Metro Reco: Dream Angus

Dream Angus is Alexander McCall Smith’s contribution to the myth series (read Karen’s review of another book from the series, Margaret Atwood’s Penelopiad here).

The book is a retelling of the myth of Angus, a “giver of dreams, an Eros, a figure of youth”. The book is written in McCall Smith’s characteristic style: simple, clear and playful. It’s amusing and whimsical and does not preach: as McCall Smith writes in the book’s introduction, “Angus does no particular moral or didactic work: he is really about dreams and about love-two things that have always had their mysteries for people.”

McCall Smith is a storyteller and he lends his own interpretation to the myth of Angus. He combines traditional lore with connected stories set in modern Scotland; he says, “myth is a cloud based upon a shadow based upon the movement of the breeze”. It’s a fast and fun read.

Alexander McCall Smith is author of the wonderful No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books (if you’re looking for a light, entertaining read, I highly recommend these). He is a prolific writer, having written over fifty books. He was born in Zimbabwe and currently lives in Edinburgh with his wife Elizabeth, their two daughters Lucy and Emily, and their cat Gordon.

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Thanks for your suggestions for things to do in the winter. We took Karen’s advice and tried Ikea yesterday. Cakes loved it there. I had the $1 breakfast (actually not bad for a buck). Cakes loved the box full of balls, though it was hard to convince her not to throw them as hard as she could at the other kids. I managed to escape the maze having spent only $10 on things we actually needed (a step-stool for Cakes and some napkins). It was not a bad way to spend the morning.

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