All of the endearing characters are back for this latest installment in the "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series, "The Big Cats Dance Party." The cases, as always, are intriguing and test the detectives and their implementation of the rules in the "Principles of Modern Detection," the book they refer to in order to be the best detectives they can. In this new adventure, the owner of an elephant rescue charity has somehow made an enemy. Someone is spreading false information and rumors and generally trying to get the charity shut down. Who would be opposed to helping orphaned baby elephants? Mma Ramotswe, founder and chief detective, and Mma Makutsi, partner and co-chief detective (in her mind, anyway), must travel to the area where the elephant rescue operates in order to ask questions. This involves a trip of many hours in Mma Ramotswe's beloved, yet mechanically unreliable, Tiny White Van. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, Botswana's best mechanic and Mma Ramotswe's husband, is alarmed by the plan and instead persuades the ladies to let him drive them in his newer vehicle. They agree, but this creates a problem. With the two main employees of the detective agency away, that means the business will be left in the hands of Assistant Detective and part-time Apprentice Mechanic, Charlie. What Charlie lacks in common sense and experience is more than offset by his enthusiasm for the job. On the bright side, Mma Makutsi promises not to say, "I told you so" if this plan ends in disaster. Charlie has another case to work on. A businessman who operates many different types of businesses is concerned that one of them, a car wash, is making too much money. Everyone at the detective agency fails to see how this is a problem, but they agree to take on the case. Before Charlie can get started on the investigation, he makes a rash decision on behalf of the agency which might end his fledgling detective career.

As usual, the story is filled with many wise sayings from Mma Ramotswe and plenty of love for Botswana. Even the feud between Mma Makutsi and Charlie seems to be easing a bit, although the evil Violet Sepotho is still the enemy of all. I always feel a bit sad when finishing one of the books in this delightful series and can't wait for the next outing with these kind and endearing characters.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. The Big Cats Dance Party will be published on Sept. 15, 2026.

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There had been a day when you could reverse into things

Mma Ramotswe and her friends are back solving problems big and small in the latest visit to Botswana and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  The book begins with Mma Makutsi, partner in the firm, suddenly ordering stationery, name plates, and office upgrades which make it seem SHE is in charge of the first detective firm run by ladies in that country.  Mma Ramotswe, the founder and force behind the company, is alarmed but decides to see where all this is going before confronting her friend about the situation.

The orphan farm, run by the well-known and beloved Mma Potokwane, gets a new bookkeeper in the form of a young woman named Patience. It turns out that Patience, like Mma Makutsi, comes from the village of Bobonong.  Since everyone knows everyone there, the two ladies are acquainted with each other and happy to reconnect in the relatively cosmopolitan city of Gabarone.  While catching up, Patience reveals that she has moved to town with her 14-year-old son because she was escaping a bad relationship but has fortunately met a very nice man.  Her son, however, is making all of their lives difficult with his surly behavior.  Mma Ramotswe may just have a plan to solve the problem . . .

At the same time, Mma Makutsi's husband, Phuti Radiphuti, is also facing worrying times.  His furniture store is being undercut by a new, flashy furniture company in town.  While they don't sell the same type of furniture, exactly (the new store places more worth on style than comfort), Phuti's business is in serious decline.  It doesn't help matters when everyone's nemesis, the glamorous but evil Violet Sephotho is hired to be a model and CELEBRITY OPINION FORMER for the rival company.  But once again, Mma Ramotswe can outmaneuver dirty business tricks with her own brand of wholesome revenge.

It is a pleasure to revisit all the characters and to find them pretty much the same as always:  Mma Ramotswe enjoying red bush tea, Mma Makutsi and Charlie, the apprentice detective, sniping away at each other, Violet up to her old tricks, and Mma Potokwane baking and eating her fruitcake.  It is lovely to step into their gentle and kind world and to know that everything will work out in the end, and the reader will have an enjoyable journey getting there!

I received a copy of A Song of Comfortable Chairs from NetGalley 

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Who are these people anyway?

