44 Scotland Street and Espresso Tales, by Alexander McCall Smith

These are the first and second collected-together-in-a-book versions of McCall Smith's newpaper serial about the lives of some people who live in a house of flats in Edinburgh. It passes the time I guess, but there are whole stories I skip because they're dull. I would rather read an entire book about the five-year-old genius Bertie and his self-obsessed mother: that's the one storyline that has something genuinely interesting to say. Something to read when you can't find anything else.



The Sunday Philosophy Club, by Alexander McCall Smith

I'll just add a quick word about this one here. I can't add it to my book count because I didn't finish it; but I really couldn't read any further. I'm not sure why McCall Smith thought it was a good idea to write a series of books through the eyes and thoughts of a tedious, self-absorbed and unlikable middle-aged woman. Ugh.