44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 325

Publisher - Abacus

Source - Bought after seeing Smith at Edinburgh Book Festival

Blurb from Goodreads

44 SCOTLAND STREET - Book 1

The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial novels, featuring six-year-old Bertie, a remarkably precocious boy—just ask his mother.

Welcome to 44 Scotland Street, home to some of Edinburgh's most colorful characters. There's Pat, a twenty-year-old who has recently moved into a flat with Bruce, an athletic young man with a keen awareness of his own appearance. Their neighbor, Domenica, is an eccentric and insightful widow. In the flat below are Irene and her appealing son Bertie, who is the victim of his mother’s desire for him to learn the saxophone and italian–all at the tender age of five.

Love triangles, a lost painting, intriguing new friends, and an encounter with a famous Scottish crime writer are just a few of the ingredients that add to this delightful and witty portrait of Edinburgh society, which was first published as a serial in The Scotsman newspaper.


My Review

For reasons unknown I thought this was going to be a crime book lmao, I know I know I am a riot. Anyways welcome to 44 Scotland Street, Edinburgh. Flats where we meet Irene, an overbearing mother who is intent on getting the best/most for her five year old genius Bertie and nothing will get in her way. Pat has just moved into the flat and Bruce shows her about, attractive Bruce and by lord does he know it! Domenica is her neighbour across the way, widow, flashy, down to earth and fabulous. We also meet Matthew, owner of and art gallery and knows hee haw about anything really, his father uses his wealth to acquire jobs for him to keep him "busy" and Pat is now working with him but she actually knows a thing or two about art.

It is really a voyeurs book, you get to nosey into these characters mundane lives, who they are as people and how they judge others and themselves. Smith pokes fun at the hoity toity Edinburgh attitudes and self importance. By God that Irene is a nightmare, Bruce is so vain and shallow, I thought Domenica was fab and a well known author pops up in the book too.

There are wee drawn pictures in the book which I quite liked, you don't see that in a lot of books so it is nice when it pops up.

The stories themselves, it is a bit like watching the Royal Family (comedy tv show with Ralph Little) about "normal" people and their everyday lives. Nothing huge happens yet you are compelled to keep reading especially when they get themselves into a bit of a pickle. Daft decisions or actions you easily read thinking oh dear lord why did they do that or what will happen next. A good introduction to these characters and I want to see what happens next so book two was ordered just as I finished this one! 3.5/5 for me this time, witty, funny, silly a book type version of friends but instead of a group of boy/girl friends we have very different people in neighbouring flats and following their lives as they judge/interact with each other.

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Willnot by James Sallis

Willnot by James Sallis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 192

Publisher - No Exit Press

Blurb from Goodreads

In the woods outside the town of Willnot, the remains of several people have suddenly been discovered, unnerving the community and unsettling Hale, the town's all-purpose general practitioner, surgeon, and town conscience. At the same time, Bobby Lowndes--his military records disappeared, being followed by the FBI--mysteriously reappears in his hometown, at Hale's door. Over the ensuing months, the daily dramas Hale faces as he tends to his town and to his partner, Richard, collide with the inexplicable vagaries of life in Willnot. And when a gunshot aimed at Lowndes critically wounds Richard, Hale's world is truly upended.


My Review

By reading the blurb, I took this book to be a crime/murder/who done it with the effects it has on the small town. It isn't that kind of book at all really, whilst there are bodies found and shootings, the book is not primarily about that. It is more centered on the ripples the bodies found has on the town and the main character, who he is, what he does for the town, flashbacks to things that happened in his life.

I have found this to be the case before, reading the blurb sets a bar and raises expectations of what said book will be about, as a result I didn't enjoy this book. I think had I picked it up and just read it I would have liked it far more as most readers loved it and it has high praise indeed. Instead I found there was a lot of characters that I couldn't quite see what part they would play in the crime aspect of the book and looked for plots and skulduggery where there weren't any.

A book that focuses on relationships, how events from the past can shape us as people and how a small town accepts folk quirks and all. It has quite a bit of medical talk in it being as the main character is the town doctor/surgeon I actually quite enjoyed these bits and it kept me reading. Not badly written at all however when you go into a book thinking it is one thing and it ends up being something entirely different it does dampen the enjoyment and raise expectations. Sadly 2/5 for me, I would read this author again however I would skip the blurb next time. Well written and enjoyed by many so give it a bash, it just wasn't for me.

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Review - One Day by David Nicholls

One Day by David Nicholls
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Hodder

Pages - 435

Blurb from Goodreads

'I can imagine you at forty,' she said, a hint of malice in her voice. 'I can picture it right now.' He smiled without opening his eyes. 'Go on then.' 15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

'A wonderful, wonderful book: wise, funny, perceptive, compassionate and often unbearably sad. The best British social novel since Jonathan Coe's What a Carve Up!' The Times


My Review

I have to say I felt I was reading the wrong book going on how delighted people were and expressing how much they loved this book when they saw I was reading it. It opens in 1988, the 15th of July with Emma and Dexter, two very different people, brought together by attraction. He is a Lothario, she is a book type, into her education and passionate about the things that interest her. They couldn't be any more different, however, instead of sneaking out of her room and life they keep in touch over the years. The story spans over 20 years, always opening the next chapter on the same date, the 15th of July but in the next year and follows their progress. Dexter loves women, booze, sex, being the centre of attention and doing things that please Dexter. Emma has always loved Dexter and as their friendship grows, he has more ups and downs, becomes a celebrity, has a trail of girls, Emma is always loyal, sweet, funny and waiting in the corner to be there for him.

I did like the start of the tale, however as it went on I couldn't help but think why is she STILL waiting there for him. He treats her like a commodity, he loves her and needs to talk to her when the chips are down, otherwise it is Emma who? I suppose this is a good example of art imitating life as people do fall for and be incredibly loyal to people who treat them like that. I wanted her to tell him to grow up, have a back bone, realize she was worth more than always being second best. She had a few moments where I thought good on you but a lot of it was really irritating to read, in my opinion.

A lot focused on her mundane journey through life and the flip side was his journey of drugs, women, self pity, self importance and dramas really. I honestly felt something was missing, no idea what though, it just trawled through the years of them getting on with not an awful lot to be honest. Then near the last quarter things took quite a sudden turn, the book turned a bit on its head although even this wasn't enough to pique my interest, I just wanted it to be done by then. The other issue was the chapters jumping from year to year, there was things I would have liked to have seen played out or got more of a background on. It was dealt with in the next chapter by a brief explanation and then brought up to what that year was about. I didn't like this format, I know I am in a minority here as the book is loved by so many, including a lot of my friends. For me, I just didn't get the love for it, I didn't particularly like the characters and I won't be going to see the movie or hunting out the authors other works. Not to say I won't read him again, I just don't feel the need to delve into his writing again just yet, sadly a 2/5 for me this time. If you haven't read it though give it a go, you may find yourself in the thousands who loved it camp.

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