 

I'm always thrilled to see there's a new No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency adventure.  Stepping into Botswana and into the gentle world of Mma Ramotswe is such a pleasure.  This new adventure features all the favorites (except we don't see much of part-time assistant detective Charlie, as he's on paternity leave).  The various problems facing detectives Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are as perplexing and heartbreaking as usual:  a man who fears his father's caretaker has exercised undue influence to get the will re-written in the caretaker's favor and a new arrival at the Orphan Farm who claims she had been held as a slave and other children were still there.  The detectives must use their unconventional methods to learn more about the situation and to solve the problems as only they can.

The main story running through the book, however, concerns Mr. JLB Matekoni and his apparent "male menopause."  After being persuaded to attend a conference and networking event for small businesses, Mr. JLB Matekoni encounters an old school friend who seems to have become very successful.  While previously happy enough with his life and small garage, the friend persuades Mr. JLB Matekoni that he should invest in a new business opportunity: a bus company.  Suddenly, Mr. JLB Matekoni becomes excited in a way he hasn't felt in a long time.  He begins to see the possibilities of expanding his business holdings and living up to a potential he didn't know he had.  Unfortunately, he doesn't have an unlimited supply of pula just lying around, so he uses the only asset he has:  he's going to take a loan on the building that houses not only Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, but also the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  Although those around Mr. JLB Matekoni are dubious about his new plans, when the man from the bank arrives to value the property and gives his dismissive evaluation, the alarm bells really start to ring.

While I always enjoy reading the adventures of these characters, this book left me with a decidedly uneasy feeling.  Everyone seemed to be plotting and scheming behind Mr. JLB Matekoni to ensure he would not be able to invest in this new business.  While he wouldn't be the only one affected if the business did fail, it was very discouraging to see that absolutely no one supported him in this venture.  In the same manner, the case the lady detectives were investigating about the will and the undue influence also seemed to go in an unpleasant and unprofessional direction.  Another book I recently read talked about fanfiction characters behaving "OOC" (out of character) and it seemed to me that most of the people in this new book were OOC.  I can imagine it can be difficult to come up with new situations and dimensions for the characters to grow, but this felt as if every character (except the reliable Mma Makutsi) had gotten a personality transplant.  I didn't recognize them.  I hope the next book will have everyone back to their old selves, even if that means not a lot happens.

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My tongue has some more things to say

Fans of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency will be happy to see there are new adventures for the hardworking sleuths in The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine.  The detective agency is pretty much in the same spot where we left it: co-managers Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi, and assistant Charlie are waiting in the office for clients to appear while drinking endless pots of red bush tea.

All this changes, however, when Mma Makutsi gets it into her head that Mma Ramotswe needs a vacation.  It's never easy to argue with her, and when Mr. JLB Matekoni, Mma Ramotswe's husband, endorses the plan, there seems to be no option but to take time off.  Luckily, Mr. Polopetsi, who teaches part-time at the local high school, is called upon to fill in during Mma Ramotswe's absence.

Soon this enforced leisure begins to take its toll on Mma Ramotswe.  Just why, she wonders, was Mma Makutsi so insistent that she remove herself from the office?  Is she planning a takeover of some sort?  This seems unlikely, as Mma Makutsi is already a partner and is married to the successful furniture store owner Phuti Radiphuti.  Still, the whole thing doesn't sit well . . .

The opportunity for dropping by to check on things crops up, and her visit to the office does nothing to calm Mma Ramotswe's fears.  Mma Makutsi seems to be acting in a rather strange and secretive manner, although she insists nothing is wrong and she has everything under control.  Luckily, Mr. Polopetsi contacts her with a plea for help, and that gives Mma Ramotswe the opening she needs to immerse herself in the current case, which involves trying to find out if there is any scandal attached to a Mr. Government Keboneng, who is recently late.  The case seems a little complicated, so why would Mma Makutsi pawn it off on the relatively inexperienced Mr. Polopetsi?

At the same time, the evil Violet Sephotho makes an appearance as she tries to steal some of Mma Ramotswe's thunder by opening the No. 1 Ladies' College of Secretarial and Business Studies -- a development that offends Mma Makutsi as well (as a proud graduate of the Botswana Secretarial College).  And the tiny white van is still going strong, although, as usual, it suffers some injuries in the course of the adventures of its driver.

