Precious must come up with a clever plan to save Phuti's business and ease Grace's worries about going broke. This entire series is character-driven with an emphasis on problem solving rather than intense detective work. B. Matekoni was busy performing open-heart surgery on a battered Land Rover, and did not see her, but Fanwell, his face streaked with grease, raised a spanner in salutation. It implied so much more than it said, though, because it meant that Mma Ramotswe saw not only the person standing before her, but all that lay behind her – who she was, where she came from, how she felt. I don’t think that will be necessary,” she said, then after the shortest of pauses added, “Thank you, anyway.

She has placed a brass nameplate on her desk and is in the process of having the desk expanded to make it larger and more imposing than Precious's. Their chairs are futuristic in design, with modern devices to adjust the height of the chairs and enable them to recline.As usual, he has numerous unsatisfactory interactions with Mma Makutsi, but somehow ends up becoming a mentor to a troubled young boy. I enjoy this series so much because of the unique setting and because it is such a fresh take on the classic female detective stories. The diverse discussions among the characters remind me of an oak that sprouts numerous branches - the conversations can go anywhere.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Initially I found the characters quite charming, at least while I still surmised that there was going to be a mystery of sorts to be solved. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics.My sister: it was a statement of solidarity: a proclaimed, public statement, intended for the ears of others, but a private pledge of support and understanding. I feel like I just was in Botswana visiting with my friend, Mma Ramose and all her family and friends. It was important, she felt, to keep your working life separate from your home life; she knew far too many people who allowed the cares of the job to intrude upon their home life, and these were the people who tended to become depressed or suffer from something that she had recently read about in a magazine - something referred to as burn-out. Some of the books have more substantial plots than others, and there is always a sprinkling of humor. In March of 2011 he received an award from the President of Botswana for his services through literature to that country.

He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. For instance, when Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi are discussing nurses with a carpenter, the man expresses shock at the idea of male nurses.Grace’s friend Patience has a teenage son who is disrespectful to her boyfriend, and a new furniture dealer is trying to undercut Phuti and put him out of business. The remainder of the novel is mostly about Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi going about their business; Mma Ramotswe's inner musings; and the characters drinking tea and having rambling conversations. Eventually she has a clever idea that will hopefully save the business and dispel Phuti’s despondency. They could be in the 1960’s, and suddenly you read something that jolts you into Botswana in the 2020s! There's a charming kind of wit peeping through in various scenes and a general sense that almost everyone means well.

To summarize, A Song of Comfortable Chairs is the kind of book you want to sit with on cold noon and warm your heart. Anytime you need a laugh or a lift, I can highly recommend this series, paired with Lisette Lecat's impeccable audio narration. It was already eight-thirty, a recklessly late hour for her, but then she remembered that the children were at their friends’ houses and did not have to be got ready for school. Alexander is also the author of collections of short stories, academic works, and over thirty books for children. And for the rest of our lives that understanding grew, until, with any luck, we could pick up all the signs if we needed.Most people longed for the day when they might tune into a news broadcast and hear the announcer say, 'I'm sorry, everybody, but nothing has happened.