The Running Bibliophile

Looking to challenge yourself in the New Year or get out of your comfort zone when it comes to books? We all look forward to planning what we'll read and new releases in the new year. However, we sometimes get stuck in a rut and need some help on what to read next. Here are twenty-one ways to challenge yourself this year when it comes to reading.   Book Reviewed on TheRunningBibliophile.com Book Published in 2021 Book Based on a True Story Book Written by a LGBTQ Author Book Written by an Asian Author Book Written by a Middle Eastern Author Book About New Year's / New Year's Eve Book About St. Patrick's Day Book About Independence Day Book About Thanksgiving Book About Christmas Book Recommended To You Book Published in the Year You Were Born Book That Takes Place Where You Live Non-Fiction Book About A Celebrity or Politician or Other Famous Person Book Written by an African-American or African Author Book Written by an European Author Book About Valentine...

  The Silent Scream (Nightmare Hall, #1) by Diane Hoh opens with six students arriving at Nightingale Hall dubbed Nightmare Hall, which is their off campus dorm at Salem University. After the students learn the deep, dark secret that another student committed suicide in the dorm, odd things begin happening. Diane Hoh was a very popular author in the 1990's with a slew of books to her name. It seems as though she simply vanished into thin air as I haven't heard of any new books written by her. I'll have to look into what happened to her and why she hasn't continued writing, or if she has continued writing, why I haven't heard of those books. In my attempt to reread my way through my childhood, I picked up The Silent Scream (Nightmare Hall, #1) by Diane Hoh. Since this wasn't a book that I reread a ton as a kid, I really didn't remember too much about the book with a couple of exceptions, and those parts that I did remember, I only remembered when I started ...

Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection by Gordon Ramsay takes a mind-blowing look into the life of Gordon Ramsay. From his tough childhood to his father's alcoholism and brother's heroin addition to a failed soccer career, you'll learn what made Gordon Ramsay the chef he is today. Several years ago, I stumbled on to a reality show on the Fox Network called Hell's Kitchen , which was in the middle of its third season. There was nothing else on television so I wanted to see what this "new" show was all about, and I immediately fell in love with it. Much to my surprise, it had two previous seasons. (I still don't know how I hadn't heard about this show before then.)  From there, I fell in love with the show Kitchen Nightmares , 24 Hours to Hell and Back , and all things Gordon Ramsay. When he came out with his autobiography, Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfe...

Welcome To Junior High (Girl Talk, #1) by L.E. Blair is the first book in the Girl Talk book series taking place in Acorn Falls, Minnesota and featuring the unlikely friendship between four American girls by the names of Sabrina "Sab" Wells, Allison Cloud, Katherine "Katie" Campbell , and Rowena "Randy" Zak. The first edition in this series is told from the point of view of Sabrina Wells, who is excited for the first day of junior high and seventh grade. Everything that can go wrong on the first day of school does . . . along with making an enemy the principal's daughter, Stacy the Great. The Girl Talk book series was one of my favorite book series when I was in middle school, and I was absolutely in love with the board game of the same name. I never put together that they had anything to do with one another until a few years ago. Additionally, I literally just learned was L.E. Blair is a pseudonym used by author Katherine Applegate, who I absolutel...

Scary Stories: More Tales To Chill Your Bones (Scary Stories, #3) written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell is the last edition in the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark book series. This collection of short stories are truly creepy stories, some that were even hair-raising and based off of folklore. As with the prequels, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (Scary Stories, #1) and More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark (Scary Stories, #2) , I reread this edition for nostalgia reasons, to see if it held up to the test of time, and because I saw the movie based on these books in the movie theater. Scary Stories: More Tales To Chill Your bones was better than its predecessors and felt more adult as well. And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the illustrator, Stephen Gammell. His artwork throughout this book is amazing and makes it creepier. Some of my favorite stories that I still found chilling as an adult include The Bus Stop , Faster and Faster , Harold ,...

