my precious..

Alhamdulillah..I've finally finished my Goodreads reading challenge of reading 100 books this year! Yay! Seriously while people are busy shopping for eid-ul-fitri (Malaysians are crazy when it came to holidays..stampede is more like it) I was holed up in a bookshop somewhere with my faithful 'angel' poring over books, buying them in bucket loads (to the dismay of my husband..it's my money.. damn it) trying to read as much as I can. So in just 3 months I've read more than 100..although I have to really edit out the challenge to only include books I've read for the first time this year..whatever!

So since at first I was tempted by my sister to read YA fantasy/paranormal romance, now I really need a break from that genre. It's so tiring to read books in the first person POV. All that I saw..I smell..I think..gah..is driving me crazy. Why must everyone copy Stephenie Meyer?Honestly people!

My dearest aunt kindly borrowed some of her romance books. Such positivism is clearly what I needed. So I turn to my first passion. The love of my life. Mysteries!

I actually stumbled upon this quirky HBO series a while back and was not really following it due to my busy work schedule and chasing after that 'angel'. To my dismay, it's already cancelled after only 7 episodes due to poor ratings. Apparently not many people are into mysteries...gah! It reminded me of Agatha Christie's fat Belgian detective; Hercule Poirot. There's something about plump detectives that I found endearing. So sue me..haha!

Precious Ramotswe in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is certainly precious! She's kind, smart, sharp and all around a very good detective indeed. Although according to Batswana (Botswana people are called Batswana), Precious is a traditionally bulit (meaning plump) woman who sold her father's cows to set up a detective agency. Along the way, she attracts the attention of the finest mechanic in the city of Gaborone; a certain Mr. J.L.B Matekoni. Her secretary/assistant is a Mma Makutsi. (In Botswana apparently they called Miss/Mrs. as Mma). A graduate of Botswana Secretary College with a 97 score on her final exams. Phew! The characters are refreshing and different from the American physical perfection of characters.

The books are a gem. With its witty lines, human analysis and a rather positive outlook on life set against Botswana..it can do no wrong for me. I was smiling and grinning the whole time reading this. Now I have 6 of the books in the series and are planning to complete it. Please give this a try..it's not dark at all like Agatha's but a rather cheerful journey into social human behaviour. I'm sure you'll like it!