Amici, amanti, cioccolato

EXCERPT: 'I asked our mutual friend Peter Stevenson about you,' Ian continued. 'He can tell you just about anything. And he said that you were, well, who you are. He also said that you had a reputation for discretely looking into things.' 'That's a polite way of putting it,' said Isabel. 'Some would Leggi tutto

I'm getting worried. I've read all but two of Alexander McCall Smith's books, and I read faster than he can write. It'll be hard to find another author I can trust for my bedtime reading--one whose books are like slipping into a cozy conversation with a thoughtful, well-read, gossipy friend. Friends, Leggi tutto

I have really enjoyed this series, and was intrigued by the idea of "cellular memories." But I was so disappointed in the resolution of this book -- I felt like McCall Smith ran out of energy after writing the first 75 percent of the book. The end just petered out. I kept expecting some kind of "kic Leggi tutto

Another pleasant mystery, full of interesting philosophical musings rather than melodramatic deaths and red herrings. Like the No. 1 Ladies series, and the previous book in this series, the mystery is almost second place to the lives of the characters, although it's definitely an compelling one this Leggi tutto

No paša “Svētdienas filozofu kluba” vēl arvien nav ne miņas, bet vismaz autors saņēmies un uzrakstījis labāku gabalu par pirmo. Arī šoreiz te ir daudz pārdomu par dzīvi, morāli, draudzību un vēl visādām lietām, kas maisās pa cilvēka galvu arī tad, ja viņš nav filozofs pēc profesijas. Noslēpuma izmek Leggi tutto

This should really be a 3.5 star book-- certainly better than The Sunday Philosopher's Club, as its plot has a bit more resolution to it. Isabel, however, begins to wear a bit thin-- a little too self-righteous, and not nearly self-aware enough to really justify it. However, I might be feeling this

This series just gets better. It's the mystery novel for the thinking person. Our heroine, Isabel Dalhousie is, as ever, distracted from her mystery (which is usually more of an intrigue than a real mystery) by the pressing issues of applied ethics. The real delight in this, of course, is setting th Leggi tutto

This was such an easy, amusing little read. The second in a series, the book has a mystery that is tucked so gently among the pages that it barely registers. Instead the reader is treated to sort of a stream of consciousness from the heroine Isabel, who muses to herself about all kinds of subjects i Leggi tutto

I’ll admit I bought this book because it was written by Alexander McCall Smith. I had heard of the Isabel Dalhousie series, but McCall Smith and his The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency was the main reason I wanted to read this book. The story centres round middle-aged divorcee Isabel Dalhousie, a philo Leggi tutto

Isabel Dalhousie's niece Cat asks Isabel to mind Cat's deli while she goes off to a wedding in Italy. Isabel is worried Cat will fall in love with an Italian lothario or worse - mafioso. [Um can we say stereotypes?] Isabel would much rather Cat get back together with Jamie who has pledged his undyin Leggi tutto