Blog tour; Read at your own Peril, by Patrick Hueller

Kevin shouldn't be writing this. And you shouldn't be reading it. After all, reading is now a crime--and for good reason. After the Coma Outbreak, everyone knows what happens to people who read. Their eyes slam shut. And they never get out of their desks again.

Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale

There's nothing worse than peaking in high school. Nobody knows that better than Josie Pie.

She was kind of a big deal—she dropped out of high school to be a star! But the bigger you are, the harder you fall. And Josie fell. Hard. Ouch. Broadway dream: dead.

Meanwhile, her life keeps imploding. Best friend: distant. Boyfriend: busy. Mom: not playing with a full deck? Desperate to escape, Josie gets into reading.

Literally. She reads a book and suddenly she's inside it. And with each book, she’s a different character: a post-apocalyptic heroine, the lead in a YA rom-com, a 17th century wench in a corset.

It’s alarming. But also . . . kind of amazing?

It’s the perfect way to live out her fantasies. Book after book, Josie the failed star finds a new way to shine. But the longer she stays in a story, the harder it becomes to escape.

Will Josie find a story so good that she just stays forever?

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday, guys and girls. This week four books on our lists published. Sadly they weren't our favourites of the year, but  we encourage you to try them!

The Pharaoh's Curse by Holly Webb

Brave, clever and never more than a whisker away from adventure! When the museum's visitors are gone for the day, it's time for the cats to come out to play...
The kittens are curious when a rare Egyptian papyrus comes to the museum on loan. But from the moment the artefact arrives, things start to go wrong and rumours of an ancient curse begin to spread. When a pipe leaks and the Egyptian gallery is flooded, the kittens find themselves trapped. Will they be the next victims of the pharaoh's curse?

The Soup Movement by Ben Davis

To aid his recovery from a life-threatening illness, Jordan and his family move out of the city for a healthy new start. Jordan's getting enough funny looks as the new boy at school as it is, without his Mum giving him homemade soup every day for lunch! But when Ethan meets a homeless man called Harry, and gives him the soup, it is the start of an unlikely friendship.

The Stone of Destiny by Caroline Logan

Begin the journey; discover your destiny...

Set against a backdrop of Scottish myths and legends, follow the epic quest by a changeling, a selkie and a prince to find an ancient and powerful object, and save the kingdom.

Ailsa doesn’t believe in faerie tales, only the monsters in them. But, with the mark on her face, most people consider her one of them—a changeling.

Her secluded life shifts when she rescues two selkies from bloodthirsty raiders. Now she must act as their guard as they travel to the capital and then, with the help of the Prince of Eilanmor, journey north to find the Stone of Destiny - the only object protecting them all from the evil faerie
queen.

But all her life a malignant creature has stalked her through the forest. Can Ailsa find the Stone of Destiny before something wicked finds her?

#Bookpost, week ending 18th August 2020

Happy Tuesday! This week we got some books that are so exciting, we've already read and reviewed them. We'll note them below.

As always, click on the covers to be taken to Goodreads! (Or another website, a couple of times, Goodreads doesn't seem to have all of these yet.)

The Island That Didn't Exist by Joe Wilson

When twelve-year-old Rixon's great-uncle leaves him an island in his will, Rixon can't quite believe it. Things get even more confusing when the mysterious island can only be located on a very ancient map, and only then by using a big magnifying glass. 

Does the island actually exist? And if so, does it really belong to him? There's only one thing for it. Rixon is going to have to go there and find it for himself. 

And what he finds when he gets there might just hold the key to the future of the planet: four children hidden away from society with an altogether different set of values. But soon Rixon is fighting for his own life, left in a cave with a rising tide, floating out to sea on a leaky inflatable and fending off the attacks of a multimillionaire tech giant and his super yacht. Can Rixon keep the island's secrets? And will he even want to. . .?

Ignite the Sun by Hanna C Howard

Once upon a time, there was something called the sun...

