[MIA] BOOKRING: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
12 journalers for this copy...
For a couple weeks now, I've been wanting to sit down and write my thoughts on this book. Well, the time has come!
My friends had mixed reviews on this book - some liked it, others hated it. I thought it was delightful story with a wonderful protagonist. I love the descriptions of Botswana, and as one who has always had a desire to travel throughout Africa, this book made me want to hop on the next plane to go and join Mma Ramotswe's agency. The characters are real as are the scenarios -- good and evil abound in modern day Africa and this book doesn't skirt around the ugliness.
This is definitely one of my top reads for 2003! I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series -- and like this one, I hope to offer them up as BookRings when I'm finished.
My friends had mixed reviews on this book - some liked it, others hated it. I thought it was delightful story with a wonderful protagonist. I love the descriptions of Botswana, and as one who has always had a desire to travel throughout Africa, this book made me want to hop on the next plane to go and join Mma Ramotswe's agency. The characters are real as are the scenarios -- good and evil abound in modern day Africa and this book doesn't skirt around the ugliness.
This is definitely one of my top reads for 2003! I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series -- and like this one, I hope to offer them up as BookRings when I'm finished.
INTERNATIONAL BOOKRING (I will keep it international as long as I have people wililng to ship overseas - it's a paperback book)To join this bookring please PM (private message) me and include your location and shipping preference (US only, international, etc.). I will be glad to add you to the list.
Once you're a member of this ring, you will receive the book from the person listed before you. When you receive the book please make a journal entry stating that you’ve received it, read it as soon as you can, and journal again with your thoughts, ideas, or opinions on it. You’ll then need to private message the person on the list after you for their address. Mail the book by media mail (it’s cheaper!) and make a release note so that we can track it. Then sit back and watch the journey continue!
THIS RING IS NOW CLOSED
The mailing order is as follows:
captainjack Arizona (int'l)
bookfrog Australia (AUS/NZ preferred)
Littlemave Australia
fushmush Australia (better late than never on the list!)
fire-dragon Australia
scism Australia (AUS only)
Hawkette Australia (?)
tramgirl Australia (int'l)
elina Finland (EU preferred) no response to PMs - skipping
dagett Austria (int'l)
Lisa-B Germany (int'l)
toadee UK (int'l)
princess1984 Canada (US/Canada only)
simmmba IL (US preferred)
...then back to me!
FYI - If anyone sees this...
I have the 2nd and 3rd installment in this series on Mt TBR as well. I'm gonig to try to get to them later this spring (that's autumn for the down under crew) and offer them up as rings as well. Give me until mid-March and look for an announcement in the forums. If you're on this ring, you have first choice of being on the others!
heading out to savannahblue...
just rec'd this in the mail - will read and send on its way, thanks!!! merry christmas eve, y'all!
i really liked this book! it's touching and funny, a light and enjoyable read. will be sending it on its way (as soon as the snow lets up and i can get to the post office!!) thanks for sharing!
Journal Entry 6 by savannahblue at -- By Hand Or Post, Ray/Ring, RABCK in Portland, Oregon USA on Monday, January 12, 2004
Released on Monday, January 12, 2004 at postal release to fellow bookcrosser in Portland, Oregon USA.
sending on its way to bookfrog, as captainjack already received a copy. sorry for the delay, haven't been able to get out of my driveway due to the snow!!
sending on its way to bookfrog, as captainjack already received a copy. sorry for the delay, haven't been able to get out of my driveway due to the snow!!
Very exciting! Received in mail yesterday - oh so quick! A week! How cool! looking forward to receiving it and passing it on to others so we can discuss it!
Journal Entry 8 by BookFrog from Albion Park, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, January 22, 2004
Loved the book, looking forward to sequal, will pass to littlemave asap.
I enjoyed the book, afterwards I thought/wondered if anyone has thought about what a white man is doing writing about a black African woman... i mean I know that's what writers do.. they pretend to be others, but he puts so much in of her philosophy and her inner thoughts declaiming what it means to be African but I suppose it does not necessarily mean all Africans think this way but that this is her way of thinking?
Does this make sense? Ramblings from me....
I enjoyed the book, afterwards I thought/wondered if anyone has thought about what a white man is doing writing about a black African woman... i mean I know that's what writers do.. they pretend to be others, but he puts so much in of her philosophy and her inner thoughts declaiming what it means to be African but I suppose it does not necessarily mean all Africans think this way but that this is her way of thinking?
Does this make sense? Ramblings from me....
Journal Entry 9 by Littlemave from Weston, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Thursday, February 5, 2004
Caught the book from BookFrog on Tuesday evening when we went out for a farewell drinks evening for kuju before her big trip!
Look forward to reading it soon. I will keep the ring moving as fast as I can!
Look forward to reading it soon. I will keep the ring moving as fast as I can!
