diff --git a/src/renderer/html_handlebars/hbs_renderer.rs b/src/renderer/html_handlebars/hbs_renderer.rs
index 5335247d..80226374 100644
--- a/src/renderer/html_handlebars/hbs_renderer.rs
+++ b/src/renderer/html_handlebars/hbs_renderer.rs
@@ -57,20 +57,16 @@ impl HtmlHandlebars {
             bail!(ErrorKind::ReservedFilenameError(path.clone()));
         };
 
-        // Non-lexical lifetimes needed :'(
-        let title: String;
-        {
-            let book_title = ctx
-                .data
-                .get("book_title")
-                .and_then(serde_json::Value::as_str)
-                .unwrap_or("");
+        let book_title = ctx
+            .data
+            .get("book_title")
+            .and_then(serde_json::Value::as_str)
+            .unwrap_or("");
 
-            title = match book_title {
-                "" => ch.name.clone(),
-                _ => ch.name.clone() + " - " + book_title,
-            }
-        }
+        let title = match book_title {
+            "" => ch.name.clone(),
+            _ => ch.name.clone() + " - " + book_title,
+        };
 
         ctx.data.insert("path".to_owned(), json!(path));
         ctx.data.insert("content".to_owned(), json!(content));
diff --git a/src/renderer/mod.rs b/src/renderer/mod.rs
index 59fa8b9e..abe11ba3 100644
--- a/src/renderer/mod.rs
+++ b/src/renderer/mod.rs
@@ -204,18 +204,16 @@ impl Renderer for CmdRenderer {
             Err(e) => return self.handle_render_command_error(ctx, e),
         };
 
-        {
-            let mut stdin = child.stdin.take().expect("Child has stdin");
-            if let Err(e) = serde_json::to_writer(&mut stdin, &ctx) {
-                // Looks like the backend hung up before we could finish
-                // sending it the render context. Log the error and keep going
-                warn!("Error writing the RenderContext to the backend, {}", e);
-            }
-
-            // explicitly close the `stdin` file handle
-            drop(stdin);
+        let mut stdin = child.stdin.take().expect("Child has stdin");
+        if let Err(e) = serde_json::to_writer(&mut stdin, &ctx) {
+            // Looks like the backend hung up before we could finish
+            // sending it the render context. Log the error and keep going
+            warn!("Error writing the RenderContext to the backend, {}", e);
         }
 
+        // explicitly close the `stdin` file handle
+        drop(stdin);
+
         let status = child
             .wait()
             .chain_err(|| "Error waiting for the backend to complete")?;