In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

From Goodreads: Precious is busier than usual at the detective agency when she discovers an intruder in her house on Zebra Drive—and perhaps even more baffling--a pumpkin on her porch. Her associate, Mma Makutsi, also has a full plate. She's taken up dance lessons, only to be partnered with a man with two left feet. And at Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where Mr J.L.B. Matekoni is already overburdened with work, one of his apprentices has run off with a wealthy older woman. But what finally rattles Mma Ramotswe’s normally unshakable composure is a visitor who forces her to confront a difficult secret from her past.

I liked this one better than the last one I read, not exactly sure why. Perhaps, the return of Precious's ex-husband - an actual element of danger to her beautiful life - gave it more of a sense of urgency than the last one. I also liked the newest character introduced to the shop and agency. My favorite line is when they describe heavier women as women of "traditional build" - such a kind description, I am semi-traditional!

I feel inspired to tackle the rest of the series so I am signing on to the "Finishing the Series" challenge hosted by Yvonne at Socrates Book Reviews on a dedicated blog, sign up here. I'll sign up at Level 2 reading the rest of the Ladies Detective Agency series and also the rest of the Wimpy Kid series.


I am trying to reach 100 books this year - I've never done it before although I have come very close, click on the logo to see how I am doing for this year!

Finish the Series Challenge 2012

I am signing on to the "Finishing the Series" challenge hosted by Yvonne at Socrates Book Reviews on a dedicated blog, sign up here. I'll sign up at Level 2 reading the rest of the Ladies Detective Agency series and also the rest of the Wimpy Kid series.
 Ladie's Detective Agency
1. The #1 Ladies Detective Agency
2. Tears of the Giraffe
3. Morality for Beautiful Girls
4. The Kahlahari Typing School for Men
5. The Full Cupboard of Life
6. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
7. Blue Shoes and Happiness
8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
9. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
11. The Double Comfort Safari Club
12. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party
13. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

A-Z Reading Challenge

I'm in but the challenge I have done for the last two years appears to be gone! So I checked out A Novel Challenge and found this one over at Strawberry Splash Reviews. She sounds very excited to host the challenge so maybe I can try to be a little more particpatory than I have in years past, maybe.

Here's where I will keep track of my books...game on!
(Italics is "I' have this in my TBR pile, maybe this will work", a link is "I actually read this!")
A- After the Leaves Fall
B- Blue Shoes and Happiness
C- Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
D- Dashing Through the Snow
E- Evidence
F- Food Rules
G- The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
H- Heavenly
I- In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
J- Just a Guy
K- Ketchup is a Vegetable
L- The Lonely Mile
M- Madame Tussaud
N- Night Swim
O- The Other Boleyn Girl
P- The Paris Wife
Q- Quiver of Arrows
R- Rumour Has It
S- The Shop on Blossom Street
T- The Things We Do For Love
U- Uglies
V- The Virgin Blue
W- Winter Garden
X- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Y- Your Two Year Old
Z- A Girl Named Zippy

Audiobook Challenge

This is a challenge I have completed the past few years. That feat remains largely undocumented since I am really bad at the whole "linking up your posts" thing. But I am good at the actual listening to the book part so I am signing up for the Lover level - 25 audio books!

Hosted by Teresa of Teresa's Reading Corner, there are four levels to the challenge:
■Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
■Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
■Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
■Married-Listen to +++ Audio Books

Does it interest you? Click on the logo above to go to the sign up post.

Here's how I am doing...
1. Dashing Through the Snow
2. Getting Personal With God
3. The Shop on Blossom Street
4. Duma Key
5. Hold Tight
6. Skeletons at the Feast
7. The Dry Grass of August
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E-Book Reading Challenge 2012

Hosted by Sarah over at Workaday Reads, this challenge has the following levels:
1.Floppy disk - 5 ebooks
2.CD - 10 ebooks
3.DVD - 25 ebooks
4.Memory stick - 50 ebooks
5.Hard drive - 75 ebooks
6.Server - 100 ebooks
7.Human brain - 150 ebooks

I'm signing up at the DVD level - 25 books. I haven't gone back and counted from last year but I feel like about a quarter of my reading is now done electronically so that should be close to 25.

Interested? Click on the button to see the sign-up post.

Here's what I've done so far...
1. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
2. Rumour Has It
3. After the Leaves Fall
4. Heavenly
5. The Lonely Mile
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What's In a Name Challenge

I always think this one looks fun. I never actually sign up and do it but I always think it looks fun! I checked last year (2010, last last year) and almost made it, but didn't. Checked again for last year (2011)..almost made it, but didn't - this is 2011:
1. A book with a number in the title: 1984
2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: fail
3. A book with a size in the title: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress 4. A book with travel or movement in the title: The Art of Racing in the Rain5. A book with evil in the title: Hell’s Corner 6. A book with a life stage in the title: Diary of A Wimpy Kid

This years challenge has categories for topographical feature (land formation), sky, creepy crawly, house, pocket, purse, or backpack, and something on a calendar. If it catches your fancy, click on the logo and you can go sign up over at Beth Fish Reads.

Just for fun, I'll try to keep track...
1. Topographical feature
2. Sky
3. Creepy, crawly
4. House
5. Pocket, purse, or backpack
6. Something on a calendar - Winter Garden

Books Read 2012

1. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies
2. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
3. Blue Shoes and Happiness
4. Winter Garden
5. Rumour Has It
6. Dashing Through the Snow
7. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
8. Rape: A Love Story
9. The Things We Do For Love
10. The Good Daughters
11. The Miracle at Speedy Motors
12. The Shop on Blossom Street
13. After the Leaves Fall
14. Dewey
15. Getting Personal With God
16. Heavenly
17. Madame Tussaud
18. Wild Mountain Thyme
19. Duma Key
20. Day of the Storm
21. The Lonely Mile
22. When I Was Puerto Rican
23. Skeletons at the Feast
24. Hold Tight
25. Barrel Fever
26. The Virgin Blue
27. The Shadow of Your Smile
28. Sisterhood Everlasting
29. The Paris Wife
30. Ketchuip is a Vegatable and Other Lies
31. Lions of the West
32. The Other Boleyn Girl
33. Food Rules
34. The Dry Grass of August
35. I've Got Your Number