The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels

[grumpygirl]

mrscathead said:

I absolutely fell in love with these books a few years ago. I read them for the simple, descriptive language, the vividly written characters and the easy flow of the novels themselves. I just fall into them and read with a little contented smile on my face. I even got my husband reading them!

I'm very glad they are going to be in the deft hands of Minghella.

He writes them in such a way that you feel like you're visiting with old friends, people who you are really rooting for. Now I feel like reading them all again!

[titilayo]

Jill Scott is going to play Precious Ramotswe?! The movie just jumped right onto my must-see list.

[grumpygirl]

I finally got my copy of "The Good Husband of Zebra Drive" and had to read the whole thing last night. OMG, I love these books. I got scared a few times about people quitting, but everything righted itself in the end. BTW, when I win the lottery I'm going to Botswana right away for a long trip.

[MrsCatHead]

I'm glad the book ends on a good note. I have made a promise not to order from amazon until the fall and not to buy any books locally except the new Harry Potter...so I'm jonesing for more Detective Agency characters!

[grumpygirl]

mrscathead said:

I'm glad the book ends on a good note. I have made a promise not to order from amazon until the fall and not to buy any books locally except the new Harry Potter...so I'm jonesing for more Detective Agency characters!

There is a scene between Mme Makutsi and her fiance that is so touching and so sweet that it almost made me cry. It was a "what they're thinking" piece over a regular weeknight dinner. I can't wait until you read the book!

[tabby]

There is a scene between Mme Makutsi and her fiance that is so touching and so sweet that it almost made me cry.

I can neither confirm nor deny whether I got a little weepy during that scene.

These books are a bit of a problem for me - I want to sit down and read them right through, but I don't want to get to the end, because I love the people so much.

[grumpygirl]

tabby said:

There is a scene between Mme Makutsi and her fiance that is so touching and so sweet that it almost made me cry.

I can neither confirm nor deny whether I got a little weepy during that scene.

These books are a bit of a problem for me - I want to sit down and read them right through, but I don't want to get to the end, because I love the people so much.

HoJo to that, Tabby! When I finished I was like, "Okay, where's the next book?" Or more accurately, when can I get on the next plane bound for Botswana? I would want to meet all of the fictional people though, so I'd be disappointed that the characters in the books aren't real, but I bet there are lots of other lovely people to meet.

It seems like Smith really enjoys and respects these characters and that comes across.

[Benni]

I had seen these books at Costco last week and was debating between them and the new Wilbur Smith book. Wilbur won out. Unfortunately I just cannot get into that book so after reading this thread I went back. The first book was gone so I bought #2 and #3. As I was standing there a man asked me if I had heard of the books and I told him I have some friends who love the books.

It is sooo hot here and I stayed up all night reading Tears of the Giraffe. It is wonderful. I can't wait for the movie. I belong to Title Trader so I went online and found some of his books and ordered them ASAP as I had quite a few points.

I love books about Africa. I have read almost all of Wilbur Smith's books but he has not been able to write the same since his wife passed away.

Thanks for the recommendation I joined his fan club. It is so fun to find a new author to love.

[grumpygirl]

YAY BENNI! That is so cool. Aren't they nice books? I feel like they're the literary equivalent of snuggling up in a cozy blankie. I hope that you get the first one since it explains how Precious ended up in Gabarone and tells me about her beloved father.

I sometimes look at tours of Botswana for when I win the lottery (that I never get tickets for) and dream of what it would be like.

ETA: If you like books about Africa, The Flame Trees of Thika is another beautiful book. It's written by a woman who grew up in Africa and whose parents were coffee plantation owners. The books are written through the eyes of a child.

[MrsCatHead]

Oooooh I'm so looking forward to that scene! I love how the characters think and work things out in their minds...and HoJo to wanting to visit Botswana.

I've tried to read some of his other series and just couldn't get into them in the same way.