Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! Here is this week's round up. Remember that November starts tomorrow, so reviews may be sporadic! (although due to publishing dates, the first part of next week is actually busier than usual...)

Evie's Christmas Wishes by Siobhan Parkinson and Shannon Bergin

Christmas is coming and Evie is getting excited! There’s lots to be done to prepare for the big day. She helps her mammy and daddy to make the pudding, ice the cake, and decorate the tree, and rehearses with her class for the Nativity play. As she partakes in all the festive fun, she makes a series of wishes, which suddenly begin to come true: just not in the way she expects!

The Chime Seekers by Ross Montgomery

Step into a world of faerie tricks and hidden danger... When an evil faerie steals Yanni's baby sister and swaps her for a Changeling, Yanni is swept into a dangerous race against time to get her back.

For faeries delight in tricks and rescuing her won't be easy. With the help of his cousin, Amy, and the reluctant Changeling, Yanni must travel to goblin palaces and battle-swept oceans, discovering ancient treasures and secrets along the way. Yanni will need every drop of courage and even a few tricks of his own, if he's to outwit the faerie and save his sister...

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This is a quiet week, with only TWO books from our lists publishing.

On a Night like This by Lindsey Kelk

When Fran Cooper accepts a mysterious temporary job as a PA to a celebrity, she is swept off her feet overnight. Working with internationally famous singer Juliette, Fran is the person charged with getting Juliette to the Crystal Ball, the glittering event when the world’s rich and famous gather on Panarea, a beautiful Mediterranean island, for a night like no other.

What Fran doesn’t know is that on this one night, everything will change for her too – that instead of standing on the sidelines, she’ll be putting on the most beautiful dress she’s ever seen and having the most unforgettable night of her life…

No new titles but an announcement!

Hi all! Happy Tuesday. Again we have no new titles this week, so I'm taking the chance to make a quick announcement.

We are all three of us going to try NaNoWriMo this November! We're very excited, but it might mean a slow down in posts. We will meet all our planned dates, of course, and we've tried to read ahead to make a little buffer, but we may miss a few days. We're sorry!

See you during the month, and we'll try to keep you updated!

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

All magic comes at a price, but love was never part of the bargain . . .

The look he was giving her. Serilda had never been looked at like that before . . . The intensity.

The heat. The raw astonishment. He was going to kiss her.

Cursed by the god of lies, a miller's daughter has developed a talent for storytelling - but are all of her tales as false as they appear?

When one of Serilda's stories draws the attention of the devastating Erlking, she finds herself swept away into a world of enchantment, where ghouls prowl the earth, and ravens track her every move. The king locks Serilda in a castle dungeon and orders her to spin straw into gold, or be killed for lying. In despair, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious young man to her aid. And he agrees to help her, for a price. But love wasn't meant to be part of the bargain.

A compulsive read, and as bewitchingly good as you'd expect from a YA bestselling author. You will stay up all night reading this.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We had a quieter week on the blog this week. Here's the roundup in case you missed anything.

Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon by Rosie Day

An unmissable guide for teenage girls and women everywhere who are ready to take over the world.

This book is a call to arms. Because though you may be going through the hardest and most confusing years of your life, it's time to channel your extraordinary power, spirit and ability to rise up and change the world.

Rosie Day has written and curated a collection of letters from incredible and inspiring women to guide you through each stage of combat towards a Teenage Armageddon. You will become a WARRIOR as you realise your worth, you will BATTLE your brain and learn to tackle stress and hormones, and you will be given the tools you need to begin your REBELLION.

Brave, disruptive and rule-breaking, this is a book unlike any other.

Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar

A spell-binding retelling of The Nutcracker, filled with enchanted toys, decadent balls, fierce feminine friendships and a forbidden romance. For fans of The Toymakers, Caraval and The Bear and the Nightingale.

There’s nothing Marietta Stelle loves more than ballet, but after Christmas, her dreams will be over as she is obligated to take her place in Edwardian society. While she is chafing against such suffocating traditions, a mysterious man purchases the neighbouring townhouse. Dr Drosselmeier is a charming but calculating figure who wins over the rest of the Stelle family with his enchanting toys and wondrous mechanisms.

When Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate set for Marietta’s final ballet performance, she discovers it carries a magic all of its own. On the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, she is transported to a snowy forest, where she encounters danger at every turn: ice giants, shadow goblins and the shrieking mist all lurk amidst the firs and frozen waterfalls and ice cliffs. After being rescued by the butterscotch-eyed captain of the king’s guard, she is escorted to the frozen sugar palace. At once, Marietta is enchanted by this glittering world of glamorous gowns, gingerbread houses, miniature reindeer and the most delicious confectionary.

But all is not as it seems and Marietta is soon trapped in the sumptuous palace by the sadistic King Gelum, who claims her as his own. She is confined to a gilded prison with his other pets; Dellara, whose words are as sharp as her teeth, and Pirlipata, a princess from another land. Marietta must forge an alliance with the two women to carve a way free from this sugar-coated but treacherous world and back home to follow her dreams. Yet in a hedonistic world brimming with rebellion and a forbidden romance that risks everything, such a path will never be easy.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! It's a quiet week this week, with just TWO books from our lists publishing!

Blog tour: Prey by Cheryl Elaine

What starts out as a night of celebration for Aimee soon turns into a nightmare.
Snatched by cruel, sadistic monsters ,she’s thrown into a metal container, among other victims too frightened to make a sound.

The game-keepers force everyone to play.

Detective Johnson is one step away from catching the killers. Wrestling with his instincts as a father to serve justice his own way, this is no ordinary case for him.
Can he stop the vile sadists before they destroy more young girls, as well as his own daughter?

As Aimee’s ordeal worsens, she looses her grip on reality, having to face the most evil monsters mankind has produced if she has any chance of escape.

It's time to find a different way to play...
PLEASE NOTE THIS BOOK WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE NO ORDINARY GIRL

#Bookpost

Happy Tuesday, all! For whatever reason, we have NO new titles this week, which is allowing us to catch up beautifully! See you next week!

All of us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world--one thought long depleted.

This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly: a choice - accept their fate or rewrite their story.

But this is a story that must be penned in blood.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We squeezed a few extra reviews in this week, so in case you missed anything, here's the roundup.

Einstein the Penguin by Iona Rangeley and David Tazzyman

When the Stewarts spend a sunny, frosty December day at London Zoo, they’re enchanted by one small penguin. At the delight of young Imogen and Arthur, Mrs Stewart insists the penguin “must come and stay with them whenever he likes.”

But not one Stewart expects the penguin to turn up at their door that evening, rucksack labelled “Einstein” on his back…

The family’s new feathered friend helps Arthur to come out of his shell and makes massive demands on Imogen’s amateur sleuthing. But together they must find out why Einstein came to them and they must keep away from the mysterious white-coat man.

And Einstein can’t stay forever, can he…?

Would You Rather...? by Eric Saunders

Would You Rather...? is the hilarious game that everyone can join in with. Faced with two scenarios, who can come up with the funniest, wittiest or craziest answer to which they'd choose? The book contains more than 3000 questions, from the simple to the weird and just plain silly, all designed to be thought-provoking and laughter-inducing and to cover a wide range of topics. The game is perfect for playing at a party, or to pass the time on long journeys. Gather your friends or family and enjoy some great screen-free time - you're sure to learn lots about yourself and your friends, and have loads of laughs along the way!

The Christmas Carrolls by Mel Taylor-Bessent

Wish it could be Christmas every day? Well, for nine-year-old Holly Carroll and her family, it is! Living her merriest life in a house with year-round fairy lights and Christmas trees, a carol-singing toilet and a diva monkey who thinks he's a reindeer, home-schooled Holly tries to spread cheer wherever she goes.

But when she goes to a new school with a singing Santa backpack and first day Christmas cards (during a heatwave in September!), she realizes not everyone shares her enthusiasm for spreading cheer. In fact, when the neighbors try to remove the Carrolls from the street and Holly discovers a group of children that may not get a Christmas at all, her snow globe world begins to crack. Is the world's most Christmassy girl about to lose her Christmas spirit?

Out of the Fire by Andrea Contos

We were like fire, the four of us. Catching each other's sparks until the flames grew, spread, raged beyond our control.

We'll give them back the damage they left us with, burden them with the weight of our pain.

We may be temporarily broken, but we will leave them forever charred.

Ashes to ashes.

It wasn't the kidnapping that ruined Cass Adams's life. It was the letters that came after. The pink envelopes that appear in her car, her locker, her bedroom. Notes from the man she escaped, telling her that he's always there, always watching.

And that someday, he'll be back for her.

