Alexander McCall Smith Is a master of the cozy mystery and this 23rd adventure in the Lady’s Detective Agency series doesn’t disappoint! If you haven’t taken a trip to Botswana to join this group, now’s the time.

I hadn't read this series in years. Glad I picked it back up. It's still the comfortable, enjoyable read I remember.

I couldn’t get into this book and sadly put it down and gave up. I hate doing it but sometimes you just have to accept this isn’t the book for you! Sorry!

I'm a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith, but have never read a book from his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I was lucky enough to receive the latest installment of the series, A Song of Comfortable Chairs, from Netgalley to review! I was worried about starting at the 23rd book in the series, but it was easy to jump right in. This book is filled with the warmth and humour I have come to love in all of Smith's books. I alternated between the audiobook and physical copy, and the audio narrator Lisette Lecat was excellent! Reading an Alexander McCall Smith series is like visiting old friends in a beautiful town every time you pick up a book, and I can't wait to visit Mma Ramotswe in Botswana again!

Thanks to Netgalley, Recorded Books, Penguin Random House Canada and Knopf Canada for the copies to review!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Knopf Canada, and Net Galley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realize it was #23 in the series before I requested it. Some other reviews mentioned that you had to read the first several books in the series to truly understand the book, other reviews mentioned that they have read them all and didn’t like this one.

Initially, I had decided to DNF this book at 20% because the pace was very slow and I couldn’t quite make sense of the characters. Because this series is beloved, I decided to watch a couple episodes of the show and try again.

I can see why people love these characters and why this is some people’s “comfort series”. I think jumping in without knowing any of the background, the pace of the stories, the types of mysteries, and the way the characters talk, you will have a very hard time getting into this.

Edited to add: I’ve just finished the book and this is a wonderful cozy book. It’s got some “mysteries” that get solved along the way. I loved the characters (especially with watching a lot of the series now!) and got used to the formal speech patterns. I’m glad I stuck with it and I hope that those who follow this series will like this instalment.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Random House Canada, Knopf Canada and Alexander McCall Smith for free e-ARC of A Song of Comfortable Chairs in return of my honest review.

I applied for the book because I enjoyed the premise, I like a good cozy mystery and this book should have hit the spot. However, I was astonished when I finished it as it was not a real mystery, Agatha Christie type, it was not mystery whatsoever. It was a story basically about friends helping each other to do good business- to facilitate the sale of comfortable chairs to the locals when a new competitive store has open and started to disrupt the first business.

First of all, it was hard to concentrate as it was super slow (that I can understand as it might have been due to cultural peculiarities). I wanted some actions, at least a few leads to follow - here it was who said what to whom in a grocery line, who overheard and imagined the rest, bla bla bla… and it was a book 23 of the series!!!! It was tiresome, boring, uninspiring and overall sad…

I am glad I finished it (even through pain and tears). I will not pick up this author again. Thank you

This is my first Alexander McCall Smith novel, and thus the first book in the Ladies' No.1 Detective Agency series. That said, even though A Song if Comfortable Chairs is book 23 in the series, it read perfectly as a stand alone novel.
It is a book about friendship, loyalty, and the trials of everyday life. Such as, how do you move on with new relationships, if your teenager isn't on board, or what to do when all of a sudden there's serious competition for your company, when it previously had a monopoly in the area.
I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading my next Alexander McCall Smith!

This was such a cozy read! While this was the first book I’ve actually read in this series (this is book #23), I found it easy enough to follow, and really enjoyed the authors writing style. The pace wasn’t too fast or too slow, and this made for the perfect cozy mystery read.

As for the story itself, I really liked the main character Precious. She is a great character, and extremely well written, and I imagine if I had read this series from the start I would love her even more.

Overall, this is a great book and now I look forward to going back and reading some of the earlier books in this series.

