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

A Ghastly Catastrophe by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica and Stoker are itching for a new adventure. When Mornaday comes to them with the story of a man who read a note and then jumped out of a window. This story leads them to cemeteries, vampires, a cult, and a crossover.

This is a lovely addition to the series. Not much character development but lots of atmosphere and an interesting story. 

Four stars

This book comes out March 3, 2026

Veronica Speedwell #10

Follows 
A Grave Robbery

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own