The Running Bibliophile

The Hike  by Lucy Clarke is a story of friendship told from four different perspectives of a friend group.  The annual holiday is Liz's choice this year, and hiking a huge mountain in Norway is what was chosen.  Obstacles throughout the trip reveal secrets, leading to the death of one of them.  Who will survive? I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Hike by Lucy Clarke.  She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, so when I was approved to read Clarke's latest novel, I was over the moon with glee.  I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. From the start, The Hike  is extremely engaging, and I had trouble pulling myself away to do normal every day things.  When I wasn't reading it, I found myself thinking about the story and the characters. As a whole, the four main characters were likable but definitely had some traits about them that weren't amiable, just like real life.  I liked the character of Helen

Too Scared To Sleep by Andrew Duplessie is a  collection of short stories along the lines of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark .  Perfect for teens, this collection highlights a QR Code at the end of each story that takes the reader to a short video related to the story. I'd like to thank, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy ARC of Too Scared To Sleep by Andrew Duplessie.  I was intrigued by the synopsis and couldn't wait to read this book.  When I found out I was approved to receive this book for free in exchange for my honest review, I was thrilled. Having a QR Code to scan at the end of each story that enabled the reader see part of the plot acted out was a brilliant idea.  It really made the book.  Since the stories are more mature in nature, I'd definitely say it's geared more towards teens between the ages of thirteen and eighteen years of age.  With that being said, adults might enjoy this collection as well. Four out of five stars is what I gave

Stinetinglers 2 by R.L. Stine is a collection of ten horror short stories based on things that happened to the author and/or his family.  Similar to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Stinetinglers 2 will surely delight kids. Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Stinetinglers 2 by R.L. Stine.  I was thrilled to receive this copy for free in exchange for my honest review as I loved reading this author's Fear Street books growing up. I was delighted with this book because it was super creepy for a kid's book, and it definitely put me in the mood for Halloween.  I loved how many, if not all, the stories ended in a cliffhanger because it lets the readers mind wonder what happened. Four out of five stars is what I gave Stinetinglers 2 by R.L. Stine.  This is a great book for kids eight to twelve years old. Follow Us On Social Media

Halloween Cupcake Murder (Irish Village Mystery, #9.5) by Carlene O'Connor, Carol J. Perry, and Liz Ireland is a collection of three novellas by three different authors, all having to do with Halloween.  I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy of this collection that I received for free in exchange for my honest review. T he first novella in this collection is part of a series and is named Halloween Cupcake Murder (Irish Village Mystery, #9.5) written by Carlene O'Connor .  Tara Meehan owns an architectural salvage yard and in search of new products for her store.  When she receives a cupcake and a cryptic message from a stranger, Tara becomes entwined with an ancient mystery tied to Samhain.  I found this story to be intriguing but a little hard to follow at times, but all in all, I really enjoyed this novella.  It was suspenseful without being scary, and I loved that their was a secret society involved.  It made me want to re-watch the movie The Skulls

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is about Yale classmates and friends, June Haywood and Athena Liu, debuting their novels at the same time with both expecting to become well known authors.  When Athena suddenly dies in front of her friend, June makes a rash decision and steals Athena's manuscript, pawning it off as her own in hopes of attaining some of the fame Athena found.  Will June be caught? This novel was the October selection for the book club I belong to.  Although the synopsis sounded intriguing, I was afraid I was going to be dissatisfied with the direction that the story would take.  My assumption was correct.   June ended up being as unlikable as I thought she would be and literally had no redeeming qualities.  She kept making excuses and trying to rationalize the reason for stealing Athena's manuscript and publishing it as her own.  I kept waiting for her to get caught or reveal what she had done, but neither one really happened, which just made my blood boil. The ending