Relentless Inquiry

Finally made a chance to stop into the library last night. Various holds had come in, plus I wanted to find the additional Ramotswe books. Bonus! New books are in, and one of them is the new Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series. I haven't been in a bookstore in ages, other than the used book store in downtown View, so I didn't realize it was out.

Also picked up a new Lackey (“Sanctuary”, sequel to “Joust” and “Alta”) and a big handful of the remaining Asaro that had been missing last time I looked. Enjoyed a nice leisurely dinner at Kabul with a book, and then a few hours of reading before bed.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith Where it all began. I confess that if I'd started with this book, I might not have been eager to read the series. The writing is more of a long series of reminisces, albeit beautifully written ones. The voices of the characters have not yet emerged into the fullness of which we, the reader starting at book 4, know they are capable. It is useful that we have already begun to be fond of Mma Ramotswe and her mechanic, else this long look into the backstory of their lives might seem tedious. Perhaps it might have accomplished the same effect, making us begin to be fond of them. I am not sure. In any case, at the time and place it was encountered, it was pleasant to read.

When I heard there was a story about bad-witchcraft in it, I thought, “Oh, no, don't go there”. The Hillerman Navajo novels seem to have far too many stories on that theme, and these characters are sufficiently interesting that I'd rather not see gratuitous supernatural stuff drawn in. It's also somewhat more approprite for the Hillerman novels, since Lt Jim Chee is struggling with his dual identity as a modern law enforcement officer and singer-in-training. I needn't have worried– the subject was part of the plot, there were no supernatural elements involved, and things turned out ok.

Tears of the Giraffe, Alexander McCall Smith We discover a bit more about everyone's character, tour the home of a mechanic (yes, engines everywhere!), and pick up various interesting historical and philosophical tidbits. A recurring theme was that many people have tried to change Africa, and in some ways it's like trying to change the ocean, yet in other ways it is changing all the time. It is good to see the secretary promoted to assistant detective, and solving her first case– at least, the detective part. Then she finds out that sometimes knowing what is happening is the easy part– the hard part is figuring out what to tell people to keep things from going from bad to worse!