In the Time of Five Pumpkins

In the Time of Five Pumpkins is the 26th book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. Over the years I have enjoyed reading many titles in this series. My mother also enjoyed reading about the activities of Precious Ramotswe and her friends as they investigated activities that occurred in their neighbourhood.

A husband asks the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to prove that his wife is cheating on him. Life then becomes complicated for the agency when the wife employs Precious to prove that her husband has been cheating on her. Precious' husband has an unwanted adventure when he goes fishing in a boat on a local dam. The locals are concerned as to when the rains will finally come and hopefully Mma Potokwani's pumpkins will grow. 

These are some of the concerns that feature in the latest installment in the series. Another pleasant, relaxing read about a small community in Botswana. 

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith set in Botswana and featuring as the main character Mma Precious Ramotswe. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is also the title of the first book in the series published in 1998. By 2025, twenty-six titles in this series had been published. The books were also adapted as a television series.

I have read a selection of these books over the years and enjoyed spending time with the main characters as they examine and reflect on aspects of life as well as solve a crime or two on the way. Many years ago I gave my mother a copy of this title which she enjoyed and lent to her friends. Consequently I included new titles as birthday and Christmas presents for a number of years.

A summary of a number of the titles I have read can be found under the link for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel

Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi once again have mysteries to solve in the 26th installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The manager of the Great Hippopotamus Hotel approaches Precious when a number of incidents occur at the hotel which are ruining the hotel's reputation. Meanwhile Precious' husband, Mr JLB Matekoni, is approached by a client to purchase a fancy sports car for him. The problem is that the client does not want his wife to know about the purchase.

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith is another thoughtful and amusing account of the dilemmas faced by the two women as they attempt to resolve the challenges presented to them. The Great Hippopotamus Hotel provides another gentle, entertaining account of the thoughts and lives of Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi and their family and friends in Botswana.

From a Far and Lovely Country

It has been a while since I read any of the books in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series so, for old times sake, I decided to read the latest book in the series, From a Far and Lovely Country by Alexander McCall Smith. Once again I was transported to the world inhabited by Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi and their family and friends in Botswana.

My mother enjoyed reading the stories in this series and would lend the copies that I gave her to friends to also enjoy.

In this book they investigate the Cool Singles Evening Club which is suspected of deceiving single women by pairing them with married men. They also attempt to reunite a lady from America with family members in Botswana. Another moral dilemma is how to react when presented with a birthday present which is the wrong size. 

Precious Ramotswe always manages to find a positive solution to the problems encountered even when the solution may take a different path from the expected outcome. As the character looking for family members explains at the end of the book - 'I came looking for people ... and I found a country'.

This book is number 24 in the series.

The Enigma of Garlic

The enigma of garlic by Alexander McCall Smith is the sixteenth installment in the 44 Scotland Street series.  Reading these books is like catching up again with old friends to discover what has happened in their lives since our last meeting.

The big news is that cafe owner Big Lou has married Fat Bob but is he being unfaithful to her? Her friends are determined to discover the answer. Then Bruce's personality has changed since being hit by lightning when walking down the street. He has decided to enter a monastery. But will this be a permanent change? Irene has announced that she is moving back to Edinburgh for two months. How will this affect Stuart, Bertie and Stuart 's mother, Nicola? Irene has also decided that Bertie will go to a camp during the holidays. Unfortunately Olive and Pansy are going to the same camp. Nicola has set up an online profile on a dating site for her son. What could go wrong?

These are  just some of the senarios revealed in The enigma of garlic as the reader observes the lives of Angus and Domenica, Matthew and Elspeth, Antonio and Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori di Montana, Stuart and Bertie, Big Lou and all the other friends as they explore and discuss philosophical issues and life's important and not so important issues.

Love in the time of Bertie

I started reading books in the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith many years ago and it is always good to drop in and visit the residents at that address and catch up with what they and their friends have been up to. Love in the time of Bertie is the fifteenth book in the series.

The books are set in Edinburgh and most of the characters live in apartments at 44 Scotland Street or are friends of the residents. In each book we learn of the events and ideas that are currently concerning the residents and how they decide to deal with them. Although often the stories are a continuation of what has occurred in previous books this is a series that you can delve in and out of and still enjoy the experience. The author includes several story lines in each book, providing two or three short chapters on a story before moving onto another story. Each book therefore consists of a series of interwoven narratives.

