Novel: In The Company Of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

In The Company

Of 

Cheerful Ladies

By

Alexander McCall Smith 

After listening to this book on audio,  I have to say that I will not be reading or listening to another of this series.  I am not a big mystery book fan plus I did not care for the narrator's voice,  but the book came off silly to me.  I don't have a good grasp of the Boatswain's culture but I hope the women there are not like in the book.  Perhaps since Alexander McCall Smith is a man he doesn't have a good grasp of a what is behind a woman's behavior.  If a person is a mystery lover and likes amusement in their mystery stories then maybe they will get a kick out of this series.  Sometimes different people enjoy different types of humor.  Being a person who dives into epic sized historical fiction novels The Number One Ladies Detective Agency series is not my cup of tea.  But do click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to more information.  And enjoy the short video that follows of the series that HBO actually made off of these books.

Book For The Week 12/4/2013: The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

The Art Forger

by

B.A. Shapiro

This novel is being discussed at the December meeting this evening of the book discussion group at the Wilmington Ohio Public Library.  Although I completed the book I did not get moved  there in time to attend the meeting.  I hope they select a book for January so I can join in.  The Art Forger is  a mystery  and not my genre but it is more than a mystery book.  I learned a lot about art while reading the book and I also became interested in a person that is not alive during the novel but the book is very much about her.  Her name is Isabella Stewart Gardner and she is the person that collected art for and then later donated The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum collections and the building that house them.  While having the basis of historical fact of an art heist that took place at this museum in 1990  the majority of the novel is fiction.  It is the story of a young female artist named Claire who is trying to get established and has a history of being  involved with a man who damaged her career.  The book jumps between three different time periods and I found that a little hard to keep straight, especially in the beginning.  I would judge the first half of the book okay as it kept me interested enough to keep reading but once I was two thirds through the book it was really holding my attention.  I would recommend it as a decent enough read.  Please click on the title and the author's name above to follow the links to more information.  There are also three links throughout the text to additional background for the book.  And enjoy the video that follows.