The Book Mermaids

Australian history teacher Thea Rust arrives at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside only to find that she is to look after the first intake of girls in its 150-year history. She is to stay with them in Silk House, a building with a long and troubled past, where the shadows hide more mysteries than she could ever imagine. In the late 1700s, Rowan Caswell leaves her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant. She is thrust into a new and dangerous world where her talent for herbs and healing soon attracts attention. In London, Mary-Louise Stephenson lives amid the clatter of the weaving trade and dreams of becoming a silk designer, a job that is the domain of men. Arriving in the market town of Oxleigh, she brings with her a length of fabric woven with a pattern of deadly plants that will have far-reaching consequences for all who dwell in the silk house.            The Silk House  was such a gorgeous story, and I was so blessed to receive an ARC

An exciting announcement has been made and Alice-Miranda and her schoolmates are going on camp. There are sleep outs, treasure hunts and so many other activities to look forward to! However, it's not all fun and games.  Alice-Miranda and Millie will need to keep a close eye on Caprice, the school's newest student, who seems determined to cause trouble.  Next door to the camp is Pelham Park, where Alice-Miranda's father, Hugh, grew up. These days, Hugh's beautiful old house serves as a retirement home but when some startling objects are uncovered in its cellar, the peaceful estate is turned upside down. With help from a much-loved relative, Alice-Miranda sets out to investigate.                      Alice-Miranda and her schoolmates are going on camp, there are sleep outs, treasure hunts and other fun activities..... and of course there is a mystery waiting to be solved! The Alice-Miranda series has been a favourite of mine since I was a little girl, and even though this

Stella may only be seventeen, but having read every self-help book she can find means she knows a thing or two about helping people. She sure wasn't expecting to be the one in need of help, though. Thanks to her father's gambling addiction, Stella and her family now find themselves living at Fairyland Caravan Park. And hiding this truth from her friends is hard enough without dealing with another secret. Stella's birth mother has sent her a letter.  As Stella deals with the chaos of her family, she must also confront the secrets and past of her 'other' family. But Stella is stronger than she realises. This book was absolutely brilliant. It is possibly one of my favourite YA novels ever!! I absolutely adored the characters, and I LOVED the story. The book has so many beautiful messages, and everyone would benefit from reading this book. The book shows that sometimes things that are covered in gold, are crumbling on the inside, and that sometimes you can find be

It's senior year, and Paige Hancock is finally living her best life. She has a fun summer job, great friends, and a super charming boyfriend who totally gets her. But senior year also means big decisions.  Feeling the weight of 'the rest of her life' Paige starts to panic. Everything is exactly how she always wanted it to be - how can she leave it all behind next year? In her head, she knows there is so much more to life after high school. But in her heart, is it so terrible to want everything to stay the same forever?  Gahhh... I wanted to love this book, I really really did. I am a huge fan of Emery Lord's other novels;  The Names They Gave Us and When We Collided, so I went into this book with super high expectations, which possibly could have been why I didn't love this book as much as I think I should have. I did enjoy it, but its just not my favourite YA novel.  Paige was a really great main character, and the friendships in the story were crafted perfec

Lissa is home on her own after school one afternoon when a stranger turns up on the doorstep carrying a baby. Reed is on the run - surely people are looking for him? He's trying to find out who he really is and thinks Lissa's mum might have some answers. But how could he be connected to Lissa's family - and why has he been left in charge of a baby? A baby who is sick, and getting sicker ... Reed's appearance stirs up untold histories in Lissa's family, and suddenly she is having to make sense of her past in a way she would never have imagined.  It is so difficult to review a book when you have such mixed feelings about it! I was a bit disappointed to be honest. This book was an easy read as it only took me a few hours to finish. The storyline was inventive and had the potential to be interesting, however I don't think it was executed as well as it could have been. I found the dialogue a bit forced, and in my opinion, at times the narration was 'trying way

So I have never been one to follow trends... Especially when it comes to reading! I guess part of the problem is that I have probably got 100s of books on my To-Be-Read list, and it is almost impossible to get through them all. Lately, a few people have said to me "How can you read almost 100 books a year, and never have read (insert title)?' so I thought that I would make a post about the books I am embarrassed to say I have NEVER read and why I haven't! Tell me about the books you are ashamed that you have never read in the comments! 1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling Ugh I am so sorry! Just writing this makes me feel ashamed! To make things even better - I have never seen the movies either! Please forgive me. I honestly don't really know why I haven't read them. They are so hyped, so I know that I have  to, and I promise that I will read them one day. I guess they just have never appealed to me. People have told me that I am the living and breathing

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life...until now. Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is  not  a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read. This is a book I had been wanting to get my hands on for a very long time! So when I saw it on display in the library I was beyond happy. This is such a beautiful story; beautifully written, with beautiful characters. There were so many gorgeous quotes throughout the book which pulled at my heartstring