I have read a couple of this series in the past but not a lot of them. Didn't seem to be important that I hadn't read them all. A nice, light, mainly happy book but not much to it. Very easy going. Overall it was ok but not great. Some funny bits. I'm sure if you enjoy the series you would enjoy this.

"In this latest installment in the beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Grace Makutsi encounters a pair of quandaries that will require all of her and Mma Ramotswe’s cleverness and generosity to resolve."

This is the first book I've read from the series, so it was hard to dive into it because characters and their personalities were already set in previous books. However, I did find Mma Ramostwe very old-school, kind, and gentle. The dialogues were almost like mini-parables (if that makes sense haha). Overall, A Song of Comfortable Chairs is a true "cozy" mystery--perfect for escapism. I am looking forward to picking up this series and getting to know the main characters more, as well as Botswana.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Knopf Canada for the ARC.

The ever insightful and compassionate Precious Ramotswe returns in her 23rd (!) installment to solve several problems, as she often does. Though the stakes in this long-running series are fairly low, they hinge on behaviour and assumptions, and there are always happy endings for Mma Ramotswe, Grace Makutsi, and the people they care for.

Mma Ramotswe has two problems, both brought to her by Grace:
-Grace's husband Phuti is losing significant profits to a rival furniture store with slick marketing and lower prices
-A childhood friend of Grace's is having attitude problems with her son, which is affecting her relationship with a kind man.

Precious and Grace put their heads together to come up with ways to fix both situations, of course, because that's what the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency does.

This series has always been a cozy and charming break from heavier stories and life, and it didn't disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

2.5 stars

Never did I think the day would come when I read a book about two chair companies fighting over market share. But alas here we are and unfortunately, it was every bit as boring as a book about chairs may be. I can see where people would find this book comforting/engaging if they had read the other 22 books in the series but since I haven't (and you don't need to in order to know who the characters are), I was expecting something more along the likes of a Phryne Fisher murder mystery. I think what threw me was that Mma Ramotswe called it a detective agency when really she ended up consulting a business with some private investigation thrown in.

It has some good morals and messages and I didn’t have to read the others to understand the story, but this took me over a month to read and it’s only 240 pages… that says something in and of itself.

4.3 Stars
One Liner: Heartwarming; a comfort read (but go with the right expectations)

Grace Makutsi's husband has a furniture business, which is in trouble. An international is selling furniture for cheaper prices. While Phuti Radiphuti is particular about quality and comfort, the new competitor is intent on sales and profits.
Grace and Mma Ramotswe meet Grace’s childhood friend Patience, who appears to be dealing with her own issues. Mma Ramotswe comes up with ideas that might solve both issues and provide a happy solution for all of them.
But are things as easy as the plan? How will Grace Makutsi and Mma Ramotswe handle the latest complexities?
The story comes in the third person POV. It alters between limited third-person (of both the leading ladies) and omnipresent narration.
The last time I read a book from the series was about a decade ago. I picked it up at random from the library and wasn’t impressed by the lack of dead bodies in a cozy mystery (blame it on my bloodlust). Comparing it to Agatha Christie’s book didn’t help. Still, I was compelled enough to finish the book before turning to a murder mystery.
Now I see why the series is successful and much loved. The book doesn’t really fit any genre. The mysteries are not ‘mysteries’, but aspects of one’s life- things we see in society, issues someone has to deal with, and decisions people need to make.
The narration is relaxed and takes time to gather momentum. Even then, it is languid and lingers here and there before coming to the main point. The writing has a semi-stream-of-consciousness style (an incident happens/ new info is revealed, and one of the leading ladies thinks about something relevant from the past). Once I got used to this, I could sync my reading style with the narration.
The book has a good dose of social commentary but doesn’t overdo it at any point. Mma Ramotswe’s calm acceptance of whatever life throws at her helps ground the narration.
Coming to the main issues in the story, things don’t take off until the second half. The first half gathers information in bits and pieces, while the ‘solving process’ begins in the latter part. Of course, we know what and why already. It’s how that matters. One solution is simple, and the other is well… elaborate and dramatic. The teeny twist at the end adds a cheeky charm to the book.
To summarize, A Song of Comfortable Chairs is the kind of book you want to sit with on cold noon and warm your heart. It isn’t a typical cozy mystery or drama. It’s a comfort read that’ll make you think and smile at the same time.

Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Knopf Canada, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I have always found the "The #1 Ladies Detective Agency" series to be delightful, but this book takes it to a whole other plane. I found it deeply refreshing on a soul level. McCall Smith uses his characters to remind us of another time—a time when self-importance and self-preservation mattered less than kindness and mercy. This story is a soft reminder of what it means fo be loving and patient, with examples of how we might go about this in situations involving conflict and ambition. McCall Smith's writing is an exercise in gentleness and peace, and my heart ate it up. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an advance copy for review, and especially to McCall Smith for writing this wonderful book! I will now be purchasing a copy so I can read it again and again, whenever my heart needs to be refreshed.

Absolutely loved it!! Mma Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi are great as usual. They go about solving problems in their usual quiet way, helping their friends.

Another gentle, heartwarming read from Mr.McCall Smith. Mma Ramotswe solves her clients problems with kindness, compassion and with the steadfast belief that of the goodness inherent in all people will always find a way to triumph.

This story warms the heart like a cup of hot bush tea. The characters are comfortable and familiar yet the plot keeps you going hoping for the feel good ending that we have come to know and love.

Precious Ramotswe, founder and owner of the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, has a problem. Her "colleague" (formerly her assistant) Grace Makutsi seems to be intent on increasing symbols of her importance at the agency. For example, she decided that she needs a bigger desk. Precious is unsure how far this will go: will Grace stage a coup, she wonders? When Precious's husband suggests that Grace may be feeling some insecurity due to tensions at her husband's furniture store, Precious decides to investigate and it forms the basis for the story.

It's an enjoyable parable-like narrative, with no twisty plotting or complicated puzzle to solve. There's the
atmospheric background of Botswana and rich characterisation typical of this author. Universal ideals and principles are revealed in a prosaic way involving a cast of memorable characters. A satisfying read.
While this is the 24th book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, it's easy to read as a standalone.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance reading copy for my review.

I have not read any of the Ladies Detective Agency prior to this book. I found the characters engaging and the story sweet and full of some truths we all need to learn in our lives. Now that I have been introduced I will very likely read more of this series.

Mma Precious Ramotswe, Botswana-based owner of the longest established, most reputable and only local detective agency entirely run by ladies, is back in fine form in this latest installment of the always-wonderful #1LadiesDetectiveAgency series.

With her gentle goodness, old-school Botswanan morality and “ability to see the whole thing as part of a long story”, (and of course, aided and abetted by her cherished Clovis Andersen and his works “The Principles of Private Detection”), Mma Ramostwe has the kind of life, and the kind of attitude, that makes a reader yearn for kinder, simpler times, when a cup of red bush tree, and a whole heap love and compassion for one’s neighbors, are really all that is needed.

As Mma Ramostwe works to uncover (and help counter) unhappiness in her business partner Grace Makutsi and her husband Phuti Radiphuti (proprietor of the Double Comfort Furniture Store), her deductive skills and careful planning may or may not achieve the exact outcome expected, but cannot help but provide a lovely and uplifting read, - a perfect balm and the indisputable antidote to days filled full of heedless rushing.

I loved this book, and love this series.
Love the immersion into a world where “the best response to hostility was a compliment, an expression of affection, a simple smile. And it always worked - or almost always.”

A world where rudeness is not tolerated, and everyone, including those among the “traditionally-built”, have “the right to stand up straight and speak their mind”, for they “lived in place that recognized all these things as good, and was, as everybody knew, a very good place.”

A great big thank you to @netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this warm and oh-so-welcome hug of book, - all thoughts presented are my own.