Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

 Nurse Amy Leatheran has just finished a position with a nice young family and decides to stay in Iraq with an archaeological dig. Famous archaeologist, Dr. Leidner, is married to a woman who is very stressed out. She is worried that her former husband is coming back to get even with her marrying another man. The only problem? Her former husband died in the war. 

Nurse Leatheran is only there a short time but she sketches a short outline of each of the characters at the dig. It's just too bad that Mrs. Leidner is killed in a locked room manner; there was no way for anyone to get in and out of the dig without being seen so it has to be someone on the inside.

Hercule Poirot #14

Four stars

This book came out July 6, 1936

Follows The ABC Murders

Followed by Cards on the Table

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens by Andrea Penrose

Charlotte and Wrexford are getting married. That means that they are incredibly busy with wedding plans and the social twirl of being a newly engaged couple. It is at one of the parties, one at the Royal Botanic Gardens, that Wrexford is summoned into another room. He has gained a reputation for solving murders and the murdered man's friend is convinced this is not a natural death. Yes, the man had heart problems but the white powder around his mouth points to a different reason for death. 
An old enemy comes back and a new comrade (a cousin of Thomas Jefferson, no less) is made. 
A nice book with a branching into the botanic realm of the time, stepping out of the technical one a little bit. 

Wrexford & Sloan #5

Four stars

This book came out September 28, 2021

Follows Murder at Queen's Landing

Followed by Murder at the Serpentine Bridge

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Atomic Habits by James Clear

A coworker of mine was talking about this book so I picked it up. It was an interesting premise, boiling down to four steps to develop better habits, all of which seem fairly obtainable. Clear also brings up some other ideas that resonated with me. One was the "Plateau of Latent Potential." He mentions that this is a place where you've been working hard for awhile but not seeing any results. But if you keep plugging away, it will seem like you have sudden results.

Another idea that Clear brings up is the idea of systems vs. goals. Goals are what you are trying to achieve, systems are the way that you get to those goals. These are actually MORE important than the goals themselves as they are markers of how you get to what you need to do.

An idea that really hit home for me is that your identity is tied to the things that you do regularly. That means, the best habits are the ones that help you to define your identity. 

The rest of the book (the bulk of the book) is set on defining the four laws (and their inverses): Make it obvious (invisible); make it attractive (unattractive); make it easy (difficult); make it satisfying (unsatisfying.)

These all made a tone of sense and seem like they could be easily actionable. 

Four stars

This book came out October 16, 2018

Borrowed as hard copy from library 

Opinions are my own

A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley

Calladia Cunnington is proud of her physique. She's strong and really quite bad ass. Just because her mother and a former boyfriend tried to break her down doesn't mean that she's willing to listen to them. Plus, there's a hot demon who thinks she's all that. Not that she's going to pay attention since he tried to kill her and all.

Astaroth is gunning for power. He made a bad (demon) bargain and now he's been cast out and turned fully human. He's also lost his memory. Luckily, Calladia has taken pity on him. Unluckily, his major enemy is still gunning for him.

This was an interesting book. I read it because I picked up the third book in the series and thought I should read the first two. I didn't feel like I needed to have read the first book to understand this one. I didn't really like either of the main characters but made it to the end. Two and a half stars rounded up for Goodreads. 

Glimmer Falls #2

Two and a half stars

This book came out November 28, 2023

Follows A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

Followed by A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

My Murder by Katie Williams

I saw this on the Books We Love list for 2023 and thought it looked interesting. We meet Lou who is a clone but who has all the memories of her previous body. As you can imagine, there is some dysmorphia over whether she really is "her" and some exploration of what it means to be yourself.

With four other women, Lou was brought back by the Replication Committee. All five of them were killed by a serial killer whose name is now famous and he is in prison. They are all trying to figure out what it means to have been brought back with all of their memories, with their same faces, but with a gap missing of what actually happened at the end (ascribed to trauma.)

Lou is having problems since the daughter who she wasn't even sure about before she died certainly wants nothing to do with her now that she has returned. She's also struggling in her job which seems to be virtual cuddling (human touch in a virtual age.)

A really interesting book that was a little disturbing a points but overall an interesting read. 

