The Running Bibliophile

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt tells the unlikely but heartwarming story of an octopus named Marcellus and a human, Tova Sullivan, forming an extraordinary friendship. I had the pleasure of reading it as part of my book club’s September discussion, and it quickly became a story I couldn’t stop thinking about. To be honest, I really didn't have any interest in reading this book despite hearing rave reviews about it on Facebook.  There was so much hype about it, and I'm usually disappointed in books that are over-hyped.   Additionally, I just couldn't get past knowing that part of it was told from the perspective of an octopus ... I don't know why it bothered me since Charlotte's Web by E.B. White was told from a pig's perspective, and I loved that book as a child.  However, I had my own preconceived ideas about the book, and I am so glad that I put those ideas aside and gave it a chance.   Told from three different perspectives, the author does...

There are very few books that make me want to stay up all night to finish it, but Harlan Coben's Tell No One was one of the few that made me want to stay up all night. However, I wasn't actually able to do that as I had lunch plans the following day. All I can say is that I am thrilled that this book was chosen for one of the book clubs I belong to. This was my first time ever reading one of Harlan Coben's novels, and I absolutely loved his writing. I was sucked in from page one, and it had twists and turns galore. Like most thrillers, it does follow the typical formula most thriller writers use, so you knew the ending would be somewhat predictable. There really isn't much I can complain about ... except for the last page when you're thrown for yet another twist. I really didn't care for that last minute twist. Other than that I was quite pleased. While reading some of the reviews on Goodreads.com, one of the reviewers said they felt like it hinted at s...

The Lake House by Kate Morton opens in Cornwall, England in the year 1933. Sixteen year old Alice Edevane loves writing and is working on her first novel at her family's lakeside estate. The night of their midsummer's eve party, Alice's eleven month old brother, Theo, vanishes. Present day. London Detective Sadie Sparrow is visiting her grandfather in Cornwall and discovers an abandoned estate frozen in time. Wondering why the house was left to decay, Sparrow starts digging into the history of the estate, revealing secrets long forgotten. When another member of my book club recommended The Lake House by Kate Morton, my first thought was to ask if it had anything to do with the movie starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Thankfully, the two are completely unrelated. When I pulled up the book on Goodreads, I realized it had already been sitting on my "to be read" list. Not your typical thriller, I had some trouble getting into the book but forced myself to co...