liadnan

Alexander McCall Smith: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency; Tears of the Giraffe. Not quite sure why I didn't read these before: I picked them up having read, and loved, his series set in a German university philology department: Portuguese Irregular Verbs, The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, and At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances.

The African series, so far (I've only read the first two) is slightly more serious and contemplative, but still fairly lighthearted. Highly enjoyable, and full of love for Africa and its people. At times I wondered if they were being a bit patronising, but on balance I think that's unfair. McCall Smith's writing style is unusual, extremely simple at first glance but far more subtle when more carefully considered. I shall be buying the rest of the series.

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talvalin.livejournal.com

Damn. I'd been actively avoiding these in the 3 for 2 offers merely because they were part of a 4 book (and counting!) series. Now you tell me that they're quite good. Poo.

Must finish _The Love Of Stones_ first. Miss Sterne is in Tokyo now, but it's beginning to drag a little. I would have finished it at the weekend but I left it in my sister's car, which means I'll be seeing it again sometime in 2005. This is a pity, since it's a library book and it's already overdue. Anyway...