April reading round-up

Okay, so I sorta chose this because of the cover. It actually has a "bite" taken out of it...just don't tell my class I chose a book based on the cover, ok? In my defense, the story did sound interesting. It's about a rat who was born and spends his life in a bookstore in Boston in the 1960s. The literary junky in my loved the idea of a rat who can read and thrives on the stories he devours (literally and figuratively). Eventually, Firmin begins to explore the world outside the shop and learns about the hard life outside the rich imagined world his reading has allowed him to create. At times the book was a bit depressing or even dark, but was a quick and interesting read. I learned tons about an era in Boston and how one of the city's most well known areas, City Hall Plaza was created. Honestly, not sure what I really think of this one, dark, sweet, about a rat who reads...jury is still out, but if you're curious give it a try.

I just love this series, this is the 14th installment and they are just fun reads. I feel like I am in Botswana from the beautiful descriptions the author uses. In this installment, Mma Ramotswe takes on two new cases. One from a lawyer who thinks the heir of a big estate is a fraud and another by the owner of a salon who wants to know the reason behind her sudden string of bad luck. Not only does she have 2 new cases, but Mma Makutsi is now a mom and has her own family issues to deal with in the wake of her baby boy's arrival. The cases were interesting this time. I usually get a good sense of what the resolution would be and was working hard to solve one of them the whole book. I just adore these books, so sweet, genuine, and a lovely peek into a totally different part of the world. Highly recommend this series, but start with number 1 since many story lines carry over from one book to the next.