As always, it's wonderful to take a step back and enjoy a visit with the beloved cast of characters in Zebra Drive and Tlokweng Road.  The people are friendly, their manners polite, and there's no problem so big that can't be solved over a cup of red bush tea and a slice of fruitcake.  I'm anxiously awaiting the next adventures of the No. 1 Detectives!

Final Verdict for The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine:  Four Gherkins, for being a pleasant trip to visit old friends

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A general air of having come from Bobonong

Mma Ramotswe and her friends are back in the 15th installment of the adventures of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This time, people are branching out into new careers in The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe.

The detective agency is still attracting new clients.  In this book, Mma Ramotswe and her co-director, Mma Makutsi are approached by a man and his sister to help them get to the bottom of a mystery.  They are part of the Indian community in Gaborone, and an Indian lady they do not know has come to their house and claims to have amnesia.  They want to help her, but have no idea where to begin.  The immigration authorities are becoming impatient with this person who has no papers, and therefore, a somewhat dubious claim to be allowed to remain in the country.  How will they get to the bottom of this mystery?

Luckily, they have a new employee who can help them with surveillance.  Charlie, the apprentice mechanic who can never pass the exams to finish his apprenticeship, has been let go by Mr. JLB Matekone.  The garage isn't doing as much business as in the past, and so someone had to go.  Since the garage and the detective agency share a premises, Mma Ramotswe hears the commotion that occurs when Charlie is informed that he no longer has a job.  Feeling sorry for him, she offers him a position at the detective agency.  After all, Mma Makutsi is now a partner in the business, so perhaps she won't have time for all the mundane, day-to-day tasks that need to be done in the office.  Also, Charlie's position is so new that people won't recognize him if he needs to follow someone.  This is just what happens when he's given the assignment to follow the amnesiac lady.  Unfortunately, while waiting for her to emerge from the house and actually go somewhere, he gets a bit distracted when a pretty girl walks by . . .

At the same time, Mma Makutsi, fresh off her promotion at the detective agency, decides to branch out into the restaurant business.  She plans to leave the day-to-day running of the restaurant in the hands of others, but she will be the boss, make no mistake.  She feels that there needs to be a place for the "fashionable" people to gather, and her restaurant will be just that place.  There are plenty of people who need to be hired, though, and in her haste to get everything up and running, she takes some bad advice.  This wouldn't necessarily be a fatal mistake, but guess who is the new restaurant critic for the local newspaper?  None other than her mortal enemy, the evil 50% Violet Semphotho.  Apparently there weren't enough Handsome Men in the cafe at the time of her visit, because she was especially mean in her review.  Will the fashionable set be put off by her catty remarks?  And when will Mma Makutsi ever learn to listen when her shoes are speaking to her?  Not everyone has talking shoes, so you would think this alone would cause her to take note of their comments.

Once again, we have a very pleasant visit with our friends at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  The only small quibble I have is that Mma Makutsi is starting to be a bit annoying with her ill-advised remarks and her judgemental ways.  Everyone has to tip-toe around her, and it's all starting to be a bit uncomfortable.  She was always my favorite character, and I hope she won't become more unlikeable in future books.

Final Verdict for The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe:  Four Gherkins, for being a welcome look into the lives of our favorite Batswana

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He was ready to be stolen

It's always a very happy day when there is a new adventure featuring Mma Ramotswe and her able assistant Mma Makutsi.  The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon is the latest installment in the series concerning the events at the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Gaborone, Botswana.

While the office of the agency still shares the building with the Speedy Motors Garage (run by Mma Ramotswe's husband, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni), lots of new developments have occurred.  Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti have become parents, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni decides to become a "modern husband," and Charlie the apprentice reveals a new side of his personality.

But even with all these new and exciting developments, there are still cases to be solved.  The main case this time involves an inheritance matter.  Mma Sheba, a lawyer, is attempting to fulfill the bequests in a will left by a local farmer who has recently "become late."  The man left his farm to his nephew, who used to come from a neighboring country to spend the summers with his uncle, but the lawyer is not at all convinced that the young man who has stepped forward to claim the estate is who he says he is.

