The Power of Regret by Daniel H. Pink

I heard about this book from  NPR's Best Books and thought, "Why not?" I think I'm like most people, that there are things in my life that I regret. But so much of American culture these days encourages us to live life with no regrets. But why? Pink urges us to look at that statement and see that maybe it is incorrect. Maybe we do need to have some regrets. How else will we know how to improve ourselves? But there are ways to avoid regret. . In this book, Pink goes through the four core types of regret and talks about ways that we can avoid foundation, boldness, moral, and connection regrets. It is these regrets that we should focus on when making decisions; in five years, ten. Otherwise, "satisficing" is good enough. To undo regrets, you can apologize or try to undo action regrets or "at least it". For both action and inaction, practice self-compassion, normalize (zoom out several years), or try to work through them whether by talking with others or writing it down somewhere.

Three and a half stars

This book came out February 1, 2022

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot, famously not good at river travel, takes to the air in this book. And it's a lovely glimpse into history as we see stewards serving full teas with actual tea cups. Unfortunately, not everyone completes the trip alive. An older woman is discovered to be dead, potentially from a wasp sting (one was flying around the cabin) but Poirot thinks it's something different. 

A large part of this book is other characters, Jean Dupont and Norman Gale, trying to solve the murder themselves. The overall solution is similar to other twists in Christie stories but the story (minus the casual racism that occurred in the '30s) is overall a fine read.

Four stars

This book came out March 10, 1935

Follows Three Act Tragedy

Followed by The ABC Murders

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Back in a Spell by Lana Harper

Nineve "Nina" Blackmoore is having some really bad luck at the moment. First, she's been dumped. Second, her family is known as being kind of the "bad guys" around town which is severely hindering her love life as she tries to jump back in the dating pool. Third, her magic is acting really weird. Like, way overreacting to any spells she tries to cast. And the dreams... Plus she seems to be witchbound (married) to a guy that her friend picked off a dating application. 

Morty isn't sure what's going on. First, his date ends up being the lawyer whose family sent a whole bunch of letters trying to buy his family bar. Then, he woke up and had magic. Like, real magic. What the heck? Only Nina will know the answer but he's not sure he wants to be near her. Yet he can't stay away. Is she really a black-hearted witch like the rest of her family?

I wish we had gotten to see more of Morty and Nina's relationship. It went from "I think I should hate you" to "Let's hang out forever" really, really fast. There was a lot of plot movement for the series but I wish we had seen more for them.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 10, 2023

Follows From Bad to Cursed

Followed by In Charm's Way

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

The Spare Man Mary Robinette Kowal

I've really enjoyed Kowal's books in the past and, upon hearing that this was like a sci-fi version of The Thin Man, immediately reserved the book from my local library. And this is like the movie (the book didn't have as much comedy) in that you have now "retired" detective who has married an heiress. In this book, we get more from the wife since the book is told from her point of view.

Tesla and her new husband are on a planetary cruise when a murder occurs. Though she is recognizable to the point of creating a horde, she has been able to fly under the radar to this point. The ship's security is less than stellar and, not knowing who she is, immediately pin their gaze on her husband as the guilty party. Tesla is less than impressed and decides (against her attorney's direct orders) to investigate herself. How else is her husband supposed to be freed?

This book is good but it is very much the first in a series and there is a lot of world-building. I do hope there are more in the series though as I have enjoyed Kowal's characters in the past and I think this book will improve when there are more books in the series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 22, 2023

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Murder on the Golden Arrow by Magda Alexander

Apparently Kindle Unlimited has decided that I enjoyed one book about a privileged young lady solving murders in the early 1900s so it will recommend ALL of the series about privileged young ladies solving murders. This one is a little different in that the heroine is neither aristocracy nor an orphan but it follows much the same lines.

Kitty Worthington is a socialite and, though she has just finished a year in finishing school, she has little interest in marriage.  Her brother Ned has come to retrieve her as well as further some of her father's business interests but now they are on their way home. On the way, they encounter a woman, Rose Trevvyan, who is a part of Ned's past, one he'd rather not see again. Later, Kitty overhears the woman talking to her husband; Rose is planning on blackmailing Ned but her husband, Jack, is reluctant.

They, along with a motley crew of characters, board The Golden Arrow. Along the way, Rose gets very sick and falls dead, poisoned. Nearly everyone on the deck had a connection to Rose and almost everyone had the opportunity to get poison into her system. The police seem inclined to pin the murder on Ned but Kitty, an inveterate reader of Agatha Christie, has other ideas.

Going to be honest, some of these series are starting to run together in some ways but I did enjoy this book and am immediately going to return it and read the next in the series. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 21, 2021

Followed by Murder at Westminster

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

A Gentleman's Honor by Stephanie Laurens

Alicia and her sister, Adriana, have made a desperate bid to save their family. After their parents died, they were left with their three brothers. So they're using the last of their fortune for Alicia, masquerading as a widow, to bring her sister out into society. Hopefully Adriana's good looks will allow her to marry well (and  hopefully for love) and support the rest of them. 

Too bad Mr. Ruskin has attached himself to Alicia. And especially bad that, after a somewhat public argument, Alicia is found over his dead body.

Luckily, Tony Blake, Viscount Torrington, is the first to find her. He can immediately tell that she is not the killer in this situation. He is also immediately intrigued by Alicia. So now she has to balance the fact that she is falling in love with this man with the fact that she is supposed to be a widow in the know about how live (and physical love) work. Oh, and there's the tiny matter that someone seems to be working behind the scenes to make society believe that Alicia is a murderer.

Not my favorite in this series but not a bad book at all. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out in 2003

Follows The Lady Chosen

Followed by A Lady of His Own

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

This is one of Agatha Christie's stories that isn't part of one of her series. In this book, the narrator, Charles Haward, has fallen in love with a beautiful young woman. Sophia Leonides is part of an interesting family though; her grandfather, unlike most people, has made a great deal of money during the war. His family almost all live with him in a great mansion. Also living with them? His very young wife as well as the grandchildren's tutor who wasn't fit for the war. 

Sophia's grandfather dies suddenly and it is a case of poisoning. While most of the family seems to believe it is the very young wife and the tutor, Charles' father (the lead on the case) isn't as sure and conscripts Charles to find out more. 

The ending is like no other in the Christie catalog and probably shocked a number of readers when it came out. An enjoyable read, this fairly short book could have been maybe even a little shorter but was still fun to get through. 

Four stars

This book came out in 1949

Borrowed as ebook from Liby

Opinions are my own