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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

My Kind of Eye Candy

So I was searching through the internet looking for upcoming books to keep on my radar when I happened to see that Sue Grafton's latest Kinsey Millhone book is due out this December. Sure it's pretty far away, but I can't freaking wait! 

I started reading the series when I was a senior in high school. My ex's mom had most of the paperbacks, one of the few collections she held onto because she usually brought her books to the nursing home. She had suggested them to me, but I was pretty notorious at the time for not really taking recommendations. I was more of a hunt and peck and find on my own kind of gal at the time (still am but now happily accept recs thanks to dwindling stock at stores). 

I read A is for Alibi between midnight and 2 am and was interested enough to move on to the next one. It was C is for Corpse that really hooked me though. My third night into the series and I was desperate for more. I continued like this for a few weeks, literally racing through the series, reading each one in the wee hours of the morning when I was supposed to be getting much needed rest for brain function in high school (yeah, sure) and reading around my 3-4 nights a week waitressing at the local country club. 

And then I ran out. I had caught up with the author. What was I going to do? Wait like everyone else. And so I did. In the meantime, my grandmother (inherited the reading bug from her) bought me the whole series so that I had them all for myself. She still buys each new one for me. 

Grafton's last book, T is for Trespass, hit shelves in '07 when I was still at the temp agency. I remember sitting in my car reading it on my lunch break. Can you tell how much I adore this series?

If my sheer gleefulness as the prospect of having a new one in my hands in just ten months is not enough to get you curious, here's some info on the series:

  • Grafton began writing A after her divorce when all she could think about were all the different ways she would kill her ex.  
  • The first book was published in 1983
  • Because the books take place in close sequence, Kinsey is still stuck in the 80s
  • Which requires strict research on Grafton's part
  • I have tried Kinsey's signature pb and pickle sandwich and it's yummy
  • I am also a fan of the QP with cheese that she's always eating
  • At one point in time it was rumored that when Grafton hit Z, it would be 1990 
  • And that Z would be titled Z is for Zero so that she could continue with numbers
  • As far as I know, this labor of love for Grafton will not continue with numbers anymore seeing as how she's been at it for over 30 years and still has 5 titles to go.
Is your curiosity piqued yet? Are you gonna run out and start one of the best PI mystery series that ever existed? I suggest you purchase one of the collections as the early books really are like little tasty, chocolate covered cherries (yes, I have a craving for them with v-day so close), before you know it they're all gone! And do stick it out through at least C. For me that was really the one that got me started on this addiction. A and B are great, don't get me wrong, but C was the clincher. 

1 comment:

Kristie said...

I love this series too. A family friend bought me the first three books in the one collection for Christmas years ago and I was immediately hooked. Thanks for the heads up on the newest one coming out!