The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Title: The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Type: Audio Book (Unabridged)
Narrator: Lisette Lecat
Genre: Fiction
Series: Yes par of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency 
Copyright: 2003

Publisher: Recorded Books
Rating:  2.5 out of 5


Summery: from Good Reads

Working in a mystery tradition that will cause genre aficionados to think of such classic sleuths as Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee, Alexander McCall Smith creates an African detective, Precious Ramotswe, who's their full-fledged heir.

It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combined with an understanding of human nature, invariably penetrates into the heart of a puzzle. If Miss Marple were fat and jolly and lived in Botswana--and decided to go against any conventional notion of what an unmarried woman should do, spending the money she got from selling her late father's cattle to set up a Ladies' Detective Agency--then you have an idea of how Precious sets herself up as her country's first female detective.

Once the clients start showing up on her doorstep, Precious enjoys a pleasingly successful series of cases. But the edge of the Kalahari is not St. Mary Mead, and the sign Precious orders, painted in brilliant colors, is anything but discreet. Pointing in the direction of the small building she had purchased to house her new business, it reads "THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES. UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT."

The solutions she comes up with, whether in the case of the clinic doctor with two quite different personalities (depending on the day of the week), or the man who had joined a Christian sect and seemingly vanished, or the kidnapped boy whose bones may or may not be those in a witch doctor's magic kit, are all sensible, logical, and satisfying. Smith's gently ironic tone is full of good humor towards his lively, intelligent heroine and towards her fellow Africans, who live their lives with dignity and with cautious acceptance of the confusions to which the world submits them. Precious Ramotswe is a remarkable creation, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency well deserves the praise it received from London's Times Literary Supplement.

Feelings:
This is less of one cohesive story and more short vignettes that tie into one novel. For a long drive where one is falling asleep and waking up again this was a good thing. I did enjoy this audiobook the narrator was enjoyable to listen to but at times with road noise was hard to hear. Precious Ramotswe, the lady detective, was an interesting character and I enjoyed listening to a story that was set outside of the United States. 

Botswana where the story was set played a big role in the stories. Some of the vignettes where very specific to Africa and couldn't happen anyplace else. Witch doctor's and corruption cases are solved by Romotswe in often funny and satisfying ways that don't seem to be a stretch of reality in the slightest. 

I would recommend this novel to those that want something to listen to on a drive.
 

High Noon by Nora Roberts

Title: High Noon
Author: Nora Roberts
Type: Novel
Genre: Romance
Series: No
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: From Good Reads.
Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she's Savannah's top hostage negotiator, defusing powderkeg situations with a talent for knowing when to give in-and when to jump in and take action. It's satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious seven-year-old, Carly.

It's exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe. After observing her coax one of his employees down from a roof ledge, he is committed to keeping this intriguing, take-charge woman in his life. She's used to working solo, but Phoebe's discovering that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arm's length.

And when she's grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her-in her own precinct house-Phoebe can't help but be deeply shaken. Then threatening messages show up on her doorstep, and she's not just alarmed but frustrated. How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye?

Now, with Duncan backing her up every step of the way, she must establish contact with the faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage to fear . . . before she becomes the final showdown.

Feelings: 
Like all Nora Roberts books this is ultimately a love story. Some of her older books used to be only a love story, more recently the books have become more about the interactions between characters on the job as well as about finding love. I like having characters that are strong and have a purpose other than finding love. That being sad there are lots of similarity between this book and her other books. The characters have a hard past to get over they lack something that they didn't know they lacked and they are challenged in their work in such a way that they must come together with the romantic interest to make it through. The books all end the same way with a marriage proposal as well. That being said I don't think I'm giving anything away because anyone familiar with Nora Roberts should have noticed this pattern.

High Noon was an enjoyable read even knowing all that because of the fact that characters and the work they did. Having a job that is action packed is what makes Phoebe and interesting character and worth spending some time reading about. Duncan is also an intriguing character but a little more unlikely than is Phoebe who didn't win a lottery. He is a dynamic character though so it is less irritating and easier to get over the improbability of the lottery win. Together the interactions between Phoebe and Duncan can be funny and sweet.

"I started to Google you." She sat back now, raised her eyebrows. " I thought, sure it's a shortcut, a curiosity-satisfying one. But sometimes you want to go the long way around. You get to find out about somebody from the source, maybe over some type of food or drink. And if you're wondering, yes, I'm hitting on you." "I'm a trained observer. I don't have to wonder when I know. I appreciate the honesty, and the interest, but--" (p.23)

After accepting the half hour date she wonders if she should have made the time for a mistake with a man but her mother and live in family friend, Ava convince her she must go for them and every other dateless woman she find she enjoys herself and the time away from work and family responsibilities.

"Oh, Duncan, you're awfully cute, and you're rich, and you've got a very sexy car. I'm just not in a position to start a relationship." "Are you in a position to eat dinner?" She laughed, shook her head as he walked with her up to the parlor level. "Several nights a week, depending." ..."Saturday." He leaned in. It was smooth, but she saw the move. Still, it felt fussy and foolish to stop it. So she let his lips brush over hers. Sweet, she thought. Then his hands ran down from her shoulders to her wrists, his mouth moved on hers. And she couldn't think at all. Deep, penetrating warmth, quick, hard flutters, a leap and gallop of pulse. (p. 47)

The love interest is started early but develops slowly as the book progresses.

The book is well written and fun to read which is what I look for in a good romance. So far Nora Roberts hasn't let me down.

