MobileRead February 2017 Book Club Vote - Page 2

JSWolf · 01-29-2017, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

Well, given how the voting is going, I just borrowed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency from the BC Library. Unfortunately, they don't have it in audio format, which I might have been willing to try. I may go ahead and get it from Audible. The narrator for this series is Lisette Lecat, who is South African so should be able to at least get the pronunciations correct. She's generally getting good reviews on Audible, but I really would have preferred a woman of colour reading these books.

Why should the color of one's skin matter?

CRussel · 01-29-2017, 03:46 PM

With the main characters in this book being black and African, and the cadence and accent that they would have being substantially different than that of a white South African, I would have preferred a narrator that would be a closer match. (Yes, I know that the characters would be very unlikely to be speaking English at all. Beside the point, at least from MY perspective.)

An example from another book we're reading this month -- the Peter Grant character would be unlikely to be as compellingly persuasive were the narrator white. Certainly, I can't imagine anyone doing it better than Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

I am not saying that Lisette Lecat doesn't do an excellent job. I have only listened to short samples at this point, but she did sound like she at least got pronunciations correct as well as I can judge. That being said, she didn't sound like Mma "Precious" Ramotswe as MY ear expected.

JSWolf · 01-29-2017, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

With the main characters in this book being black and African, and the cadence and accent that they would have being substantially different than that of a white South African, I would have preferred a narrator that would be a closer match. (Yes, I know that the characters would be very unlikely to be speaking English at all. Beside the point, at least from MY perspective.)

An example from another book we're reading this month -- the Peter Grant character would be unlikely to be as compellingly persuasive were the narrator white. Certainly, I can't imagine anyone doing it better than Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

I am not saying that Lisette Lecat doesn't do an excellent job. I have only listened to short samples at this point, but she did sound like she at least got pronunciations correct as well as I can judge. That being said, she didn't sound like Mma "Precious" Ramotswe as MY ear expected.

The problem is that for most audiobooks is you get one person reading. If that person does voices, you won't get what you expect for most of the characters. The only way to get it the way you want is for the audiobook to be read by a cast. When I listen to an audiobook, I don't check the skin color of the person reading.I check if I can enjoy the reading. If I can, it's a go. If I cannot, it's a stop. But skin color doesn't matter.

sun surfer · 01-29-2017, 06:31 PM

I love the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I'm four books into the series and still enjoying each book as much as the original. I love the setting, I love the characters and I love the gentle humour and the atmosphere. Though they're definitely 'mystery' as far as genre goes, they're usually not really that much of mysteries per se. They do always have a mystery, or two, or three, but they're often sort of side plots that are interspersed in the everyday living of life.

I've listened to the audiobooks on a few so far and Lisette Lecat is very good. I don't think I knew what colour her skin was but regardless I think she does justice to the books and is very pleasing to listen to. As far as Mma Ramotswe's voice, I will always think of it as Jill Scott's, who plays her in the television adaptation. That series is excellent - one of my absolute favourites - and it is such a pity it only lasted one year so far simply because its producers happened to die. As baseless at it might be, I'm still holding out hope that they'll get the series going again at some point in the near future. If any of you read the book and enjoy it then I strongly suggest to also try the television series. It's a real treat.

Nyssa · 01-29-2017, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun surfer

As far as Mma Ramotswe's voice, I will always think of it as Jill Scott's, who plays her in the television adaptation. That series is excellent - one of my absolute favourites - and it is such a pity it only lasted one year so far simply because its producers happened to die.

O.o The Weinsteins aren't dead. The show was canceled, and they were still looking for a new home for it as of 2012. Apparently, they never found one, unfortunately.

sun surfer · 01-29-2017, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nyssa

O.o The Weinsteins aren't dead. The show was canceled, and they were still looking for a new home for it as of 2012. Apparently, they never found one, unfortunately.

Both Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella unexpectedly died the year it was made or thereabouts. They were the original executive producers and it was Minghella's passion project especially.

CRussel · 01-29-2017, 10:14 PM

Well, for whatever reason it didn't get an additional season, it's a sad shame. It was, as sun surfer points out, an excellent series and captures the books well.

I've already read all but the last couple of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but I'll happily circle back to re-read the first book. I remember being enchanted at the time. It will be good to see how well it's stood up on a re-read.

JSWolf · 01-30-2017, 03:57 PM

I've gotten The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency from Overdrive and I'll be starting it later on today. I think it's going to win.

JSWolf · 02-02-2017, 06:06 AM

I believe that this vote was in error and we should hold it again with ALL of the correct information. It turns out that The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a short story collection and not actually a novel. This was never mentioned when it was nominated or voted for. So I call for a new vote.

issybird · 02-02-2017, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I believe that this vote was in error and we should hold it again with ALL of the correct information. It turns out that The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a short story collection and not actually a novel. This was never mentioned when it was nominated or voted for. So I call for a new vote.

Jon, do you never get tired of tilting at windmills?

When have we ever had a new vote?