Four stars
This book came out June 6, 2023

Borrowed as hard copy from Library

Opinions are my own

The Witch Is Back by Sophie H. Morgan

Emmaline Bluewater was engaged to Bastian Truenote until the day he ran away. He didn't even leave a note for her, just for his parents. Emma was already known as lesser in their witchy society. Her family isn't prominent and, as a later born child, she doesn't have a lot of power. When he left, it was the lowest point of her life. But it opened the door to letting her escape her overbearing mother.

It's seven years later though and Bastian has just walked back into her life as though he never left. She's not very happy but he's got a hell of a reason- if they don't marry, his mother will die. So she agrees to a marriage in name only, just so that the contract will be fulfilled.

I wish we had seen more about she formed a friendship with Leah and more about how she, Leah, and Tia opened a bar. I also thought it would have been nice to know more about what she and Bastian did for the Exhibition.

Three and a half stars

This book came out 

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

I saw this book on the 2023 NPR Best Books and it was worth the read. It took me some time to appreciate the story as the first week is somehow most of the first half of the story but I ended up being glad I stuck with it. 

Set behind the scenes of an SNL-esque show, we meet Sally Milz, one of the writers. She enjoys her job but is stymied by how her fellow writers (male) keep hooking up with these superstars (female.) In fact, she makes a rule out of it. Everyone laughs. Except Noah Brewster who is a guest on the show. However, the two of them seem to have a connection. But maybe only Sally feels it. Then COVID hits and the two start communicating through email and getting closer without being physically close. Love ensues. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out April 4, 2023

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Heartwishes Edilean by Jude Deveraux

Seriously, what is it with normally good romance authors deciding that it's perfectly okay to write sex scenes without condoms? Would have been a four star book if the characters had decided that they loved each other enough to protect each other rather than just fall into bed because Gemma is on the pill?

Otherwise, really liked her character (hiring a historian instead of an archivist to organize your family papers aside). Devereaux often writes about physically strong women and Gemma is one of them. She isn't necessarily beautiful but she certainly captures the attention of Colin Frazier, a descendant of one of the seven founding families of Edilean. He's super rich (like all good romance heroes?) but works as the local sheriff, and oh, he's a Pied Piper with children.

It might seem a little too good to be true but they'll have to deal with Colin's not-so-ex-girlfriend, many small emergencies, a magical wishing stone, and even an international thief.

Three stars

This book came out August 30, 2011

Follows Scent of Jasmine

Followed by Moonlight in the Morning

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Starlit Winter Nights by Nora Roberts

I hadn't read the Cordina series in awhile and this book reminded me of why. This series didn't age well and this book is definitely a product of its time with Hanna supposedly being a kickass secret undercover agent (we learn this pretty quickly) but she is helpless against Prince Bennett and his ... charms(?).

Bennett is worried about his family. An old enemy is about to be released from from prison and he knows that his family is going to be a target. He is even more worried about the fact that he seems to be falling for a woman who is not his normal type. He usually dates models and striking women but this one is... not. but she's captured his attention.

Lady Hannah Rothchild is drab and tends to be overlooked. That is because she has cultivated that personality. It allows her to melt into the background becoming the perfect bodyguard for people like Princess Eve. She has the background and she has the skills. Hannah is about to take down the Big Bad but is apparently distracted by Bennett and his forceful (emphasis on force...) ways.

Two stars

This book came out October 1, 1987

Follows Command Performance

Followed by Cordina's Crown Jewel

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp

I had read the second book in this series and for about forty percent of this book, I wondered whether I really needed to read this one (I didn't). But then, what made me enjoy the second book finally kicked in. I really like the narrator of this story, Daisy Ellery, who kills men but does so by a certain set of rules (usually.) 

We know that she makes pies and can imbue a little bit of magic. That magic, in a similar vein to "Like Water for Chocolate", can imbue different feelings in people. It can also kill. And she is trying to rid the world of men who don't treat women well. To that end, she has set up a business, "Pies before Guys," that works solely on referrals. Daisy will take care of the men in your life who you need not to be in your life. But she has someone who is not her normal client. It is someone who is closer to her than she ever would have guessed.

For as close as some people are to her in the second book, I don't see those relationships really building in this book but it was a good intro to a series.

