Still chugging away...

I recently finished The Kalahari Typing School for Men and The Cupboard Full of Life by Alexander McCall Smith (#4 & #5 in his Ladies Detective Agency series). Okay, I understand that when you write a series of books you will have to repeat a few things in the off chance that someone picks up a book out of order in the series. For example, it is always mentioned in the Stephanie Plum series about the unlucky happenstance of getting her cars blown up, etc. But Smith's repetition gets a bit annoying. It is mentioned probably no less than 3 times per book about Mma. Makutsi's (a supporting character in the series) 97% on her secretarial exam. I just find it getting to the point where some of the repetition bothers me. Also, Smith seems to drag the story out and then all of sudden gets bored with it and ties it all up in the last two chapters. Either speed things along throughout the course of the book, or make them longer!

I do still somewhat enjoy the books though. The Typing School was entertaining because you read the book really hoping that Mma. Makutsi has finally found the right man. And book five culminates in an event that Mma. Ramotswe has been waiting for for awhile.

I'm sure I will continue to read the series as I am pretty loyal once I start a book series as evidenced in my next book choice: Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich (the twelth book in the Stephanie Plum series). Even the Plum series wavered a little after about book 6, but it came around again in book 10. So I'll hold out hope for the Ladies Detective Series. There are either one or two more books already published in the series. So I'll get them eventually. After Evanovich, I think I'll read The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr.

A Mommy book

For Mother's Day my mom gave me Sippy Cups are NOT for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. I pretty much read this book in one day. It's such a quick read. And I think any new mom or mom-to-be should read this book! It's so realistic, although slightly over the top. In the Out and About With Baby chapter. She talks about one of her thrice weekly outings to Target and it made me laugh out loud and I could completely relate! Actually much of the book I could totally relate to. I'm not sure if that's because this mom is from Los Angeles and we are both dealing with living in the same "mommy" scene. I'm sure it's the same everywhere. I suppose I could go on, but you really should take a look at this one if it sounds at all interesting to you. I laughed out loud several times while reading it.

Past Bestsellers

I haven't gone through all the years yet, but this site lists the top ten selling books of every year from 1900-1995. Pretty cool. It's a different kind of list than the "best books of the past X years" kind you usually see. Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool.

Holly, I know you read the Stephanie Plum books, and I just finished the second Bubbles book by Sarah Strohmeyer, and thought you might like them. The first is Bubbles Unbound. Bubbles is a hairdresser trying to make it as a journalist. She's a hoot. I also just finished A Dose of Murder by Lori Avocato, which is a total Stephanie Plum rip-off, but cute. The similarities are just too close to be coincidental. You can tell she pitched the series as "Stephanie Plum, but with a former school nurse turned insurance fraud investigator." Example: instead of Lula, the plus-size black sidekick, she has Goldie, the tall Creole transvestite. Jagger, the mysterious investigator who trains Pauline, is totally Ranger.