with her heat pulse powers, she needs Louise to hold her non-super life together. After all, the girls still have homework, parents and boys to figure out. But being a superhero's BFF is not easy, especially as trouble has a way of seeking them out. Soon Louise discovers that Erica might be able to survive explosions and fly faster than a spe...

The Ten Books That Changed My Life Let’s just get one thing straight here. I could never pick just ten. I’m not saying that every book changes my life, but it’s always something I’m aware of, when I pick up a new book: the shimmering possibility. And you never know which book has changed your life, until you look back on your life and see the pattern in it: where someone else changed the way you thought, changed what you wanted and what you did next. But I thought I could have a stab at talking about the books that changed my life in a way that influenced me to write the Lynburn Legacy series. The Night World series by L.J. Smith   If I have to pick just one of the series I pick… Daughters of Darkness by L.J. Smith. (Three vampire sisters seek freedom! Their playboy vampire brother seeks them. Their next-door neighbor is not seeking him, but wouldn’t you know it.) In this series, you discover your soulmate through touching them, mainly, at which point you vi...

"Today is my last day as Violet Lasting. Tomorrow I become Lot 197." The Jewel is a shocking and compelling new YA series from debut author, Amy Ewing. Sold for six million diamantes, Violet is now Surrogate of the House of the Lake in the centre of the Lone City, the Jewel. Her sole purpose is to produce a healthy heir for the Duchess – a woman Violet fears and despises. Violet is trapped in a living death, her name and body no longer her own. She fights to hold on to her own identity and sanity, uncertain of the fate of her friends, isolated and at the mercy of the Duchess. The Handmaid's Tale meets The Other Boleyn Girl in a world where beauty and brutality collide. My Thoughts The jewel was a really interesting read for me for a variety of reasons. Firstly I loved the world set up around the main character Violet. When the reader meets Violet she is about to be sold to the highest bidder at auction to act as a surrogate for a wealthy family who are...

From international bestselling author, Scott Westerfeld, comes Afterworlds, a brand new, thought-provoking, suspenseful thriller you won't be able to put down! Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most. My...

SARAH’S LOCATIONS : Throughout the trilogy, the action moves around a lot – I think it’s pretty clear that I love travelling and I’m very curious about faraway places  We start off in Edinburgh, on the east coast of Scotland. Edinburgh is a very dark, atmospheric place that has been called ‘the dream of a poet or a serial killer’. Perfect for Sarah, I thought! In particular I always saw Nicholas fitting in there very well there. The scene where he walks down the Royal Mile on a winter’s night is one of my personal favourites.  Meanwhile, Elodie is in Castelmonte, which is really another name for Caravino, my home village in the north of Italy, and a place I know inside out. It was lovely for me to be able to paint a picture of the mountains and the vineyards and the glacier streams – and not least mention some of the local delicacies!  Niall and Mike are on Grand Isle in Louisiana – I’ve never been there, so what I describe of the place I foun...

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late. Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage. In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target. But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?...

When a new family move in next door, Violet is sure there's something strange about them. Then her eccentric, but lovely neighbour, Dee Dee Derota, has a precious jewel stolen. Could the new family be to blame? Violet is on the case to uncover the truth… My Thoughts Violet and the pearl of the orient is everything I wanted from a middle grade detective adventure story. I loved every page of it and didn't want it to end. Violet is 10 years old and is shocked when her friend and neighbour's very expensive brooch is stolen and is frustrated when the police dismiss the case despite clues that Violet uncovers and presents to them. I loved Violet as a character and loved her determination and cleverness and loved following her as she worked on the case. The story itself is beautifully presented with lots of lovely illustrations to go alongside the text including maps. I do love a good map in a book. If you loved Robin Steven's Murder Most Unladylike you wil...

There are several bookshelves dotted all over the house and they are all a similar mess of authors and genres - I always intend to sort them out but, like tidying my sock drawer, it never happens. Looking through bookshelves is like looking through an old address book; you remember your old friends. John Fowles was a big teenage crush of mine, and then back before that Monica Dickens, who is nestling up to Mazo de La Roche. When I was twelve I devoured her Jalna saga which is rather like Downton Abbey but set in Canada. Sitting alongside are some of the books I’ve loved recently; Susanna Clarke’s amazing Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell had me engrossed for months and then there’s Rose Tremain, Annie Proulx and Jhumpa Lahiri - all fantastic authors Moving along, there is a section of bookshelf which has the literary survivals of my childhood, and some of my mother  As you can see from the I come from a long line of firm believers in sellotape. My favourite picture bo...

Former PSHCE teacher and acclaimed YA author James Dawson gives an uncensored look at what it's like to grow up as LGBT. Including testimonials from people 'across the spectrum', this inclusive book explores everything anyone who ever dared to wonder wants to know - from sex to politics, how to pull, stereotypes, how to come-out and more. Spike Gerrell's hilarious illustrations combined with funny and factual text make this a must-have read My Thoughts Another brilliant book from James Dawson. What I love about Jame's non fiction works is that they give the facts straight without being judgmental or preachy as well as being frank, informative, funny. I love that is doesn't shy away from the details teenagers want to know but parents and teachers might shy away. I want to buy copies for all the parents and teachers of teenagers I know.  

Astra's family are all snoring in their sleeping pods, but Astra is WIDE AWAKE. With her friend, Pilbeam, she goes off exploring and soon finds out the ship is in deep trouble. It's been knocked off course and invaded by a gang of Poglites, an alien salvage crew searching for spoonage. But even the Poglites need Astra's help when they discover something far more sinister lurking in the canteen. Sure, they're cakes; but no one would describe them as sweet. My thoughts This book is a lot younger than I normally read so wasn't expecting much. I was so naive in that mindset because I truly thought it was such a brilliant read. The story itself is silly and utterly bonkers along with being loads of fun. It made me laugh all the way through and I quite literally couldn't put it down. However what I loved the most about it was the story mixed with the pictures. Granted I o...

Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this. Evelyn Thomas's plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man in her room, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened. One thing is certain, being married to one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is sure to be a wild ride. My Thoughts This book isn't really my sort of read I must admit. However last month I was struggling with my TBR pile and giving up on books left, right and centre and this was on my shelf and I decided to give something different a whirl. This book kept me thoroughly entertained. It is a love story in reverse and so hot all the way through. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and liked seeing how their relationship developed in the very s...