Book Five: Portuguese Irregular Verbs

Portuguese Irregular Verbs, Alexander McCall Smith



At 128 pages, this really shouldn't qualify as a book at all. A trifle, perhaps? Either way, just the kind of light and fluffy silliness I needed after that Russian sludge. This is the first Alexander McCall Smith book I've read, and I totally enjoyed it. I swear, there were moments where I actually laughed out loud. And come on, be honest, how many books make you really laugh out loud, even when you're all alone at home reading them? I'm a sucker for a bumbling protagonist put into ridiculous scenarios--especially ones with names like Professor Dr Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld. And really, that's pretty much all this book is. There is no real thread of a plot, just a series of only vaguely connected stories. I'm looking forward to reading the other two books in the series, though I wish they had just all been put together into one normal-sized book (just one thing that would make my reading this book feel a little more legit). I'm also interested in reading his mysteries, since I've never really been into that genre all that much, but I can imagine they would be quite entertaining.

Oh, and who can't resist a book with a hedgehog on the cover? (Look up!)