At the same time, the owner of the new Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon finds that her business is the subject of unfounded rumors in town which are scaring away potential customers.  Since she recently stole away another woman's husband, it would seem to be pretty obvious who the rumor-monger is, but Mma Ramotswe isn't so sure.

To add to her difficulties, Mma Makutsi is on maternity leave, and poor Mma Ramotswe feels her absence around the office.  There is no one to bounce ideas off of, or to take frequent tea breaks, or to offer loud and unsolicited advice on the matters of clients.  Even though Mma Makutsi (she of the unheard of and yet to be equalled 97% exam score from the Botswana Secretarial College) is only an Associate (or is it Assistant?) Detective, Mma Ramotswe learns how valuable she is as an employee and friend once she's no longer in the office on a daily basis.  Luckily, Phuti's bossy and opinionated auntie comes for a stay after the baby's birth, so her presence will be an incentive for Mma Makutsi to return to work quickly . . .

I was very happy to spend some more time in the lovely country of Botswana with the kindly characters and their perplexing problems.  It's always a welcome treat to visit the characters and settings that are so wonderful -- even if it ends all too quickly!

Final Verdict for The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon:   Four Gherkins, for being a comforting visit with some beloved friends

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On a hot day we dream of tea

Oh happy day!  A new novel featuring Mma Ramotswe, Mr. JLB Matekoni and Mma Makutsi (Dip. Sec. 97%) is always a cause for celebration.  The latest exploits of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency are chronicled in The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection.  Once again we are drawn back to the dusty streets of Gabarone and find out what our beloved friends have been up to since we last met.

Strangely for such calm people living in such a beautiful place, there are many conflicts in this book.  While a number of conflicts in the previous books have dealt with our two female detectives trying to get to the bottom of various cases, in this book the problems are all personal.

First of all, Mma Potokwane, the head of the Orphan Farm, is being relieved of her duties.  Mma Ramotswe is totally dismayed by this information, not only because she doesn't want her friend to lose her job, but also because she knows how hard Mma Potokwane works on behalf of the orphans.  Who else will bribe tradesmen with fruit cake to get goods and services for free?  And why would the board of the orphan farm want to replace such a dedicated leader as Mma Potokwane? 

Next, Fanwell, the somewhat reserved apprentice of Mr. JLB Matekoni, is arrested and charged with dealing in stolen cars.  Everyone, including the occasionally prickly Mma Makutsi, is sure of his innocence, but how to prove it?  Especially when no one is able to afford a good attorney to represent him in court and the one he can afford is not exactly on top of things.

Finally, Mma Makutsi and her new husband Phuti Radiphuti are in the process of  building their new house.   They excitedly discuss where and how they want it built and furnished, but the builder is not only disrespectful to Mma Makutsi, he's also shifty and overbearing.  It's enough to cause poor Phuti to start stuttering again.

Fortunately, into all this chaos wanders a real celebrity -- at least within the halls of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  The exalted personage does seem to be somewhat lacking in expertise (in his own estimation), but this does not dim the adoration of the two lady detectives who are awed by his presence.  His advice does eventually help them to resolve their problems.

As always, the people are kind, their interactions humorous and the results are satisfying.  I did feel that in this book everything was tied up a bit too quickly and tidily.  Perhaps only one or two crises per book with more complex solutions would be in order next time.  But the overall effect was a pleasant time spent with old friends, and we can all use more of that!

Final Verdict for The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection:  Four Gherkins, for being another lovely visit to our hardworking tea-drinking friends in Botswana

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A welcome visit with old friends

I know he's incredibly busy with the 5 or so series that he's created, so I'm always thrilled when a new Alexander McCall Smith book arrives, featuring our old friends Precious Ramotswe, Grace Maktusi and Mr. JLB Matekoni. It was with surprise and delight that I saw the book The Double Comfort Safari Club was out. Fans of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series will not be disappointed.

In this novel, there are plenty of professional and personal problems to deal with. Mma Makutsi is still engaged to Phuti Radiphuti, but, as usual, her life can never go smoothly. Early in the novel, she is alarmed to hear that Phuti has suffered an accident at his furniture store and has been hospitalized. This alone would be enough to cope with, but there is the added difficulty of Phuti's "No. 1 Auntie," a jealous, hateful woman who refuses to accept Grace as Phuti's fiancée, and therefore, refuses to allow her access to her injured beloved. Mma Ramotswe attempts to intervene, but even she is no match for the aunt.

