Book #18: The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday

Before I do anything else, let me say that Alexander McCall Smith is awesome. From this series to the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series to the 44 Scotland Street Series to anything else he's written, I love it all. Read something of his! Please! Also, though somewhat of a non-sequitur, my mom and I have been watching the HBO series based on the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series recently, and it is lovely.

Moving on. The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday is the fifth installment in the Isabel Dalhousie Mystery series, which I have to say has definitely grown on me since its inception. Isabel is an intelligent woman, and her insights are just that: insightful. And while this is proclaimed a mystery series, and there are indeed mysteries of sorts, Isabel cannot really be called a detective in the usual sense of the word. Isabel is an inquisitive, intelligent philosopher; she is merely unable not to look the other way when something out of the ordinary happens, and finds herself untangling problems.

She has also found true happiness, which is quite nice, considering so many things can be written around misery. Isabel is refreshing, the story interesting, and the descriptions of Edinburgh enough to make you want to live there yourself. Overall a great read, and I look forward to the next book in the series.