The Overflowing Library

I started August reading everything put in front of me and because I was off work that meant I read loads. So much so my TBR pile is now pretty much empty. I've therefore spent a fair bit of time twiddling my thumbs or reading stuff (without much enthusiasm I might add. I have to be in the right mood to reread. Turns out this summer not so much) Read in August Silence is Goldfish by Annabel Pitcher (3 stars) Here's looking at you by Mhairi McFarlane (3 stars) A royal disaster by Meg Cabot (4 stars) About last night by Adele Parks (3 stars) Princess in the Middle by Meg Cabot (3 stars) In the Unlikely event by Judy Blume (4 stars) Della says OMG by Keris Stainton (4 stars) The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (3 stars) Fans of the impossible life by Kate Scelsa (2 stars) Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (2 stars) Black Cairn Point by Claire Mcfall (4 stars) Early One morning by Virginia Baily (4 stars) Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick (2 stars) Illuminae by Amie...

Grace and Tippi are twins - conjoined twins. And their lives are about to change. No longer able to afford homeschooling, they must venture into the world - a world of stares, sneers and cruelty. Will they find more than that at school? Can they find real friends? And what about love? But what neither Grace or Tippi realises is that a heart-wrenching decision lies ahead. A decision that could tear them apart. One that will change their lives even more than they ever imagined...From Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this moving and beautifully crafted novel about identity, sisterhood and love ultimately asks one question: what does it mean to want and have a soulmate? My thoughts There are no words to do justice to how perfect this book is. Just wonderful. I didn't think I liked books that were written in prose but boy was I wrong. This book had me hooked from the f...

Feeling alive is always worth the risk. Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco's night bus—turns Beatrix's world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive...and possibly one of San Francisco's most notorious graffiti artists. But Jack is hiding a piece of himself. On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is. My thoughts This book is wonderful. It was one of those books that I knew very little about when it first arrived at my house and I wasn't really all that sure what to expect when I did finally pick it up but boy I glad I did read it. I love this book and adore Jack and Bex For me this book was all about the mysterious boy. I adored Jack from his first scene and as the story progressed I fell for him hard. I think it was all the charm that made me swoon. He's just so awesome in his ways. I really loved Bex as a character too. She's so interesting in her outlook and the way in which...

THE DEAD HOUSE MIRROR TOUR 25 th August 2015: Truth or Dare? CARLY TRUTH or DARE ? Truth. Q: Are you in love? Yes. But since you didn’t ask whom I’m in love with, I don’t need to say. I will tell you that if you read between the lines, it will be very, very obvious. Worse for me. Check out my US tour buddy's post at http://ratherbereadingblog.com/  for Kaitlin's version of today's post Follow the rest of the tour on twitter #thedeadhouse @bookswithbiteUK

I've done the virtually impossible and managed to clear my TBR pile after a long summer of reading. Therefore these are the books I am dying to get my hands onto next and desperately waiting for so I have something new to read. Crush by Eve Ainsworth Love hurts ... but should it hurt this much? Reeling from her mum's sudden departure, Anna finds the comfort she needs in her blossoming relationship with Will. He's handsome and loving, everything Anna has always dreamt of. He's also moody and unpredictable, pushing her away from her friends, her music. He wants her to be his and his alone. He wants her to be perfect. Anna's world is closing in. But threatening everything is a dark secret that not even Will can control... Eve Ainsworth's gripping second novel is a pitch-perfect exploration of love at its most powerful, addictive and destructive. I enjoyed Eve's last book and I'm very much looking forward to reading more from her. Wolf by...

Part-psychological thriller, part-urban legend, this is an unsettling narrative made up of diary entries, interview transcripts, film footage transcripts and medical notes. Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . . Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers. Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’? Chilling, creepy and utterly compelling, THE DEAD HOUSE ...

A castle. A curse. A dangerous summer. Leo has invited Kate and a few friends to spend the summer at his inheritance, Darkmere Castle: as wild and remote as it is beautiful. Kate thinks it will be the perfect place for her and Leo to get together - but instead, she's drawn into the dark story of a young nineteenth-century bride who haunts the tunnels and towers of the house. And whose curse now hangs over them all. My thoughts I heard about Darkmere a while back and was looking forward to getting my hands on a copy for a while. It turns out it was a mixed bad for me and here's why. Starting with the positive. I really enjoyed the historical parts of the novel. The story of Elinor really got to me. The sheer injustice of the existence she is forced to live because she is a girl and because her family want her to marry well made me angry. I really felt for her with every page and was fascinated by the world she lived in. However I did not gel at all with the m...