Professionally, there are also plenty of new cases for the female detective staff (Mma Ramotswe and her "Assistant Detective" Mma Makutsi) to work on. In this novel we have the usual suspected cheating spouse cases, and that shameless hussy Violet Sephotho makes another appearance. The main case, however, involves the ladies traveling to a safari camp in an attempt to identify a guide who has been left a sum of money by an American lady in her will. Her memory of the guide was warm and grateful, but little details such as the exact name and location of the camp where he worked were a little vague.

This novel is filled with all the warmth, humor and amusing turn of phrase that makes this series so special. I'm only sad that there haven't been more shows made for the HBO series. I'd love to see the same actors do more stories from the books, so I hope it will happen in the future!

Final Verdict for The Double Comfort Safari Club: Four Gherkins, for being a welcome visit with old friends (now if only things could go smoothly for Mma Makutsi for a while . . .)

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Record stores are the Hades of the mall

What Was Lost is a mystery novel by Catherine O'Flynn that jumps between 1984, when a 10 year old girl disappears, and the present day, when the mystery is finally cleared up. Kate Meaney is a school girl from Birmingham, England who dreams of being a detective. She goes to the local shopping mall on an almost daily basis to scout for suspicious behavior and observe suspects. One day, she simply disappears. Because she is friendly with Adrian, a 22 year old man in the neighborhood, he immediately becomes the chief suspect in her disappearance. Harassment by the police and hostility from the neighbors force him to move from the area.

Twenty years later, Adrian's sister is now an Assistant Manager of the music store in the mall. She, along with nearly everyone else in the novel, hates her job and her very existence. Her brother has sent her music tapes over the years, and she is always hopeful that she will be able to contact him in the future. She befriends a fellow misery guts, a mall security guard, and they eventually begin dating. Her family, the security guard and the mall itself all figure in the resolution of the girl's disappearance.

The really strange thing that occurred to me, as I listened to the audio version of the novel, was the complete hostility and contempt that the author had for shopping malls in general, and music stores in particular. She details the shabby facilities provided for staff, the maddening customers, the ridiculous jargon of management and other factors which she apparently became familiar with when she herself worked in a music store. There is also a funny and true to life section about mystery shopping, another previous vocation of the author. An unusual part of the book is that random thoughts of various customers who are in the mall are shared with the reader. As with the mall employees, most shoppers aren't too happy to be there, either.

On another note, I received an email that the author Alexander McCall Smith will be participating in a live online chat this Friday as part of the National Book Festival. Readers are invited to submit questions. He was a really enjoyable and funny speaker on the recording Confessions of a Serial Novelist, so I have high hopes for the live chat!

Final Verdict for What Was Lost: Two Gherkins, for being an engaging mystery about a child's disappearance, but a real downer of a book due to the unhappiness of all of the characters

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Rescue me from distorted body image

Fat Friends is an interesting series about a group of people who meet weekly at a weight loss club. Each episode of the first series concentrates on a different character: the middle-aged woman and her daughter (who is attempting to fit into a wedding dress she's already bought that is two sizes smaller than what she currently wears); the aspiring actress who only needs to lose a few pounds, but remains convinced that her butt is enormous; the teenage boy who is living with his needy, depressed mother; and the newspaper columnist who still works for the same paper where she had a disastrous affair with her married editor a few years previously. I was particularly cheered to see the actress with the distorted body image resorting to Rescue Remedy. Sister, I've been there (although I'm more likely to take a giant swig directly from the bottle, rather than taking a few dainty drops)!!

The middle-aged mother is played by Alison Steadman, who is showing up more and more often lately. She is Gavin's mother in Gavin & Stacey, currently being shown on BBCAmerica, as well as Mel's mother in The Worst Week of My Life. The latter series is being adapted for the US in the CBS show Worst Week, which starts next Monday night. I doubt that Ben Miller and Sarah Alexander can be improved upon as the disastrously unlucky couple, but I'll watch it to see if it attempts to follow the original series at all.

