I was given this book as a birthday present from Mat as it was about philosophy and caught his eye. Looks interesting & hope to read soon.

Amazon Synopsis:

For philosophically minded Isabel Dalhousie, editor of the Review of Applied Ethics, getting through life with a clear conscience requires careful thought. And with the arrival of baby Charlie, not to mention a passionate relationship with his father Jamie, fourteen years her junior, Isabel enters deeper and rougher waters. Late motherhood is not the only challenge facing Isabel. Even as she negotiates a truce with her furious niece Cat, and struggles for authority over her son with her formidable housekeeper Grace, Isabel finds herself drawn into the story of a painter's mysterious death off the island of Jura. Perhaps most seriously of all, Isabel's professional existence and that of her beloved Review come under attack from the machiavellian and suspiciously handsome Professor Dove. A master storyteller whether debating ethics in Edinburgh or pursuing lady detectives in Africa, here Alexander McCall Smith is as witty and wise as his irresistibly spirited heroine.

A really quick read - in fact I read it in about a day. This is the first book that I have read by the author & enjoyed his easy reading style & likeable characters. In fact it had a bit of everything in there - philosophy, poetry, art, love, family relationships, moral ethics - I could go on!! The story evolves into a bit of a mystery, which the heroine is intrigued by & sets out to solve - I won't give the ending away!

A good read & I would be interested in reading others in this series.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I will add this to the table of books & if not picked up then it will be released somehere in the forest

Looks like we swapped books. Also I like reading things in order - and you seem to like it in reverse!

I enjoyed catching up the Isabel again, and her new baby and relationship hassles. She really should just marry Jamie and be done with it - never mind her jealous Neice!

I did guess the mystery of the paintings quite a while before it was revealed. These books are not really about the mystery though, more about Isabel and her life and loves.

I love Alexander McCall Smith! His gentle humour glows on every page. This book is classic AMS. Enjoying it as mysteries unfold and philosophical dilemmas open up. Surely life in Edinburgh is not this delicate?

Mysteries solved, loose ends knitted up, all sorted!

I think the author has way too much fun with his characters. And his delightful settings and situations. These books are rather like Jane Austen. Nothing much happens physically - it's all in the people and their relationships. And some great lines.

Weebly - I must have gotten this from you when we shared a room together in Edinburgh last year!

I went to the BookCrossing meet at "A Bite to Eat" Cafe in Chifley, ACT and selected this contribution from BookCrosser "Skyring". He is on the far right of the photograph.

I have read the first two books in this series. This is the forth book of that series.

Okay, I have only read the first chapter so far, but I want to make a comment. I had read the first two books in this series, but not the third. I did enjoy them, but my comments included, "It was an easy, light read. Nothing much happens.". Because of that when this book - the forth in the series - appeared on the table at the BookCrossing Meet I did not think it would matter that I had not read the third story. THEN, in the first few pages I read that Isabel has had a baby. Shock...how old is she exactly? I thought she was late middle aged, well into her fifties at least. She had always came across to me as being far too old to have a baby. It was like suddenly reading that Agatha Christie's Miss Marple had had a baby. Golly gosh, now I better read on...

This is my favourite book of the series so far...now that I've gotten over the shock that Isabel is only about 39 yrs old. She is written older. I guessed the mystery surrounding the paintings before it was revealed, but that didn't worry me. The story is more about Isabel's comfortable, day to day life in cold Edinburgh. Even in summer it sounds chilly, and in fact it was when I visited it in summer. I only had a few hours between trains and it was a quick explore of the streets on my bicycle. My fleeting impression of Edinburgh was hilly, grey sky, black stone buildings and chilly. Then I took refuge in the warm, timber-panelled railway station waiting room with a cup of tea and biscuits to wait for my train.

Taking this along to the Canberra BookCrossing meet at Floriade flower festival this weekend. Plan to release it among the flowers.

Floriade

To the finder, enjoy, and I hope you will write a journal entry so that previous readers will know that this book has been found (even anonymously). It is always a joy to find where it has gone. Once you've read this book, pass it on to a friend, or set it out "in the wild" for someone else to find as you did.
You can remain anonymous but if you are interested in joining please consider using - Goldenwattle as your referrer.
When you pass this book along, please make a release note to let others know where you left it. Thank you.

Picked this up today from the Bookcrossing meet-up at Floriade. I really loved McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series, but hadn't been as keen on The Sunday Philosophy Club Series when I tried it a while ago. On GoldenWattles recommendation, I'm going to try again.
Cheers :-)

PS Always a joy to see the lovely photos that GoldenWattle includes in her entries :-)

I do like a good Isabel Dalhousie instalment but I have to admit I'm more into listening to the audiobooks these days. I'd highly recommend listening to The Perils of Morning Coffee (Isabel Dalhousie #8.5) .

Taking this back to a Canberra Bookcrossing meet-up at The Gang Gang Cafe today, if there are no takers I might try to find a Little Street Library to drop it off at on the way home :D

Happy Reading :D

Collected this book from the Canberra Bookcrossing meet up at the Ganggang café.

Love, love, love Alexander McCall Smith!

I really enjoyed this, just had a quick trip up to Port Macquarie for a funeral and it was lovely to have this little book to escape into during all the travelling. Even though it is part of a series it didn't matter that I hadn't read the earlier books.
I'll take it to the next meet up, which I think is 28th July.

We will take this book to the ACT BookCrossing Monthly meet up which is at the Canberra Yacht club this month. If it is not taken it will be released into a little library in Curtin

Browsing one of the street libraries in Curtin and noticed the BC sticker on the spine.

Left in the street library