Sixteen year-old Siria Nightingale has never seen the sun. The light is dangerous, according to Queen Iyzabel, an evil witch who has shrouded the kingdom in shadow.

Siria has always hated the darkness and revels in the stories of the light-filled old days that she hears from her best friend and his grandfather. Besides them, nobody else understands her fascination with the sun, especially not her strict and demanding parents. Siria's need to please them is greater even than her fear of the dark. So she heads to the royal city--the very center of the darkness--for a chance at a place in Queen Iyzabel's court.

But what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball sends her on a quest toward the last vestiges of the sun with a ragtag group of rebels who could help her bring back the Light ... or doom the kingdom to shadow forever.

Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park

Melody Joo is thrilled to land her dream job as a video game producer, but her new position comes with challenges: an insufferable CEO; sexist male coworkers; and an infuriating—yet distractingly handsome—intern, Nolan MacKenzie, aka “the guy who got hired because his uncle is the boss.”

Just when Melody thinks she’s made the worst career move of her life, her luck changes. While joking with a friend, she creates a mobile game that has male strippers fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Suddenly Melody’s “joke” is her studio’s most high-profile project—and Melody’s running the show.

When Nolan is assigned to Melody’s team, she’s sure he’ll be useless. But as they grow closer, she realizes he’s smart and sexy, which makes Melody want to forget he’s her intern. As their attraction deepens, she knows it’s time to pump the brakes, even with her Korean parents breathing down her neck to hurry up and find a man.

With her project about to launch, Melody suddenly faces a slew of complications, including a devastating trolling scandal. Could the man she’s falling hard for help her play the game to win—in work and in love?

Roundup

Happy Sunday! It's been a busy week here on the blog, so let's have a quick look back at the posts.

Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner

A story of mock trial, feminism, and the inherent power found in a pair of knitting needles.

Raina Petree is crushing her senior year, until her boyfriend dumps her, the drama club (basically) dumps her, the college of her dreams slips away, and her arch-nemesis triumphs.

Things aren’t much better for Millie Goodwin. Her father treats her like a servant, and the all-boy Mock Trial team votes her out, even after she spent the last three years helping to build its success.

But then, an advice columnist unexpectedly helps Raina find new purpose in a pair of knitting needles and a politically active local yarn store. This leads to an unlikely meeting in the girls’ bathroom, where Raina inspires Millie to start a rival team. The two join together and recruit four other angry girls to not only take on Mock Trial, but to smash the patriarchy in the process.

The Humans by Jonny Marx and Charlie Davis

This book showcases the greatest achievements of ancient civilisations, peoples and iconic figures from history. From the Nubians to the Native Americans, and the Akkadians to the Aztecs, our predecessors have pioneered a plethora of wonderful and wacky inventions, technologies and practices. They've constructed monumental buildings and sprawling cities, created languages, modes of transport, art, medicines, music, stories, myths and more.

Let's delve into the past and discover what humankind accomplished in the centuries and millennia since the first civilisations were formed…

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

The story that I thought

was my life

didn’t start on the day

I was born
Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white.

The story that I think

will be my life

starts today
Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?

How to Rule a City by KJ Parker

This is the story of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through.

The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwright, actor and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working. Thankfully, the good citizens of Classis appreciate an evening at the theatre even when there are large rocks falling out of the sky.

But Notker is a man of many talents, and all the world is, apparently, a stage. It seems that the Empire needs him - or someone who looks a lot like him - for a role that will call for the performance of a lifetime. At least it will guarantee fame, fortune and immortality. If it doesn't kill him first.

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

Glasgow, 2025. Dr Amanda Maclean is called to treat a patient with flu-like symptoms. Within three hours he is dead. This is how it begins.

The unknown virus sweeps through the hospital with deadly speed.

The victims are all men.

Dr Maclean raises the alarm. But by the time the authorities listen to her, the virus has spread to every corner of the world. Threatening families. Governments. Countries.

Can they find a cure before it’s too late? Can they stop THE END OF MEN?

