A much delayed book review... finished this one sometime last week...
As you can see the latest read is Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith... the 2nd book in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Besides being a very breezy read, this brought back some good memories as I read the first book on vacation in Hawaii... a bit odd that I think of a tropical island when I am reading a book that takes place in Botswana!
Anyhow, the action picks right up with our heroine Mma Precious Ramotswe back on the mystery trail and dealing with the marriage proposal she received from Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. MMa Ramotswe's over-qualified secretary, Mma Makutsi also gets a bigger role with a promotion to assistant detective.
Truthfully, I find myself at a loss for words when it comes to "reviewing" these books. There is nothing "deep" going on... though certainly a lot of "words of wisdom" along the way. They are just light and entertaining reads... and addictive! Yes, perhaps the literary equivalent to potato chips... I almost wanted to get right in and read the next installment. But with 7 books currently in the series... I really have to start pacing myself! I can't start buying hardcover editions when I can literally read the entire book in a handful of sittings.
With all the set-up out of the way, I have to say I enjoyed Tears even more than the first book. I will probably say it over and over again, but the characters are just so charming... and the story is filled with a lot of humor... and also quite a few touching moments along the way.
So I am onto my next book... Arundhati Ray's The God of Small Things... which is pretty much the polar opposite of McCall Smith... pretty complex and a bit of a challenge thus far. Due to social obligations and other stuff (like the Emmys and US Open), also experiencing a bit of a momentum speed-bump... which isn't a good thing with a book like this! So it may be awhile before you see the next W&C book review post!
I just met McCall Smith at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Very genial, VERY funny man. I'm not much of a mystery buff but I'm very much looking forward to starting the books in his Scotland Street series.
Posted by: Brian F. | Saturday, September 09, 2006 at 12:22 PM