Good Books – Feel Good Summer Reading
Want a good conversation starter?
Ask someone what they’re reading.
Joanne and Terry both give a big 4 thumbs up
Here’s what I’m reading. A kinder, gentler, good manners detective series. That’s how you could describe the Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency books. Terry and I both love these books.
No guns, no car chases
More like a collection of short stories that take you into the special world of Botswana and Mma Precious Ramotswe, a “traditionally built” female detective. No guns, no car chases, just engaging cases built around human foibles, personal problems and mysteries of the heart.
Cheerful stories
These cheerful and addictive books explore the human spirit and the frailty of our egos and human hearts. They are the masterful concoctions of Alexander McCall Smith, a Zimbabwean-born Scottish writer and Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. Click here for more info and list of books in the series.
Now a TV series
BBC with HBO has converted the books along with a few new plot lines and characters into a feel-good television series that Joanne and I recently saw on DVD. Sometimes you are disappointed when you see a book you love turned into a movie but in this case the series is remarkably true to the feel and spirit of the books. Click here to see short video of the making of the HBO series.
Nice people finish…
Chill out this summer with one of these delightful books. Let Precious Ramotswea and her “traditional values” show you that rude bad people get their comeuppance and nice people rarely finish last. (Now there are 14 of books. The latest is The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon.)
PS – The mystery how to pronounce Mma Ramotswe – solved
Trouble conversing about the book because you’re not sure how to pronounce the main character’s name? Mma, what to do with the double M? According to Lisette Lecat, a native of South Africa who narrates some of the series audio books: Lecat pronounces both — mm-mmah — as if the word had a false start and needed to begin again. The second part isn’t too difficult. It’s Ram-OAT-sway, with a slight roll on the R. (Pronounciation guide courtesy of SANDY BAUERS, Knight Ridder/Tribune news.)