The Running Bibliophile

When MJ Boudreaux's husband shows up several hours late for their lunch date to celebrate their anniversary, she realizes that they're drifting apart. Her husband seems more interested in spending time at a Milwaukee casino than with her. MJ decides the perfect way for them to become closer is to take up poker, but her plan isn't working in the way she thought. Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert was given to me as a Christmas present by my mother. When I first started reading this book, I was a bit unsure if I was going to like it or not. However, I ended up really enjoying the story line. It featured topics such as jealousy, infidelity, divorce, friendship, gambling, and alcoholism. At the beginning of the book, MJ admits that she and her husband Chris haven't been on the same page and decides to take matters into her own hands instead of just sitting down and having a conversation with her husband. Some people probably think this is the wrong w...

Oh . . . my . . . god. I don't even know where to begin with my book review of The Shining (The Shining, #1) by Stephen King. The first thought I had when I finished the book was that I definitely needed to re-watch the movie because the book was written so well that it just left me in awe.  I'll be up front . . . I haven't read a lot of Stephen King's books yet because my mom wanted me to be a kid and actually read age appropriate books growing up, so I am a bit behind the eight ball. (I wasn't allowed to read his books when I was in middle school or high school even though other kids at school were reading him.) Now as an adult, I've been slowly but surely reading his books.  The Shining is definitely one of my favorites by him so far.  I have to say that I'm glad that my mom made that decision for me because I can see the reason why. King's books have such adult themes in them that I think I would have had trouble sleeping at night if I had read t...

Love Shack (Ocean City, #2) by Katherine Applegate opens with Grace thinking being on her own would fix all of her problems. Kate is still in love with Justin but worries she can't compete with his ex. Chelsea learns to stand up for herself, but is she ready for someone like Connor? Find out in Katherine Applegate's Love Shack. Since I reread Ocean City (Ocean City, #1) by Katherine Applegate, I decided to continue with the series and picked up Love Shack (Ocean City, #2) . Even though I’ve read this series at least twice before, I honestly didn’t remember much of the story, so revisiting it felt almost like experiencing it for the first time. The central theme in this second installment is alcoholism, portrayed through the character Grace. Applegate illustrates the internal struggles of someone battling addiction ... the relentless craving, the repeated failures, and the realization that true recovery must come from within. Even with the support of others, a person ...

When I was a teenager, one of my favorite authors was Katherine Applegate. Her books were almost always a teen romance or a teen drama that was similar to that of the television show Beverly Hills, 90210 . I was always left with wanting more, which just goes to show you that Katherine Applegate is a talented writer. With that being said, I wanted to see if one of my favorite book series by her stood the test of time, so I picked up my copy of Ocean City (Ocean City, #1) , and I was not disappointed. Kate Quinn and best friend Chelsea Lennox head to Ocean City, Maryland without their parents for the summer for a chance to be on their own before they head off to college in the fall. Things go horribly wrong when their housing falls through. They are forced to rent an expensive five bedroom house with a boathouse on the bay and scramble to find roommates to help with the rent. What I remember thinking when I first read Ocean City (Ocean City, #1) was that all the characters se...