2025 #32 Espresso Tales (44 Scotland Street #2 - McCall Smith)

 

Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, now I've really gone and messed things up. I started the series with #13 The Peppermint Tea Chronicles, and even thought I had already read Espresso Tales, which was not the case. But now that I've read two books out of order, I think I'll just keep going that route. What was interesting is how my feelings about the characters differed. For example, Bertie and his neurotic and over-protective mother, Irene, were centerpieces of this volume, whereas I was not so interested in them in Peppermint. Despite having skipped the first in the series, I felt that this was a delightful introduction to Bertie, Irene, and Stuart. On the other hand, Ramsey Dunbarton was a dreadful bore, and while I understand that is intended, I needed less proof of it. Big Lou has a larger role to play in Peppermint, but it was nice to see more of her origin story here. It is the characters that give these books a delight, and some of the plots are self-contained, so I think I'm ok to read these out of order.
McCall Smith keeps his characters vivid but also believable (for the most part). This is a wonderful summer read--lighthearted, entertaining, and sure to hook you in to the world of 44 Scotland Street.

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2021 #12: The Peppermint Tea Chronicles (44 Scotland Street #13--McCall Smith)

 

The Peppermint Tea Chronicles by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So, I did something I don't normally do -- I read a serial book out of order. I'm saying this upfront because I think it was a bit of a disservice to the book, but also, at the same time, it speaks well of the book that about halfway through, it didn't really matter any more.

So I had read Espresso Tales quite some time ago, without reading the first in the series and I can't really remember what impact that had on me [EDIT: in fact, I don't believe I DID read it -- see my review in 2025]. However, it does seem that my exposure to the characters in Volume 13 (The Peppermint Tea Chronicles) was less-than because I hadn't read 11 other volumes. I had relatively little interest in Bertie and his selfish mother, Matthew and Elspeth and their male au pair, or Angus and Domenica. However, I stuck with it and the characters who instantly drew me in were Big Lou and Ranald Braveheart Macpherson (maybe I have a bias for interesting names?). Of course I enjoyed the dry whimsy of Alexander McCall Smith's writing from the first pages, but it took me a bit to truly care.

But I'm glad I did--care, that is. For if I had not, I might have missed the stunning bits of subtext and commentary on our modern times. From Stuart's Portuguese shoes to a startling but overt reference to affirmative action polemics and class hierarchy in Chapter 58, I truly appreciated how McCall Smith creates figures that are representatives of something bigger than the story itself. Perhaps my biggest praise of this volume is that it has made it seem obvious and necessary that I must go back and read volumes 1-12. That is the best of all possible worlds for a book in a series.

On a side note, I would love to know more about the author's shoe...fixation? fascination? From Mma Makutsi in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series to Stuart in 44 Scotland Street series, it feels like there may be fodder for a deeper exploration of shoes-as-trope in the author's oeuvre.

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2017 #3: What's Your Literacy IQ?

What's Your Literacy Iq?: Test Yourself On Your Literacy And General Knowledge:  1,200 Questions On Subjects From Abacus To Zygotes by Norma Gleason
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is important to remember that the author does say that the main purpose of the book is to "divert you, entertain you, and challenge you." In those aims, it succeeded. That said, I think if the book claims to "test" literacy IQ, far more effort should have been made to ensure accuracy. The music questions, in particular, are questionable. Haydn is spelled wrong. Handel's famous oratorio is misnamed. These errors are pedestrian, yes, but really could have been avoided by having an authoritative proofreader.

All that said, I did have fun with it.