The Running Bibliophile

Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, #2) by Janet Evanovich is the second book in the Stephanie Plum book series. In this installment, Stephanie is given an easy case by her cousin Vinnie since she's still inexperienced . . . catch Joe Morelli's cousin, Kenny Mancuso. However, it won't be as simple as everyone thought because Morelli is also after Kenny.
Although I thought the sequel was a lot better than One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1), I still wasn't completely sold on the Stephanie Plum series, but the ending is what really made me want to keep reading the series and what made me bump up my rating. If you're looking for a serious, meaty mystery or thriller, this isn't the book for you. I consider it more of a light read, a beach read if you will, and I don't mean it in a bad way either. Two for the Dough(Stephanie Plum, #2) is a tad predictable, but it has its suspenseful moments and gives you a bit of humor and romance along the way.
Being as this n…

Several years ago when the movie trailer for  The Silver Linings Playbook came out, I knew I had to see the movie because it starred the actor Bradley Cooper. Be still my heart! But I knew that it was based on a book, and I am big on reading the book before seeing the movie, so I immediately ran out to Barnes and Noble Booksellers to buy the book without reading the synopsis like I typically do.
This Matthew Quick novel was interesting to say the least, and it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. The writing and story of The Silver Linings Playbook was definitely reminiscent of Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being A Wallflower.
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick was very well written, but the main two characters of the book, Pat and Tiffany, really began to grate on my nerves as I progressed through the book. However, I'm not sure if that was Quick's intention or not. I think part of the reason why the character Pat grated on my nerves is although he is thi…

The Sweet Valley Twins book series is what made me an avid reader as a child. I couldn't get through each book fast enough. This book series is perfect for children between the ages eight and twelve, and I definitely urge people to introduce these books to their kids, especially those who aren't interested in reading. I wish they had been introduced to me a lot earlier. As part of my rereading my way through my childhood, I picked up The New Girl (Sweet Valley Twins, #6) created by Francine Pascal.

What I love about this series is that it always seems to deal with real life issues that children might deal with and teaches a lesson. In The New Girl (Sweet Valley Twins, #6), the lesson is that things aren't always what they seem and bullying isn't the answer. Kindness can go a long way, so don't act like a jerk towards people.
Rereading this book as an adult, I didn't remember anything about this installment going into it. I think this was one of the few time…

Do you remember the book fairs that came to your elementary and middle school? They were so much fun for me especially when I could find books that were hard to come by. The book fair at my middle school had some teen romance books for sales that were part of the Sweet Dreams book series. In sixth grade, one of the books in the series caught my attention . . . Golden Girl (Sweet Dreams, #169) by Jane Ballard.

Golden Girl (Sweet Dreams, #169) by Jane Ballard is about a girl named Claire Montgomery who is dared by her brother Joe to audition for the Trent's Department Store "Golden Girl" spokesperson position. If chosen, she will film television commercials and appear in their print ads for a year. Much to Claire's surprise, she's selected as the spokesperson and will work closely with the executive producer's son, Ben Riley, who is the high school heartthrob.

What originally intrigued me to buy Golden Girl (Sweet Dreams, #169) was that it had to do with modeli…

After recommending the book The Stranger You Seek (Keye Street, #1) by Amanda Kyle Williams and it being picked for the book discussion, I was dismayed that almost everyone hated the book. They kept comparing it to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum book series, which I had heard of but never read. Determined to see what it was all about, I bought the first book in the series, One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1).
Was I ever in for a surprise . . . part suspense, part thriller, and part cozy mystery, One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1) was not what I was expecting . . . at all. It was definitely fun and entertaining with a few hokey parts interwoven throughout the book. Some of the character descriptions definitely made me think of the people on the reality show Jersey Shore, which I've never watched, but I do know who some of the stars of the show are (i.e. Snooki). I really liked the main character, Stephanie Plum. And, I definitely found myself liking the character Joe …

Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) by Virginia Vail is a book I bought through ThriftBooks.com in my quest to reread my way through my childhood. I didn't remember much about the Horse Crazy book series except that it was about a sleep away camp specializing in riding horses and that it made me want to go to this particular camp when I was a kid. As I read this third installment of this series, bits and pieces of the book started coming back to me.
Campers at Webster's Country Horse Camp are preparing for their upcoming field day with the campers from Long Branch. The girls from Webster's desperately want to make this year the first time they beat the boys from the rival Long Branch in more than just the horseback riding and mounted events, but everything starts to fall apart when Rachel Orbison, the Thoroughbred's camp counselor, comes down with a stomach virus or the flu and can't coach the Fillies and Thoroughbreds in softball and volleyball.
The major theme in Good S…