What I've been reading

The Kalahari Typing School for Men
by Alexander McCall Smith

"Life is never without its problems. It turns out that her adopted son is responsible for the dead hoopoe bird in the garden; her assistant, Mma Makutsi, wants a husband and needs help with her idea to open the Kalahari Typing School for Men."

The least satisfying of the series so far - nothing much happens compared with the previous books. But still pleasant and easy to read.

Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers
by Grant Naylor

"The first lesson Lister learned about space travel was you should never try it. But Lister didn't have a choice. All he remembered was going on a birthday celebration pub crawl through London. When he came to his senses again, he had nothing in his pockets but a passport in the name of Emily Berkenstein."

I've read this before, evidenced by the fact that it was in my bookshelves, but I didn't remember anything about it so a pleasure to read again. The experience is definitely supported by the memory of the TV series and the actors portraying the characters, but it manages to do something new with the story and my only criticism is that it doesn't have a satisfactory ending - there must be a subsequent book that picks up the pieces and resolves things. Another thing that the No. 1 Detective Agency series accomplishes superbly - each book can stand entirely alone.

The Shipping News
by Annie Proulx

"When his no-good wife is killed in a road accident, Quoyle heads for the land of his forefathers - the remotest corner of far-flung Newfoundland. With 'the aunt' and his delinquent daughters in tow, Quoyle finds himself part of an unfolding, exhilarating Atlantic drama."

At last, a book from my 'classics' list that I've enjoyed reading, even if I'm not sure why. It was made into a good film though. The story meanders about, never really having any shape, but creates the atmosphere of the Newfoundland settlement at the end of the earth next to the ocean where almost everyone has lost someone to the sea, or worse. But it manages to have a happy ending.

The Penguin Book of Southern African Stories
by Stephen Gray (editor)

"From the pre-Christian African legends full of people, animals and death, to the tales of the white settlers colonizing in a land both beautiful and inhospitable, to the later stories of a civilization that had established itself, this selection reflects a thriving, diverse and colourful tradition."

A selection of short stories, some just a page or two and others a bit longer, some written in English and some in translation. None was particularly memorable, but an interesting contrast as a more academic compilation alongside the populist No 1 Detective Agency series set in the same part of the world. Best of all, I left the book with the friends I was staying with when I finished it.

The Betrayers
by David Bezmozgis

"When Baruch Kotler, a disgraced Israeli politician, refuses to back down from a contrary but principled stand regarding the West Bank settlements, his political opponents expose his affair with a mistress decades his junior. He and the fierce young Leora flee the scandal for Yalta, where, in an unexpected turn of events, he comes face-to-face with the former friend who denounced him to the KGB almost 40 years earlier."

I was offered this by some friends I was staying with, and read it all in a morning after waking up quite early and waiting for the rest of the household to emerge. It is based loosely on the story of Natan Sharansky, but offers a fictional idea of how a meeting between him and his betrayer might arise and what might transpire. Very satisfactory.

Scaramouche
by Rafael Sabatini

narrated by B. J. Harrison

"Set during the French Revolution, this classic novel of swashbuckling adventure and sweeping romance is also a thought provoking commentary on class, inequality, and the individual's role in society."

I didn't have high expectations about this one, especially as it's my American-narrated podcast, but he got help from a French-speaker so the pronunciation was much improved, and the story isn't bad at all. There was a (plot spoiler) "I am your father" incident at the end which I spotted just before it happened, but apart from that I was carried along nicely with the adventures of the lawyer-turned-actor-turned-fencing master-turned politician hero, who also got the right girl in the end.

The Full Cupboard of Life
by Alexander McCall Smith

"Mma Precious Ramotswe helps indecisive fiancé Mr J.L.B. Matekoni when orphan farm manager Mma Potakwani persuades him to jump out of an aeroplane, and a bullying dishonest competing mechanic calls."

Back to form with this one - there's a nice balance between the personal lives and the detective work of the characters.