Somehow I landed myself on a jury this week, so good thing I had this post ready to go before it hit!
It wasn't much of a struggle to figure out what to read next while I was in the midst of time-sucking black hole that was the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics game...
... it is the same go-to author that I find myself picking up (or, these days, should I say downloading) after I need to get over a particularly difficult read or find myself in a book rut... Alexander McCall Smith (going forward known as "AMS"). The guy is just a writing machine. He has four different series going, plus he recently released a stand-alone novel. I split my time between two of the series, The No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency, where I am up to Book #7 and The Sunday Philospophy Club/Isabel Dalhousie series where I am now through Book #3, The Right Attitude To Rain.
I know I sound like a broken record with these AMS books, but they are always easy and entertaining reads, so quite perfect to keep me reading during the Games when it was fairly difficult to concentrate and maintain momentum and my steady/consistent reading schedule. After 10 AMS books, obviously I know what I am getting and I like it.
I am not sure why both of these AMS series I read are classified as "mysteries." While the No. 1 Ladies suggests a bit more mystery, there really much of a hint going on with philosopher Isabel Dalhousie, but both are more about the often difficult task of figuring people out than say solving a crime. They are just charming slice-of-life tales that will charm you for hours before generally wrapping things up in a nice, pretty, tidy bow.
That said, I was surprised, not a typical AMS hallmark, by a couple of things that transpired in this installment. It is even a bit risque too, though still firmly on the "chaste" end of the scale erotic scale (ha!). My only other quibble with the series, and particularly this book was reconciling that Isabel is written as kind of frumpy, over-the-hill biddy... and she's 42 years old... a year younger than myself! I have always been challenged getting a good picture of her in my mind, never really considering her a peer, but in this one you are kind of forced to spiff her up a bit.
Due to the non-challenging nature of these books, I am always challenged coming up with a rating for these book. I don't think I have ever strayed beyond my starting point of 3 stars, though typically do find them to be 4-star entertainment. Perhaps, McCall Smith just makes it all look (and read) too easy.
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