#re3 - The Sunday Philosophy Club

Ok, I have to admit this before I go any further. I have read this once before, many many years ago. I vaguely remember liking it, but I can't for the life of me tell you what happened. It was an easy, cosy read. I must have liked it back then as I am certain I read the second book in the series, Friends, Lovers and Chocolate afterwards (again, no idea what the mystery was. I only remember really one detail).

So, when earlier this year (Spring), I saw this and The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency on NetGalley for review, I jumped at the chance to reread them both. I wanted to see if I would still hold them to my memory of them. I reread The No. 1 Detective Agency back in February (review/#re3 for that is here), but I held this one off as I wanted the time to be right. And, with my job at the start of the month being all over the place with shift work (6am to 2pm for me), it screwed up my reading of La Belle Sauvage so I picked this one up instead. I wanted something light and easy and thought this would do the trick.

Oh, dear reader, how very wrong I was. But more on that later!

When philosopher and amateur detective Isabel Dalhousie saw a man fall from the gods at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, her instincts are telling her that the man didn't fall, but was pushed. With this in mind, Isabel decided to find out the truth...

Out of the two, I much prefer Precious Ramotswe over Isabel Dalhousie. Precious is much more a warmer character, a character I related to very easily and I wanted her to succeed. But Isabel isn't warmer. She's more spiky and prickly, so it makes it harder for me to relate to her.

Plus, as she is the philosopher, there were times were she would go off on a philosophy trail of thought. And this dragged. There were times, the whole chapter would be philosophy and ethics, and because of this, I felt the story slowed to a grinding halt and struggled to care about the mystery Isabel was trying to solve or about her and her family/friends.

I know I like reading crime/thriller books that have a bit of pace to them, so I am not use to much gentler, cosier crimes, but this was a struggle, whereas The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency was a joy to read.

The writing is good, don't get me wrong. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy this book and will enjoy the series. But this isn't my cup of tea, I'm afraid. And, if I decide to go back to his books, I think I will go toward Precious and read Tears of the Giraffe.

#re3 - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

This, like Northern Lights, was a reread. I wanted to read something completely anti-fantasy before I dive back into the world of Sin Eater's Daughter. I know that, once I start reading Sleeping Prince, I would binge this and Scarecrow Queen so I can finish them before the end of March. And I love fantasy but worried that if I binge-read these after finishing Sin Eater's Daughter and Northern Lights, I would be a little sick of fantasy so, when I saw this on NetGalley, I went "Let's read this. It's a reread, it should be a fast fun read".

Oh, Andrew. Never think "This is will a fun, fast read". I started reading this and, like Northern Lights, I soon realised that there was a lot of things in here that I forgot. I mean, how old was I went I read this? Late teens? So, over ten years ago... Yeah... there is a lot I forgot. 

The first in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, we follow Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's first - and finest - female private investigator. Following her starting up her business and investigating cases such as cheating husbands and wayward daughters. All the while, with warmth, humour and a gentle understanding of human nature. 

Now, it's been so long since I read this that I am going to have to treat this like a review rather than a reread. This is a very different crime/thriller I am use to reading. I like pace, I like action, I like twists. This is a complete gear shift for me as this is a gentle crime. And Precious Ramotswe is probably the Queen of gentle crime within the past two decades. 

There is a cosy, warm feel to this. Perfect reading for the cold months of January/February. It's a bit like Sunday evening TV. You can curl up on the sofa with a hot chocolate, wearing your comfortable, happy clothes and feel happy. It's a feel-good factor to them, something I remember from when I read them YEARS AND YEARS ago. This carried over when the BBC/HBO turned a few of these into a TV series back in 2007/2008 (if I can, I will include a pic from the TV series somewhere in this post!)

Some crime readers might not like this series as the mysteries in this book and within the series aren't exactly thrilling or compelling. They're quite laid-back mysteries and some are quite easy to figure out. But this is more a look at life and human nature - something that applies to me. It's refresh for me to read something that isn't running at a hundred miles an hour. I can just relax and enjoy. 

I might have to get my hands on the second book in the series, Tears of the Giraffe. But, at the same time that I requested No 1 Detective Agency, I requested another of Alexander McCall Smith's stories, The Sunday Philosophy Club (which I think I might have read but I can't remember if I have or not!), so this will be my next Alexander McCall Smith read.