The police say there's nothing they can do, and Cass resigns herself to live in fear until she reconnects with three old friends-three girls ready to exact vengeance on those who wronged them.

But the deeper Cass digs, the more shocking the truth becomes, especially when she discovers that the person who ruined her life may be the only one who can save it.

Happy #Bookbirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This has been a pretty good week, with FIVE books from our lists publishing!

Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson

When three very different siblings, Fern, Rowan and Willow, go home for a Christmas reunion at their family home in Edinburgh, it's not long before some VERY BIG SECRETS threaten their cosy holiday ...

The McAllister house on Arboretum Road has seen 120 Christmases since its completion.

This year, FERN is bringing her gorgeous boyfriend home and she wants everything to be perfect.

But her twin brother ROWAN would rather go on the pull than pull crackers with the family.

And their younger sister WILLOW is terrified of Christmas Day.

With FOUR sleeps till Christmas,
THREE secretive siblings,
TWO hot houseguests,
And ONE juicy secret ...
This Christmas, there will be some BIG surprises under the tree.

Sometimes at Christmas, you don't get what you want, you get what you need...

Sweet and sour, funny and moving, and very, very Christmassy - the perfect book to curl up with this holiday.

Baby, it's Cold Outside by Emily Bell

'If you come to Dublin, in ten years' time, I'll be there to meet you'

FATE PULLED THEM APART BUT NOT BEFORE THEY MADE A PROMISE.

TEN CHRISTMASES LATER, WILL THEIR WISH COME TRUE? . . .

As Norah battles through the bustling December crowds, she hears the notes of a song that transports her back to the most romantic week of her life.

After meeting on a blissful holiday, but knowing they had to part, a boy named Andrew made her a promise:

If they are both single on Christmas Eve in ten years' time, they will meet under the clock on Grafton Street, Dublin.

Norah has no idea if he will remember, but she has nothing to lose.

So, hoping for a Christmas miracle, she heads to Dublin. To that clock. And, maybe, to Andrew.

But it wouldn't be Christmas without a few surprises . . .

#Bookpost! Week ending 10th October, 2021

Happy Tuesday, all! This week we received TWO books, one we were really hoping for and one that looks excellent!

Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson

When a teenage girl thinks she may be the only person left alive in her town—maybe in the whole world—she must rely on hope, trust, and her own resilience.

Paige Miller is determined to take her basketball team to the state championship, maybe even beyond. But as March Madness heats up, Paige falls deathly ill. Days later, she wakes up attached to an IV and learns that the whole world has perished. Everyone she loves, and all of her dreams for the future—they’re gone.

But Paige is a warrior, so she pushes through her fear and her grief. And as she gets through each day—scrounging for food, for shelter, for safety—Paige encounters a few more young survivors. Together, they might stand a chance. But as they struggle to endure their new reality, they learn that the apocalypse did not happen by accident. And that there are worse things than being alone.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday! A very quick rundown this week.

Rescuing Titanic by Flora Delargy

This exquisitely illustrated story of quiet bravery tells in rich detail how the little ship Carpathia saved 705 passengers of the Titanic from the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

With the approaching 110-year anniversary of the ship’s sinking, Rescuing Titanic shares a unique connection with the story of the ship; having been written and illustrated by debut Northern Irish artist, Flora Delargy, whose grandfather and great grandfather both worked in the Belfast Shipyards where the Titanic was built.

In the middle of the night, the Carpathia received a distress call from the sinking Titanic. The intrepid little ship heroically changed course and headed straight into the frozen sea to help save as many people as it could. Follow the Carpathia as it risks everything to navigate remote, treacherous ice fields in the dark and come to the rescue of passengers on the world-famous ocean liner.

Along the journey, you will learn all about Morse code, navigation tools, the different roles of the crew, how the ships found each other, and by-the-minute details of exactly what happened on this cold and fateful night.

The illustrations set the scene and take the reader into the frozen eerie night in the North Atlantic. Beautiful full-bleed illustration and vignettes give great detail about how everyone on the ship made their own contribution and showed true bravery.

Rescuing Titanic shows that a glimmer of hope can be found even in great tragedy and that heroes are not always big and mighty, but can also be small and unassuming.

This is the debut book in the Hidden Histories series, which explores with beautiful illustrations and vivid details the untold parts of stories we thought we knew.