In this book Domenica Macdonald and Angus Lordie go to dinner with Matthew and Elspeth, Angus re-evaluates his ideas about art and Domenica befriends a student from downstairs; Big Lou meets Fat Bob; Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori de Montagna and Antonia Collie plan to buy a new apartment; while Bruce Anderson is approached to become involved in a spurious business deal and is struck by lightning. 

Bertie's story becomes more complicated as Irene, his mother who moved to Aberdeen, has decided that Bertie needs to spend three months with her. Stuart, Bertie's father, and Nicola, his grandmother, are forced to comply with the demand and reluctantly send Bertie to his mother. To say that Bertie is  unhappy with this proposal would be an understatement. Bertie and his friend, Ranald Braveheart MacPherson, plan to find a solution.

Focusing on relationships, love and community spirit and written with humour and wry observation of human life, Alexander McCall Smith provides us with another enjoyable slice of life at 44 Scotland Street.

The Peppermint Tea Chronicles

Another look into the lives of the inhabitants of 44 Scotland Street and the surrounding area in this thirteenth book in the series by Alexander McCall Smith.

Since the last installment Bruce Anderson has decided that perhaps he should settle down but with whom? Big Lou considers selling her shop and the Duke of Johannesburg decides to build a seaplane. Matthew, Elspeth and the twins, Pat, Angus and Domenica also feature in this collection of episodes. But, as usual, it is Bertie who is the standout character as he revels in his new found independence when his mother leaves home to study at Aberdeen University providing her husband and two sons the freedom to live their own lives. Bertie and Ranald Braveheart Macpherson go on a series of adventures while Stewart renews an old friendship over peppermint tea.

The Department of Sensitive Crimes

As the first book in a new series by Alexander McCall Smith, this Detective Varg novel is described as being written as 'Scandi blanc' as opposed to popular Scandinavian crime fiction usually referred to as 'Scandi noir'.

Set in Malmo, Sweden, Ulf Varg (Wolf Wolf) is in charge of the Department of Sensitive Crimes. Ulf and his team, Anna, Carl and Erik, are presented with unusual crimes to investigate - who stabbed a stall holder in the back of the knee, the disappearance of a young man who may, or may not, have gone to the North Pole, and the reasons for the lack of patrons at a once popular spa. The team with the assistance of a local policeman, Blomquist, endeavour to investigate such mysteries discovering conflict between a group of young people, imaginary friends and the possibility of werewolves in a small town.

This series of investigations occurs amidst a series of philosophical discussions on social issues and life in general in our politically correct world. We learn about the lives, concerns and relationships of the main characters including the problems with Ulf's dog, Martin, who is not only deaf but appears to be depressed. The book contains much quiet humour which made me laugh on several occasions. I look forward to meeting these characters again in the next installment of the Detective Varg series.

Review in The Scotsman 7 March 2019
Reviews in Goodreads

The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse: a wartime romance

Alexander McCall Smith has written many books including books in The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series, Isabel Dalhousie series and  44 Scotland Street series. One of the author's strengths is that he writes about people as they experience what life presents. This he achieves again in this book about people reluctantly involved in war in England, Holland and Germany and about a dog, Peter Woodhouse.

Part of the book is set in England where Val lives with her aunt and works as a Land Girl on a local farm. The American Air Force sets up a base in the area and Val meets Mike, one of the pilots. When her cousin, Willy, rescues a dog that has been mistreated by its master Val realises that they must hide the dog in a new home. That is how Peter Woodhouse becomes a mascot dog for the men at the air force base and even gets to ride in a plane.

The story moves on to Holland where Mike and Peter Woodhouse are sheltered by members of the resistance after their plane is shot down. As well as portraying the difficulties of life in England during and after the war, the book describes the situation in Germany after the defeat that country and tells of people trying to reconstruct their lives.

Generally this is a book about humanity. The characters of the book demonstrate how war affects the lives of ordinary people who are just trying to survive.

