The Overflowing Library

It's been a funny month for me reading wise. I've read a lot, so much so that I cleared my TBR pile completely around the middle of February . I've been a really moody reader and as a consequence I've DNFed a lot. Read in February Party Princess by Meg Cabot (4 stars) Violet and the Smugglers by Harriet Whitehorn and Becka Moor (4 stars) Not if I see you first by Eric Lindstorm (4 stars) Lady Midnight by Cassie Clare (4 stars) Just haven't met you yet by Cate Woods (4 stars) Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (4 stars) I'd Tell you I Love you, but then I'd have to kill you by Ally Carter (4 stars) Book of Lies by Teri Terry (2 stars) Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield (5 stars) Veronica Mars: Mr Kiss and Tell (4 stars) Cross my heart and hope to spy by Ally Carter (3 stars) Eleanor by Jason Gurley (3 stars) Don't judge a girl by her cover by Ally Carter (3 stars) The versions of us by Laura Barnett (3 stars) Spot the difference by ...

Faux Taxidermy Knits offers you 15 fabulously quirky and fun knitting patterns that tap into the massive trend for taxidermy inspired craft projects with an ironic twist! Split into two sections, wearables and habitat, this unique book includes knitting patterns from moose and badger wall hangings and tiger rugs, to fox stoles and claw mittens for the modern, young knitter My thoughts I came across Louise's patterns a while back and after Christmas I ordered the book along with a goody bag from Louise herself via Etsy. The goody bag included a signed copy of the book, knitting needles and the yarn and eyes needed to make the scarf on the cover. I started off immediately with having a go at the fox scarf. I've knitted for a while now and I found the pattern really easy to follow. At one point I did get worried that the wool that I'd been sent was going to run out before I'd finished but I was panicking needlessly. The body of the scarf was probably the w...

The honour of your company is requested at lord beaucastle's fancy dress ball. Wonder at the puzzling disappearance of the Jewelled Moth! Marvel as our heroines, Sophie and Lil, don cunning disguises, mingle in high society and munch many cucumber sandwiches to solve this curious case! Applaud their bravery as they follow a trail of terrible secrets that leads straight to London's most dangerous criminal mastermind, and could put their own lives at risk...It will be the most thrilling event of the season! This is a fast-paced and compelling mystery adventure with gorgeous Edwardian period detail, this is Mr Selfridge meets Nancy Drew! My thoughts I really enjoyed this book. After loving the first one in the series I have been excitedly waiting for this to arrive and I am so pleased to say it was as good as, if not better than, the previous book. I am a self declared history geek and the thing that really does it for me in this series is the history. I loved ...

Etiquette for young ladies Calling cards – an important piece of Edwardian etiquette! Mary smiled ironically. She quoted: ‘ A young maiden ’ s appetite should be gracefully restrained at all times. There is no more unladylike quality in a debutante than that of intemperate gluttony. ’ ‘How fearful! ’ exclaimed Lil. ‘I take it you haven ’ t read Lady Diana DeVere, then? ’ asked Mary with a quirk of her eyebrows.  Lil decided there was no sense in pretending ‘I ’ m afraid I haven ’ t, but she sounds perfectly dreadful. ’     - The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth Knowing the rules of etiquette was of paramount importance to anyone taking part in the London Season. Edwardian high society was governed by a strict code of conduct - and woe betide anyone, especially a debutante (a young lady embarking on their first Season in society), who put so much as a toe out of line. Debutantes were at all times accompanied by a chaperone, who woul...

Another month, another pile of books I cannot wait for. I mean that literally as I've managed to wipe my TBR pile out over half term. Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor’s always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that’s what is expected of a senator’s daughter. But one impulsive decision—one lie to cover for her boyfriend—and Taylor’s kicked out of private school. Everything she’s worked so hard for is gone, and now she’s starting over at Hundred Oaks High. Soccer has always been Taylor’s escape from the pressures of school and family, but it’s hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. Taylor’s had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it’s hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start? I love t...

The Rules: Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public. Don't help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me. Don't be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I'm just like you only smarter. Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react-shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she ha...