The History of Tarot Art by Holly Adams Easley and Esther Joy Archer

The History of Tarot Art offers a fresh and accessible look at the art styles, artists, and history behind more than a dozen of the world’s most noteworthy tarot decks.

Guided by Holly Adams Easley and Esther Joy Archer, hosts of the popular Wildly Tarot podcast, this deluxe collector’s book provides a fresh look at the influence of tarot from its beginnings to today. The elegant slipcase, 24 removable Sola-Busca tarot cards, and illustrated fold-out timeline with important dates in tarot development make this package a must-have for any tarot fan.

The History of Tarot Art shows how tarot morphed from a fifteenth century card game to a popular modern activity. Learn more about the stories behind the art of tarot’s most influential decks, like Rider-Waite-Smith and Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, as well as the female artists whose work was often overshadowed in their time.

The History of Tarot Art also takes a close look at the Visconti, Sola-Busca, Tarot de Marseille, Aquarian, Morgan-Greer, Motherpeace, Cosmic, Druidcraft, Wild Unknown, and Deviant Moon decks, alongside dozens of contemporary decks. In many cases, you’ll see how tarot art reflects its era. The Morgan-Greer deck, for example, could only have been born in the 1970s. More recent decks, such as Black Power Tarot and Fifth Spirit Tarot, aim to represent more diverse experiences in regard to race, gender, and sexuality.

The book also provides tips for doing your own tarot readings and a cheat sheet on the meanings of the Rider-Waite-Smith, Thoth, and Tarot de Marseille cards.

Whether you're a longtime tarot practitioner or a newcomer to the practice, you'll find fascinating new insights in this retrospective.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, all! This week we have SIX books from our lists publishing.

Wulfie Saves the Planet by Lindsay J Sedgewick

Libby has been assigned a school project on raising awareness about the environment, but she has absolutely no ideas! Lucky for her, Wulfie is full of ideas! Unluckily for her, Wulfie tackles this project with his usual brand of well-meaning chaos, having slightly misunderstood what the project is meant to look like!

Wulfie grows very big, dons a red cape and Veronika’s eye mask and takes to the streets as a superhero! But Wulfie’s superhero efforts don’t quite go to plan. Can Libby create a winning school project while protecting the planet and her best friend?

The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni

Kiva Meridan is a survivor.

She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people responsible for ruining their lives. But now that she has escaped Zalindov, her mission has become more complicated than ever.

As Kiva settles into her new life in the capital, she discovers she wasn’t the only one who suffered while she was in Zalindov—her siblings and their beliefs have changed too. Soon it’s not just her enemies she’s keeping secrets from, but her own family as well.

Outside the city walls, tensions are brewing from the rebels, along with whispers of a growing threat from the northern kingdoms. Kiva’s allegiances are more important than ever, but she’s beginning to question where they truly lie. To survive this time, she’ll have to navigate a complicated web of lies before both sides of the battle turn against her and she loses everything.

#Bookpost! Week ending 3 Oct 21

Happy Tuesday, all! We got several books this week (and may have already read one...), so let's dive right in.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We had a nice normal week on the blog this week.

Dogs: Understanding your very Best Friend by Dr John Bradshaw and Clare Elsom

Learn about the secret life of dogs from pet expert Dr John Bradshaw.

Join Rusty, the terrier, as he goes about his day with his family. Discover how Rusty sees and mostly smells the world around him. Rusty uses his amazing nose to recognise his friends – human and dog! – it tells him where to find something tasty to eat and how to get back to his owner.

Find out how Rusty’s family make him feel loved and safe, when he meets new people and other dogs, or is left at home alone.

After a day with Rusty, you’ll know exactly how to be your dog’s best friend.

Wish You Weren't Here by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

The Rook family run a little business: ghost hunting. And things has picked up recently. Something’s wrong. It’s been getting noticeably worse since, ooh, 2016?

Bad spirits are abroad, and right now they're particularly around Coldbay Island, which isn’t even abroad, it’s only 20 miles from Skegness. The Rooks’ ‘quick call out’ to the island picks loose a thread that begins to unravel the whole place, and the world beyond.

Is this the apocalypse? This might be the apocalypse. Who knew it would kick off in an off-season seaside resort off the Lincolnshire coast? I’ll tell you who knew - Linda. She’s been feeling increasingly uneasy about the whole of the East Midlands since the 90s.

(Please note: This is the official blurb, but I believe that 'Linda' is a misprint as there's no character called Linda. There is a Brenda in the main group.)