The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz, narrator Ari Graynor

Isabel "Izzy" Spellman grew up with parents who are private investigators. She also grew up with an older brother who was perfect. So she decided to become a nosy screw up. That more or less changed when she messed up enough to bother even her brother when she turns 23. Now she's 28 and her sister has been missing for three days. There is a little bit of hopping in time but most of the story is told in chronological order describing her parents, her former cop uncle, and her fourteen-year-old sister who wants nothing more than to be a private investigator. 

This book has actually aged better than I thought.

Four stars

#1 Spellman Series
This book came out January 1, 2007

Followed by Curse of the Spellmans

Audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Murder Under the Mistletoe by Erica Ruth Neubauer, narrator Sarah Zimmerman

Jane is engaged! And she's going home to meet Redvers' family. Well, his father as his mother and brother are both dead. It's quite a shock to find out that his father is engaged as well. To a woman who has had two previous husbands. When Jane and Redvers ask the local doctor about the cause of her last husband's death, he is more than a little abrupt in asking them to leave. 

As the story goes on, Jane meets Redvers aunts and is surprised to see her own aunt as well. There is a death and people's true motives are uncovered. 

A nice book between the others. 

Four stars

Jane Wunderly Mystery #4.5  

Follows Intrigue in Instanbul

Followed by Secrets of a Scottish Isle

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Widows’ Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby

Ginny Cole has been surprised by a lot of things lately. Her husband's death, how much more expensive everything is without him, the fact that she was hired so quickly as a part time librarian in her new home in the village of Little Shaw, the murder of her new, thoroughly dislikeable boss Louisa. 

Because Ginny is the first person in, she is the one to discover the body. And that also gets her pulled in to working with three other widows in Little Shaw to protect Alice, one of the women's daughters. 

I enjoyed this cozy because Ginny did seem well-rounded and actually worked with police and didn't take unnecessary chances. I wish we had gotten to see more of some of the other characters be as built-out as Ginny but there were a number of characters and this was (I'm assuming) a first book in a series. The number of characters also filled in some of the space for the plot so there wasn't a lot of space for this to be a fairly-clued story. 

Three and a half stars

The Widows' Detective Club #1

This book came out March 3, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

You Wanna Be on Top? by Sarah Hartshorne

I didn't pay attention to the subtitle when I reserved this book. I didn't realize this was a memoir and thought this was a history of ANTM. It took me a bit to pivot into enjoying this book, but I was quickly on board. 
Sarah starts her story when she's in college, her friend(s) encouraging her to try out for the show. She walks us through her tryouts with a glimpse into how her own life was edited to make her more interesting for the audience. 

Four stars

This book came out July 8, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

  Opinions are my own

You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate

I've been on a run of celebrity biographies lately and have to say that I enjoyed this one. Applegate talks about most of the things that I think fans would want to know about. There are a number of names redacted and she has memories that she just can't bring to the fore for various reasons but we get to know about this amazing person who has been acting since she was a child. She talks about her childhood, the famous people she's met at various stages of her life, the shows and movies that she was a part of, and how she is dealing with her MS diagnosis. 

Four stars

This book came out March 3, 2026

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death Masks by Jim Butcher with James Marsters (Narrator)

The war between the Red Court and the Council is raging. There is a possible end in sight if Harry will agree to battle mano-a-mano with the vampire's champion. But he still has to make a buck so when a priest from the Vatican is referred to him, Harry is interested. He's shocked to learn that the item that the priest is searching for is the Shroud of Turin. And if those aren't enough, he's pulled into the investigation of a headless, handless corpse. Then, there's the fact that Susan, his ex(?)-girlfriend is back in town.

There was SO MUCH going on in this book. It took me awhile to get into it and I wish we could have seen more of the "problem of the week" that was in this book but there was a lot of time spent on the overarching stories. 

Three stars

Dresden Files #5

Follows Summer Knight

Followed by Blood Rites

This book came out September 3, 2002

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk, Allyson Morgan (Narrator)

The comparisons to an Agatha Christie novel are glaring. It starts with the narrators name, the title that is so close to the 4:50 to Paddington, and a snow storm that stops a train. 