I recently listened to the delightful Confessions of a Serial Novelist, a one hour speech given by the author Alexander McCall Smith. The CD was recorded in front of an audience, and at the end of the CD he takes questions. The speech is delightful, punctuated by such observations as his reflection that as a serial novelist, "You write serial novels, and then you die." He also tends to veer off into reminiscences and stories from his career as a novelist. He gives insight into why it took so long for his "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" to be made into a film ("Film people have a different sense of time. Immediately means 5 or 6 years.") and gives examples of some of the great first lines in literature ("Mr. Saltina was an elderly man of 42 who liked to have young girls come and stay with him."). He also speaks a bit about each of the 4 series that he is currently writing, and how easily he gets side-tracked from his original intentions while writing the books. For instance, he predicts "several volumes of difficulties" before there is a wedding for Mma Makutsi (whom he describes as a representation of "all the people who don't get what they deserve in life"). The most enjoyable part of the lecture is when he reads out part of his latest novel, and several times becomes overcome with giggles at his own wittiness. Listening to the CD is a very pleasant way to spend an hour.

Final Verdict for Fat Friends: Three Gherkins, for being a touching look at the struggles people go through in an attempt to lose weight

Final Verdict for Confessions of a Serial Novelist: Four Gherkins, for providing a humorous, intimate look at a talented novelist

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The countdown begins!

Woo Hoo! I just booked my flight and hotel for a London vacation next year. If no major disasters occur (and it would take a major disaster to keep me away), I'll be there from April 29-May 15. I had to go a bit earlier in the year than I would have liked, because I was using frequent flier miles and I had to complete my trip by May 15. I've booked a hotel at £56.00 per night, but I'm on the lookout for a better deal. This weekend, I thought I'd stumbled upon just that. A hotel near Victoria Station was offering single rooms for £35.00. There was a shared bathroom with another single room, but I would have gladly done that to save nearly 40% off the bill. Of course, when I contacted them (nearly 8 months out), they claimed that they would be undergoing refurbishment in January and couldn't guarantee the single room would still be available. Waaah! I briefly thought I'd found the deal of the century there. Oh well, I still have plenty of time to find a great bargain.

We've had guests from overseas the past few weeks, so I've been sadly remiss in my reading and DVD watching. I have been listening to the audio book of The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith, and while it's much better than Portuguese Irregular Verbs, it's still not a patch on The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series that he wrote. I also must admit that, while this most recent audio book wasn't especially holding my interest, I did "take agin" it when the author had one of his characters state quite boldly, "Cats are sociopaths." Rather unnecessary to malign the poor moggies, I thought, especially when there are no cats in the story.

The story concerns Isabel Dalhousie, the editor of the journal the Review of Applied Ethics -- and that is where the problems start. Isabel has to take every thought which enters her head and ponder it from every angle to discover the moral or ethical implications. For instance, she dislikes her niece's new boyfriend, and has repeated fantasies of the young man perishing in an avalanche. Every time the thought comes up, she has to go round and round with herself about what an uncharitable and immoral thought this is. This makes for lots of talk, hand wringing and "philosophical discussion", but very little action.

On another note, I was interested to see Russell Brand hosting the MTV video awards this week. I watched his monologue and wasn't surprised by it, although I saw that it would cause some controversy. I first learned about him on a trip to England last year when I was arrested by his photograph in the Guardian, where he had written a funny column. When I got back to the states, I researched him and discovered he hosted his own radio program. I tuned in, but must admit I was somewhat taken aback by his accent. Somehow, it wasn't what I had been expecting, but maybe I just haven't been exposed to the Essex accent enough to appreciate its nuances. Still, I'm glad to see that he's attempting to make a name for himself in the U.S. as a presenter and actor. I have to wonder, though, how many films call for the role of a pirate. I would have thought Johnny Depp had the market cornered on that particular genre, anyway . . .