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday! It's been a fairly quiet week for new titles, just three on our lists.

Sonia O'Sullivan by Natasha Mac a'Bháird

Born in Cobh, County Cork, Sonia O'Sullivan is Ireland's best ever athlete, having won Olympic Silver and multiple World Championship gold medals, both on the track and cross country.
As a child, Sonia wasn't national champion: but only because these weren't held for girls! Her first major international race was in 1990, when she finished 11th in 3,000 metres in the European Championships. Less than a year later, she took more than 5 seconds off the previous world indoor 5,000m record.

It wasn't success all the way, and Sonia had some very difficult days, but she's an amazing example of what determination, hard work and natural talent can achieve: she's a real role model for girls and boys alike.

This fast-paced, engaging telling of her life is aimed at young readers.

The Love Square by Laura Willliams

She’s single. But it can still be complicated...

Penny Bridge has always been unlucky in love.

So she can’t believe it when she meets a remarkable new man.

Followed by another.

And then another...

And all of them want to date her.

Penny has to choose between three. But are any of them The One?

---

I enjoyed Our Stop very much last year. The Love Square is just as good, with extra food and friends. Seriously, some of the food descriptions...

Ok, this isn't literature. It's probably never going to win an award. And that's a shame, because it really deserves to; it's fun, light, with surprising moments of pathos and depth. I was glued to it as I watched Penny stumble along, making very understanable mistakes and fumbles as she went.

I love her family support system, how they're close and caring despite being physically apart. Penny's colleagues, in both her places of work, are great too. Penny's ability to create a form of family wherever she is is amazing. This line sums it up beautifully;

(in) Bridges cafe on a back street of Stoke Newington, family that were friends and friends who were like family ( ) came together and celebrated...

I can't wait to see what else Laura Jane shares with us. It's going to be great.

Cut Off by Adrianne Finlay

Each contestant has their own reasons—and their own secrets—for joining the new virtual reality show CUT/OFF that places a group of teenagers alone in the wilderness. It’s a simple premise: whoever lasts the longest without “tapping out” wins a cash prize. Not only that, new software creates a totally unprecedented television experience, allowing viewers to touch, see, and live everything along with the contestants. But what happens when “tapping out” doesn’t work and no one comes to save you? What happens when the whole world seemingly disappears while you’re stranded in the wild? Four teenagers must confront their greatest fears, their deepest secrets, and one another when they discover they are truly cut off from reality. Sci-fi, mystery, and romance converge in this high-stakes, fast-paced read that will leave you guessing to the very last moment.

#Bookpost, week ending 11th August 2020

Happy Tuesday, all!

This was a good week, but it looks even better because we discovered a couple of titles that had slipped the net over the last couple of weeks. As always, click the covers for goodreads and we've added comments here and there!

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar

This gorgeously imagined YA debut blends shades of Neil Gaiman's Stardust and a breathtaking landscape of Hindu mythology into a radiant contemporary fantasy.
The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be "normal." But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star's help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.
Sheetal's quest to save her father will take her to a celestial court of shining wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family's champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the heavens--and win, or risk never returning to Earth at all.

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday, everyone! Let's get straight to it and see what happened on the blog this week.

Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti

Sydney Reilly has a bad feeling about going home to San Francisco before she even gets on the plane. How could she not? Her mother is Lila Shore—the Lila Shore—a film star who prizes her beauty and male attention above all else…certainly above her daughter.

But Sydney’s worries multiply when she discovers that Lila is involved with the dangerous Jake, an art dealer with shady connections. Jake loves all beautiful objects, and Syndey can feel his eyes on her whenever he’s around. And he’s not the only one. Sydney is starting to attract attention—good and bad—wherever she goes: from sweet, handsome Nicco Ricci, from the unsettling construction worker next door, and even from Lila. Behaviors that once seemed like misunderstandings begin to feel like threats as the summer grows longer and hotter.

