Book 31 of 80

I’ve avoided Alexander McCall Smith’s Botswana based mystery novels long enough. One of my friends said that the books were “mediocre mystery-light”; maybe it was that comment, maybe it was something else, but I maintained my lack of desire to read these with sincere rigidity.

I even managed NOT to watch the HBO special. Now, that’s saying something.

But here I am in Africa and I felt like The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a perfect fit. What else could I find for Botswana? And I deserve some light reads here and there — mediocre or not. On top of that, my book club members agreed to read it with me in order to save me from adding a non-challenge book into my schedule in the next three weeks. (Those ladies take such good care of me — except for the fact that there are far too many videos and pictures in existence of me belting out “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Saturday’s Book Club. Zero would be too many. Look, I can sing, but I’m no Barbara Streisand. Apparently, all it takes for me to think I AM Babs is some Pinot Noir and cheeky conversations about cannibalism.)