The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, Frederick Davidson

The audiobook of an inauspicious Catholic priest who goes up against some of the most criminally minded men in the world (and comes out on top) is just as good as reading the stories. I've read these stories several times now and each reading is better than the last. You have Father Brown thwarting the notorious Flambeau by creating chaos in his wake. Then Flambeau changes sides and becomes a detective, one who Father Brown often assists such as in the case of the man who worships Apollo and a headless body at a dinner party. Interesting stories that are often fairly clued.

Four stars

This book came out 1911

Followed by The Wisdom of Father Brown

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible

Opinions are my own

The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

As good as the rest of the Buchanan,etc. books. Not sure how the main characters fit in except that Max is FBI. My biggest beef with this book was the two sets of people trying to kill Ellie. Neither story got developed as well as it could have been done. I know Garwood needed a reason for Max to follow Ellie home (to her sister's wedding, the one that's marrying Ellie's ex-fiancee, the fiancee who cheated with said sister one night after meeting her, which Ellie is having trouble forgiving), but it seems like a little bit of a rehash of Theo's story with protecting the super-smart prodigy doctor. I really enjoyed the book and skimmed through it a lot faster than a lot of the other books I've been reading lately.

Three stars

This book came out January 1st, 2011

Follows Sizzle

Followed by Sweet Talk

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Under Dog and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

A series of short stories featuring the amazing Hercule Poirot, the first few stories are better than the later ones. 

The Under Dog 

An older gentleman is killed in his home office. His wife is convinced it was the secretary but why would he do it? Poirot is not convinced but he is willing to go and see the problem 

The Plymouth Express 

A wealthy woman is found dead on a train. Is it possible her husband, the one she was separated from, killed her before they could be divorced? Her father wants answers and he wants Poirot to find them. 

The Affair at the Victory Ball 

The Victory Ball is supposed to be a time of celebration but one man, a collector of statues, was killed by a knife and his paramour is dead of a cocaine overdose. At a party where everyone was in costume, how can Poirot suss out the killer? 

The Market Basing Mystery 

It's a holiday in the country for Japp, Hastings, and Poirot. But a local constable recognizes Japp and asks for help. A gentleman appears to have committed suicide but the doctor says it's physically impossible. A couple recently came to visit; is it possible their threats of blackmail have driven the man to kill himself? Or was it murder? 

The Lemesurier Inheritance 

A young man is terrified by the death of his father. His cousin tells Poirot and Hastings that the family has a curse wherein the firstborn of every generation is slated to die. Now the young man's older son has had several near-death incidents. It will be up to Poirot to save the boy's life. 

The Cornish Mystery Mrs. Pengelley is afraid her husband is poisoning her. She goes to Poirot for help but by the time he gets to her home, she is already dead. The husband is in jail but Poirot suspects that there may be more to the story. 

  The King of Clubs A famous dancer stumbles into a drawing room gasping the word "Murder." A nearby lord has been found dead. The family she burst in on is perfectly respectable but is everything as it appears? 

The Submarine Plans 

A spy is invited into the home where the plans for a new submarine are being housed. When the plans disappear, she is the obvious suspect. Did her maid, who screamed on the steps, have something to do with it? 

The Adventure of the Clapham Cook 

Eliza Dunn, a perfectly good cook, has walked out of her situation. Her lady, Mrs. Todd, wants to know why. It leads Poirot to discovering the perpetrator of a bank fraud.

Three stars

This book came out in 1951

Follows Three Blind Mice

Followed by Mrs. McGinty's Dead

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau

Nick Wong left Mosquito Bay and never looked back. He really likes living in Toronto. It's here that a woman just propositioned him for a one night stand. It's just too bad that he's still thinking about that night. And even worse, she's showed up at his family's Thanksgiving dinner... as his brother's date. 

Lily Tseng is not a risk taker. Not until the night she spends with Nick Wong. When she sees him at Thanksgiving, she's intrigued. He was supposed to be one aberration but he still looks so good. And when they're caught by his grandmother making out... 

This is a fast, fun, and fluffy story. It's not long but it was fun. 

Four stars

This book came out October 8th, 2019

Followed by A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas

Borrowed as Kindle Unlimited book

Opinions are my own

The Mind of the Leader by Rasmus Hougaard

I read this book for work and think that it will work well for me. However, this book is very geared toward "mindfulness" i.e. there are a lot of exercises that ask you to stop, take a moment, and listen to what your brain is saying. This may turn some other people off. 

Mindfulness - makes sure your people are seen and heard; in one survey, making sure that you were present for your team was the most important part of being a leader (not on the phone, not on email, not letting your mind wander)

Selflessness - give people space to develop; Leaders who take blame and pass on praise have employees who will take risks and be creative

Compassion- be able to have the hard conversations when needed; be able to have compassion for self as well as for your team; be able to handle the highs and the lows of life and the job, to acknowledge but then let go of mistakes; be able to understand other people's viewpoints without taking on their emotions

We need to make sure that, as leaders, we are not in a bubble -- we do not have so many people who are catering to us that we think that everything is going fine.

Look for unconscious biases -- use the beginner's mind

Four stars

This book came out March 13th, 2018

Borrowed as audibook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Having Wonderful Crime by Craig Rice

John J. Malone has joined Jake and Helene Justus on a trip to New York. They are having a night of drinking and pick up a fourth man. They found him blind drunk in the lobby of their hotel. When they wake up in the morning, they discover the man is on his honeymoon. Shortly after that they find out the man's wife has been murdered in their bedroom. Helene immediately decides the man must be innocent and tries to get Malone interested. He is not. He wants to go back to Chicago. Too bad he's not going to get his wish.

Jake is also wanting to solve the mystery but for his own sake. He's trying to sell a mystery novel but the publisher in New York, unaware of his entanglements with such things back in the Midwest, aren't impressed. His strange behavior is making Helene wonder exactly what is going on.

With the usual banter and pratfalls, this book is a delight. The vague homophobia and other stereotypes are not as egregious as some books of the time but nonetheless are jarring in the present day.

Four stars

This book came out in 1943

Follows Big Midget Murders

Followed by Lucky Stiff

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Say You'll Stay by Susan Mallery

Shaye Harper lost both her parents and then discovered that her boyfriend was using her all in a short amount of time. So she did what anyone else who had sold their home to follow said stinker to LA, she took off on a road trip. Now she's in Wishing Tree, Washington wondering why so many people are running around with antlers in July.

Lawson Easley is back in town after being deployed. He is happy to stay in Wishing Tree; it's where he grew up and where he feels at home. Wanting to stay in the small town is the reason his last relationship broke up so, while he's attracted to the stranger, he's feeling cautious. Even when Shaye picks up a job to stay in town, he's not sure it's a relationship that will work out.

Of course, it does (this is a romance) but it's all wrapped up very quickly. It's a novella so we can't expect much but it would have been nice to get a little bit more than the characters suddenly realizing everything would be okay without any more information than that.

Three stars

This novella came out July 1st, 2021

Followed by The Christmas Wedding Guest

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own