Final Verdict for The Sunday Philosophy Club: 2 Gherkins, for lovely descriptions of Edinburgh, but action that drags

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Put your close in the clotheset

On the way to work this morning, I saw a handwritten sign outside a small store on main street. When I saw what they were selling, I had to screech the car to a halt, jump out, and record it for posterity. It had never before occurred to me that the words "close" and "clothes" sound alike and might cause confusion. Let this be a lesson to all of us: Sharpies don't come with spell (or grammar) check (although I don't think either would have helped in this situation anyway). I am somewhat "spelling challenged" myself, but somehow I can spot the mistakes of others a mile off. I still remember when a fellow student became upset that I laughed at his article for the school radio station which stated, "The fire started in a trash shoot."

My own personal homophonic bugaboo is "flour" and "flower." I know the difference, but for some reason when I'm writing, my mind goes on autopilot and I always write one when I mean the other.

Before I left for the sweepstakes convention last week, I had been enjoying the audio book The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble. It is the story of 5 women who get together once a month to discuss a book chosen by a member of the group. Throughout the year, events happen in their lives which draw most of the women closer together. There are 3 women in their 30s, and 2 in their 40s. Three have unhappy marriages, one is happily married, and one is engaged. I managed to get about 3/4 of the way through before I had to pause for my trip. I was really enjoying the story up to that point, and hated to leave it. Today I finally finished it, and it was a major disappointment. All of the characters and the conflicts started out quite strong and I was really anxious to find out what happened to everyone. Suffice it to say that by the end, everything was tied up neatly in a treacly, sickly-sweet ribbon. Every conflict was resolved with hardly any fuss, as the person causing the problem simply seemed to "come to their senses" and behave correctly. People who had, according to the author, had one personality for their entire lives, suddenly and without explanation decided to become entirely different people. The ending was a huge let-down, for a book that started out so promisingly.

The books the women in the group discussed were mostly new to me, and I am going to try to read some of them in the future. The books the group read were:

Heartburn by Nora Ephron
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Woman who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle
Guppies for Tea by Marika Cobbold
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Memory Box by Margaret Forster
Eden Close by Anita Shreve
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

The only ones I'd read were Rebecca and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Can't say I was too enamored of either of those. Ditto for Atonement, which I don't need to read because the film wasn't all that great. Still, several of the others will likely show up on my reading list in the near future.

After finishing that audio book, I was anxious to start on Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith. I adore Mma Ramotswe, and I was looking forward to meeting a new cast of characters he created. Well, I was sadly disappointed. I had to give it up in the second chapter. Life is just too short to suffer through interminably boring books. The characters in this latest frolic were all German academics with ridiculous names. Presumably, we were supposed to find the names so amusing and charming that we would overlook the fact that the characters were dumb and the plot was non-existent. I have several other audio books from different series by the same author, so I hope they will be better. Then again, even if they turn out to be drivel, I will still wait anxiously for the next adventures of the lady detective from Botswana.


Final Verdict for The Reading Group: Two Gherkins, for starting off strong, and giving me a few new items for my reading list
Final Verdict for Portuguese Irregular Verbs: One Gherkin, because even though the story was a mess, I still have warm fuzzies for the author!

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A new series

Thanks to the wonders of Netflix, I am now enjoying the first season of a British series called William and Mary. It is a series about two single parents who both join a dating agency looking for love. It stars the always charming Martin Clunes as the undertaker William, and Julie Graham as the midwife Mary. So far, I've only seen the first two episodes. The first one was extremely slow, giving me plenty of time to concentrate on things other than the plot. Here is yet another example of the oddities of British dentistry being put front and center. I suppose it is refreshing that apparently anyone, no matter what obvious physical defects they posses, can have their own TV show. Julie Graham is a lovely actress, until she speaks. It looks as if one of her front bottom teeth is missing. It's very noticeable, and there is no way to avoid staring at it. What is wrong, I ask, with a little orthodontics? This is coming, you understand, from someone who endured braces for three years in her 30s. I know of what I speak. Also, the character of Mary was rude, abrupt, and snappish to absolutely everyone. So naturally, William was immediately smitten . . . riiiiiight. And what is up with her hooker/baglady/"I got dressed in the dark" wardrobe? Maybe the later episodes will be more interesting, and I'll actually be able to concentrate on what's happening on screen . . .

I finally finished The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith. Great upheavals in this one: Mma Makutsi leaves the agency to look for another job, Charlie the apprentice leaves to start his own business, and Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni tries his hand at the detective business. Of course, there are many mishaps along the way, but everything is tied up neatly at the end. Now I just have to wait to migrate to the top of the hold pile at the library to get the last audio book in the series, The Miracle at Speedy Motors.