It’s unnerving, how beauty is complicated, and objects have histories, and you can be looked at without ever being seen. But real danger, crimes of passion, the kind of stuff where someone gets killed—it only mostly happens in the movies, Sydney is sure. Until the night something life-changing happens on the stairs that lead to the beach. A thrilling night that goes suddenly very wrong. When loyalties are called into question. And when Sydney learns a terrible truth: beautiful objects can break.

Animal Crackers by Sarah Webb and Alan Nolan

A book of animal facts that will appeal strongly to children, illustrated with black & white animal art/doodles, activities and quiz pages - a highly interactive, fun and informative book.

Happy BookBirthday

Happy Thursday! This week has been very big in publishing; several books on our list have published.

Blog tour: Alexandra Forever 2291

Alexandra Forever 2291 — Book One: The Strange Matter of the Red Dwarf

This sci fi adventure opens on the crest of a gravity tsunami, when a red dwarf star system punches through the fabric of space-time and barrels toward the Milky Way Galaxy. The Early Warning Centre can only watch helplessly as colonized space braces for impact.

Questions arise. Is it merely a star system? Or, is something else altogether?

The dire situation takes an unforeseen twist in this science fantasy when an SOS transmission from a long-lost experimental starship, The Invictus, is traced to the sole planet orbiting the red dwarf.

Alexandra, Post Office Marshal and living goddess, is in an action-packed race against time when she is conscripted to retrieve either the Invictus itself or, failing that, it’s top-secret data, before the ship is lost to imminent galactic collision, or worse, falls into the wrong hands.

Bookpost! Week ending 4 Aug 2020

Happy Tuesday, guys! It's been a strange week. But we're back. We received two books this week, so our list is starting to drop a bit!

Unusually, both books we received are already published, so we're trying to get them read as quickly as possible. Watch out for reviews coming soon!

The Wish List by Sophia Money-Coutts

Be careful what you wish for… 

Florence Fairfax isn’t lonely. She loves her job at the little bookshop in Chelsea and her cat, Marmalade, keeps her company at night. But everything changes when her stepsister, Mia, announces that she’s engaged to her boring golf-playing boyfriend. That’s when Florence meets Irish love coach, Gwendolyn.

…because you just might get it!

When Gwendolyn makes Florence write a wish list describing her perfect man, Florence refuses to take it seriously. Finding someone who likes cats, doesn’t wear pointy shoes and can overlook her ‘counting habit’? Impossible! Until, later that week, a handsome blond man asks for help in the bookshop…

But is Rory the one, or is he simply too good to be true? Florence is about to find out that her criteria for finding Mr Right aren’t as important as she thought – and that perhaps her perfect man has been right there all along…

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday! It's been a quieter week than we thought it would be, but sometimes that's what you need. We did manage to do a few things, so let's have a look.

The Secret Kitten and other tales by Holly Webb

A collection of three gorgeous kitten stories to treasure in one book, from best-selling author Holly Webb. 

The Secret Kitten: Lucy can't help but feel lonely when she moves in with her gran. She wishes she could have a pet, but Gran isn't keen on animals. When Lucy falls in love with a stray kitten, where will it go if she can't find anyone to take her in? 

The Brave Kitten: Helena enjoys helping out at the vet's surgery. Then one day, a kitten is rushed in, having been injured by a car. Helena helps to care for Caramel, but what will happen if his owner can't be found? 

Sammy the Shy Kitten: Emma loves going to the stables for her riding lessons. One day she arrives to find that Tiggy, the stable cat, has had three kittens! But the riding school can't look after so many cats - so what will happen to them all?

FOXES by MA Bennett

Greer has just recovered from her terrifying experience during the STAGS play. Was she really put on trial by the sinister Dark Order of the Grand Stag? Or was it purely her overheated imagination? The imprint of an 'M' for murderer that has appeared on her thumb, though, is puzzling but incomplete evidence . . .