Amazon says it's a novel. Goodreads says it's a novel. People here had about ten days to do their due diligence on the book before deciding to vote for it. I don't really see your point, but I guess we all make our own fun.

Now me, I suspect it's not really my kind of thing, but I'm willing to give it a try. If I'm lucky, it'll be the fun read that it has been for so many others.

JSWolf · 02-02-2017, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

Jon, do you never get tired of tilting at windmills?

When have we ever had a new vote?

Amazon says it's a novel. Goodreads says it's a novel. People here had about ten days to do their due diligence on the book before deciding to vote for it. I don't really see your point, but I guess we all make our own fun.

Now me, I suspect it's not really my kind of thing, but I'm willing to give it a try. If I'm lucky, it'll be the fun read that it has been for so many others.

I found the first story to be a bit of fluff. The second is a slog so far. It's not actually a novel, it's a short story collection.

issybird · 02-02-2017, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I found the first story to be a bit of fluff. The second is a slog so far. It's not actually a novel, it's a short story collection.

Well, maybe it ties together later on. Some novels are more loosely constructed than others.

JSWolf · 02-02-2017, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

Well, maybe it ties together later on. Some novels are more loosely constructed than others.

But this isn't a novel. It's a short story collection.

issybird · 02-02-2017, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But this isn't a novel. It's a short story collection.

CRussel · 02-02-2017, 02:24 PM

Never surrender.

Seriously, this all ties together into a novel, IMNSHO. Is the novel composed of multiple vignettes? certainly. As for whether you will enjoy? I'm not sure. I know I did the first time around, and I'm hoping it's still true. Part of that enjoyment was that it was so very evocative of the Africa I had visited, even though we never got to Botswana. Part of it was growing to love the characters and watching them mature and change.

View Poll Results: Which mystery shall we read in February?
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch	6	33.33%
Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh	4	22.22%
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith	9	50.00%
Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr	6	33.33%
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins	4	22.22%
Holmes On the Range by Steve Hockensmith	5	27.78%
The Rook (The Checquy Files #1) by Daniel O'Malley	3	16.67%
The Dry by Jane Harper	3	16.67%
The Harper's Quine by Pat McIntosh	2	11.11%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 18. You may not vote on this poll

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01-29-2017, 03:46 PM	#17
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,161 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	With the main characters in this book being black and African, and the cadence and accent that they would have being substantially different than that of a white South African, I would have preferred a narrator that would be a closer match. (Yes, I know that the characters would be very unlikely to be speaking English at all. Beside the point, at least from MY perspective.) An example from another book we're reading this month -- the Peter Grant character would be unlikely to be as compellingly persuasive were the narrator white. Certainly, I can't imagine anyone doing it better than Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I am not saying that Lisette Lecat doesn't do an excellent job. I have only listened to short samples at this point, but she did sound like she at least got pronunciations correct as well as I can judge. That being said, she didn't sound like Mma "Precious" Ramotswe as MY ear expected.

01-29-2017, 06:31 PM	#19
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44637926 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	I love the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I'm four books into the series and still enjoying each book as much as the original. I love the setting, I love the characters and I love the gentle humour and the atmosphere. Though they're definitely 'mystery' as far as genre goes, they're usually not really that much of mysteries per se. They do always have a mystery, or two, or three, but they're often sort of side plots that are interspersed in the everyday living of life. I've listened to the audiobooks on a few so far and Lisette Lecat is very good. I don't think I knew what colour her skin was but regardless I think she does justice to the books and is very pleasing to listen to. As far as Mma Ramotswe's voice, I will always think of it as Jill Scott's, who plays her in the television adaptation. That series is excellent - one of my absolute favourites - and it is such a pity it only lasted one year so far simply because its producers happened to die. As baseless at it might be, I'm still holding out hope that they'll get the series going again at some point in the near future. If any of you read the book and enjoy it then I strongly suggest to also try the television series. It's a real treat.

01-29-2017, 10:14 PM	#22
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,161 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Well, for whatever reason it didn't get an additional season, it's a sad shame. It was, as sun surfer points out, an excellent series and captures the books well. I've already read all but the last couple of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but I'll happily circle back to re-read the first book. I remember being enchanted at the time. It will be good to see how well it's stood up on a re-read.

01-30-2017, 03:57 PM	#23
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,015 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I've gotten The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency from Overdrive and I'll be starting it later on today. I think it's going to win.

02-02-2017, 06:06 AM	#24
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,015 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I believe that this vote was in error and we should hold it again with ALL of the correct information. It turns out that The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a short story collection and not actually a novel. This was never mentioned when it was nominated or voted for. So I call for a new vote.

02-02-2017, 02:24 PM	#30
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,161 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Never surrender. Seriously, this all ties together into a novel, IMNSHO. Is the novel composed of multiple vignettes? certainly. As for whether you will enjoy? I'm not sure. I know I did the first time around, and I'm hoping it's still true. Part of that enjoyment was that it was so very evocative of the Africa I had visited, even though we never got to Botswana. Part of it was growing to love the characters and watching them mature and change.

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