Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

"And at the table, in that silence as they contemplated the menu, Mma Makutsi's shoes suddenly addressed her. Well, this is nice, we must say! "Mma Ramotswe looked up from the menu. 'Did you say something, Mma?'" Only in the No. Ladies' Detective Agency series would it seem normal for shoes to be talking to their owner and someone else to notice while the owner does not. This is a fine example of how Alexander McCall Smith successful extends the bounds of reality to show how we are connected to one another and to the things around us. I particularly commend the imaginary conversations that Mma Ramotswe's van has with her. As the book opens, Mma Ramotswe's white van is starting to make new noises. She fears that Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni will tell her that it's time to replace the van. To avoid such an awful result, Precious walks to work. The problems begin when she walks home. The detective agency has a promising new client, Mr. Luengo Molofololo, owner of the Kalahari Swoopers, the local football (soccer) team. He owns a big house, drives a huge Mercedes-Benz, and knows everyone. Unfortunately, he seems to think that women know only about cooking. Precious knows precious little about soccer and wonders how she can help. He's convinced there is a traitor who is throwing the games, but he cannot identify who it is. Soon Precious joins Mr. Molofololo and her foster son, Puso, at one of the games. Meanwhile, Mr. Phuti Radi-phuti has hired Violet Sephotho to sell beds at the Double Comfort Furniture Shop. Mma Makutsi is wary due her past run-ins with Violet . . . but fears sharing her concerns with her fiancé. Matters look dire when she sees him driving Violet home from work on the first day. Finally, Iris Sephotho comes for advice on how to decide between two men who don't know that they are both enjoying her company. Precious provides some Solomon-like wisdom that leads to a surprising turn of events. As you can see the story is dominated by personal concerns rather than detective problems. If the story had had no detective problems, it would have been very enjoyable. The rich interactions between the two detectives are more than enough to keep you smiling for weeks. Mr. McCall Smith also weaves in many little asides about conflict, battles, cars, chairs, and rain that stretch you into the real Botswana that Precious represents. It's delicious! Bravo, Mr. McCall Smith!

Dark Places

Boy, can Gillian Flynn write. It amazes me that this is only her second novel for she writes with such passion and authenticity. There is no loose footing here as she tries to find her literary pace. She is gifted and at the same time very dark. Her first novel SHARP OBJECTS was also an excellent novel that traveled a path definitely on the darker, more disturbing side. It is amazing that Ms. Flynn could have gone even further to that dark side with her second novel. But she definitely has and succeeds in spades. The novel opens with the introduction of our heroine Libby. She was the sole survivor of a true massacre when her mother and 2 sisters were killed in their home when she was 7. She testified against her brother Ben who has been in jail ever since, Libby is now 25. Many caring people had set up a trust fund for Libby, the sole survivor of the Day family Satanic Massacre. She is running out of money and hooks up with a club of true crime enthusisasts KILL CLUB who are willing to pay her for artifacts and research on the murders. Libby is not very likable at all and the beginning of the novel is slow for it really is difficult to care about her. Biut what author Gillian Flynn manages to do with this beginning is amazing. The story unfolds going from present day to the time of the killings and keeps going back and forth and we get to see the story from the perspective of many participants. The unfolding of the mystery and lives of each character in the days leading up to the murders is meticulously told and the reader can begin to feel like they are reading a true crime novel. Also, we see how much Libby is dealing with the aftereffects of the murders and how they have formed the person she has become. She evolves in very realistic ways as she works to solve the mystery of who really murdered her family. Was it her brother Ben or not? The story is very graphic and very violent. It might be too much for some to take. The thing I can honestly say is that none of the violence is gratuituous. It all serves a purpose in the telling of the story. Through all the gore and blood this novel emerges as a very literary piece of work. It is a deep character study of the lifes of many people and how one event and the build up to it affected them all. Even if you figure out the ending before getting there it still develops a wallop. So yes, the story is disturbing so be prepared. But it is very well written and a journey you will love if you can handle it. It is a rare thing to find a thriller that is actually a well written piece of work and that is what we have here. I have gread admiration for the author Gillian Flynn and love how in her acknowledgements she thanks her husband and says "What do I say to a man who knows how I think and still sleeps next to me with the lights off?" Her sense of self and sense of humour is obviously how she can approach these dark subjects and make them work. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Sookie Stackhouse

What you should know before reading this: I've never seen True Blood as I don't have HBO. This is my critique ONLY for the books in this set. I've realized there are two different types of vampire readers on this earth from reading the previous reviews: those who just want to read about vampires and those who want to feel something about the story of the vampires they're reading about. If you just want to read about vampires, this is not 100% for you. True, it does contain vampire material, but the story itself centers around Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in a little Louisiana bar known as Merlotte's. She is the main character, the vamps (and other strange, darker beings) are definitely background material. Now, if you're someone who wants to feel something about the vampires you're reading about, this definitely will not happen. Again, mainly due to the fact that Sookie Stackhouse is the main character. Vamps go in and out of her life as fast as hair ties and bar aprons. Just when you get really settled into one, he's gone. On to the next. (Unlike Anne Rice, where a vampire is telling the story, which I personally find more compelling and rich.) This is a very Whedonesque (Joss Whedon, folks) writing style. Main character never wins at love. Main love interests are nothing alike. Some readers will root for one, other readers will root for another. Just don't root too hard, they're not going to stay together. (Don't fret, the relationships don't have much emotion packed into any of them, so the split won't hurt when it occurs.) My main problem with this series is Sookie Stackhouse. Maybe I just am one of those pretentious, snobby New Englanders, you say? Well, although I was born and raised in NY, I was born and raised UPSTATE. I lived in an old house, which was added onto, and we heated with wood. I still live in a place just like that. I have a lot of things in common with Sookie's humble story, but she's just not enough to keep my interest. And by enough I mean, she's just nothing special. She's blonde, has a nice body, reads dumb books, and is a barmaid. Oh yeah, she has ESP, but she doesn't use it to any advantage at all, which makes it almost non-existent. So? With Buffy, you could say, yeah, she's the Slayer, I get it, but with Sookie, you can't help but ask yourself, "Why the heck do any of these guys want her?" You just don't get it. And when you're asking yourself why anyone would like the main character, you find yourself just not caring about the main character. On the plus side, I know I'll read every book in the series, which I consider praise. This is why I gave it 3 stars. Some series, I read the first book and move on, but the author writes well enough to keep you wanting to know how it ends. I just hope it does end (hence only giving it a 3). Okay, someone stick a stake in me already. I'm done!