Category Archives: Series

Series: The Cemetary of Forgotton Books

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Series
As of 2012, there are three books in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  The first, the Shadow of the Wind, features Daniel Semper, whose father loves books – he owns a modest bookstore, and knows of the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where Daniel discovers the writings of a mysterious author – Julian Carax.  This book is a rare find, as someone has been purchasing every copy of Carax’s writings, and burning them.

The second book, the Angel’s Game is set before the Shadow of the Wind, and focus on David Martin, a young author who has gotten involved in some mysterious affairs.  David has always been looked kindly on by the proprietor of Semper and Sons bookstore, and even sends his assistant, Isabelle, over to help out at the store.  At that time, the father of the protagonist of Shadow of the Wind, is a young man, working with his father at Semper and Sons bookstore.

The third book, the Prisoner of Heaven, fills the time gap between the Angel’s Game and the Shadow of Heaven.  New connections are made in this story set against a background of a dark time in Barcelona’s history.

Series: Harry Potter

The Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)

Series: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series – Botswana

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (Series), by Alexander McCall-Smith

This is a wonderful on-going series of books set in Botswana.  The main character is Precious Ramotswe, daughter of the late Obed Ramotwe who loved his cattle, who starts her own detective agency, the first lady to do so in Botswana.  She is soon joined by her assistant Grace Makutsi, who received a 97% on her final exam at the secretarial college and will never let anyone forget that.  Together, and aided by “The Principals of Private Detection” by Clovis Anderson, the ladies solve all sorts of local problems, often based on Mma Ramotswe’s understanding of human nature.

Each book in the series presents both new cases for the ladies, and personal life challenges to be solved.  A wonderful cast of characters continue through the novels, including Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni (always referred to by his formal title), who owns and runs the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors car shop (and his ever-difficult apprentices); Violet Sephotho, Mma Makutsi’s rival from Botswana Secretarial College; and Mma Silvia Potokwane, good friend of Mma Ramotswe and the bossy matron from the local orphanage (she often pressures Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni to come repair the pump at the orphanage, but only has the best of intentions).

The books are a wonderful read; in addition to the plot line, the setting is quite interesting and the style of the books provide a refreshing twist on mystery novels.

The series includes:

  1. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (1998)
  2. Tears Of The Giraffe (2000)
  3. Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001)
  4. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2002)
  5. The Full Cupboard of Life (2004)
  6. In The Company of Cheerful Ladies (2004 – also known as The Night-Time Dancer)
  7. Blue Shoes and Happiness (2006)
  8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007)
  9. The Miracle at Speedy Motors (2008)
  10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009)
  11. The Double Comfort Safari Club (2010)

(List from Wikipedia)

In 2008 the books were the basis for the excellent HBO Mini-series (7 episodes) The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.