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

Title: The Goddess Test
Author: Aimée Carter
Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Yest fists in A Goddess Test series
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Summary: From Good Reads
EVERY GIRL WHO HAS TAKEN THE TEST HAS DIED.

NOW IT'S KATE'S TURN.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she suceeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.

IF SHE FAILS...

Feelings:
The debut novel by Aimée Carter this book takes on an interesting topic and doesn't quite fulfill the promise of the premise.

This is a book about Greek Gods. It takes Greek myths and modernizes them. Some that have written reviews on the book object to this. I guess I didn't have as much a problem with that as I did with the fact that I didn't really think many of the characters actually seemed like gods. I got to the end of the book and we had a cast of 14 Greek Gods with modern names and I think I could have placed maybe 4 of them with their correct Greek name.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed reading the book I just thought using Greek mythology would have played a bigger part in the story rather than having it be a love story. I like a little romantic interaction in a story and find that interesting but seems to me like it was the focus rather than Kate learning to be a Goddess. Seems to me if you were being tested to become the Queen of the Underworld with Hades you would be tested on some relevant things...and maybe learn some about that job. I know this is a Young Adult story and we don't want things to complicated but a little history would have been nice. If I was Kate I would have been asking a lot more questions particularly if I thought I my life was in danger.

Here is a list of the 14 goods that are in the story. See if you can do better matching them up with their new names.

Zeus: The Father of Gods and men, he rules from Mount Olympus. Son of Titans Rhea and Cronus. The God of sky and thunder.
Hera: The wife of Zeus. Daughter of Titans Rhea and Cronus.The Goddess of women and marriage.
Poseidon: Son of Titans Rhea and Cronus.The God of the sea.
Demeter: Daughter of Titans Rhea and Cronus. The Goddess of harvest.
Hades: Son of Titans Rhea and Cronus. The God of the underworld.
Hestia: Daughter of Titans Rhea and Cronus. The Goddess of hearth and home.
Ares: Son of Zeus and Hera. God of War.
Aphrodite: Origins are debatable, some say from a castration done by Cronus others say a daughter of Zeus. Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.
Hermes: Son of Zeus. God of transitions and boundaries.
Athena: Daughter of Zeus. Goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
Apollo: Son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis. God of ight and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, and poetry.
Artemis: Daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin brother Apollo. Goddess of  the hunt,  forest and  hills and the moon.
Hephaestus: Son of Zeus and Hera. God of Fire, Metalworking, Stone masonry, and the Art of Sculpture.
Dionysus: Son of Zeus and a mortal woman. God of Wine, Theater and Ecstasy.

All in all this was an interesting book and I will read the other in the series, but not because of the Greek mythology because that falls way short and just isn't believable.

Red Glove by Holy Black

Title: Red Gloves
Author: Holly Black
Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Yes second in The Curse Workers series
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating:  3 out of 5

Summary:
Now fully immersed in the world of "curses and cons, magic and the mob" Cassel Sharpe tried to deal with his mother's actions. His mother an emotional worker has cursed the girl he likes and now he can not see her because he is unwilling to take advantage of her. Cassel and his mother are trying to spend some time together before he returns to school but having been the only non-worker in the family for years Cassel is not over joyed to be coning people for money and tricking people with his mother who thinks there is nothing wrong with it. When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, both the mob and the Feds turn to Cassel who must stay ahead of both of them while he is finishing high school.

Feelings:
I enjoyed reading this but the ending was a bit different than what I would have expected. It did a good job setting up the next book. I liked that Cassel's friends played a bigger role in this book. I also liked that Lila was included in the story and was becoming more of a character rather than someone the story worked around. I think in the next book she will be playing a larger role. I liked that Cassel plays the mob and the Feds to his advantage while he tries to decided what to do and how best to take advantage of it all. In many ways even though he doesn't think he is like his mother he is. I liked that the characters are dynamic. I did find parts of it a bit dull but overall I really enjoyed the second book. 

Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch

Title: Blessed Are the Cheesemakers
Author: Sarah-Kate Lynch
Type:  Audiobook (Unabridged)
Narrator: Heather O'Neill
Genre: Fiction
Series: No
Copyright: 2003
Publisher: HighBridge Company
Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: From Amazon
Set mainly in Ireland on a dairy farm, Blessed Are the Cheesemakers tells the story of two old men, Joseph "Corrie" Corrigan and Joseph "Fee" Feehan who are the best cheesemakers in the world, and the broken hearted women and whisky-soaked men they rescue in the course of their daily doing. There's a love story, a family story, the lore of cheese-making (fiction or not), and some wonderfully appealing characters, including the cows which only give their top grade product when milked by vegetarian, unwed, pregnant teenagers who sing "The Sound of Music" while at their task. A tender and funny novel with a colorful cast of characters.

Feelings: 
This was an extremely amusing audiobook. I loved the narrator, Heather O'Neill, she had so many different voices and accents that were at times funny and at times serious. I don't know if they were necessarily authentic but I really enjoyed listening.

The book started out in three different locations Ireland, New York City, and the Pacific Island Ate'ate, but converges on the Coolarney cheese factory in Ireland. This is not a story for those who are offended by language, fecking (Irish pronunciation) is one Corrie and Fee's favorite words. It took a little time to get used to this but really made the story more authentic in my opinion. This is a humorous story that deals with difficult characters and emotions in a way that doesn't end up depressing.

As suggested by the title cheese plays a really big role in this novel and is at times almost magical. The cheese was a really nice touch and I really enjoyed listening to the process of making cheese, although I myself would not want to make cheese it gave me an appreciation of cheese making.

This is a story worth listening to as an audiobook as the narrator is excellent and one would never get all the different accents in their own head.