The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

Stephane Breitwieser is one of the most prolific art thieves of recent times (at least who has been found.) But he doesn't steal for money. Instead, he keeps all of the art for himself, to look at.

This book covers his early life as well as his meeting of Anne-Catherine, the woman who opens up his world. Previously, he had not really connected to anyone, but mainly to objects. And it is likely that love of objects that helps to spur on his urge to steal art. He doesn't steal for money, at least not before his jail stint, but for the love of the items. 

He is eventually caught though and, due to the vagaries of the law, is not jailed though he stole millions of dollars. But they are all non-violent so his time is not as long as one might expect. 

The author took some time in building this story, even getting to inteview Breitwieser. 

Four stars

This book came out June 22, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Witches of Honeysuckle House by Liz Parker

Everyone knows about the Caldwell curse and, knowing that this is the 13th year since a Caldwell has been claimed, the town is staying at arm's length. No one wants to get be caught in the splash zone because it's not just the Caldwell's that die, it's the people they love.

In different ways, both Evie and Florence have been trying to stop the curse. Florence has mostly given up magic. Evie is still living in Caldwell house and trying to work off of her mosther's notes. She's raising her daughter. 

We get flashes back to the 1960s when the curse began as well as snippets from the 70s and 90s. 

I liked the idea of this book but it didn't land for me. I made it through and it was fine but also felt like there was a little too much going on. 

Three stars

This book came out October 21, 2025

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Peanuts Treasury by Charles M. Schulz

A huge book of Peanuts comic strips. pages range from four to five strips. It includes the origin stories for the Great Pumpkin, Lucy's psychiatry stand, and the kite-eating tree. We also get the little red-headed girl, little league, and the Christmas program. 

A wonderful book of nostalgia. 

Four and a half stars

This book came out in 1968

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own

The Late-Night Witches by Auralee Wallace with Robyn Maryke

Cassie Beckett lives on Prince Edward Island in a neighborhood she loves. The book opens with her enjoying the quiet of her neighborhood but she does feel a gentle quiet, like she's supposed to be doing something other than all of the other things she does as a mother with three kids who's husband is away with Doctors Without Borders.  Then, her sister Eliza appears with a story about going to battle with a car. There's a lot going on. This is really not the time to find out she's The Chosen One. Well, the thirteenth witch. There's a Big Bad and, if he kills her, she's the thirteenth witch and he can escape the curse her great-great-whatever-grandmother put him  under. 

There was some character development but not a lot. There was also a lot of time hopping and glossing over parts. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 19, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

Sinek first focuses on the Navy and how the leaders eat last. This contributes to the circle of safety that their teams feel. And those circles are important to making sure that teams can survive and thrive. Circles are our relationships, and, if people don't feel like they are in a circle, they become disconnected and disaffected. 

He talks about the fact that leaders are not always the people with the titles of "Being in Charge," and, indeed, ends the book with an admonition for us all to become leaders. 

Sometimes, we follow the people in charge, just because they look like the people who we should be following. But we need to pay attention to our own higher moral authority as well. Sinek explores a number of stories and studies where the people in charge subvert the moral authority and how people reacted. And, while we may follow the strict law of the land, that may not be the same as having a high moral character. He points to the Titanic which knew that the lifeboat laws were going to be updated soon but still set out with only enough for about 1/4 of the people on board.

Like many authors of the time, Sinek falls into a familiar trap; he more or less ignores Generation X. He speaks long about millenials and quite a bit about Boomers, but barely touches on a whole swath of the population. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out January 21, 2014

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood

Willowjean Parker (not the name she was born with) meets Mrs. Pentecost on a fraughte evening when they both almost die. Willow grew up in a small town then moved around frequently with a circus so she hadn't heard of Mrs. Pentecost, the famous detective. But after that night, Mrs. P sought her out and hired her. Three years later, Willow is still working with Mrs. P. They are approached by the Collins twins and their "uncle." Their father committed suicide then, during a party with a seance, their mother is bludgeoned to death. They want to know what is going on. 

Willow and Mrs. P are on the hunt for a murderer and getting pulled into the world of a medium who, past the time when most were moving into the world of tarot readers, is still working with the richest people (including Mrs. Collins.)

The set up very much reminds me of Wolfe and Goodwin with Parker being the legs, though she is not just the muscle, she is very much being trained to take over the agency some day.   

Three and a half stars

Pentecost and Parker #1

This book came out October 27, 2020

Followed by Murder Under Her Skin

Opinions are my own

I Haven't Been Entirely Honest by Miranda Hart

I knew of Miranda Hart from her show, "Miranda," and didn't look to closely at what this book was before requesting it from the library. I didn't realize how much of this would be talking about her illness. I was newly dealing with my own brush with a scary illness and had to take a break from the book for awhile.

She talks a lot about what worked for her in coming to terms with the life she has versus the life she thought she was supposed to lead. Instead, she had to become very introspective, to go into a metaphorical cave to find the treasures of her life. 

As Hart reads the biography, it becomes apparent that many of the most delightful parts of her fictional character are a part of her own true life. Speckled with poetry and suggested dance breaks, this was an interesting story that I may have enjoyed more if I were in a different place in my own life. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 10, 2024

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own