I've been reading an interesting book called The Intellectual Devotional. The idea of the book is an interesting one: to have one page every day for a year devoted to a different "field of knowledge": history, literature, visual arts, science, music, philosophy and religion. Most of the people reviewing the book on Amazon.com complain about the small type, but I am finding other problems. Most notably was this sentence on the page devoted to Peter the Great: "Peter's ancestors ruled Russia until the revolution in 1917." Hmm . . . I'm no expert on time travel, but wouldn't that be a bit difficult? Having your ancestors follow you??? Another grating example from the page on Romantic-Era Virtuosos: "However, Paganini died in Nice without, however, leaving a repertoire of great compositions." Did no one read over the manuscript, or did it go directly from the authors to the printer? Still, it is an interesting introduction to many subjects that I knew little or nothing about.

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A new comedy series

I had a new British comedy series from Netflix in the mail on Friday. The series is called Barbara, and is about the everyday lives of a Yorkshire family. I must say, the 3 episodes on the first disc weren't all that impressive. Amazon.com describes the series as "explosively hilarious", but I watched it and I wasn't close to exploding even once! It's a somewhat bland series made all the more unwatchable by an annoying laugh track that does "explode" about every 15 seconds . . . and nothing about the series is particularly funny. There are 2 more discs in the series, so maybe it will improve.

Finally finished Remember Me? and it turned out to be not all that bad. Since the main character has amnesia, it's a bit difficult to get to know or like her. This character, Lexi, is also very rich, beautiful and successful as the book opens, and Kinsella's books are always more enjoyable when the main character is a lovable screw-up.

I've moved on to In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith on the audio book front. It's as enjoyable as the other books in the series. I've read some reviews of the latest book in the series, The Miracle at Speedy Motors,which say that one of the main characters, Mma Makutsi, is treated rather badly. That seems odd. She's such a hardworking and sympathetic character in the other books. I'm anxious to find out what causes the author to "turn agin" her in the new novel!

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This will keep me busy for a while

Uncharacteristically for me, I didn't have any audio books on hold at the library a few weeks ago, so I started browsing the shelves at my local branch library. Since I was in need of *something* to listen to, I decided to try a book I'd passed over many times before, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. Since it wasn't set in London, or anywhere else in the British isles, I really wasn't interested in it. I'm glad that I was at a loose end so that I had to give it a chance. It's a wonderful series about Mma Ramotswe and her friends solving mysteries large and small in the African country of Botswana. The characters are all so warm and respectful, and the stories so heartwarming, that I didn't notice the time (or the miles!) rushing by. I simply allowed myself to get lost in a world where people address each other with, "Did you sleep well?" and the greatest delicacy is cooked pumpkin. My local library had several other audio books in the series, but they were unfortunately not in order, but I was so eager to hear more about Mma Ramotswe's adventures that I had to listen to them anyway. I'm now going back and listening to them in order, with The Tears of the Giraffe (second in the series) currently entertaining me. The actress who does the reading, Lisette Lecat, is really wonderful with all the various accents, even managing some words in a clicking African language.

I was thrilled to see that The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was shown recently on British TV. I'm anxiously waiting for it to be shown in the U.S. , or else for the DVD to become available.

Since I have been listening to audio books for many years, I can go on record with my preference for cassettes over CDs any day! If you are buying an audio book on CD for yourself, and are careful, I suppose that would be one thing. However, I check audio books out of the library very frequently, and nothing is so frustrating as to get to the end (or anywhere, really) of the story and have the CD skip, stop or otherwise refuse to play. Cassettes may misbehave sometimes, but there is an extreme satisfaction to be had in ejecting the cassette and, as some audio books instruct us to do, "slapping it smartly" against the dashboard. Even if this doesn't fix the problem, you at least feel better! Even so, the problems I've had over the years with cassettes are nearly non-existent, compared to the continual frustration of CDs. I recently went to great personal expense to have a cassette player installed in my new car, so I hope the audio book people will continue to release books in this format. There really is no contest.

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