Belinda’s Book Nook Book Review: The No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency (#1) by Alexander McCall Smith

Hello, my bookworm friends! Oh, these gray days are perfect for beautifully illustrated books. This is another book review for the Literary Voyage Around the World Reading challenge. It is also a book I am using for March Mystery Madness, a BookTube reading challenge for the month of March. So for the month of March you are to read mysteries and they challenge you to read a book for each of the following categories:

1. SHELF 2. BORROW 3. NEW 4. HISTORICAL 5. FOREIGN 6. OPPOSITE

You can interpret these words any way you would like. For instance, the word SHELF could be a book off of your shelf etc. I might use this book for FOREIGN since it is set in Botswana.

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Title: The No. 1 Ladies Detetive Agency (Book #1)
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Copyright: February 18, 2003
Genre: fiction
Format: audiobook Narrator: Lisette Lecat
Duration: 08:11:14

“Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance. No inventory would ever include those, of course.” p. 3

Summary (from Goodreads):

Mma “Precious” Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns. Potentially philandering husbands, seemingly schizophrenic doctors, and a missing boy who may have been killed by witch doctors all compel Precious to roam about in her tiny van, searching for clues.

About the Author (Genevieve Cogman):

 

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland.

Image result for botswana flag

Botswana flag

My Thoughts:

For many years now I have collected books in this series as I come across them at thrift shops. The covers always struck me a beautiful. So what better time for an audiobook than when you catch the flu. Yup, you heard it right, I was brought down by the flu. So I downloaded it off of Hoopla and let the story unfold.

I also chose this book because it fulfills the Mystery March Book challenge and the Literary Voyage Around the World.

I truly enjoyed listening to Mma Ramostwe’s story and how she became a lady detective. There were several cases that she tended to in the book and I appreciated being able to learn a little more each time about life in Botswana. Even though the stories are fiction, these types of cases to occur so it allowed the reader to see some of the struggles that society has to deal with in Botswana.

“I love all the people whom God made, but I especially know how to love the people who live in this place. They are my people, my brothers and sisters. It is my duty to help them to solve the mysteries in their lives. That is what I am called to do.” Mma Ramotswe, p. 4

Rather than follow tradition Mma Ramotswe feels compelled to help her people and despite the obstacles for women in this profession, she pursues it with gusto.

I really look forward to reading book two and will be sure to come back with another review.

Overall I enjoyed the story of Mma Ramotswe and the variety of cases she solved. The audiobook was delightful and although I wasn’t feeling well, this book was a welcome distraction. For these reasons, I would give this book 4 butterflies.

Happy reading!

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook Review: A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate by Susanna Calkins

Title: A Murder at Rosamund’s Gate
Author: Susanna Calkins
Copyright: April 23, 2013
Genre: historical fiction, mystery, romance
Format: book Pages: 352

Why did I pick this book up in the first place? I enjoy historical fictions. I especially enjoy historical fiction series with female sleuths. I like using Amazon’s features especially when it comes to books. If you search for a book that you like, they will recommend similar authors.  I saw Susanna Calkins’ name and clicked on it to see what books she has written. I found this series and this searched for the first book and it sounded like a book I would enjoy. And let’s not kid ourselves, the cover was stunning.  So I switched to Bookoutlet.com where you can find deep discounted on used books and I ordered a few of them, taking the leap of faith that I would enjoy them.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

For Lucy Campion, a seventeenth-century English chambermaid serving in the household of the local magistrate, life is an endless repetition of polishing pewter, emptying chamber pots, and dealing with other household chores until a fellow servant is ruthlessly killed, and someone close to Lucy falls under suspicion. Lucy can’t believe it, but in a time where the accused are presumed guilty until proven innocent, lawyers aren’t permitted to defend their clients, and—if the plague doesn’t kill the suspect first—public executions draw a large crowd of spectators, Lucy knows she may never find out what really happened. Unless, that is, she can uncover the truth herself.

My Thoughts:

 I read a bit about the author and it said that she has become fascinated with 17th-century England and she uses that in her stories. This story is about Lucy Campion who is the 17th-century English chambermaid serving in the household of the local magistrate. I won’t lie a little bit of me thought of Downton Abbey when I read the this so it also prompted me to give it a try. It says the book is a historical fiction mystery with romance. I would say if you enjoy historical romance this one only had a touch of romance. A bit of a slow burn romance and very G-rated. The beginning of the story gives you a sense of Lucy and the people she works for as well as the people she works with to maintain the house. Not too far in the book, the murder takes place and so begins the mystery to figure out what happened.

The author does a good job of giving a sense of what was going on during this time period in England in terms of social relations, social stations, and the political atmosphere. Religious fears at the time were also included in this book, particularly of the Quakers. The story also gives you a real sense of what it was like during the period of the plague in London. So while you’re experiencing the main story, she created an environment that allowed you to see what people did during that time and how people reacted and responded to the plague. I was curious about both irrational and rational responses to the fears of becoming sick and dying during a plague. This is where I find historical fiction’s lovely because it gives you an opportunity to learn a bit about different time periods and often inspires further research.

I think the author did a good job of the character development in the story I really was rooting for Lucy and I was very curious about the members of the household. Lucy was a strong heroine and sometimes got herself into situations that were definitely moments of nail-biting to read. I would find myself saying, “Oh no. No no no no.”

