The Running Bibliophile

Unruly Julie  by Alan Moss  is a children's picture book with an expected publication date of January 28, 2025. This rhyming kids book is about a girl named Julie who gets herself into trouble by being mischievous before finally realizing she wants to behave like a proper little girl. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd. for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Unruly Julie  for free in exchange for my honest review. I found the title and cover of the book to be quite catchy and wanted to see what it was all about, and it didn't disappoint. The content of the story was quite catchy and memorable, and the illustrations were quite fun. The lesson was a passive lesson that I hope children will pick up on as it's an important one. It's just an all around fun book that's appropriate for children between the ages of three and five. Five out of five stars is what I give Unruly Julie  by Alan Moss. This is a first in a series that kid...

Witchycakes #1:  Sweet Magic written by Kara LaReau and illustrated by Ariane Moreira  is a children's picture book for kids between the ages of six and nine with an expected publication date of August 5, 2025. The story is about a magical bakery and a kid named Blue who delivers the baked goods to businesses around town, and they like to help people out. What adventures does Blue help out with? A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for providing me with a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. I loved the synopsis of this book, and I love most anything that involves witches. This is a super cute picture book about a child named Blue that uses the pronouns of they/their. They like to help out people by practicing magic that they've learned. When the magic doesn't always go according to plan, Blue must find other ways to help out. Children will enjoy this heartwarming story. A recipe is included at the end of the book, and paren...

Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop (Beacon Bakeshop, #1)  by Darci Hannah is the first book in the Beacon Bakeshop book series. It opens with the main character, Lindsey Bakeswell, moving to Michigan to open a bakery after she found her fiance Jeffrey Plank in a compromising position with Mia Wong. When opening day finally arrives, it's all going well until Mia dies from sampling one of Lindsey's products. Can Lindsey prove her innocence and be able to reopen her bakery? I loved reading this book and finding out how this series started. It gave me plenty of backstory on each character and how each of them met. Of course, Lindsey is one of my favorite characters along with her dog Wellington. I especially like the love interest named Rory Campbell. Boy is he h-o-t in every way! I want a man in my life that is as cool, calm, and collected as he is, and not to mention super understanding!! * swoon * Lindsey going from being a big wig on Wall Street to deciding to be a baker and owner o...

Everyone This Christmas Has A Secret (Ernest Cunningham, #3)  by Benjamin Stevenson opens with the main character traveling to a magic show prove his ex-wife's innocence in a murder. It involves ruling out the different people in the show. Will Ernest prove that his ex-wife is innocent without ruining things with his fiancé? First and foremost, a big thank you to NetGalley for approving me to read this book. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. The approval for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) came after the book was already published and being busy with the holidays both contributed to the delay of me reading and reviewing the book. The synopsis intrigued me, and I wasn't sure what to expect from this author as I haven't read anything by him before. However, it feels like Benjamin Stevenson is following a step by step guide provided to him in a writing class because the main character keeps mentioning how things should go according to "the norm...

Troop Esme  by Lourdes Heuer and Marissa Valdez  is an illustrated chapter book for young children between the ages of three and eight. It opens with Wendall stopping by Esme's apartment to sell boxes of his Badger Troop Cookies to earn a badge. Esme thinks it would be a great idea to start her own troop called Troop Esme so she can help Wendall achieve his goal. I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Troop Esme  for free in exchange for my honest review. Although I'm not the target audience for this book, I knew I just had to read and review it because my cat that passed away was named Esme. First and foremost, the pacing of the story was fantastic. It keeps the reader engaged and wanting more. Parents, teachers, siblings, etc. won't get bored reading the story for the umpteenth time. The style of writing reminds me of a book called Jellybeans for Breakfast  that I read and loved as a child. Needless to say, I absolutely feel ...

Seven-Year Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries, #2)   by Angela M. Sanders   opens with Sam and Fiona Wilfred, along with their son, moving into Big House next door to the town library. The land Sam sold to a couple to build a retreat on is said to be cursed.  The town librarian, Josie Way, is learning how to use her birthright, witchcraft, through letters her grandmother left her. This lesson has to do with curses. When someone is murdered and Fiona goes missing, the town believes it's the work of Sam's cursed land. Will Josie learn her grandmother's lesson in time to break the curse? Taking place approximately six months after the first book ended, the author does a great job at reintroducing all of the characters and the backstory in the series without being redundant. My favorite character is the main character Josie. She seems like she would a great bff if she was a real person. Her grandmother seems like she would be a cool person as well.  I really wish we kn...

The House On Tradd Street (Tradd Street #1)  by Karen White is the first book in a series about Melanie, a real estate agent, who lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She recently inherited a home in Charleston that's supposedly haunted by ghosts of the past, and she's in the process of renovating it to sell. When an author requests access to the house to investigate it's history, strange things start happening. I found out about this series when the book club I belong to was reading the first book in a spin off of the Tradd Street series. I enjoyed the spin off so much that I had to give this book a whirl. Boy, was I glad that I did because I absolutely loved The House On Tradd Street . Stories that have a bit of paranormal elements in it have always interested me, and I don't mind a little bit of romance either. This book has both of those elements along with a mystery. It was right up my alley.  The book takes place mainly in Charleston, South Carolina, but it al...