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Alexander McCall Smith, author of How to Raise an Elephant: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (21)

Precious Ramotswe loves her dependable old van. Yes, sometimes it takes a bit longer to get going now, and it has developed some quirks over the years, but it has always gotten the job done. This time, though, the world --- and Charlie --- may be asking too much of it, for when he borrows the beloved vehicle he returns it damaged. And, to make matters worse, the interior seems to have acquired an earthy smell that even Precious can't identify. But the olfactory issue is not the only mystery that needs solving. Mma Ramotswe is confronted by a distant relative, Blessing, who asks for help with an ailing cousin. The help requested is of a distinctly pecuniary nature, which makes both Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and Mma Makutsi suspicious.

Week of September 6, 2021

Paperback releases for the week of September 6th include THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS by Jodi Picoult, a riveting novel about the choices that alter the course of our lives; HIS TRUTH IS MARCHING ON, Pulitzer Prize-winner Jon Meacham's intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman John Lewis, which links his life to the painful quest for justice in America from the 1950s to the present; MAGIC LESSONS, an unforgettable novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, as Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, who is accused of witchcraft in Salem and is the matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in PRACTICAL MAGIC and THE RULES OF MAGIC; and SHE COME BY IT NATURAL, in which National Book Award finalist Sarah Smarsh focuses her laser-sharp insights on a working-class icon and one of the most unifying figures in American culture: Dolly Parton.