Kalahari Typing School for Men
by Alexander McCall Smith

'Ex-CID. Ex-New York. Ex-cellent' reads the sign outside the Satisfaction Guarantee Detective Agency. Cephas Buthelezi certainly talks the talk, Precious discovers, but would he have the wherewithal to deal with her current case - a man who has been attacked by ostrich rustlers, and is eager to reassess his life? Meanwhile, there are difficulties at the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where one of the apprentices has discovered the Lord, problems at home with the mysterious death of a hoopoe, and romantic complications when Mma Makutsi sets up a typing school for men...

The next in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series featuring Precious Ramotswe - Botswana's leading, and only, female private detective. This series is a lovely change of pace. I so enjoy Mma's leisurely outlook on life and her sense of morality. I shall definitely be purchasing the next book. I can almost smell and hear the desert and feel the dry heat when I'm reading this series.

Tears of the Giraffe
by Alexander McCall Smith

"The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency" introduced Precious Ramotswe - sassy owner of Botswana's only detective agency. Here, we are taken further into Precious' world. Among her cases this time are wayward wives, unscrupulous maids, and the challenge to resolve a mother's pain for her long-lost son.

I started reading this series as I was after a light, entertaining book. I read a lot of fantasy peopled with dozens of major characters, so I was after a change of pace. The people in these books are so calm, take life at a slow pace and have a lovely way of treating each other. Even the crimes and mysteries that Precious Ramotswe solves don't seem frenetic or particularly complex. If you are looking for a few hours light reding, try this series.