“Your furniture always tells the truth about you, and if the furniture is unvarnished, then so is that truth.”
A very dear friend gifted me this 23rd instalment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective series, paired with some gourmet teas. I knew about ‘wine and food’ pairings, but had never heard about ‘book and tea pairings!’ Thanks Laura! It was a very thoughtful and delicious gift. But being a completist I had to first backtrack and read the two I’d missed in the series. As I always say, this author “writes ’em quicker ‘n I can read ’em!”
The author grew up in Zimbabwe and later co-founded a law school at the University of Botswana. Smith is an expert in medical law and bioethics and Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh School of Law. He has since become known as a fiction writer.
Rather than hardcore crime, these mysteries are about facing delicate human dilemmas. This is not hugely compelling or riveting reading, it’s more like a cozy comfortable chair where grace, generosity, and common sense reign. Personally I think the series was better in the early days, but I still love journeying on with the characters now. Smith’s profound love and respect for the place and people of Botswana is evident.
Alexander McCall Smith has written a number of series, all with his trademark gentle humour and meandering philosophical conundrums. For his website, click here.
I also love the poem that McCall Smith wrote to mark the occasion of the death of Queen Elizabeth II called A Day in September. Here is the link to that poem: A September Day, which was carried on the front page of the Sunday Times on September 11, 2022.
The refuge ‘Elephant Havens‘ referred to in How to Raise an Elephant is real. That charity is working on the ground in Botswana to protect and preserve the African elephant.
Joanne's Reading Blog 