Journal Entry 10 by Littlemave from Weston, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Tuesday, February 10, 2004
This was such a lovely gentle story. Mostly about consumption of cups of red bush tea... but centring around Precious Ramotswe who sets up a detective agency with money left to her when her father dies. It was a real page turner and I read most of it on Sunday (3/4 in fact). She has had sadness and hardship growing up, and at 34 years old is happy in her 'fatty' African body, and with life in her village. She seems a real natural detective and gradually gets a selection of cases and results. The descriptions of her history and the geography of Africa around her home are just lovely.
I would like to read Tears of the Giraffe if anyone has it for a bookring.
I would like to read Tears of the Giraffe if anyone has it for a bookring.
Journal Entry 11 by fushmush from Sydney CBD, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, February 14, 2004
*oooops* I kinda hijacked this bookray as I thought I'd put myself on it but obviously didn't. I really wanted to read it so I borrowed it from Littlemave. And I'm glad I did! It was a very enjoyable read.
To me, It seemed like a bunch of short stories with the missing boy mystery being the central tale. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the African people and especially those of the African scenery. Lately I've been reading books that really make me want to visit the countries they are set it in. After reading this and the Poisonwood Bible, Africa is somewhere near the top of my list.
I will try and get this to Fire-dragon as soon as possible. Thanks for sharing!
Update: Fire-dragon already has a personal copy of this novel so she has withdrawn from this bookring. I have PM'ed Ravenbear for her address but so far no answer. What to do?
Update 23/02/04: No answer from Ravenbear. Have PM'ed Scism and received address. Sending tomorrow :D.
To me, It seemed like a bunch of short stories with the missing boy mystery being the central tale. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the African people and especially those of the African scenery. Lately I've been reading books that really make me want to visit the countries they are set it in. After reading this and the Poisonwood Bible, Africa is somewhere near the top of my list.
I will try and get this to Fire-dragon as soon as possible. Thanks for sharing!
Update: Fire-dragon already has a personal copy of this novel so she has withdrawn from this bookring. I have PM'ed Ravenbear for her address but so far no answer. What to do?
Update 23/02/04: No answer from Ravenbear. Have PM'ed Scism and received address. Sending tomorrow :D.
Hoping I don't muck this up for fushmush, but I want to let you all know that I'm offering up rings for "Morality for Beautiful Girls" and "Tears of the Giraffe" as well. I'm doing a "reserved" sort of sign-up as I told one of you (BookFrog? Littlemave?) that I'd read the next two and get them out the door to Aus if there was interest. So, I'm limiting the sign up for the 2 subsequent books to ONLY those people on the initial ring. (Does that make sense?)
I have "Kalahari Typing School for Men" on pre-order from Amazon as well - same rules apply once it's in my paws!
(Posted message in forum today: http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/413824/2)
I have "Kalahari Typing School for Men" on pre-order from Amazon as well - same rules apply once it's in my paws!
(Posted message in forum today: http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/413824/2)
Received in the mail today from fushmush, after a few minor postal glitches. (This book didn't make it to me the first time, and so I had a word with my friendly post office staff. They didn't know what had gone wrong, and were a little concerned. So when I picked it up today, they were visibly relieved that it had arrived. How lovely to meet people that are so clearly invested in their work - I now love my local post office!!).
Anyway... I'm looking forward to reading this one. And my interest has peaked since I've reread the journal entries here. This is the type of book that encourages me to make time for reading, rather than just fitting it in around my other commitments. I plan to have it read and sent off on the next leg of it's journey by April 7th, but something tells me I'll be getting through it much quicker than that! :-)
Anyway... I'm looking forward to reading this one. And my interest has peaked since I've reread the journal entries here. This is the type of book that encourages me to make time for reading, rather than just fitting it in around my other commitments. I plan to have it read and sent off on the next leg of it's journey by April 7th, but something tells me I'll be getting through it much quicker than that! :-)
On the up side, I found this book easy to read, and enjoyable for it's light entertainment value. I read it in just a few sittings, and found that I could easily devour huge chunks at one time (unlike some other books where I feel like I need to brew over what I’ve read before I can move on to the next part). On the down side, I found the mysteries too predictable (particularly the one about the doctor – saw that one a mile away!). I also found the author’s simplistic style frustratingly repetitive (by the time I’d read “tiny white van” 20 times, I felt like screaming at the author: “We know it’s tiny and white, just refer to it as a van!!”). I also found myself wondering if the setting was a realistic reflection of Africa. Although I know very little about day-to-day African life, and hence am no expert, I felt like this book just didn’t have that ring of authenticity to it that I had expected.
So, sad to say, I won’t be reading any more of the books in this series. Maybe I’m not looking deep enough, but this book just seemed to lack substance to me. However, I think I will recommend it to friends who enjoy light reading. I can see how this book would appeal to others, it’s just not my cup of tea (or maybe my cup of “redbush tea”!).
