Alexander McCall Smith’s latest edition to the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is perhaps the best yet. I finished reading it this morning.

The Lady Detective, Precious Ramotswe, is as charming as Alexander McCall Smith, who I once had the pleasure of meeting.

The series is often described as Miss Marpole in Botswana. It’s a good comparison, however, in Miss Marpole I recall the story being more about the mystery. In the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency the mystery is often secondary to the tales of Mma Ramotswe, her husband, her assistant, and the many secondary characters. It the mysteries of human nature that I find so charmingly related in this series.

As I mentioned, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies–the latest edition in the series–was the best yet. The first book was a great set up, books two and three were also great, then I felt like there was a mid-series lull. I decided to read In the Company of Cheerful Ladies because I still love the characters. It was definitely worth the read.

For more on the series and to read the first chapter of In the Company of Cheerful Ladies check out Amazon.ca.

Google has sponsored some crazy Da Vinci Code Quest.

Basically over 24 days, people solved a puzzle a day in order to win prizes. The first 10,000 participants to finish all 24 puzzles won a cryptex, which leads a further puzzle this weekend and untold fame and fortune for the winner. The fortune part at least is pretty clear, here’s the prize page.

Well today I found out a friend of a friend received his cryptex:

http://crazymonk.org/archives/2006_05_15/442

I’m much more interested in Da Vinci now. I want him to win the grand contest. Also it is another example of a cool and crazy cross-media promotion for what started as a book.

I actually like The Da Vinci Code. I thought Dan Brown was a crappy writer of dialogue and that the characters were stereotypes, however, it was a fun, fast-paced read. I learned a little about art and art history, I had to think a little about religion and about the authoritative voice in storytelling. I liked it. If you’re a snobby literary fiction reader, you too can like it. Think of the book as an academic thesis on art and religion written as a genre novel. In this particular case, over analyzing it does make it better.

Last week I was chatting with Lex about the tv show Lost. She’s just started watching the series and is now a bit of a fan. I’m also a fan, however, I have never seen a full episode. I did see the “Making of” special that was on last year and fell in love with the idea of the show. Now I’m really intrigued.

I read in Quill and Quire that Hyperion has published a novel by one of the characters on the show. It is a posthumous publication written by Oceanic Flight 815 casualty Gary Troup.

Quote: “Bad Twin, a tale about a set of twins – one bad, obviously – out to get Daddyís bucks, was found in manuscript form by the Lost characters on the hit ABC program. Viggo-esque man-hunk Josh ‘Sawyer’ Holloway is reading it on the show, according to a Guardian article, and is ‘anxious to finish it.'”

Just to clarify, this is a fictional work written by a fictional character who is dead in a fictional tv show–the book is a real physical object published by a real company. Nice blurring of lines between fact and fiction.

Intriguing? I think so especially from a marketing point of view.

There are a huge number of Lost fans who are looking for clues to the show. Lots of fan sites and speculation. Now there is a book. Cool cross-promo.

Here’s the link to the book on Amazon.ca.

Here at Work Industries we’re a Mac shop. I’ve decided that I’m part of Work Industries because Work Industries has invaded my space. We can get along. It’s ok. It’s not like a “PC-Mac” getting along, which I’ll get to in a second.

I’ve always worked on Mac. We had a Mac in my grade 2 class. I remember playing “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego.” Anyway, when we needed to buy a new computer in 2001, James was less than keen on buying a Mac. He was a PC guy.

The Reader’s Digest version of this story is that we bought a Mac Cube and Virtual PC (which we never used by the way).

Now the home office is kitted out with the Cube running OS Classic, Mac Mini OS X and our new baby iBook. If Apple is listening, I’m a fan. I would like an iBook in shiny black, 12″. I need portable and I want it black like the new video iPod.

What started this post is that over at Inkbase, Jason has linked to the new “Get a Mac” ads. I like all of them except the virus one. Don’t taunt the virus makers please.

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

I was talking to Roland Tanglao tonight about tap dance and here’s the update on cheap and incredible tap dance in Vancouver this month according to WestCoastTapDance.com.

CELEBRATE NATIONAL TAP DANCE DAY

TAP TO IT — 4th Annual Tap Dance Day Celebration
Vancouver East Cultural Centre, 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC

May 28, 2006, 2 pm and 7 pm shows.

Tickets can be purchase through Ticketmaster.

Matinee, 2 pm show
$19 regular admission
$14 students & seniors

Evening, 7 pm show
$24 show & gala

*** Partial proceeds to benefit the Pacific Parkinsons Research Institute.

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LIBRARY TAP PERFORMANCE

TAP TALK: Legends of Canadian Tap Dance

Co-hosted by the West Coast Tap Dance Collective and the Arts & History Division of the Vancouver Central Library
Description: This hour-long presentation on Canadian Tap Dance includes lecture, video and live performance. It highlights the careers of 3 legends in Canadian tap dance: Heather Cornell, William Orlowski and Dr. Jeni LeGon. Information about our local Vancouver tap scene will be shared and audience members will be treated to a live performance by Vancouverís Urban Tap Squad.

Details: Saturday, May 27 at 3:00 in the Alice McKay room, Vancouver Central Library — 350 W. Georgia.

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MOVING PICTURES: Nancy Haver has illustrated a picture book featuring the career of tap dance legend Dr. Jeni LeGon.

What Tap Dancing’s All About
According to Dr. Jeni LeGon
by: Nancy Haver
32 Pages – Paperback

$28 + shipping from Tap Emporium

http://tapemporium.com/TapBooks/WhatTapDancingsAllAbout/index.html