Mark and Cara Burroughs' parents were late coming home, so they decided to throw a party after school. When their parents still hadn't come home or called that night, the siblings aren't too worried as this is typical behavior of their parents. As the days go by with no contact with their parents, Mark and Cara begin to panic and contact the police. Missing (Fear Street, #4) by R.L. Stine will have you on the edge of your seat to the end. I was excited to reread Missing (Fear Street, #4) in my quest to reread my way through my childhood, especially after The Overnight (Fear Street, #3) by R.L. Stine was such a great book. However, the fourth installment of the Fear Street book series was not one of my favorites.  The biggest issue I had with it was that the first few chapters kept repeating some of the same information over and over. An example of this was reiterating that Mark was the shy, introverted sibling, and Cara was the outgoing sibling that wasn't afraid of...

Nothing bad will happen, right? That's what the members of Shadyside High School's Outdoors Club thought when they decided to go on their overnight camping trip anyways when their club advisor cancelled it. It's all fun and games until Della gets lost in the woods and stumbles across a stranger on Fear Island. When the stranger starts threatening her, Della does the unthinkable, and everyone in the Outdoors Club swears secrecy of what happened. But someone else saw what happened and is sending the members mysterious notes. The Overnight (Fear Street, #3) by R.L. Stine did not disappoint me in my attempt to reread my way through my childhood. I vaguely remembered the storyline as I was reading this book but not enough to remember exactly what happened, so it was like reading it for the first time. When I was a tween and teen, I read the Fear Street books out of order and loved this horror series. As an adult, I'm reading them in order, and I'm seeing connections wi...

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger opens with a commuter train that has stalled and Selena Murphy striking up a conversation with another passenger named Martha. Martha admits that she's having an affair with her boss. Selena confesses that she thinks her husband is having an affair with the nanny. A few days later, Geneva, the nanny, disappears causing Selena's life to fall apart, and Selena begins to wonder just who Martha is. I belong to several book related groups on Facebook, and Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger was recommended by another member. When I read the synopsis on Goodreads.com , I was immediately intrigued and purchased the ebook version from Barnes and Noble Booksellers.  At first, I wasn't sure I would like the book, but I persisted, and I am so glad I did.  The further I got into the story, the better it got, and I absolutely ended up falling in love with this novel, so much so that I want a sequel. The story was told from various different pers...

Recently, I decided to reread The Spellmans Strike Again (The Spellmans, #4) by Lisa Lutz, and it was just as good as I remembered it to be.  Part mystery, part humor, it sucked me in from the get go.  This particular book series is so unlike any other books I've read that I've often wondered how Lisa Lutz came up with the idea for the series.  One day I'll eventually see if I can find out the answer to my musings.   The character development and imagery is so well done that as I read The Spellmans Strike Again , it was like watching a movie in my mind.  I would love for the series to be developed into a movie or television show, but as far as I know, there is no plan for that happening.  I've come to love every character in the series . . . okay, maybe not Harkey, but you get the picture.  They are so endearing, even the ones that have annoying personalities. There isn't one bad thing I can say about this book or any of the others in the series....

Jeopardy in High Heels (High Heels, #12) is the latest installment of the High Heel Mysteries book series. Maddie Springer is thrilled to learn that her hairdresser-to-the-stars stepfather, Fernando, has been selected to appear on a celebrity edition of Jeopardy! But, when another contestant, bagpipe rapper Doggy Z, dies after the taping of the show, a tabloid reporter points the finger at Fernando and threatens to expose his secrets. Gemma Halliday never fails to disappoint, and Jeopardy in High Heels was no exception. From the get go, I was sucked into the storyline and couldn't wait to find out "whodunit". And, I can honestly say that I didn't guess who the killer was, which is refreshing to say the least. I loved that all my favorite characters made an appearance, especially Jack Ramirez, who had a larger part in this edition compared to other books in the series. Even the twins made an appearance, and their characters were more developed. Another thing I enjo...