The Running Bibliophile

In the process of rereading books from my childhood, I picked up the book Little Miss Stoneybrook . . . and Dawn (The Baby-Sitters Club, #15) by Ann M. Martin. Typically, I don't care for books that are written about beauty pageants because they don't usually represent them correctly. This book was no exception. One of the reasons I usually take exception to books about pageants is that I participated in them for eleven years (from age 8 through age 19) and have fond memories of them; beauty pageants are usually portrayed in a negative light, especially by those who have never competed in them. After the death of JonBenét Ramsey, beauty pageants were put in more of a negative light. Pageants where contestants wear a lot of makeup started to be referred to as glitz pageants, and many pageants popped up where there was minimal makeup worn. (Yes, I know this book was written pre-JonBenét.)
The events in the beauty pageant weren't exactly represented correctly. There isn…

No Easy Target by Iris Johansen is a stand alone book that mentions characters from the Eve Duncan book series. Margaret Douglas had a troubled youth due to the fact that her father considered her a freak because she could talk to and influence animals utilizing telepathy. Escaping her father, she goes on the run to only be kidnapped and held prisoner by criminal Nicos. After escaping his grasp, Margaret has been on the run again for three years, that is until former CIA operative John Lassiter breaks into her apartment and eventually apprehends her.
This is the third book I've read by author Iris Johansen and by far my favorite so far. It was chosen as a book club read, so I'm not sure if I would have picked up to read on my own, but I am definitely glad I did read it. No Easy Target had a bit of everything in it . . . action, suspense, mystery, fantasy, and romance. It definitely had me on a roller coaster ride as I wasn't exactly sure how it would play out, but I was de…

After You (Me Before You, #2) by JoJo Moyes picks up approximately two years after Me Before You (Me Before You #1) ended. After Louisa Clark spent time abroad, she moves back to England and bought a flat in London. Estranged from her parents and still depressed after Will Traynor's death, she goes to the roof of her building to think and ends up falling off it. After recovering at her parents house, Louisa returns back to her flat in London and finds the surprise of her life.
There was a lot of things that I loved about the book and just a few that I didn't like. I loved the fact that it largely showed how Louisa was struggling with Will's death and was having trouble living life to its fullest. So many people struggle after the loss of a loved one, and it seems like others expect them to be whole again relatively quickly. But, I also wanted to shake Louisa at some points because she so obviously needed help with her depression and wasn't doing anything about it . . .…

The Initiation (The Secret Circle, #1) by L.J. Smith tells the story of Cassie Blake on vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and becomes friends with Portia Bainbridge. When Cassie's mother receives a phone call that her mother is in poor health, she makes the decision that Cassie and she will move to New Salem, Massachusetts to take care of her mother. Intimidated by a new school, Cassie is in awe of a group of teenagers who rule the school where even the adults are afraid of this group.

The Secret Circle trilogy was my introduction to the author L.J. Smith. I immediately fell in love with The Initiation and couldn't wait to read the other two books in the series. Since it was originally published in 1992, it was turned into a television show, and I was ecstatic about the news. However, when the first trailer came out, I was disappointed because many of the characters were nixed, and they changed some huge parts of the series that vastly changed the story, including adding a ch…

Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is about the summer twelve year old Molly, ten year old Michael, and their bratty seven year old stepsister Heather, along with their parents, move into a converted church in the city of Holwell, Maryland. Believing that Holwell is much safer than Baltimore because it is out in the country, Jean and Dave feel it is safe for their kids to play outside and explore their property without constant supervision. But when Heather befriends another little girl named Helen at the cemetery on their property, bad things start to happen.
I first discovered Mary Downing Hahn in the sixth grade when my English class visited the school library to be shown around and to check out a library book. Feeling frustrated that they didn't have any of my go to authors, I began perusing the shelves and came across a book called Time of the Witch by Mary Downing Hahn. Intrigued by the synopsis, I checked the book out from the library, and I was hooke…

L.J. Smith churned out yet another winner with The Strange Power (Dark Visions, #1). It was originally published in 1994 by Archway Paperback. Kaitlyn Fairchild is an out cast in her Ohio town because of her drawings that predict the future. That along with her violet rimmed eyes have made the town called her a witch. When she is presented with the opportunity to attend the Zetes Institute with four other psychic teens, Kaitlyn jumps at the chance for a new start.

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved this book and engrossed from the very first page, even as an adult. I first read The Strange Power (Dark Visions, #1) as a sophomore in high school. It is slightly different from her other trilogies in that it deals with psychics instead of vampires, witches, and/or werewolves. There is a bit of suspense, thriller, mystery, romance, and fantasy throughout. For a young adult book, the characters are very well developed, and the plot moved along very well. There weren't any sl…

On My Own (Changes, #10) is part of a teen romance series that is written by various authors, and none of the books in the series have anything to do with one another. This particular book is written by Janet Quin-Harkin, who wrote quite a bit of teen romance books in the 1980's and 1990's. Actually, as a teen, this is the first book I read in the Changes Romance book series, and I absolutely fell in love with the story and read it so much that the front and back cover as well as the spine started to disintegrate. I taped the book up with clear packing tape to keep it from disintegrating further. As an adult, I wonder if the tape has acid in it and will eat away at it.
Rereading On My Own (Changes, #10) as an adult has given me quite a different perspective from the one I had as a teen and even as a young adult. The main character, Jamie Bolding, is dating a guy named Tom Harding, who is a popular baseball player. In the first fifty or so pages, Tom does nothing but pressure J…

Sneaking Out (Sweet Valley Twins, #5), created by Francine Pascal, picks up after the prior book Choosing Sides (Sweet Valley Twins #4). All anyone at Sweet Valley Middle School can talk about is the upcoming Johnny Buck concert. Yet again, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield's parents believe the twins are too young to go to the concert by themselves. Responsible Elizabeth accepts their decision, but wreck less Jessica will stop at nothing to get her way and attend the concert.
For the most part, I liked this installment of the Sweet Valley Twin series. However, I really disliked how irresponsible Jessica acted all the way around. She takes on a dog sitting job despite being afraid of dogs but pushes the work of on everyone else. On top of that, she sneaks out of the house so she can go to the Johnny Buck concert. It never ceases to amaze me that she never seems to get grounded and that her parents don't see through her antics. I always liked Elizabeth better than Jessica because…