Recommendations based on The World According to Bertieby Alexander McCall Smith

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. 44 Scotland Street

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    Humorous tale of life in Edinburgh, featuring a cast of quirky characters.

    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 ... (Goodreads)

  2. Espresso Tales

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    A collection of stories set in a small Edinburgh coffeehouse, where the patrons share their joys and sorrows over a cup of coffee.

    Pat is still sharing a flat with Bruce, the good-looking egoist, although she is no longer attracted to him. She decides to go back to university and obtains a place at Edinburgh, but still works ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher and amateur sleuth, navigates the complexities of love and loss while solving a mystery involving a rare manuscript.

    ISABEL DALHOUSIE - Book 2 Nothing captures the charm of Edinburgh like the bestselling Isabel Dalhousie series of novels featuring the insatiably curious philosopher and woman detective. Whether ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Uncommon Reader

    by Alan Bennett
    A humorous look at the journey of a monarch who discovers the joy of reading.

    The title's "uncommon reader" ( Queen Elizabeth II ) becomes obsessed with books after a chance encounter with a mobile library . The story follows the consequences of this obsession for the Queen, ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Careless in Red

    by Elizabeth George
    Detective Lynley retreats to Cornwall after a personal tragedy, but is drawn into a murder investigation.

    From, New York Times, bestselling author Elizabeth George, a stunning mystery featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley that explores the perfect crime—,now available as a limited Olive Edition ... (Barnes & Noble)

  6. Skeletons at the Feast

    by Chris Bohjalian
    A family's journey through war-torn Germany during WWII, facing danger, loss, and unexpected connections.

    The plot of the story centers around a young Prussian girl, Anna Emmerich, and the broken remnants of her family as they flee westward from the advancing Russian army . Along with them they are ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Mister Pip

    by Lloyd Jones
    A story of hope and resilience in a war-torn region, inspired by a classic novel.

    The novel is the story of a girl caught in the throes of war on the island of Bougainville. Matilda survives the war through the guidance of her devoted but strict Christian mother and her white ... (Wikipedia)

  8. T is for Trespass

    by Sue Grafton
    Detective Kinsey Millhone investigates the disappearance of a client's daughter, uncovering a web of secrets and lies.

    Kinsey's cantankerous neighbor Gus is badly injured in a fall and hires Solana Rojas, a private nurse, to help him while he recuperates. Kinsey becomes suspicious when Gus becomes isolated and ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Atonement

    by Ian McEwan
    A tale of the consequences of a child's mistake, and how its effects ripple through generations.

    Briony Tallis, a 13-year-old English girl with a talent for writing, lives at her family's country estate with her parents Jack and Emily Tallis. Her older sister Cecilia has recently graduated from ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Last Night at the Lobster

    by Stewart O'Nan
    A poignant story of a restaurant manager's last night at work, as he reflects on his present & past life decisions.

    The Red Lobster perched in the far corner of a run-down New England mall hasn't been making its numbers and headquarters has pulled the plug. But manager Manny DeLeon still needs to navigate a tricky ... (Goodreads)

  11. Carry On, Jeeves

    by P.G. Wodehouse
    A series of comedic stories filled with eccentric characters, witty banter and outrageous scenarios.

    The titles of the first story in this collection—'Jeeves Takes Charge'— and the last—'Bertie Changes His Mind'—sum up the relationship of twentieth-century fiction's most famous comic characters. In ... (Goodreads)

  12. And the Mountains Echoed

    by Khaled Hosseini
    Interconnected stories of family and love, tracing the consequences of decisions made throughout life.

    The novel opens in the year 1952. Saboor, an impoverished farmer from the fictional village of Shadbagh, decides to sell his three-year-old daughter Pari to a wealthy, childless couple in Kabul. ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Little Men

    by Louisa May Alcott
    A group of young boys navigating life at a boarding school, learning valuable lessons along the way.

    With two sons of her own, and twelve rescued orphan boys filling the informal school at Plumfield, Jo March – now Jo Bhaer -- couldn't be happier. But despite the warm and affectionate help of the ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Long Way Home

    by Louise Penny
    Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns to Three Pines to solve a murder and confront his past.

    Happily retired in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he’d only imagined possible. On warm summer mornings he ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Remains of the Day

    by Kazuo Ishiguro
    A butler reflects on his past, grappling with the lost opportunities of a life devoted to service.