 The narrator had a plan. Well, a couple of plans. Her husband has bought her a ticket to a train that has no cell service. She can ride it to Montrea  and then come home. Plenty of time for Agatha to write the five thousand words needed to follow up her best selling novel. She's going to use it for a different plan that the reader (listener) wont know for most of the book. Agatha purposely chose a seat that wasn't near anyone else. So she's surprised when Finch sits down next to her. He wants her seat and is determined to get it. So, Agatha moves. As she does, she notices that Cyan (sp?), her stalker/ex-something, is also on the train. That  would have been bad enough, but then the train stops. And someone dies.

We go back and forth between the past and the present and see how Agatha got to this place, what her plans really are for the train ride, and why this day is so important for her.

The beginning was a bit slow and the ending didn't make sense with the tone of the rest of the book, but I really enjoyed the middle.

Three stars

This book came out October 28, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher with James Marsters (Narrator)

Harry knows not to mess in the realm of the Fae... now. But he made a promise to his godmother when he was young and she gave that promise to the Winter Queen. The Winter Queen  will release Harry from his promise if he performs three tasks. The first thing is to figure out who killed the Summer night so that the Winter Queen is not blamed.

It's going to be impossible for Harry to do this by himself, but luckily he has made friends and allies (whether he wants to or not.)

Three and a half stars

Dresden Files #4

Follows Grave Peril

Followed by Death Masks

This book came out September 3, 2002

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher, narrator James Marsters

It's about a year after the previous book. Harry has been busier than usual. The ghosts of the city seem to be in a tizzy. And a young woman walks into his office, asking for help. She says she sees visions and that Harry is going to be the reason one outcome occurs versus another. He's been working with Michael, a knight of the Lord. And they'll have to keep working together in order to take down an old enemy who is now walking through their nightmares. 

Three stars

Dresden #3

Follows Fool Moon

Followed by Summer Knight

This book came out September 1, 2001

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher, narrator James Marsters

 Harry is still under a curse, he's still in Chicago, but he's trying harder to find work since his job with the Chicago police force hasn't been as lucrative since the first book in the series. His friend asks him about a particular rune but it's magic far beyond what she can control so Harry refuses to tell her, which is the right thing. But then he's pulled into a series of murders that look like they were committed by something like a wolf. It's bad enough that the FBI is in town to take the case. 

Three stars

The Dresden Files #2 

Follows Storm Front

Followed by Grave Peril

This book came out January 9, 2001

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Invisible Influence by Jonah Berger, Keith Nobbs (Narrator)

I think more people are going to be aware of some of the ideas behind this book, especially after Meryl Streep's speech in The Devil Wears Prada about why Anne Hathaway is wearing her sweater. Berger studied the reasons that we make decisions. This is a very Western-centered (especially American) look at how we make choices whether it's the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, or the beer we order. He also looks at how certain styles and colors cycle in and out of popularity. 

Three stars

This book came out Jun 14, 2016

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally

I picked up this book on a whim, enjoying both the cover and the title. McNally has certainly lived an interesting and varied life including acting, directing, writing, and opening restaurants. I wish we had read more about the restaurants, being in the hospitality industry right now. He also came off as a little to much of a martyr, blaming himself for every relationship in his life that went wrong. He may not have a great personality, and it was mostly a matter of fact recitation rather than self-flagellation but it was still a little tiring.

Four stars

This book came out May 14, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

Lana Lee, twenty-seven, has returned home and has been working for her parents for the last six months. Her parent's restaurant is a part of the "Asian Village." Mr. Feng, the owner of said village, is raising the rent and people are not happy. Since this is a murder mystery, Mr. Feng is the one who ends up dead. Also, since this is a murder mystery, there are any number of suspects as well as a variety of motives.
I finished this book but won't be actively looking to continue the series. Lana actively interferes in investigations, puts both herself and her friends in danger, and withholds evidence. And there's no reason for it! She's not even really a suspect nor is anyone she loves. The victim wasn't someone she loved. I just didn't get why she was invested at all. 

Two and a half stars

Noodle Shop Mystery #1

Followed by Dim Sum of All Fears

This book came out March 27, 2018

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

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

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

Little Bosses Everywhere by Bridget Read

Read goes through the history of MLMs, multi-level-marketing companies. She starts with Rehnburg and Nutrilite, detailing how the man started in business then started branching out to make money off of his salespeople, rather than off the product itself. Rehnberg was just one of the prongs though, it really took off when he met Meidinger and Castleberry, the latter at a Carnegie course. 
From Nutrilite, she goes through the histories of Mary Kay, Holiday Magic, Costcot, and Dare to be Great. 
Read walks us through the different ways these MLMs started, and how they grew. They might start with vitamins or makeup but then morph into self-help and or leadership courses. 
Woven in with these histories are the stories of women who took the MLM pill. Each one had a different reason for joining. All left, disillusioned. 
An in depth look at a number of MLMs and why they are still succeeding today. A good recommendation from NPR's Best Books.

