Un peana per le zebre

Alexander McCall Smith - image from famousauthors.org Guilt is the subject here. The theme is threaded throughout. The primary client of the book is a mister Molefelo, a hotelier and ostrich farmer. He had committed a crime as a youth and sought to atone for his sins. Precious helps him of course. M Leggi tutto

Fourth installment in this amazing series. You don't read Mma Ramotswe novels for the action or even for the mysteries. You read them for the gentle rhythm of the narration, the wise philosophy of the characters. In this we rejoin Mma Ramostwe as she waits for her fiancée to set a date for their wed Leggi tutto

Reading a book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is like catching up with old friends. Mma Ramotswe is still proud to be a traditionally-built woman living in the greatest country in Africa, if not the world. Her assistant, Mma Makutsi, reminds anyone who will listen that she scored a 97 a Leggi tutto

These books drive me crazy, but instead of talking about what I don't like about them, I want to say what I do like. I keep reading them for some reason, so I think it is about time I figure out why. The first reason is that the author, clearly, has an affection for Botswana. He describes cattle in a Leggi tutto

***Fourth read*** I'll never stop reading this series. 😀 ***Third read*** I can't get enough of this series. Every time, they just get better. The audio performance by Lisette Lecat is just perfect, in every way, and since I listen more than read, I enjoy her performance as much as the words. Please, p Leggi tutto

Just as with all the other books in the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series, this one evokes a clear sense of place and characters. Simply put, it makes me want to be in Botswana right now. One of the things I like best about Alexander McCall Smith's writing is the way he develops his characters th Leggi tutto

Africa is a continent that is somehow really close to my heart. This is largely because I have had several friends from the continent, coming from Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria to name a few. One of my closest friends after marriage is from Liberia. Added to this fact, is that my husband makes regular vi Leggi tutto

A delightfully gentle series of books by Alexander McCall Smith - set in and around Botswana's capital city of Gaborone and stories of the 'No.1 Ladies Detective Agency'. McCall Smith has created a lovely world of mainly (very) amateurish sleuthing - which whilst ostensibly the theme which is central Leggi tutto

Another lovely slice of Botswana, served as always with Mma Ramotswe's wisdom and philosophy. In this book we see Mma Makutsi come into her own with her new business venture and rise unscathed from a (view spoiler) [ romance with a man whom she didn't know was married but was being investigated by Mma Ramotswe on s (hide spoiler)] Leggi tutto

I just can't seem to get enough of this series. I find it soothing, but not boring. I love the setting and learning more about Botswana. But mostly I love the lifestyle of the main character. I love her simplicity. I love that they live in a non-materialistic world so that the focus is truly on impor Leggi tutto