The Running Bibliophile

This past weekend, I decided my nails were in major need of some TLC . . . tender, loving, care. I went to my local Sally Beauty Supply store and purchased several items including OPI Formaldehyde Free Start to Finish Base Coat, Top Coat, & Strengthener along with some nail polish and a nail file. I couldn't wait to get started on my nails and immediately got to work. First, I filed my nails so they were even and washed my hands off to make sure they were clean of dirt. Then, I applied the OPI Formaldehyde Free Start to Finish Base Coast, Top Coat, and Strengthener and let it dry before applying two coats of nail polish. When the nail polish dried, I applied the OPI Formaldehyde Free Start to Finish Base Coast, Top Coat, and Strengthener again. My nails look a lot prettier, and they definitely feel a lot stronger. Using this OPI product before and after my nail polish has definitely helped in keeping the nail polish from chipping. It also dried a lot quicker than I expected. It

The Doll in the Garden, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is a ghost story about ten year old Kristi and her mother moving into the upstairs apartment of Miss Cooper's house. Miss Cooper is an elderly woman who dislikes children and warns Kristi to stay out of the garden or there would be consequences. When a white cat that casts no shadow appears in the garden and a little girl crying could be heard coming from there, Kristi decides to investigate. I discovered Mary Downing Hahn's books at my middle school library and decided to check one of them out when I couldn't find any books I wanted to check out. The Doll in the Garden was one of the first books I read by Mary Downing Hahn and contributed to my love of reading books in the horror, suspense, and thriller genres. In my quest to reread my way through my childhood, I decided it was time to find out if this story was as good as I remembered. Although I remembered the basic storyline of the book, I didn't recall al

Trail of the Spellmans (The Spellmans, #5) by Lisa Lutz is the fifth installment in the book series about Isabel "Izzy" Spellman and her family of private investigators. For the first time that she remembers, Izzy isn't the "odd man" in the family. Older brother David and younger sister Rae are in an impasse and not speaking to one another. Albert, the dad, is hiding something and has gone to great measures to hide it. And, Izzy's mom, Olivia, has herself booked solid with several new hobbies. Then, Demetrius Merriweather keeps going on first dates without any second dates. On top of this, several of the family cases have become intertwined with each other. Grab yourself a ginger ale and settle yourself down for the ride of a lifetime. I don't know how Lisa Lutz keeps doing it, but each book in this series is better than the last. I love the fact that there are several mysteries going on throughout the book . . . my favorites being the one with the bana

Who doesn't hate the havoc that pollen plays on one's allergies during spring time? Do you have itchy eyes that just won't stop itching like I do? When my allergy medicine doesn't help my itchy eyes, I have to turn to allergy eye drops. I decided to try Naphcon A, which is produced by Alcon. The first time I tried these eye drops, my eyes were itching so badly, I put way too many drops in my eyes, and it caused me to get extremely dizzy. So dizzy that I ended up getting sick. It took me a while before I tried the eye drops again, but can you really blame me? The second time I tried them, I only put two drops into each eye. It did the job, and I didn't get dizzy this time. After several more times of using Naphcon A, it's the only eye drop that I'll buy to relieve my itchy eyes. If you wear contacts, you will need to wait a while before putting them in your eyes as the drops need some time to work fully. The other thing to note is that you should remove your

April Fools by Richie Tankersly Cusick tells a story about three friends - Belinda, Hildy, and Frank - who attend an out of town party that none of them were supposed to be at. On their way home, they are involved in a horrific car accident. They leave the scene and vow never to speak of it again, but then, Belinda starts receiving disturbing pranks, and she is on a mission to find out who is the culprit. This is another book I decided to read on my way rediscovery of my childhood. April Fools is one of the first books I read by Richie Tankersly Cusick and was one of the reasons she was my go to author for young adult horror novels. In rereading this novel as an adult, it has stood the test of time and should be a must read for any kid who loves books in the horror genre. The only references that they may not completely get is the mention of a tape deck in the car and a facsimile, or fax for short. And, although this book falls into the horror genre, it does have some romance elements

As a woman with wavy hair that frizzes horribly whenever the humidity is high, and let's be honest, the humidity is high in the Southeast, I thought I'd try out Naturelle Biotera Anti-Frizz Intense Smoothing Shampoo  and Naturelle Biotera Anti-Frizz Intense Smoothing Conditioner . I purchased my product at a local Sally's Beauty Supply, and they said that if I didn't like the product that I could return it, which is a win win situation for the customer. What I didn't realize until I was using the product is that for the best results, Biotera recommends using not only the shampoo and conditioner but the leave in conditioner as well. Since I didn't buy the leave in conditioner, my review is solely on the shampoo and conditioner. For those of you who don't like a strong scent, then you'll be pleased with the light scent of this product. The aroma has hints of cinnamon apple. Where I love the scent of cinnamon and apple, I personally don't care for the t