We all have a mind, so we all need to take care of our mental health as much as we need to take care of our physical health. And the first step is being able to talk about our mental health. Juno Dawson leads the way with this frank, factual and funny book, with added information and support from clinical psychologist Dr Olivia Hewitt. Covering topics from anxiety and depression to addiction, self-harm and personality disorders, Juno and Olivia talk clearly and supportively about a range of issues facing young people's mental health - whether fleeting or long-term - and how to manage them, with real-life stories from young people around the world. With witty illustrations from Gemma Correll. My thoughts I really thought this book was awesome. It is factual and funny and offers teens information and support about the variety of mental health issues they might deal with. These sort of books are so important to help make teens realise it is OK when things aren't go...

England, 1976. Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands. And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will find much more than they imagined… My thoughts I did enjoy this book for a variety of reasons. Firstly I loved the main characters Grace and Tilly. I loved seeing the world through their eyes and trying to get to the bottom of the problem they were trying to solve with them. I loved the setting. As a glimpse into the not too distant past I loved seeing how the world has changed and the way in which people live pre social media and the internet. The story itself is really interesting even though not a lot actually happens. It's one of those reads which merrily floats along as you just enjoy the ride along. I also loved how the neighbour was portrayed. The neighbours all knowing each other and nosin...

I was brave She was reckless We were trouble Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realises, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own. My thoughts I have spent the last few months worried that I was going off reading. Everything I picked up wasn't keeping me interested at all and I thought maybe I have saturated myself. Then this beautiful little book came along. Beautiful broken things is a perfect example of why I love UKYA so much. It has...

It's the 1920s - cars and aeroplanes are new. Lily Gabriel is 13 years old - she's scruffy and confident and takes no nonsense from anyone. Antony is 17 - he's rich, spoiled and arrogant and Lily is completely and utterly - no nonsense! - in love with him. So join Lily as she falls...Falls in love...Falls out of the sky...Falls through time...And effortlessly, inescapably, falls into her future. Life is never what you expect or what you predict. But if you're lucky, you hold onto exactly what you need - a young and wild heart. My thoughts I am shamefully late to the KM Peyton party but Wild Lily has left me with no doubt that she's an author I need to read more of. I loved Wild Lily. I loved the history and found every part of the story fascinating in that regard as the story compares and contrasts the difference life experiences of Lily and Anthony the former leading...

Thirteen-year-old wrestling fanatic Henry used to have a normal life. Now, his therapist wants him to keep a journal so he can express his feelings about what happened. Henry has moved with his dad to a new city, where nobody knows their name. He lives off a diet of pizza, whilst hiding from the comically overbearing neighbours and avoiding being an obvious target for bullies at his new school. But then he meets Farley and Alberta, social misfits who refuse to let him be alone. And bit by bit, the past begins to come out. Heartbreaking, surprising and laugh-out-loud funny, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen is about the things that remain after your life has fallen to pieces. My thoughts I enjoyed The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen. Henry is suffering after the incident. I won't say too much for fear of spoiling it for others but it really shows the impact events have on the wider family group and how people deal with the fallout. It also has a lot to...

All Amber wants is a little bit of love. Her mum has never been the caring type, even before she moved to California, got remarried and had a personality transplant. But Amber's hoping that spending the summer with her can change all that. And then there's prom king Kyle, the guy all the girls want. Can he really be interested in anti-cheerleader Amber? Even with best friends Evie and Lottie's advice, there's no escaping the fact: love is hard. My thoughts  I did write an extensive review for this last week just after I'd finished it so I had the story in my head. The internet goblins have eaten that review and I've read ten more books since then so this rewrite is going to be shorter. I loved the relationships between the characters and seeing the different ways in which they played out. I loved the main character completely because she was so relatable. I loved that there were positive girl friendships throughout. I loved the Harry Potter refe...

We are now onto month two of the British Books Challenge. First up the winner of January's prize pack of a copy of The Icarus Show by Sally Christie was Bibliobeth for her review of Urban Legends by Helen Grant. This month up for grabs is a copy of How not to disappear by Clare Furniss kindly donated by Simon and Schuster please link reviews for your February British Books Challenge reads below. Happy reading