Pierce County Library > Selecting the 2008 book: "The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency"

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Selecting the 2008 book: "The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency"

Selecting the Pierce County READS book

Pierce County Library selected the worldwide best-selling “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” eight-book series (soon to be nine-book series), by award-winning author Alexander McCall Smith, as the Pierce County READS book for 2008.

The Library is using the following criteria to select books for the community one book program:

Appealing to a wide audience.
Available in multiple formats, such as paperback and CD.
Written by a well-known living author who is a good speaker.
Containing relevant and meaningful characters and themes that encourage people to talk about the book.
Focusing on themes and issues that can be enhanced in community programs and activities.

Pierce County READS' 2008 book

“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” and Alexander McCall Smith meet and exceed all of the criteria. The worldwide best selling series has been translated into 39 languages and has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. Pierce County Library System offers books in the series in hardback, paperback, large text print, audio downloads, books on CDs, playaways (small, portable devices with a full recording of a book; similar to MP3 Players), Spanish and Korean.

“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” is a widely acclaimed series set in Botswana, Africa. It tells the story of the leading, and only, female detective agency in Botswana. Mma Ramotswe, the central character in the series, is the wisest of wise people and she uses her wisdom to solve cases and to solve people’s problems. The books are delightfully cunning and enormously engaging.

The novels are definitely pleasure reading, with literary and moral values woven throughout.

The detective series’ themes include women entrepreneurs; the relationship between education and experience; the value of books and reading; conflict and struggles between a society’s (Africa’s) traditional and modern cultures; family relationships and marriage; values of care, forgiveness and responsibility in a world of violence and revenge; and written laws and the common good.

The award-winning series includes two Booker Judges awards and the “Times Literary Supplement” voted the series one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium.

The series comes in multiple formats at Pierce County Library, Puyallup and Roy Public Libraries, and Barnes & Noble, Borders, King’s, Mostly Books, PLU Garfield bookstore and other local bookstores.

Soon, Pierce County Library will announce the Pierce County READS book for 2009.

Pierce County Library SystemInformation & Imagination

Reading/Books

Selecting the 2008 book: "The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency"

Pierce County Library System
Information & Imagination