Easy reading

When anxiety overwhelms me and things feel rough and out of place, I take a trip to Botswana to be with old friends at the agency. The ladies and all the other wonderful people in Mr McCall-Smith's stories are always there full of kind words, gentle humor, a spirit of friendship and togetherness and not forgetting lots of tea and the occasional slice of cake. It feels welcoming. It feels like home. I've returned to 'Tea Time For The Traditionally Built' for the fifth time now, but all the books in this series evoke the same feeling of warmth and comfort for me, and in the audiobook version the stories and characters are brought to life by the wonderful gentle, friendly voice of Adjoa Andoh. This series means so much not only to me but to millions of other people, long may it continue.

I always enjoy stories from the Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency series. This one seemed very different, the focus was more on the characters' lives instead of the cases. It wasn't bad, but it seems a sharp contrast to what I remembered. Either way, I love Botswana and I love to read about life there. I listened to one on tape years ago - and Lisette Lecat was reading - ever since I hear her voice when I read and the stories come alive!

Love these books! Even though it had been a few years since I have read the last one, he always does a great job reminding me of all the details I need to remember and I reconnect again instantly! Now onto the next one so I can be caught up again :)!

I think I must have read too many of these books

I keep finding myself incredibly paranoid with each book in this series that it will suddenly lose its charm and become repetitive like so many do after lasting this long (it's already on to book #10, which is pretty impressive!), and it's really a silly concern. McCall Smith is great at keeping things fresh, but at the same time comfortably the same characters I love, to really keep this series interesting.

While reading this, I found myself worried about the fate of Mma Ramotswe's little white van. I'd say that's some pretty excellent writing if an author can have me worried about the life of a vehicle--not only do the people in these books have great character, but Precious' little white van is a character itself.

Well worth the time for fans of the series!

wonderful read!

I treat these books in the same manner the main characters treat their tea breaks. They are a quiet moment to relax. They are easy to read. The characters are amusing and always provide a fresh perspective on life.

In this book there is a mystery surrounding a football team. The captain is an older player who any think should move on. Hard not to read that today without thinking of Ted Lasso.

We also find out more about the younger apprentice. Kept expecting that new knowledge to come back into the story. It never did.

I did not enjoy the previous book nearly as much as the earlier ones. It was tedious. This one had moments of tediousness. I know that’s partly who these women are, but if they are too tedious I won’t keep choosing to spend time with them.

As it is, I’ll pick up book 11 at some point in the future. I find these are books to sip, not guzzle or binge.

These books are a slice of Sunshine on a gloomy winter's day. Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi 's gentle wisdom and outlook make a comfortable read, with the added enjoyment of their detecting adventures in Botswana.

Upped my rating to 4 stars after listening to the audio edition. The narrator adds at least one star.