Sam likes being a twin. He likes having two mums. He likes cheese sandwiches and his dog and drawing comics with his friend Pea. He does not like humous - or heights... His twin sister Sammie likes being a twin too. She knows that she's perfect best friend material for somebody - the girls in her class just haven't realised yet. And she knows that she's the best Sam - Sam A. Both Sam and Sammie - and everybody in their lives seems to be keeping secrets - which ones will come out? Meet the very different twins and their very different problems in this funny, heart-warming story of modern family life for boys and girls. My thoughts Another fabulous read from Susie Day with lots of heart and thoughfulness challenging stereotypes and labeling. Really lovely. I love the contrast between the twins and how their personalities break stereotypes with each twin actively encouraged to be the person they want to be without worrying about the different expectations soc...

Following on from Flirty Dancing and Love Bomb, Jenny McLachlan's next book is perfect summer holiday reading for fans of Geek Girl and Louise Rennison. Kat can't believe her family are sending her to Sweden for the summer. But without her friends, or even a phone signal, can Kat make it on her own? In a land of saunas, nudity and summer sun, Kat soon realises she has nowhere to hide. It's time to embrace who she really is, underneath what she's been thinking people want her to be. Especially if she's going to win the heart of mega fit Swede Leo! Can Kat find her inner strength and prove she's got what it takes? Kat soon finds that when you're surrounded by phosphorescence and wonder it's easy to sparkle. Or maybe that's what happens when you fall in love . Or maybe you only shine when you're true to yourself.   My thoughts It's no secret I am a fan of this series. I've enjoyed each book before this one but I think this ...

Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse than being a five-foor-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra. Is she ever in for a surprise. First Mom announces that she's dating Mia's Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn't have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance?   My thoughts I really enjoyed this having spent so many years now without reading them. I'm not going to review as such as I think that all that can be said about these books is out there in the world. I can say I really enjoyed it and found it such an easy and funny read that I am very much looking forward to reading through the rest of the series as and when the rest of the new covers are reissued. I must admit I was never tempted to pick the series up because the old covers were so dated and cartoon childlike that i...

I am very pleased to have Claire McFall on the blog today to coincide with the release of her new book Black Cairn Point Look at me!   Look at me! Most writers have the same dream: they’ll write an incredible novel, a publisher will snap it up and transform it into a real, live ink and pages book… and it’ll sell millions of copies and be widely praised (said writer will then make bundles and bundles of money, but of course that’s not why they’re doing it…).  What doesn’t occur to a lot of people, and didn’t occur to me, is the step in between getting the book in your hands, and getting the book in other people’s hands: publicising it. Most people who know me wouldn’t believe this, but I’m actually quite shy and insecure. No, really.   OK, in room full of strangers I’ll likely be the first one to speak and break the ice… but give me a compliment and I’ll do one of two things: deny it and say something derogatory about myself, or burst into flames...

Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are taking a holiday through Europe on the world-famous Orient Express. From the moment the girls step aboard, it's clear that each of their fellow first-class passengers has something to hide. Even more intriguing: rumour has it that there is a spy in their midst. Then, during dinner, there is a bloodcurdling scream from inside one of the cabins. When the door is broken down, a passenger is found murdered, her stunning ruby necklace gone. But the killer is nowhere to be seen - almost as if they had vanished into thin air. Daisy and Hazel are faced with their first ever locked-room mystery - and with competition from several other sleuths, who are just as determined to crack the case as they are. My thoughts Just as fabulous as I'd hoped. I thoroughly enjoyed the latest instalment in the Wells and Wong series. I loved that it was set on the orient express and I loved the comment it had to say about the snobbery and class system th...

Life as the undercover daughter of a rock god isn't going to be easy. How will Jessie adjust to her old boring life again after spending her summer living it up with her dad in LA? With tough decisions ahead (and not just choosing between two hot boys), can she cope juggling her two very different lives? Summer may be over, but Jessie's story is just beginning… My thoughts I always enjoy a Paige Toon book and this book was no exception. I knew you were trouble is the follow up to The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson and picks up where book one left off at the end of the summer Jessie spent with her long lost father rockstar Johnny Jefferson. After spending the summer in LA Jessie finds herself back to reality in the UK faced with the final year of high school, trying to fit in with her old friends and keeping her head below the radar in order to not alert the press to who she is. Inevitably the press find out about Jessie and she finds herself struggling to...

'The body is a house of many windows: there we all sit, showing ourselves and crying on the passers-by to come and love us.' Robert Louis Stevenson Nick hates it when people call him a genius. Sure, he's going to Cambridge University aged 15, but he says that's just because he works hard. And, secretly, he only works hard to get some kind of attention from his workaholic father. Not that his strategy is working. When he arrives at Cambridge, he finds the work hard and socialising even harder. Until, that is, he starts to cox for the college rowing crew and all hell breaks loose...   My thoughts I really enjoyed this book. I really liked seeing how Nick dealt with going to Cambridge University at such a young age and seeing how he coped with the challenges that brought with it. It said a lot about whether children should be pushed to advance beyond their years when you saw the social isolation he felt because he was such an oddity amongst his peers an...