October was a month of rest and recuperation for me. I spent three days in the hospital at the end of September with "the plague" (covid) and was so fatigued afterward that all I could do was rest.
I read a lot!
1. The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne - I love Hester's books because they are clean, charming and witty. This one is about a gardener who meets a minor Prince, without knowing who he is, and the process of becoming a princess, while deciding what is most important to her.
2. Mercies & Miracles by Sharon Downing Jarvis - Second book in the Fairhaven ward (church congregation) series with the bishop as the main character.
3. Through Cloud & Sunshine by Sharon Downing Jarvis - Third book in the Fairhaven series.
4. A Thorny Path by Sharon Downing Jarvis - Fourth and final book in the Fairhaven series.
5. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith - Continuing the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.
6. The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith - Another Ladies Detective Agency book.
7. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith - Another Ladies book.
8. The Gathering Table by Kathryn Springer - About finding family in unexpected places, very good!
9. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - Switching back and forth from post Civil War to the 1980's telling the story of freed slaves and plantation owners and their descendants. Very moving story!
10. The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith - #11 in the Ladies Detective Agency series.
11. The Saturday Night Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith - #12
12. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith - #13
13. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith - Book #14
14. The Handsome Man's DeLuxe Cafe by Alexander McCall Smith - Book #15
15. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith - #16 in the Ladies Detective Agency series.
16. The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne - A delightful tale of a young woman adopted as a baby by the owners of a finishing school, and her search for her real self after her adoptive mother dies.
17. Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne - Alternate title is Vintage Girl, about a young woman who works in an antique shop and her adventures at a Scottish castle including learning how to reel. Laugh out loud funny!
I read lots of old friends, only book numbers 8 and 9 were new to me. And they are both keepers!
I highly recommend The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. The main character, Precious Ramotswe is lovable, patient, and wise. The author, Alexander McCall Smith, includes so much wisdom that I underline and highlight my favorite parts. Hester Browne's books are too few. Her last was published in 2014 and she wrote only seven. But they are all delightful, witty and clean.
