The Overflowing Library

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Published by Quercus Series: Raised by Wolves #2 Source: Review copy Bryn is now leader of the Cedar Ridge pack of werewolves and she's convinced that her pack is different - it's democratic and fair. Then Bryn finds a battered teenage Were, Connor, bleeding on her front porch. He begs Bryn to protect him from an abusive leader; Bryn takes him into her pack. But Bryn's Were partner Chase doesn't trust the new boy, and the more time she spends helping Connor, the more aggressive Chase becomes. Bryn is not sure if it's jealousy, or Were possessiveness but for the first time she starts to feel suffocated by the bond she and Chase share. Filled with action, unlikely allies, and deadly conspiracies, Trial by Fire will change Bryn forever. She is soon to realise that to lead a pack of werewolves, she must give in to her animal instincts and become a little less human. And as hard as it's going to be, Bryn is ...

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini Published by Macmillian Children's books Series: Starcrossed #1 Challenge: DAC Source: Review copy Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention. Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history...

I had an awesome book week this week. The majority of what I got were complete surprises! This week I got ... Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (US hardcover) I finally ordered this after hearing so many good things about it. Envy by Gregg Olsen (US ARC) I was so excited to get this and have already finished reading it even though it won't actually be out until October. David by Mary Hoffman (UK paperback) Passion by Lauren Kate (UK paperback) + soundtrack CD Kisses for Lula and Lula does the Hula by Samantha Mackintosh (UK paperbacks) This arrived in the most amazing package ever complete with a lei (the flowery thing they wear in Hawaii, chocolate and lip gloss) Witches of the East by Melissa de la Cruz (UK paperback) I've never read any of Melissa's books. Maybe this is the place to start Halo by Alexandra Adornetto (UK paperback) The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (UK proof) This arrived in a brilliant little tube along with a awesome ...

Joining me today at The overflowing Library is Mel from  http://melsrandomblogs.blogspot.com/ Hello all, I’m very excited to show you all around my bookcases. But first I have to confess something...I double shelf my books. I know, I know, each book should be on display, but my flat just doesn’t have the room. One magical day I will have my own library and I can see all my books at the same time, but until then I make do with deep shelves and two layers of books on each shelf.   So what do my shelves look like? The very top shelf has a mixture of books ranging from some light non-fiction on the left through to literature into YA and into fantasy on the right. While in general I like my books have all author books together and then a vague genre relation, this shelf is probably my most mixed. The second shelf down is mostly fantasy driven with Maria V Snyder (one of my personal favourites), leading to Jacqueline Carey. The eagle eyed among you might recognise s...

Life: An Exploded diagram by Mal Peet Published by Walker Challenge: BBC Source: Given to me by my lovely blogging friend Sarah This is a brilliant coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the Cold War and events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Clem Ackroyd lives with his parents and grandmother in a claustrophobic home too small to accommodate their larger-than-life characters in the bleak Norfolk countryside. Clem's life changes irrevocably when he meets Frankie, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, and experiences first love, in all its pain and glory. The story is told in flashback by Clem when he is living and working in New York City as a designer, and moves from the past of his parents and grandmother to his own teenage years. Not only the threat of explosions, but actual ones as well, feature throughout in this latest novel from one of the finest writers working today. *** Life: An Exploded Diagram is a coming of age story set in rural N...

Today I am pleased to host a spot on the Swim the Fly blog tour. Please check out my review on the post I put up earlier today as it is an awesomely funny book. Screenwriting vs. Novel Writing Mac vs. PC, zombies vs. unicorns, screenwriting vs. novel writing. Age old subjects that can be argued and discussed until one is blue in the face. I have my opinions, of course. I like Macs. They’re more fun, intuitive, and virus free. (I was a PC guy for many years, so I know the pros and cons of the opposition). As far as mythical/fictional creatures go, I should probably choose zombies because they seem more macho, but I think I’d give the edge to the unicorns in a full on battle. (They’ve got the reach advantage with that horn.) And then there’s screenwriting vs. novel writing. This one is not so easily decided. Because I happen to love movies and books equally. I also enjoy writing for both mediums and so I can argue for either side. On the film side, there’s the excitement of s...

Swim the Fly by Don Calame Published by Templar Publishing Series: Swim the Fly #1 Source: Review copy Three adolescent boys with a single goal: see a real-live naked girl. The result? Razor-sharp, rapid-fire, and raunchy, of course. And beyond hilarious. Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, y...