Three stars

This book came out May 10, 2022

Followed by A Good Day to Pie

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

Lana Rubicon has gotten used to running her own life as a tight ship. As a powerful real estate agent in LA, she knows that she is at the top of her game. So she's left wondering why she can't quite pick herself up off the floor. When she finds out the answer is brain tumors, she does the unthinkable... she calls her daughter Beth for help.

Almost six months later, Lana is still living with Beth and Beth's daughter Jacqueline (Jack.) This is not the kind of life that she likes to have. She feels weak, she has nothing to do, and no one seems to respect her. So when fifteen-year-old Jack finds a dead body on a kayak tour that she's guiding, Lana springs into action to ensure that the detectives don't look at her granddaughter as a suspect. Plus, it reminds her of the times that she and Beth used to tuck in and watch Columbo on their mother-daughter murder nights.

It took me a bit to get into this book as the beginning didn't quite go in line with what I thought the description had said but I got pulled in and zoomed right through.

Four stars

This book came out September 5, 2023

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Scarlet Nights by Jude Deveraux

Jude Deveraux... light fluff, incredibly enjoyable. Sarah Shaw was introduced in the first Edilean story as the neighbor/cousin who was involved with a man nobody liked. In this story, we find out that the man is actually a maniacal con artist and Mike Newland (the brother of another character from the first novel) has been dispatched to the town to entice Sarah away from her fiancee. 

Not to deep, not a lot of character development and the characters fall into bed WAY too fast, but some great dialogue and I just love the wackinesss.

Three and a half stars
This book came out August 1, 2010

Follows Days of Gold

Followed by The Scent of Jasmine

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Thanksgiving by Sam Sifton

This is a delightful book which, written by the one man turkey helpline for the New York Times, simplifies Thanksgiving for everyone. Whether you've hosted Thanksgiving in the past or this will be your first year, this book is going to help you be ready for the big day. Combining recipes with some of the author's own nostalgia with instructions from before the big day to the end of it, this book is no-nonsense and filled with some rules to break (you can put your for on top of your napkin) and others to definitely follow (NO appetizers.)

Highly enjoyable and definitely worth a read, probably even a re-read.

Five stars

This book came out January 1, 2012

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux

When Miss Edi (short for Edilean) leaves Jocelyn Minton a house, she's shocked. She has never even heard of the town of Edilean and she thought Miss Edi shared everything. Joce grew up with a handyman father who's a little... earthier (not all handymen are unenlightened, not sure why this is supposed to be such a big "social class" difference.) Her mother was genteel so when her mother dies and Joce is left with her father and then her biker stepmom and two bitchy stepsisters, her time with Miss Edi comes as a great relief. The greater shock is that Miss Edi, known (at least to Jocelyn) to be a great prognosticator of relationships (though the example in the book seems to be "I knew they wouldn't last," which, arguably, anyone could say) has told her that the perfect man for her, Ramsay, is in Edilean.

Luke is a grumpy Gus who seems to be hiding a lot. A LOT. But he likes Joce. Is it because she's meant for his cousin Ramsay or just because of her? Who can tell?.

Really two and a half stars but I keep re-reading (PURE fluff) so I rounded up.

Three stars

This book came out March 31, 2009

Followed by Days of Gold

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder by Laurien Berenson

I assume that both Peg and Rose have appeared in Berenson's other series as there are references to both of them having helped solve other mysteries. But in this book, the two are working together, maybe for the first time in decades. Rose wasn't sure about Peg when she married Rose's brother and she made a scene that ensured the two wouldn't have a good relationship. Years later, her brother is dead and Rose is feeling penitent so she invites Peg to a bridge club. We get to meet all of the the other members along with Peg and Rose. It is one of their bridge club that gets murdered in this book. While the police (including a detective that Peg knows and trusts) are investigating, Peg is still going to poke her nose in. That leads to some danger for them both and Peg may not be able to stick around to take care of her prized poodles.

Four stars

This book came out August 20, 2022

Followed by Peg and Rose Stir up Trouble

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Lord of the Privateers by Stephanie Laurens

Eight years ago Roy's Frobisher, the oldest of the children in this series, handfasted with Isobel Carmichael. They spent three blissful weeks together then he told her he had to sail away for a month or two. She had no problem with that, her family also works with ships, but she was upset that he disappeared for over a year and no one would tell her were he was and, of course, he didn't write. When he came to find her, she slammed the door in his face.

