The Running Bibliophile

Several years ago, I saw a commercial on the Lifetime Channel advertising a reality show about dancers and their moms called Dance Moms , and I was intrigued by it. So, I made sure to watch it when it came on, and I loved the show. I didn't even realize at first that I was watching the second season! (That's what I get for not having cable for a couple of years.) Chloe Lukasiak became my favorite dancer on the show because she was the underdog, and her mom, Christy Lukasiak was one of my favorite moms; the other moms that were my favorites were Holly Frazier and Jessalyn Siwa. Fast forward to 2018 . . . I heard that Chloe had published her first book called Girl on Pointe . Since I loved Dance Moms so much, I decided to support Chloe by buying her book, especially since I felt like she was the underdog on the show. I finally made time to read her book this year. I enjoyed reading Girl on Pointe because it gave some insight to Chloe's time on Dance Moms that I m...

Incredulously funny and clever, Revenge of the Spellmans (The Spellmans, #3)  by Lisa Lutz continues the story of dysfunctional family of the Spellmans. Isabel "Izzy" Spellman has taken a break from her parents' private investigation firm and started working as a bartender at her favorite bar, The Philosopher's Club. When her boss, Milo, introduces her to a patron looking for a private investigator that is affordable, Milo expects Izzy to take the case. When Izzy isn't working at the bar or on the case, she is attending court ordered therapy. To top things off, her personal life is falling apart. This is a book series that just gets better as it goes and one that I am revisiting. Lisa Lutz is such a talented author. Although Revenge of the Spellmans is a mystery, it doesn't follow the normal formula that other mystery writers follow. One of the unique items of the book is that there are footnotes that further explain parts of the book and gives more...

Rachel Caine did it again with Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake, #4) . I was immediately engulfed in Gwen Proctor's world of being on the run. Like the previous installment, Bitter Falls is narrated by the main four characters . . . Gwen, Sam, Lanny, and Connor, and it definitely flows better than Wolfhunter River (Stillhouse Lake, #3) . Although, I am still partial to Gwen's narration, it is refreshing to hear the voices of the other characters and understand their inner dialogue. Something I thoroughly enjoyed was the continuation of a couple of the characters from Wolfhunter River into Bitter Falls , namely Vera "Vee" Crockett. I expect to see her in at least one more book of the Stillhouse Lake book series.  The action packed fourth installment was so heart pounding good, that I had to force myself to put the book down as to not rush through and really enjoy the book. However, I stayed up entirely too late last night so I could finish Bitter Falls (Still...

The Witches by Roald Dahl: Honest Book Review, Themes, and Movie Comparison If you grew up loving spooky stories, there’s a good chance you remember the 1990 film The Witches . Recently, I found myself thinking about that movie again, and it led me down a nostalgic rabbit hole that ended with me finally reading the book for the first time. The first time I watched this movie was in middle school after renting it from a video store for a slumber party. I remember being completely terrified. So terrified, in fact, that I made my dad sit down and watch it with me and my friends. That reaction was unusual for me, especially since I’ve been watching horror movies since I was seven years old, starting with Poltergeist . For years, I thought The Witches was just a movie. I had no idea it was based on a novel by Roald Dahl. Somehow, I missed his books entirely as a child ... something I still find surprising. So reading The Witches as an adult felt both nostalgic and eye-opening. Quick ...

To say I was excited about Stephen King's newest book, The Institute , coming out last year is an understatement. However, I wasn't sure I wanted to pay full price for a brand new book, but while shopping at BJ's Wholesale Club, they were selling The Institute for under $16.00, so it was an easy decision that I should buy a copy. Although I was super excited about this book, I needed to wait a bit to read it because I was reading another of King's books. There were a few things that I loved right off about The Institute . Since most of Stephen King's books take place in the Northeast, at least that is the impression I've gotten from the books I've read by him so far, I was extremely surprised that several cities in the Southeast were mentioned. The one I loved the most was the mention of Marietta, Georgia, which is where I grew up. It's in the Metropolitan Atlanta area, so it isn't some small town, but unless you live in Georgia, you've ...

The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories by Carolyn Keene is a book series that my mom introduced to me in middle school. I remember falling in love with it immediately, so as part of my quest to read my way through my childhood, I had to reread it again. Of course, I started with the first book in the series, The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, #1) . There were a few things that ran through my mind reading it as an adult that I know I didn't think of as a child.  Most importantly, this book was originally published in May 1930, and I didn't give it a second thought that cars were still relatively new in the United States and that it was highly unlikely that an eighteen year old would have their own car let alone a convertible. What surprised me the most is that at least the first book had been rewritten since its original publication date. So, I have purchased a copy of what is supposed to be the original story through ThriftBooks.com. I am hopeful that it re...

A while ago, I was browsing books on ThriftBooks.com and came across the children's book There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar. Seeing this book brought back a flood of memories from middle school. This book was originally recommended to me by a friend when we were in the sixth grade and remember absolutely loving it. So, it went without saying that I had to buy this book and reread it. Not remembering much of anything, it was like reading There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom for the first time. The main character, Bradley Chalkers, is the kid that no one likes, including teachers. Other students think he's weird and a bully; teachers think he's unruly and destructive. It's actually a very heartbreaking story about a boy that is misunderstood and has distanced himself from his peers and has given up on life in general. There are so many life lessons that can be learned in this book that both children and adults can benefit from learni...