Being that this was Susanna Calkin’s debut novel might explain why I felt in the middle of the book the pacing really slowed down a bit much. Not to the point of discouragement but it picked up and the last I would say 100 pages the pacing picked up and I could not put the book down. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I also looking to the evolution of this author’s writing. I am glad I bought a few books in the series. I would definitely recommend this book for the reasons mentioned and if you enjoy historical fiction. I would give it 3 1/2 butterflies.

Happy reading!!

Belinda

On My Nightstand: Books, Ebooks, Audiobooks and Graphic Novels

onmynightstandMay-16_2016

Hey!! How are you doing? I have been away for quite some time. I have been working on spring cleaning projects around the house and loving the results. I have come to realize that I attach way too much sentimental thoughts to “things” in my home and this year, I am turning it on it’s head with my spring cleaning efforts. I began a few weeks ago and cleaned out my craft room and restructure it’s layout and I am more than half way complete and love the energy when I enter the space.  More on that later.

Despite my “Cleaning bug” I still have managed to keep my reading up. I am in love with all things books so it is easy for me to fit time even if it’s 15 minutes here or there.  So I thought I would update you with what’s “On My Nightstand”:

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While in college I first came across literature that taught me about the Japanese Internment camps here in the US. I never came across this information prior to then and I was surprised. I had this first book on my TBR list for a while and while in New Jersey last month, I purchased it. The book is called, “When the Emperor was Divine” by Julie Otsuka. It is a historical fiction following a family to an internment camp in Utah.  The second book called, “Gaijin: American Prisoner of War” is a graphic novel I came across at the library and decided it would be nice to see another approach to the topic.

onmynightstandMay-16_2016cMy third read is a brand new science fiction release by Sylvain Neuvel called, “Sleeping Giants“. I put myself on the wait list for this book a while back and was so thrilled when it came in last week. I am really enjoying this story and just found out it is the beginning of a series. So if you don’t like long waits, then I would hold off a while since the next book is slated for the summer of 2017.

onmynightstandMay-16_2016dMy final book is an audiobook by Tessa Harris and is called, “The Anatomist’s Apprentice“. It is a the beginning of a mystery series set in eighteenth-century England featuring an anatomist and the first forensic detective. It sounds very interesting and I just started listening to it today at work. So I will keep you posted.

So those are what’s on my nightstand.  What are you reading right now?

Happy Reading!

Belinda

Belinda’s Book Nook Review: Secrets of Sloane House by Shelley Gray

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Title: Secrets of Sloane House
Author: Shelley Gray
Copyright: July 29th 2014
Genre: fiction, mystery
Format: audio book  Narrator: Tavia Gilbert Pages: 352

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

One woman’s search for the truth of her sister’s disappearance leads her to deceit and danger in 1893 Chicago.

Rosalind Perry has left her family’s rural farm in Wisconsin to work as a housemaid at Sloane House, one of the most elegant mansions in Gilded Age Chicago. However, Rosalind is not there just to earn a living and support her family-she’s at Sloane House determined to discover the truth about her sister’s mysterious disappearance.

Reid Armstrong is the handsome heir to a silver fortune. However, his family is on the periphery of Chicago’s elite because their wealth comes from “new money” obtained from successful mining. Marriage to Veronica Sloane would secure his family’s position in society-the lifelong dream of his ailing father.

When Reid begins to realize that Rosalind’s life may be in danger, he stops thinking of marriage prospects and concentrates on helping Rosalind. Dark things are afoot in Chicago and, he fears, in Sloane House. If he’s not vigilant, Rosalind could pay the price.

Set against the backdrop of Chicago’s Gilded Age and the 1893 World’s Fair, Secrets of Sloane House takes us on a whirlwind journey of romance and mystery.

My Thoughts:

I stumbled across this book on Overdrive and loved the sound of the audio sample. One of the characters sounded like Mrs. Hughes or Mrs. Patmore from Downton Abbey. I am not saying the book was anything like the show just the accents were familiar and I liked the summary for the story. It seemed like the perfect audio book for work.

Tavia Gilbert is the narrator and I thoroughly enjoyed her narration. Here is a little bit more about her:

Tavia Gilbert is an award-winning narrator with 300 audiobooks under her belt. Contemporary and literary fiction, biography and memoir, fantasy, romance, children’s literature, science, religion…Tavia’s range of genres is a direct result of her intuitive interpretation, clever diction and pacing, and sensitivity to each author’s or publisher’s needs. She makes her home in Brooklyn, where she produces, directs, and narrates audiobooks and full-cast recordings. taviagilbert.com

I enjoyed the story of this girl posing as a housemaid to find out what happened to her sister. It was fun trying to figure out who did it. I had just finished a summer reading book with Apollo entitled, “Mr. Ferris and His Wheel” about American inventor George Ferris and how he defied the odds to invent the Ferris Wheel in time for the 1893 World Fair in Chicago.  I did not know much about him myself even though I have ridden many Ferris wheels. So it was really cool to find that my audio book was set in the same time at the World Fair.  I grinned like I knew a little secret when the main character took her first ride on the Ferris Wheel.

The story gave a glimpse of the servants life as well as the upper class that they served while still focusing on the main plot of the story.

I found myself engrossed in the story from time to time waiting to see what would happen. I am definitely going to check out more books narrated by the narrator. It made the experience so much fun.

I would give this book 4 butterflies. Check it out if you are need of a good audio book.

4rating

Happy Reading!

Belinda

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