My Month of October

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
By Alexander McCall Smith
240 pages

I've never been much of a mystery reader, but this series' lead detective has been called the "Miss Marple of Africa." Mme. Precious Ramotswe takes her inheritance and opens a detective agency in Botswana, becoming the country's only female private detective. The book is almost a collection of short stories, but a few larger cases tie the novel together. I didn't rush out to buy the next book in the series, but I would consider reading more in the future because of the vivid scenery and characters the author uses.

The Cry of the Dove
By Fadia Faqir
304 pages

I was loving this book until I realized I was still reading exposition 200 pages in. The rising action starts late, and what is hyped as the main action of the book is even later. The ending left a bad taste in my mouth. This book, just published this month, may succeed from a literary standpoint, but for the casual reader, it was a bit too long.




The Ivy Chronicles
By Karen Quinn
342 pages

Classic chick lit at its finest. Quinn uses many traditional chick lit themes — starting over, self discovery, love and men — but an older and more composed character in Ivy Ames, a former corporate office queen who begins her own business advising desperate parents on the strenuous admissions process to New York's finest kindergarten programs. This was a quick read (less than a week, and I worked overtime) that has more to it than most formulaic chick lit.