A Distant View of Everything

The latest Isabel Dalhousie novel by Alexander McCall Smith allows us to renew our acquaintance with Isabel, Jamie and their growing family, now consisting of two small boys, Charlie and Magnus. The housekeeper, Grace, is only too willing to look after the boys allowing Isabel to occasionally escape to assist her niece, Cat, in the delicatessen. Isabel continues to edit the Review of Applied Ethics though she is finding it hard to concentrate on this task after the birth of Magnus.

A former school-mate provides Isabel with a philosophical challenge when she is told about a man who appears to be developing relationships with rich women in order to gain access to their wealth. Isabel decides to investigate and the book looks at the ethics of such an investigation as well as questioning the extent to which opinion can be taken at face value.

The descriptions of Edinburgh remain a feature of these books as Isabel endeavours to discover the truth not hearsay.

The Bertie Project

Irene has returned home and so the Bertie Project can continue. Seven year old Bertie, however, enjoyed his months of freedom with just his father and his grandmother looking after him. Irene therefore discovers that she has lost some of her control. Stuart has also discovered the joys of not being totally under the control of his wife. But will the changes in Scotland Street last?
The story of Bertie and his family, intermingled with stories of other characters associated with Scotland Street, continue to provide entertaining reading. This is the eleventh title in the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith.

The revolving door of life

Alexander McCall Smith continues the stories in the 44 Scotland Street series in The Revolving Door of Life.  The stories are the continuation of the events, large and small, about the lives of characters who live, or who have lived, in this part of Scotland Street.

Although Matthew and Elspeth, with their triplets, have left Scotland Street to move into their new home outside Edinburgh, Matthew still works at his art gallery in the city. The house was purchased from a gentlemen calling himself the Duke of Johannesburg, a character who makes appearances throughout this collection of stories. Angus Lordie and Domenica Macdonald, now married, have settled into Domenica's flat in Scotland Street and are adjusting to their new life together.

The story of central interest in this collection revolves around Bertie, now seven, and his new found freedom when his mother is detained in a Bedouin harem - you will have to read the book. Nicola, Bertie's grandmother moves to Scotland Street to look after Bertie and Ulysses and determines that her grandson should have a less structured life.

The other major theme concerns Pat's father, Dr MacGregor. Pat is concerned that her father's new friend is only interested in his money so Pat and Matthew devise a plan to test whether this is the case.

Ethics and the need to do the right thing tend to be major considerations for some of the characters as they often agonise about their plans and possible actions however a solution is usually eventually found.

As this book is number 10 in the series, this volume is another collection of often amusing stories recounting the minutiae of the lives of a collection of characters we have come to know, all part of the revolving door of life.

Bertie's guide to life with mothers

Another instalment in the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith as told primarily through the eyes of six (about to turn seven) year old , Bertie.  This collection of short stories continues the description of the lives of a collection of people who have had an association with an apartment block in Edinburgh including Angus Lordie,  Domenica and Cyril who are visited by Antonia and Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori di Montagna, Matthew and Elspeth who are looking for larger accommodation to house their triplets, and Big Lou who wants to make a change in her life. The majority of the book however deals with the problems faced by Bertie. As his mother continues to control his life Bertie dreams of turning 18 when he will be able to leave home and live in Glasgow. However when his mother takes the opportunity to attend a literary festival in Dubai, Bertie discovers some freedom as his father allows him to plan his own birthday party and also attend the cub camp. These short, amusing observations of life in the city continue to be a joy to read.

The uncommon appeal of clouds

When a valuable painting by the artist, Poussin, is stolen from a country house Isabel Dalhousie is approached to support the owner when he is contacted by representatives of the thieves wanting to claim the reward for the safe return of the painting. Such a situation creates a series of ethical issues including should  a ransom be paid for a painting as this would only encourage the thieves to steal again. If a ransom is not paid, however, a valuable painting that was to be donated to the nation may be lost. Isabel's deliberations on this situation include meeting members of the family of the owners of the painting. Could they be involved in the disappearance of this work of art. As with all Isabel Dalhousie novels many issues about how we live our daily lives are raised and explored.