Meanwhile Ty is staying on at Longcross Manor and Greer, Nel and Shafeen are increasingly worried for her safety. When Ty sends a cryptic message directing them to Cumberland Place, the de Warlencourts' palatial home in London, they decide to risk a visit. There they meet Henry's grieving parents, Rollo and Caro. Rollo is arrogant, entitled and not overly grieving. Caro, however, while superficially charming, is clearly pushed to the brink of madness by Henry's death, insisting that Henry is still alive. Which is clearly impossible . . . but Greer has her own troubling doubts about Henry's death which make it hard to dismiss Caro completely . . .

Can Greer, Shafeen and Nel work out what Rollo de Warlencourt is planning for his deadly Boxing Day Hunt at Longcross in time to save Ty - who has now gone silent? Or will history horribly repeat itself?

A thrilling, richly complex instalment in the STAGS series.

Teaser: Everwinter

Happy #BookBirthday!

Hi all! Three books from our review lists publish this week; unusually, there's one each today, tomorrow and Saturday. We decided to put them all on today's post because next week is going to be packed as it is, so we didn't want to add any more to it. So let's get down to the books!

Buddy's Story by Blake Morgan

When Buddy is paired with Noah as a Detection Dog, he can't believe his luck! Here is a special, loving boy that he has the important task of looking after. Noah has anaemia and it's up to Buddy to protect him if he faints. It's a huge responsibility, but to Buddy it's the best job in the world!
Then Noah gets into trouble in the water on a trip to the seaside and everyone turns on Buddy. Noah is safe but the adults have lost their trust in his canine companion. Buddy knows what really happened, but how can he convince everyone he wasn't to blame?

All to Play For by Donn McClean

Thirteen year old Anna is struggling to cope with the other girls on her GAA team, as well as the recent loss of her father, when she discovers a forgotten gift from him - a pair of bright orange football socks. With the help of these brightly coloured good-luck charms, Anna slowly begins to gain confidence both on and off the pitch.

Book Post, week ending 28th July 2020

Happy Tuesday! One of us is on holidays this week - so the others of us seem to think she can get a lot of reading done! We'll find out, I suppose.

A relatively quiet week, two ebooks, two physical books. Click on the covers for the goodreads pages.

#BookChat: This is Not the Jess Show, by Anna Carey

A timely YA thriller about a teenage girl whose reality may not be what it seems, blending 90s nostalgia with a speculative hook that dissects our modern reality TV and influencer-obsessed culture.

Like many teens, sometimes it feels as though everything in Jess Flynn's life has been engineered for maximum drama--from her performance at the school talent show, to the reappearance of her childhood best friend and perennial crush Jeremy, to her friends trying to set her up with one of the hottest guys in school. It's almost as if everything might finally be going her way...until one day a tiny black phone with an apple logo on its screen falls out of her best friend's backpack and lands at Jess's feet.

The problem is, it's 1998, and the first iPhone isn't due out for another nine years.

Jess's friends refuse to acknowledge the strange device. Her sister Sara, on hospice care with a terminal blood disease, for once can't tell Jess what she should do. It's almost as if everyone is hiding something from her. Even her beloved dog Fuller seems different...like, literally different, because he definitely didn't have that same pattern of spots on his stomach last week...

Nothing in Jess Flynn's world is as it seems, and as the cracks begin to show, Jess will discover her entire life is nothing more than someone else's entertainment. Except in this reality, the outside world is no place anyone would want to escape to.

Weekly Roundup

Happy Sunday! It's been a fairly quiet week here on the blog, not too much going on. But let'shave a roundup anyway.

Interview: Lisa Luciano, The Chosen Ones

A chilling message left on an answering machine warns that one of the world’s top male figure skaters will be dead before the end of the Olympics. A disgraced reporter has one chance to save a life and resurrect his career by going undercover as a trainer in order to infiltrate the backstage world of figure skating. What he discovers hidden behind the smiles and sequins, is a chilling and dangerously competitive world filled with corruption and scandal.

