Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

May 18, 2026

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

Ship's detective Dorothy Gentleman is back for a new case, this time to solve a supposedly impossible mystery: the appearance of a baby on the interstellar luxury cruise ship the Fairweather. On Old Earth, babies were a common enough occurrence, but all the passengers on the ship have been modified to prevent such an event until they read their final port. So how did this happen, and more importantly, who made it happen? With the ship's limited space and resources, Dorothy needs to solve the mystery and make sure it doesn't happen again.

The second adventure for Dorothy Gentleman, ship's detective on the luxury star liner Fairweather. I love the world that the author is creating and want to know more about life aboard the ship, the passengers, and how they all came together. Also about Ferry, the ship's AI who (sort of) controls everything aboard the ship. Dorothy's nephew Ruthie and his husband John are delightful characters (John is a master mixologist who mixes cocktails that evoke a certain time or place, such as a sunset on a summer evening, which would be nice, since most cocktails evoke poor decisions and regret). A quirky read but in a good way. Looking forward to more Dorothy adventures.

Also, can someone please tell me what port this ship leaves from? I want to book a stateroom right away.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

May 11, 2026

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

Cleopatra never expected to be pharaoh but after the death of her older sister, she became her father's heir. After his early death, Cleopatra became pharaoh, ruling jointly with her half-brother. But she would face almost constant turmoil during her reign, as well as plots to overthrow her from those closest to her.

Most of what we "know" about Cleopatra comes from the writings of Josephus and Cicero, as well as writers who lived under Augustan rule, long after Cleopatra's death. From the start of her reign, Cleopatra was not popular with the Egyptian people, partly because she was a woman and partly because of the turmoil in Egypt at the time, which included famine, climate disasters, financial troubles, attempted coups by her siblings, and ongoing wars. Ruling jointly with first one of her half-brothers, and then her second half-brother, suspicion immediately fell on Cleopatra when both died under mysterious circumstances. Cleopatra was a patron of the arts and literature, tolerant of religious freedom, a capable administrator and commander of Egypt's military, but those contributions are largely ignored, and male historians focus on her love affairs (of which there were only two) and her physical appearance.

I didn't enjoy the writing style here as much as other books that I've read about women from ancient history (such as Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati or Pat Barker's Trojan women trilogy), I think because there was more telling than showing. There is a lot of description about what Cleopatra was wearing. But the eternal mystery surrounding Cleopatra's life will appeal to readers of historical fiction.

Note: there is an archaeologist who has been searching for Cleopatra's tomb for about 20 years. She thinks she has narrowed down the possibilities and is close to locating Cleopatra's resting place.

This is believed to be an actual depiction of Cleopatra from one of the temples. 

Life: a Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

May 7, 2026

Life: a Love Story by Elizabeth Berg

Florence Greene is 92 years old and has just been told that she is terminally ill, with only a few months to live. Widowed and childless, Flo has always known that she will bequeath everything she has to Ruthie, who lived next door while she was growing up. Flo begins to write Ruthie a letter to tell her about some of the things that she saves over the years, things that wouldn't seem important to anyone else, and why. Along the way, Flo also has some life lessons to impart.

A feel-good read about life, friendship, relationships, and forgiveness, and about enjoying your life, even if it isn't perfect (especially when it isn't perfect). Flo's memories are written in sections of a long letter, explaining about the small things that made her life so wonderful, even if someone looking at her life from the outside might not think so, as well as the importance of paying attention to small things. Recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.