Black & Irish by Leon Diop, Briana Fitzsimons and Jessica Louis

This landmark publication in Irish history is a celebration of Black Irish identity. Featuring profiles of Black Irish public figures from the worlds of pop culture, politics, sport, business and the arts. Includes Ruth Negga, Gavin Bazunu, Phil Lynott, Paul McGrath, Emma Dabiri, Rhasidat Adeleke and Dami Hope. Published in collaboration with Black and Irish.

Blog tour: Nell of Gumbling by Emma Steinkellner

To everyone else, the Magical Land of Gumbling is something out of fairy tales. But to Nell Starkeeper, it’s just home. Sure, the town community center might be a castle, her dads run a star farm, and her best friend Myra is a fairy, but Nell is much more interested in finding out if she’ll get the seventh grade apprenticeship of her dreams with world-famous artist Wiz Bravo.

She’s pretty sure her entire life has been RUINED when she’s instead matched with boring old Mrs. Birdneck in the town archives. And of course her perfect rival Leabelle gets to work with Wiz, and mean girl Viola won’t let Nell forget it. Meanwhile, suddenly Myra seems more into hanging out with Leabelle and saving the town from some weird strangers who keep talking about turning Gumbling into a fancy resort than being friends with Nell anymore. Can Nell find a way to save everything that makes her world magical, while figuring out where she belongs in it?

Happy #BookBirthday! 26 Sep

Happy Thursday! This week there are  books on our lists publishing!

Being Ace ed by Madeline Dyer

Discover the infinite realms of asexual love across sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary stories

From a wheelchair user racing to save her kidnapped girlfriend and a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, to a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters, the stories of this anthology are anything but conventional. Whether adventuring through space, outsmarting a vengeful water spirit, or surviving haunted cemeteries, no two aces are the same in these 14 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and identities across the asexual spectrum.

Catch your Death by Ravena Guron

When three girls are stranded at the grand Bramble Estate in the middle of a snowstorm, they stumble into a murder plot. Someone has poisoned wealthy Emily Vanforte in the middle of a family dinner - which means Devi, Lizzie and Jayne are trapped in the house with a killer and a mystery to solve. With knives under floorboards, vanishing guns and secret passages in the walls, no one is safe and everyone is a suspect. But in a house of liars and corruption, will the girls save themselves...or learn to fit in?

Day One by Abigail Dean

Stonesmere will never be the same again...

A village hall, a primary school play, a beautiful Lake District town. Into this idyllic scene steps a lone gunman whose actions set off a train of events that will have devastating consequences for the close-knit community of Stonesmere.

At the epicentre of the tragedy is Marty, daughter of the teacher who dies trying to protect her pupils. What did she see? How is she involved?

In the weeks and months following the killings, conspiracy theorists start questioning what happened. For outsider Trent Casey, the truther movement offers him a chance to step into the spotlight to expose the 'sham' of the killings.

Marty's and Trent's lives will become entwined as events spiral out of control. The true story is gradually revealed, but at what cost to those caught up in the maelstrom...

Trouble by Lex Croucher

There's a new governess at Fairmont House, and she's going to be nothing but trouble.

Emily Laurence is a liar. She is not polite, she's not polished, and she has never taught a child in her life. This position was meant to be her sister's - brilliant, kind Amy, who isn't perpetually angry, dangerously reckless, and who does (inexplicably) like children.

But Amy is unwell and needs a doctor, their father is gone and their mother is useless, so here Emily is, pretending to be something she's not.

If she can get away with her deception for long enough to earn a few months' wages and slip some expensive trinkets into her pockets along the way, perhaps they'll be all right.

That is, as long as she doesn't get involved with the Edwards family's dramas. Emily refuses to care about her charges - Grace, who talks too much and loves too hard, and Aster, who is frankly terrifying but might just be the wittiest sixteen-year-old Emily has ever met - or the servants, who insist on acting as if they're each other's family. And she certainly hasn't noticed her employer, the brooding, taciturn Captain Edwards, no matter how good he might look without a shirt on . . .

As Fairmont House draws her in, Emily's lies start to come undone. Can she fix her mistakes before it's too late?

Thin Air by Kellie M Parker

Eight hours. Twelve contestants. A flight none of them might survive. A flight to Paris full of teenagers seeking opportunity turns deadly in this suspenseful, locked-door YA thriller. Perfect for fans of Diana Urban, Karen McManus, and Jessica Goodman.

Seventeen-year-old boarding school student Emily Walters is selected for an opportunity of a lifetime—she’ll compete abroad for a cash prize that will cover not only tuition to the college of her choice, but will lift her mother and her out of poverty.