Trains and Lovers

Train journeys sometimes create opportunities where people who are only together for a short time may share thoughts and experiences during the journey. In Trains and lovers, Alexander McCall Smith looks at aspects of love through the eyes of four strangers sharing a carriage on the train from Edinburgh to London. People can be touched by love in many different ways and the stories provided by the passengers explore some of these. Hugh recounts the story of a relationship that developed from a chance meeting on a railway platform, David remembers a special friendship that bordered on love from his youth, Kay recounts the story of her father leaving Scotland for Australia and the new life he discovered in the outback while Andrew's story tells of his love for Hermione as well the the bond between parents and children. This could be a good book to read on a train.

Sunshine on Scotland Street

Further accounts of the daily life of the inhabitants of 44 Scotland Street and surrounding area. The compilation of stories begins with Angus Lordie's preparations (or lack thereof) for his wedding to Domenica. The one thing he did organise was the guardianship of his dog, Cyril, which he entrusted to six year old Bertie for the three weeks of the honeymoon however the three weeks turns out to be an adventurous time for Cyril until his master's return. Matthew and Elspeth continue to look after their triplets with the help of Anna though Matthew questions his chosen career while Bertie and his father, Stuart, contemplate how to live with the domineering Irene. Bruce returns to the the area and meets a challenge he never anticipated. Alexander McCall Smith once again entertains as he reveals the often mundane events in the lives of his characters but in so doing causes the reader to consider every day issues living in the twenty-first century.

The forgotten affairs of youth

Number eight in the Isabel Dalhousie novel series by Alexander McCall Smith. When Isabel is contacted by an Australian philosopher who is trying to locate information about her parents who lived in Edinburgh Isabel decides to help. This action, of course, brings about much soul searching as to whether the truth should be told at all cost or whether sometimes the truth may cause only unhappiness to one of the parties involved. As editor of the Review of Applied Ethics Isabel also has to decide how to deal with Professor Lettuce whose actions continue to be anything but ethical. I enjoyed reading this novel with its observations on how people may think and act on small and large actions in their lives. As with all Alexander McCall Smith books the story is told with gentle humour as we come to know and understand the regular characters in the series.

A conspiracy of friends

This is the third Corduroy Mansions novel by Alexander McCall Smith providing more stories about the inhabitants of Pimlico, especially those associated with the apartments of Corduroy Mansions. The series of stories throughout the book involve an investigation of friendship and how the characters respond to challenges in relationships. When William French visits friends in the country his dog, Freddie de la Hay, disappears and his loyalty to old friends is tested when his friend's wife confides her love for William. Barbara Ragg redefines her relationship with Hugo and continues her dispute with  Rupert Porter and his wife as they continue their quest to acquire Barbara's apartment. Caroline has a new flatmate. Oedipus Snark MP member of the Liberal Democrats receives a promotion while Terence Moongrove acquires a new car, both events providing additional worries for Berthea Snark.

These amusing, sometimes quirky, stories as well as entertaining the reader often portray attitudes and perceptions prevalent in society today.

Bertie plays the blues

The seventh book in the 44 Scotland Street series. Alexander McCall Smith continues to recount the events in the lives of his now familiar characters - Bertie and his family, Domenica, Angus Lordie and Antonia, Mathew and Elspeth as well as Pat who works in the gallery and Big Lou, the owner of the local cafe.

In this volume six and a half year old Bertie decides to apply for adoption to escape the strict regime laid out for him by his mother, his father also rebels and joins the masons, Domenica and Angus finally decide on a wedding date, Mathew and Elspeth come to grips with being the parents of triplets while Pat and Big Lou explore options to form new relationships.

Edinburgh is the setting for this collection of character studies touched with humour and portraying a selection of inner city life and attitudes.

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

Although the actual wedding between Grace Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti does not occur until the final chapter much planning for the wedding is required before the event can take place. While this is occurring the services of the detectives at the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency continue to be in demand. Who has been causing injury to the cattle of Mr Moeti? Is Charlie really the father of twins? And has Mma Ramotswe's little white van come back to life? This is the twelfth book is the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith and continues the tradition of the previous titles taking the reader into the life of Mma Ramotswe and her family and friends living in Botswana.

In September 2011 ABC television showed an episode of Compass consisting of a Geraldine Doogue  interview with Alexander McCall Smith. The episode can be viewed or downloaded plus a transcript of the interview can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s3314488.htm.

 In October 2011 Alexander McCall Smith was guest of the program, Jennifer Byrne presents - http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s3337304.htm.