Written by former NY Times reporter Lisa Luciano, The Chosen Ones is set in the '90s (figure skating’s golden age). Though fictionalized, the story is inspired by real-life skaters and events.

In this non-stop thriller, only one person can win. Not everyone will survive.

The Living Dead by George A Romero and Daniel Kraus

US Cover                                     UK Cover

It begins with one body. A pair of medical examiners find themselves facing a dead man who won’t stay dead.

It spreads quickly. In a Midwestern trailer park, an African American teenage girl and a Muslim immigrant battle newly-risen friends and family.

On a US aircraft carrier, living sailors hide from dead ones while a fanatic preaches the gospel of a new religion of death.

At a cable news station, a surviving anchor keeps broadcasting, not knowing if anyone is watching, while his undead colleagues try to devour him.

In DC, an autistic federal employee charts the outbreak, preserving data for a future that may never come.

Everywhere, people are targeted by both the living and the dead.

We think we know how this story ends. We. Are. Wrong.

It Came From the Sky by Chelsea Sedoti SPOILERS IN REVIEW

This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more.

Only...there were no aliens.

Gideon Hofstadt knows what really happened. When one of his science experiments went wrong, he and his older brother blamed the resulting explosion on extraterrestrial activity. And their lie was not only believed by their town―it was embraced. As the brothers go to increasingly greater lengths to keep up the ruse and avoid getting caught, the hoax flourishes. But Gideon's obsession with their tale threatened his whole world. Can he find a way to banish the aliens before Lansburg, and his life, are changed forever?

Told in a report format and comprised of interviews, blog posts, text conversations, found documents, and so much more, It Came from the Sky is a hysterical and resonant novel about what it means to be human in the face of the unknown.

Book Post, week ending 21st July 2020

Happy Tuesday, everyone! We had a good week again and received several new titles between us; all ebooks, this week. As always, click on the cover to be taken to goodreads (or in two cases to the publisher's website), and we've made notes on a couple of titles!

Release Special: Everwinter by RJ Lloyd

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green

The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories. 

Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.

As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday! The first in a few quieter weeks on the blog, as there aren't many books releasing for the rest of the month. Mind you, we could probably stand to get ahead on some of the books coming later in the year!

With or Without You by Drew Davies

‘How long does a coma last?’ I ask.‘Days, weeks, months?’ the nurse replies with a shrug, although her eyes are very kind.

‘But on average?’
She just smiles, unable to give me an answer.

Wendy's life can be neatly divided into two: before and after.

Before her husband’s car accident, it was just the two of them. They never took the train at rush hour, and they avoided their noisy neighbour upstairs. Naveem devoted his spare time to vintage train models, and Wendy to re-reading the well-thumbed pages of her favourite books. It didn’t matter what others thought about their small, quiet life together – they were happy.

After the coma, Wendy barely recognises herself. When she’s not holding the love of her life’s hand, accompanied by the beep of the life-support machine, who is she? The nurse tells her to talk to Naveem – that he can still hear her – but she doesn’t have a single thing to say.

Suddenly Wendy can’t bear the silence. She needs something, anything, to talk to Naveem about. Suddenly she’s losing herself at fairgrounds packed with crowds and candyfloss, she’s at the airport, waiting for the whoosh of the planes as they take off, making friends with the neighbour she has spent over a decade avoiding.

Knowing that every breath her husband takes might be his last, Wendy has no choice but to try to carry on without him. Should she feel guilty about living while his life is on pause? And when – if – he wakes up, will he still love the woman she has become?

Happy Book Birthday!

Happy Thursday, everyone! This was a quiet week with just two titles on our review lists publishing. (Still busier than the next two weeks, which currently have one book between them!)

The Magic of Terry Pratchett by Marc Burrows

The Magic Of Terry Pratchett is the first full biography of Sir Terry Pratchett ever written. Sir Terry was Britain's best-selling living author, and before his death in 2015 had sold more than 85 million copies of his books worldwide. Best known for the Discworld series, his work has been translated into 37 languages and performed as plays on every continent in the world, including Antarctica.