But almost from the moment she and 11 other contestants board a private jet to Europe, Emily realizes somebody is willing to do anything to win. Between keeping an eye on her best friend’s flirty boyfriend and hiding her own dark secrets, she’s not sure how she’ll survive the contest, much less the flight. Especially when people start dying…

As loyalties shift and secrets are revealed, Emily must figure out who to trust, and who’s trying to kill them all, before she becomes the next victim.

The Ice Children by M. G. Leonard and Penny Neville-Lee

At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city park on a pedestal of ice. The doctor says his heart is beating, but no one can wake him.

Finn’s big sister, Bianca, suspects the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it all but the mysterious book has vanished and no one will listen.

As more children are frozen, Bianca realises she’s running out of time.

Is there a connection between the peculiar stranger wearing a top hat and the disappearing books?

The search for truth hurls Bianca into a fantastical winter wonderland where all is not as it seems…

Can Bianca remember her mission and find a way to save her brother and the other Ice Children before all their hearts are lost forever?

A future classic with a powerful message at its core.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! This week we received THREE books - and we've read THREE of them!

As always, you can click on each cover to learn more about the book.

The Odyssey of Fletcher by Erik Dargitz

After a global virus seemingly wipes out the entire male population, a skinny, socially awkward, self-conscious video game junkie is somehow still kicking. And he's wildly unprepared for this new world. Out there waiting for him are physicians who want to study him, a cult of spiritual extremists who want to deify him and brutal gangs with far more nefarious intentions. Throughout his journey, Fletcher does his best to act like a real man, being that he's the only one around. Unfortunately, this only leads to more problems ... for him and humanity.

Erik Dargitz's debut novel is a satirical post-apocalyptic tale about the last man on Earth-who also might be the last man you'd pick for the job.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday! It's been a normal week here on the blog, but we are coming into several blog tours which will be a lot of fun!

Live like a Goddess by Jean Menzies

A gift for the young goddess in your life - with life lessons for living confidently, courageously and fearlessly.

Cultures around the world celebrate tales and myths of daring and brave goddesses. These legendary ladies were tenacious, smart and strong. Meet...

· Osun, the Yoruba goddess of love who refuses to be dismissed because of her gender and stands up to those who believe women are less important than men

· Rhiannon, the Welsh queen of fairies who won't let anyone make decisions for her and instead follows her heart

· Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and death who doesn't give into pressure, sets boundaries and is comfortable with being a single independent woman

From demanding respect and recognising unhealthy relationships, to standing your ground, helping others and using words instead of violence, these rich and sometimes forgotten female stories of the ancient past teach girls and young women everything they need to know, so they can be just as fierce and fearless in the future.

Home Sweet Hell by Gabby Hutchison Crouch

It's New Year's Eve, and the Rook family are at odds with one another.

Unfortunately, not only is their psychic rival Aurora coming to their hometown, but there's another visitor - Death. The newly appointed Replacement Reaper, who is not grim at all, but a very cute Canadian. He's here to end the world - albeit ethically and politely. This time, Armageddon is coming home.

Can the family overcome their differences in time to stop the ultimate New Year Countdown? Who is Aurora, really? And, is Death single?

Happy #BookBirthday! 14 Sep

Happy Thursday! This week there are EIGHT books on our lists publishing!

10 Hours to Go by Keely Parrack

Lily wants to get home. Her friends want to get even. 

Lily needs a ride―a fire warning in Oregon has cancelled her train home to California. Her ex-best friend, Natasha, has offered to pick Lily up on her way back from Portland, though they're barely on speaking terms. 

As it turns out, Natasha's also giving a ride to Elke Azizi, the girl Lily got expelled from their school four years ago. Elke hasn't forgotten, and neither has Natasha. 

It's getting tense in the car, and it's not just about the past. There's smoke in the air, and with the wildfires nearby, staying on the road is becoming riskier by the hour. When Natasha and Elke decide to take a detour, Lily hopes it'll get them out of danger. She has no idea, though, what her former friends have planned for her. But as night comes, the plans change again when it becomes all too clear that leaving the main road was a mistake. 

Now the three of them are trapped in the woods under a burning sky, with no easy way out. To survive, Lily must depend on Elke and Natasha―but after all that's happened, can she trust them with her life?

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! This week we received ELEVEN books - and we've read TWO (and reviewed ONE) of them!

As always, you can click on each cover to learn more about the book.

The Alanna Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Summaries below the jump so I don't destroy the page.

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We're in the middle, or hopefully near the end, of a heatwave here, so we've been curled up in cool rooms with lots of books. (I know, I know...there's nothing we can't make an excuse to read more!)

A Whale of a Time by Lou Peacock and Matt Hunt

A brilliantly illustrated collection of 366 hilarious poems to keep you laughing all year round!