So, sad to say, I won’t be reading any more of the books in this series. Maybe I’m not looking deep enough, but this book just seemed to lack substance to me. However, I think I will recommend it to friends who enjoy light reading. I can see how this book would appeal to others, it’s just not my cup of tea (or maybe my cup of “redbush tea”!).
Mailed to Hawkette today.
I have just today returned from 5 weeks of travel, and was very excited to find this in my pile of mail. I have really being looking forward to this one.
Quaint is the work that came to mind as I read this. It is an easy and light read, and does seem like short stories interchanged with the ongoing background development of Mma Ramotswe's character, history and everyday life. Almost seemed like a story that had been printed as a serial, sort os Tales of the City style - each chapter seems to start independent of what just happened.
I had managed to hype this book up, for some reason, and had huge expectations about it - which it didn't quite live up to. I enjoyed it, but wasn't quite the brilliant masterpiece I was dreaming of - don't know where I got that idea!!!
One of the best parts about the book is how McCall Smith gives up little tidbits thrown in here and there that get you wondering, and then follows them up later, almost out of the blue. It all comes together well. And leaves on a note that will have me glamouring for the next installment!!
The other things that I loved was Mma Ramotswe's method of working - which to me seemed like taking the use of gossip and friendly chats to the ultimate level!! She's very good!!
I love reading about other countries, and this book with it's descriptions and characters, has opened up Botswana to me. Just from reading this you can place geography, relations between surrounding countries, climates, culture...
Thanks MarciNYC for sharing this around. It looks like it will be a very well traveled book!
I had managed to hype this book up, for some reason, and had huge expectations about it - which it didn't quite live up to. I enjoyed it, but wasn't quite the brilliant masterpiece I was dreaming of - don't know where I got that idea!!!
One of the best parts about the book is how McCall Smith gives up little tidbits thrown in here and there that get you wondering, and then follows them up later, almost out of the blue. It all comes together well. And leaves on a note that will have me glamouring for the next installment!!
The other things that I loved was Mma Ramotswe's method of working - which to me seemed like taking the use of gossip and friendly chats to the ultimate level!! She's very good!!
I love reading about other countries, and this book with it's descriptions and characters, has opened up Botswana to me. Just from reading this you can place geography, relations between surrounding countries, climates, culture...
Thanks MarciNYC for sharing this around. It looks like it will be a very well traveled book!
16th May - picked this up from Hawkette this afternoon.
Finished up this book on Saturday morning (don't you just love weekends!!). I really enjoyed it and felt that it flowed well even though it seemed to jump around between stories. Well written and certainly got me interested in Botswana and Africa in general!
Waiting to hear back from Elina so I can send it on...
Waiting to hear back from Elina so I can send it on...
7/6/04 - Posted to dagett (Elina was skipped as she didn't respond to PM's). Hope you enjoy the book...
Journal Entry 21 by dagett from Wien - irgendwo / Vienna - somewhere, Wien Austria on Tuesday, June 15, 2004
I got it today! Thank you so much for mailing this book around the world! This bookring-parcel made my day, I will start reading straight away.
Journal Entry 22 by dagett from Wien - irgendwo / Vienna - somewhere, Wien Austria on Monday, July 5, 2004
Though I expected something different I liked the stories around Mma Ramotswe. Reading this book felt like sitting on a veranda where gentle, dry winds from the Kalahari blow through acacia trees, and listenig to neighborhood-stories from Botswana. This book took me to Africa somehow!
Thanks for sharing!
6/7/04: sent to Lisa-B
Thanks for sharing!
6/7/04: sent to Lisa-B
In my mailbox today, after only 2 days from Austria to Germany!
It is a atypical mystery novel, and very charming. I enjoyed it very much!
I do not think that it is unrealistic (the author has lived in Botswana, and has taught law there), but that it shows a segment of Botswana's society that does not conform to our preconceived images of Africa.
I am mailing the book to toadee today!
I do not think that it is unrealistic (the author has lived in Botswana, and has taught law there), but that it shows a segment of Botswana's society that does not conform to our preconceived images of Africa.
I am mailing the book to toadee today!
received this morning from Lisa-b (thank you)I have started reading straight away as it caught me just as I finished a book.
I really enjoyed this. A collection of simple tales which some how restore my faith in human nature.
I will post it on as soon as possible.
I will post it on as soon as possible.
GOt this in the mail yesterday, and I have started it already....
I just can't get through it.
Will send it to the next bcer on the list ASAP
Will send it to the next bcer on the list ASAP
I've sent several PMs and posted on the forums asking for an update from princess1984. I'd tried one more time today, posting in several forums for an update. I suppose if I get no response, I'll consider this book stalled/lost.