Journalist, comedian and Pratchett fan Marc Burrows delves into the back story of one of UK's most enduring and beloved authors, from his childhood in the Chiltern Hills to his time as a journalist, and the journey that would take him - via more than sixty best-selling books - to an OBE, a knighthood and national treasure status.

The Magic Of Terry Pratchett is the result of painstaking archival research alongside interviews with friends and contemporaries who knew the real man under the famous black hat, helping to piece together the full story of one of British literature's most remarkable and beloved figures for the very first time.

Book Post! week ending 14 July 2020

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Welcome to this week's #BookPost. A good mix this week, ebooks and physicals and covering several different genres. Let's have a look!

As always, you can click on the cover to go to the Goodreads page, and we've added notes under some titles but are very excited for all of them!

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune

US Cover                                  UK Cover

Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.

Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?

After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).

Weekly roundup

Hi guys! Welcome to the weekly roundup. We're coming into a quieter period for the blog, but let's see what we did this week.

The Do Over by Jennifer Honeybourn

A teenage girl gets the chance to redo her past in this smart and charming YA novel by the author of When Life Gives You Demons.

Emilia has always wanted to fit in with the A crowd. So, when Ben, the hottest guy in school, asks her out, she chooses him over Alistair, her best friend—even after he confesses his feelings to her.

Six months later, Emilia wonders how her life would have been different if she'd chosen Alistair instead. Haunted by her mistake, she finds a magical solution that promises to rectify the past. As a result, everything in her life is different. What happens if her second chance is her only chance to make things right?

Happy Book Birthday!

This was a very busy week for us! A lot of books on our review list published on Tuesday or today. Let's have a look and see what you think.

The Rules by Tracy Darnton

Amber’s an expert when it comes to staying hidden – she’s been trained her whole life for it. But what happens when the person you’re hiding from taught you everything you know?

When a letter from her dad arrives, Amber knows she’s got to move – and fast. He’s managed to find her and she knows he’ll stop at nothing to draw her back into the extreme survivalist way of life he believes in.

All of a sudden the Rules she’s spent so long trying to escape are the ones keeping her safe. But for how long?

The Shelf by Helly Acton

Everyone in Amy's life seems to be getting married (or so Instagram tells her), and she feels like she's falling behind.

So, when her boyfriend surprises her with a dream holiday to a mystery destination, she thinks this is it - he's going to finally pop the Big Question. But the dream turns into a nightmare when she finds herself on the set of a Big Brother-style reality television show, The Shelf.

Along with five other women, Amy is dumped live on TV and must compete in a series of humiliating and obnoxious tasks in the hope of being crowned 'The Keeper'. Will Amy's time on the show make her realise there are worse things in life than being left on the shelf?

A funny, feminist and all-too-relatable novel about our obsession with coupling up, settling down and the battle we all have with accepting ourselves, The Shelf introduces the freshest new voice in women's fiction.

Book post! week ending 7 July 2020

Welcome to another Tuesday, everyone! We had a good week for #BookPost on the blog, mostly ebooks as normal for now, so let's dive right in and see what new delights are waiting for us. As always, click on the cover to go to goodreads, and we've added notes under a couple of titles. Well, some of us have, BJ.

Plague by Graham Masterton

Oceans are infested, beaches turn black, cities reek with poisonous pollution. The entire eastern seaboard of the United States has been sealed off - all those attempting to flee the contaminated zones will be shot!

As men, women and children murder and loot in a world gone mad, one man and his daughters struggle to survive. The bond of love between them strengthens and grows as they fight desperately to keep their fragile hold on hope - and life.

Father and daughter - caught in a terrifying world ravaged by an unknown, virulent, super-plague. Will an antidote be found... in time?

Loveless by Alice Oseman

It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.

As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.

But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.

Weekly roundup

Welcome to the end of the week! A busy week here on the blog, so here's our roundup of activities.