From rib-ticklingly funny to wryly witty, each poem in this uplifting collection is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and is perfect for reading aloud to share even more side-splitting hilarity with family and friends. Whether it’s a poem about socks or spaniels, eggs or elephants, this bright and brilliant collection will bring you cheer and laughter every day.

The spectacular range of poems for children includes work by John Agard, Maya Angelou, Hilaire Belloc, Brian Bilston, Lucille Clifton, Wendy Cope, Roald Dahl, Edward Lear, Spike Milligan, Ogden Nash, Grace Nichols, Jack Prelutsky, Michael Rosen, Christina Rossetti, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more.

A wonderful gift for all ages, this beautifully produced anthology includes luxurious cloth binding and ribbon marker.

What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell (mild spoilers in review)

From Sarah Hollowell, author of A Dark and Starless Forest, comes a spine-tingling, deliriously creepy YA speculative thriller about two best friends trapped in a corn maze with corpses that look just like them.

Best friends and high school seniors Sadie and Logan make their first mistake when they ditch their end-of-year field trip to the amusement park in favor of exploring some old, forgotten backroads. The last thing they expect to come across is a giant, abandoned corn maze. But with a whole day of playing hooking unspooling before them, they make their second mistake. Or perhaps their third? Maybe even their fourth. Because Sadie and Logan have definitely entered this maze before. And again before that.

When they stumble on the corpses in the maze, identical to them in every way (if you can ignore the stab and gunshot wounds)--from their clothes to their hidden scars to their dyed hair, to that one missing tooth--they quickly realize they’ve not only entered this maze before, they’ve died in it too. A lot. And no matter what they try, they can’t figure out what—or who —is hunting them.

Deeply unnerving, clever, and atmospheric, this time-bending, mind-bending speculative horror is a poignant meditation on the lasting effects of trauma and the healing powers of connection and forgiveness—all while delivering more surprise twists and turns than a haunted corn maze.

Happy #BookBirthday! 7th Sep

Happy Thursday! This week there are SEVEN books on our lists publishing!

The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie (huge spoilers ahead)

For July Fielding, nothing has been the same since that summer before senior year.

Once , she had Alex to be her loyal best friend, the one who always had her back. She had Sydney, who pushed her during every cross country run, and who sometimes seemed to know July better than she knew herself. And she had Sam. Sam, who told her she was everything and left her breathless with his touch.

Now , July is alone. Every single person in her small town of Lithia has disappeared. No family. No Alex or Sydney. No Sam. July’s only chance at unraveling the mystery of their disappearance is a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loved most. And a mysterious GET TH3M BACK.

#Bookpost!

Happy Tuesday, all! This week we received THREE books - and we've read ONE of them!

As always, you can click on each cover to learn more about the book.

The Secret of the Blood Red Key by David Farr

Step inside the pages of an immortal adventure...

Rachel and Robert have defeated the tyrant Malstain and become the heroes of Krasnia, but all is not how it should be. Robert is swept away with his new friends, leaving Rachel alone to take care of her ailing father, who's lost without their beloved mother.

From nowhere, a boy appears knowing the secrets of the hidden blood-red key. For the key is a way into the Hinterland - and Rachel must promise that, as a new key keeper, she will answer when it calls. When a young girl, Elsa Spiegel, is illegally smuggled into the Hinterland, Rachel has no choice but to use her key to save Elsa. But her fate is linked to Krasnia, and Rachel must battle to save her home as she knows it.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, all! We're looking forward to a day of quiet reading and catching up on our TBRs.

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Munoz

Everyone has a secret. Everyone has a motive. But only one of them brought a knife to the party . . .

To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy Morales joins her best friend Kassidy and five friends on a luxury 1920s-themed getaway at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. There, Izzy and her friends party in vintage dresses and expensive diamonds - until Kassidy's boyfriend turns up dead.

And when a raging storm traps them on the island with two detectives, the sparkling young socialites become the prime suspects in his murder. There's the girlfriend, and the other girl. The old friend, and the new friend. The brooding enigma. And then, there's Izzy - the girl who brought the knife . . .

A glamorous and scandalous modern murder mystery, that'll have you reading through the night to find out whodunnit! Perfect for fans of ONE OF US IS LYING, THE INHERITANCE GAMES and KNIVES OUT.

The Climbing Boys by Ann Murtagh

Dublin, 1830: When his da breaks his arm, Hugh ‘Scholar’ O’Dare has to leave school to work as a chimney sweeper with his brothers. When a travelling sweep's apprentice starts going after their jobs, Scholar is tasked with scaring him off, but a shocking secret comes to light. Who will they turn to, and how will the secret change their futures?