Four stars

This book came out May 6, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

Recent biographies I've led have seemed rather shallow. This, is not one of those. Brady lays out all of her stories and experiences in raw detail, most of it revolving around growing up as someone whose autism went undiagnosed until she was an adult. Even her own family just thought she was an asshole for awhile.

Of course, she grew up in a time when autism wasn't widely diagnosed, and even when it was, it was to a narrow band that she wasn't a part of. After all, as several doctors tell her, she has boyfriends! and can maintain eye contact! and isn't an "unattractive sea monster with no interest in forming meaning ful relationships." Instead, her quirks seem to have gotten her branded as a manic pixie dream girl. But her "quirks" include things like scratching her arms after people touch her and having episodes where she destroys rooms and furniture. Brady is also very up front about using people for housing, attacking someone with a bottle, and her life as a stripper. I wondered about the last as strippers are often touted as having good people skills (and she says several times she doesn't understand social nuance) but she talks about the fact that she was able to do the same routine every night in dim lights. 

There is quite a bit about her time in entertainment as well. I knew her from her season on Taskmaster where she was a bit chaotic but a lot of fun. She talks about that time as a dream job which makes sense because she was allowed, at times, to drop her masking completely.

Highly recommend the audiobook as Brady reads the story herself. 

Four stars

This book came out February 14, 2023

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Likeable Badass by Alison Fragale

Though women often talk about power and money, the author says to manage status first. The others will follow. The likeable badass will be the person who can walk the tightrope between warmth and power. Fragale recommends finding autheic, effective strategies to shape how your customers and coworkers see you. 

One strategy is to manage your status, to mold wahat others think of you. She talks about four quadrants that are made up of warm/cold on one side and assertive/submissive on another.  Women have ofthen been slotted as EITHER assertive or warm, which has lead many of us to believe those are our only options. However, Fragale defines "likeable badass" as being in the  warm/assertive quadrant. The more you show up as warm and assertive, the more value you are percieved to have. 

Interestingly, "powerless" speech (uncertainty) can be seen as "warmer", even though we are often told that we shouldn't self-deprecate or admit weakness. Other tools include humor, choosing the chair at the head of the table, helping others, being aware of verbal/nonverbal behaviors, and smiling. However, she notes several times that no one needs to do all of these things, find what works for you.

A little repetitive but I didn't actually notice until I started to pull together my notes which means that she was able to frame her examples in different enough ways to add the repetition needed to teach people without making it overbearing.

Four stars

This book came out September 3, 2024

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Say Everything by Ione Skye

A pretty deep look into a life many people may believe they already know. There's more introspection in this book than we get in some celebrity memoirs as well as all of the juicy details of her personal life, including the people she's slept with. 

I didn't realize how many things I had watched with Ione Skye in them and that helped draw me in. She definitely had an interesting upbringing and, through some skill, and quite a bit of luck, seems to have avoided the fate of many of the "nepo babies" who she grew up with.

Four stars

This book came out March 4, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver, Samantha Brentmoor, Robert Hatchet

Harper Starling is just trying to live her life. Sure, she's trying to cover up the crimes her elderly landlord committed. And she's trying to stop him from committing any more as he is battling dementia and forgetting which secrets he needs to keep. But she can help him keep them just fine. She just adds them onto her own. Like what she does to ensure her picturesque seaside town stays safe, even from tourists. 

Nolan Rhodes has been searching for Harper Starling, saving her for last. But what is a serial killer to do when he realizes he might be in love with his intended victim? Because she sure isn't acting how he would think she should when he leaves a dead body in her back yard. Well, part of a dead body anyway. 

I hadn't read this author before and didn't realize that the spice level on this one was pretty high. If I had read this as an ebook or hard copy, it probably woulnd't have hit as hard, but listening to it was a little too much for me. Not sure why the gore didn't hit the same way, but an overall fun read. 

Four stars

Seasons of Carnage #1

Followed by Harvest Season

This book came out September 23, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own