Happy Book Birthday!

Welcome to this week's #BookBirthday post! Three books this week from our review lists. Next week is the big one!

Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew

A timely feminist YA novel in verse about periods, sex, shame and going viral for all the wrong reasons.

BLOOD MOON is a YA novel about the viral shaming of a teenage girl. During her seminal sexual experience with the quiet and lovely Benjamin, physics-lover and astronomy fan Frankie gets her period – but the next day a gruesome meme goes viral, turning an innocent, intimate afternoon into something sordid, mortifying and damaging.

Blog Tour: Midnight Temptation by Shari Nichols

Congratulations to Shari Nichols on the release of her latest Ravens Hollow Coven novel, Midnight Temptation! Read on for an exclusive excerpt and a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

At the End of the World by Charles E Gannon

CASTAWAYS IN A ZOMBIE PLAGUE

Six kids ranging from suburban geeks to street-smart pariahs. A British captain who rarely talks and never smiles. All on the 70-foot pilot house ketch Crosscurrent Voyager, bound on a senior summer cruise to adventure and serious fun.

Except most of the kids don’t get along. And they’ll be gone all summer. And none of them have sailed before. And worst of all—because they booked at the last minute—they got the destination nobody else wanted: the frigid and remote South Georgia Islands.

But there’s one other hitch: They’ll never see their families or friends again. Because just days after they leave, a plague starts spreading like wildfire, turning most of its survivors into shrieking, cannibalistic rage-monsters. So with their past dying as fast as the world that shaped it, the kids’ hated destination becomes their one hope for survival.

But it’s an uncertain hope. Not only are other hostile survivors headed there, but South Georgia Island is unable to support permanent habitation. So if the strange crew of the Voyager doesn’t come up with a further plan, they are—in every sense—heading straight toward the end of the world.

Dark Blue Rising by Teri Terry

Tabby lives a transient life with her mum Cate, never sticking in one place long enough to make friends.

Until one day, an accident changes everything. Cate is arrested and Tabby realises her life has been a lie: Cate is not her mother.

As she adjusts to her new life, Tabby finds herself drawn to the ocean - the only place she feels happy - and enrolls at a swimming summer school to help her heal.

But all is not as it seems. She and her new friends are cut off from the outside world and she's plagued by a repeating symbol of interlocking circles that follows her everywhere.

As Tabby begins to learn the truth about what the circles mean, and uncovers the terrible lies she's been told about her past, a final twist awaits her - a secret hidden in her DNA...

Book post, week ending 30 June 2020

Good morning, all! Welcome to another wonderful week of #bookpost. Let's dive right in and see what we received this week; still mostly ebooks, but physical books are starting to creep back in too.

As always, click on the covers to be taken to Goodreads. Like last week, there's a bit of a theme coming through on these titles. Not Zombies, though!

This week we've added notes under a couple of the books, but we're looking forward to all of these!

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

Molly Frost is FED UP...

Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top when she had to keep her sweatshirt wrapped around her waist.

Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.

Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.

Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.

Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.

Because middle school is hard enough.

And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and soon her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.

Weekly roundup

Happy Sunday, guys! Hope you had a good week.

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Wanted:
One (fake) boyfriend
Practically perfect in every way

Luc O'Donnell is tangentially--and reluctantly--famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.

The Princess will Save You by Sarah Henning

A PRINCESS
A STABLE BOY
A QUEST

When her father dies, Princess Amarande is given an ultimatum: Marry the leader of one of the four neighboring kingdoms, or lose her crown—and possibly her life. And to force her hand, her beloved, the stable boy Luca, is kidnapped.

But Amarande was raised to be a warrior, not a sacrifice.

And nothing will stop her from saving her true love and rescuing her kingdom.

The acclaimed author of Sea Witch turns the classic damsel-in-distress tale on its head with this story of adventure, identity, and love.

Happy Book Birthday!

Happy Book Birthday day, guys! We had several books on our list publish this week with a mix of ratings.