Now she's asking him for help getting to Africa. Well, he's going there anyway so, what the hell? It will give him a chance to win her back. And it's pretty easy to do, even with the reveal (REALLY early on in the book) that he's a secret baby daddy.

And that was a major complaint for me in this book. At over 500 pages, you'd think there'd be more romance. But it's more of a "oh, we had a big misunderstanding and it was partially my fault? Okay, lets be adults and figure it out." Major props for that, BTW, no Big Misunderstandings. But, oh dear god, there were still 300 pages. I get that this was wrapping up the series, but there was major shoehorning going on to fit in the rest of the couples from this series, the Black Cobra series, and even the Cynsters.

Three stars
This book came out December 27, 2016

Follows The Daredevil Snared

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Daredevil Snared by Stephanie Laurens

Youngest of four brothers, Captain Caleb Frobisher has been sent into the jungle to discover the whereabouts of a camp that has been stealing English people from a nearby village and putting them to work in the diamond mines. When he is captured, he uses his chance to embed himself in the mine and be able to work from the inside until their back up arrives.

Katherine Fortescue was one of the young ladies captured from the village. She has barely been hanging on to hope but seeing Caleb reignites the spark. Seeing him also ignites a spark of a different kind. Is it possible she has found true love?

A nice addition to the series but several parts could have been cut out.

Three stars

This book came out July 28, 2016

Follows A Buccaneer at Heart

Followed by Lord of the Privateers

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

I only vaguely remember Fizzy as being a side character in a previous book but, dang, is she hilarious. Thirty-seven years old and a romance writer who has known who she is for most of her life, she is in the middle of a bit of writer's block and some decisions about whether where she is in life is where she wants to be. When she's contacted by a producer who thinks she would be great as a "Bachelorette" type main character on a new show he's developing, her first thought is she doesn't want to do it. But when she overhears a conversation (and only gets the tail end), she decides that she will do the show but only under her terms. To start? She's going to parameters around the men she's going to date (the words cinnamon roll may or may not be included.)

Connor's life is changing whether he wants it to or not. He was happy producing documentaries for a small network but now they want a reality show. He happens to see a news story about the DNADuos and thinks that maybe he could do a dating-type show where the audience chooses the match but they see if they can figure out who among the contestants would have been picked by the algorithm.

The two actually saw each other across a crowded bar and were intrigued. But now they are contractually forbidden from fraternizing with each other. However, the more time they spend together, the more they want to stay together.

I really liked Fizzy. Connor was pretty good too but Fizzy is the kind of person who lives their lives authentically and is just a fun person to know. Maybe a touch too much drama for me but overall an enjoyable read.

Four stars

This book came out May 16, 2023

Follows Soulmate Equation

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Bounty by Janet Evanovich, Steve Hamilton

Kate and Nick are helping the Vatican against a thief coming to steal a priceless ring. The thief makes it past all of their safeguards but then takes something else. While chasing him down, the two discover something startling - the thief is Nick's father.

Tracking him down will take them on a whirlwhind race across the globe to find the other pieces of the map which will lead to $30 billion dollars of gold stolen by the Nazis. The problem? The grandson of one of the men who put the map together is after the information as well. 

We get a few new characters who may end up being recurring in Nick's father and his friends. They remind me very much of Jake (Kate's father) and his friends with their knowledge of life and weaponry. A nice addition.

Four stars

This book came out March 23, 2021

Follows The Big Kahuna

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby and hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian

Tempest Raj is settling back into working for her family's construction company. They've just finished a basement for the newly single Lavinia. She's ready to banish the spirit of her ex-husband, Corbin Colt, the famous mystery writer. He's still alive... at least he is at the beginning of the book. 

Lavinia hires Tempest's friend (?) Sanjay to hold a seance. She invites her book club as well as Tempest. Tempest's grandfather also comes along. It is during the seance that a body lands on the table. But... they are in a locked room. Interestingly, the person the police look at as having the most motive is Tempest's grandfather. So it will be up to her to solve the mystery and get her grandfather out of jail before he can cause any more trouble. 

Four stars

This book came out

Follows Under Lock & Skeleton Key

Followed by A Midnight Puzzle

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own