Tea Time in Botswana

I just finished reading the newest installment in the delightful "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series written by Alexander McCall Smith. The book, Tea Time for the Traditionally Built is another charming installation of the series, which stars Mma Ramotswe as the proprietor and head detective of the agency which is located in Gaborone, Botswane. You really do need to read this series from the beginning, as the stories build on each other and you'll seriously miss out on several nuances of Botswane if you skip ahead. The first book in the series is the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which was published in 2003, and there are currently ten books in the series. Like the other nine books, the current book is a cozy that covers the solving of several cases, interspersed with the further development of the characters' lives. You just can't help but fall in love with Mma Ramotswe, her Assistant, Grace Makutsi, and all of the other details of life in Africa! Alexander McCall Smith is a wonderful storyteller and his words envelop you in African culture. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. McCall Smith in person at a book signing at Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS last year and he is as delightful in person as he is in his books. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He currently lives in Scotland, but makes several trips to Botswana every year. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is now a television series produced by HBO and the scenery and casting of the show have made the books come more alive for me. Alexander McCall Smith is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series and the 44 Scotland Street series of books.