44 Scotland Street

I just finished 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith, author of the wildly popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. The book was first serialized in The Scotsman, Edinburgh's daily paper, and then released as a book. The renters at 44 Scotland Street are a diverse group of characters, including a hilariously vain young man, Bruce; his flatmate trying to "find herself " on her second "gap year" , Pat MacGregor; their bohemian neighbor and outspoken cultural anthropologist, Domenica; and five year old prodigy Bertie and his pushy mother Irene. The charm of McCall Smith's books is the gentle humor derived from the quirks of the characters. This book gives a nice feeling for contemporary Edinburgh in a satirical, but not mean, way.
For more on the author, go to his U.S. website. For live webcam streaming videos of various places in Scotland, including Edinburgh, visit this site from the Scotsman.