Back to the Books

You folks must think I've stopped reading because I haven't posted about any books lately. But nothing could be further from the truth. It's just been busy around here as I get ready for my upcoming speech at the Parkinson's symposium.

As you may know, I am a big fan of the incredibly prolific Alexander McCall Smith. He has four series of books (that I know of, anyhow), including the Number One Ladies Detective Agency. I like those but my favorites are the 44 Scotland Street series and the books starring that ace philosopher, Isabel Dalhousie.

I finished The Careful Use of Compliments last night, this gentle mystery novel that kept me awake way past what was good for me. But then, reading is good for me too.

Anyhow, Smith uses Isabel to contemplate and give different perspectives on life as we know it. And that's the part I like the best. It's a lot like having an in-depth conversation with someone when you meander over all sorts of topics just because you're both interested.

I decided, as I was falling asleep after I turned off the reading light, that these books are a lot like lullabies, not the icky sweet kind but more like the sound of spring peepers in the distance on an early summer night or the honking of Canada geese as they leave for southern climes in the fall. A reassurance that the world still holds together somehow, in spite of the human propensity for messing things up.