    The novel tells, in first-person narration , the story of Stevens, an English butler who has dedicated his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (who is recently deceased, and whom Stevens ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Painted Veil

    by W. Somerset Maugham
    A married couple's journey to uncover the truth of their relationship amidst a deadly epidemic.

    Maugham uses a third-person-limited point of view in this story, where Kitty Garstin is the focal character . Garstin, a pretty upper-middle class debutante, squanders her early youth amusing herself ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

    by Helen Simonson
    A widower finds love and acceptance in an unlikely place, challenging social conventions.

    You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as ... (Goodreads)

  18. How the Light Gets In

    by Louise Penny
    Detective Armand Gamache investigates a murder in a small Canadian town, uncovering secrets and lies.

    Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it's a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Name of the Rose

    by Umberto Eco
    A Franciscan friar investigates a series of murders in a medieval monastery, uncovering a sinister plot.

    In 1327, Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and Adso of Melk , a Benedictine novice travelling under his protection, arrive at a Benedictine monastery in Northern Italy to attend a theological ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

    by Alan Bradley
    A young girl's detective journey to solve a murder mystery in a picturesque English village.

    As the novel opens, Flavia Sabina de Luce schemes revenge against her two older sisters, Ophelia (17) and Daphne (13), who have locked her inside a closet in Buckshaw, the family's country manor home ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The Razor's Edge

    by W. Somerset Maugham
    A spiritual journey in search of personal fulfillment, as an individual in a rapidly changing world.

    Maugham begins by characterizing his story as not really a novel but a thinly veiled true account. He includes himself as a minor character, a writer who drifts in and out of the lives of the major ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Home Safe

    by Elizabeth Berg
    A widow struggles to come to terms with her husband's death while navigating the complexities of family relationships and personal identity.

    In this new novel, beloved bestselling author Elizabeth Berg weaves a beautifully written and richly resonant story of a mother and daughter in emotional transit. Helen Ames–recently widowed, coping ... (Goodreads)

  23. Brideshead Revisited

    by Evelyn Waugh
    A nostalgic reflection on a wealthy family and the enduring power of love.

    The novel is divided into three parts, framed by a prologue and epilogue. The prologue takes place during the final years of the Second World War . Charles Ryder and his battalion are sent to a ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Dying for Chocolate

    by Diane Mott Davidson
    Caterer Goldy Schulz investigates a murder at a chocolate-themed party. Recipes included.

    The Caterer Meet Goldy Bear: a bright, opinionated, wildly inventive caterer whose personal life has become a recipe for disaster. She's got an abusive ex-husband who's into making tasteless threats, ... (Goodreads)

  25. All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire

    by Kerrelyn Sparks
    A vampire seeks love during the holiday season, but his quest is complicated by his own nature and the dangers of his world.

    Toni Davis's Christmas wish list 1. Springing my best friend from the psych ward. 2. Living somewhere that doesn't have coffins in the basement. Occupied coffins. 3. Finding Mr. Right. Please make ... (Goodreads)

  26. Three Men in a Boat

    by Jerome K. Jerome
    Three friends and a dog embark on a whimsical boat journey down the Thames, encountering unexpected adventures and mishaps.

    A comic masterpiece that has never been out of print since it was first published in 1889, Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat includes an introduction and notes by Jeremy Lewis in Penguin ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

    by Rachel Joyce
    An elderly man's unexpected quest of faith, discovering the power of hope and love.

    Harold Fry, 65, has cut the lawn outside his home at Kingsbridge on the south coast of Devon when he receives a letter. A colleague of twenty years ago, Queenie Hennessy, has cancer and is in a ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Neverwhere

    by Neil Gaiman
    A mysterious journey through a hidden realm of London, filled with danger and unexpected allies.

    Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew and his trials and tribulations in London. At the start of the story, he is a young businessman, recently moved from Scotland and with a normal life ahead. ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The Emerald City of Oz

    by L. Frank Baum
    Dorothy and her friends visit the magical Emerald City, but find it in danger from an evil king. They must save the city and its inhabitants.

    At the beginning of this story, it is made quite clear that Dorothy Gale (the primary protagonist of many of the previous Oz books), is in the habit of freely speaking of her many adventures in the ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Key Lime Pie Murder

    by Joanne Fluke
    Hannah Swensen, amateur sleuth and bakery owner, investigates a murder at a charity auction. Recipes included.

    The yummy [ninth] smalltown cozy from Fluke (after 2006's Cherry Cheesecake Murder) finds sometime sleuth Hannah Swensen, owner of the Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minn., judging the baking contest at ... (Goodreads)