Welcome to Litsy!

I‘m having a personal crisis, so this morning I decided it‘s time for round 2. I felt better after only five minutes of Kinsey. Audiobooks are great therapy. It‘s a reminder of my progress and growth too. Thank you so much, Sue Grafton and Mary Peiffer.
December 9, 2024

If you couldn‘t tell from my profile picture, I‘m thankful for Sue Grafton. I heard an interview with her on NPR and decided to check out the series. While I didn‘t necessarily “love” the first book, I liked it enough to keep going. From there I branched out to Nevada Barr, Sara Paretsky, Linda Barnes, and other mostly female mystery writers. You could say she was my “gateway drug” to the genre. #sundayfunday

I love reading mysteries, and have always felt I should tackle Sue Grafton‘s series. Through the magic of the Libby app, like all good librarians (retired) I started with “A”. I truly hope the books get better. I found this one infinitely skimmable. The plot was muddled and the ending rushed. Grafton apparently couldn‘t decide if Kinsey Millhone is hard-bitten or cuddly. I‘ll try the next and hope it‘s better. If you‘re a fan, what do you say?

So fun to revisit this one! I don‘t love this cover art, but everything else about the audio translated really well. I was surprised by how many of the details I actually remembered 25ish years later, but I think I used to reread books back then more frequently than I do nowadays. I often think of this as the original cozy mystery and it‘s really MUCH better written and plotted than most of the cozies I pick up these days.

@TheAromaofBooks

#roll100 September @PuddleJumper

Ohhh, the 80s of it all! Suffice it to say some attitudes have changed. I did find it mildly amusing to see the mirror image of some male mystery authors mentioning technical jargon of a traditionally masculine field of interest, as the female detective mentioned knitting and sewing terms without feeling the need to explain further. Serviceable mystery, but no compelling character work. ⚠️ Fatphobia, ableism

Got this at a library sale and thought I'd give it a try. Starting at the beginning....Very descriptive writing, got a little annoying but still written well. Story, characters well I wasn't invested much, think it due to the age, felt like could have been written for a male character but switched at last minute. Probably will not continue with the series but glad I read it.

Kinsey Millhone for her quirky mix of stubbornness, independence, and vulnerability.

Galadriel for her wisdom later in life and her kick ash attitude in her younger days. Plus I want her wardrobe.

Harbinder Kaur, recently met, because she reminds me of the librarian who manages the book club.

#wondrouswednesday

Lady, you SPOILED me. 🥹 Thank you so much, friend! Cant wait to dive into the tea (the mug is at work with me today!) and the books and put these adorable sticky tabs and bookmarks to use while wearing these SUPER-COZY socks! 😍 Thank you, thank you!! 💖 #llwbs @LitsyLove #litsyloveswap

I‘m not sure if this is a “didn‘t age well” situation or just not my cup of tea. I‘ve always wanted to give the series a try, now I know I don‘t need to. We listened on #audio during a road trip, otherwise I wouldn‘t have finished. #MountTBR #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Some of the sweet ladies who come into our little FOTL charity bookshop have been telling me how much they love these books. This first one came out in 1982 and it held up pretty well. It may have even been pretty racy in its day. I had to keep reminding myself of the technological differences of 40 years ago. Nifty little mystery to keep me busy whilst gardening this weekend. I‘ll certainly see if Libby has the others.

My mom loved the Kinsey Millhone series and I inherited most of the set from her. I just finished “A” is for Alibi and enjoyed it. It was a quick, easy read and was not complicated. I enjoyed that it didn‘t have so many twists, which is more realistic to me. Now, on to “B” is for Burglar!

So for the #19822022 challenge I decided to finally read the A is for Alibi series! I am absolutely loving them! I love Kinsey‘s attitude and the cases she solves. It‘s a great series so far and I‘m so glad I‘ve started finally. My library does a tailored titles every weekand when I put this series on there, they suggested One for the Money, which I‘ve loved for years, so this series is a perfect fit! #1982 #1985 #1986 #1987

This was a trip down memory lane to some extent as I read this series when the books were published. Now Kinsey seems both a woman ahead if her time, yet very much of her time. Felt dated to me, so I am not going with my idea of rereading the series. It even put Emmy to sleep!. #19822022

1. Kinsey Millhone
2. Jean-Guy from the Inspector Gamache series
3. Aquatics class
#wondrouswednesday
Thanks for the tag!

“All those potential killers passing their plates.” Sorry, this made me laugh out loud! #19822022

A few walnuts,cranberries,chardonnay,a book- unwinding after a long last day of HS mid term exams. #19822022

What a start! Rereading this series. #19822002 #1982
Em had to join in! #catsoflitsy

#3
Heard so much about this series, so I thought I would start reading it

It‘s been about 25 years since I first started reading this series, and now that it‘s over I thought I would start again. I enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and it was interesting to meet the series regulars before they became regulars.

The first half was compelling and there were some twists, but it was pretty obvious early on who the murderer was. So I spent the second half waiting for Kinsey to clue in. I skimmed the final chase scene which had been forecasted. 🐕‍🦺 Plus I never really worried about Kinsey, knowing she has 24 more letters in the alphabet to tackle. 😆 I liked Kinsey and her methodical approach, but the 1980s fatphobia was hard to take. A straight forward 👇

Photo 1/2 @PuddleJumper #roll100

Unbelievable!!! This was posted by Sue Grafton‘s daughter on her Facebook page. Sue was vehemently against this.

“I will never sell [Kinsey] to Hollywood,” the outspoken Grafton said in a 1997 interview. “And, I have made my children promise not to sell her. We‘ve taken a blood oath, and if they do so I will come back from the grave: which they know I can do.👇🏻

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚 #boleybooks #aIsForAlibi #suegrafton #bookbeast #bookjoy #readwithme
What are you reading? 😊

I surprisingly loved this!! Dont shoot me but I thought it would be boring bc I only know old people who love this series. I someday will prob read the whole series but im not ready for that committment right now lol

Im so tired I think this book may just sit in my lap my whole lunch break.

Book 120

Having a great afternoon! Hope yall are too

I was doing work stuff way too late, but it was all for a good cause. So I‘m posting #wondrouswednesday when it‘s technically already Thursday! Meanwhile, my husband decided about twenty minutes ago to make a big salad, and now the whole apartment smells like cucumbers. Anyway…
1. Kinsey Millhone. We‘re different in many ways, but I just adore her.
2. Yes.
3. Buying new bookshelves. Getting through 2020 in one piece. Visiting Scotland.

This wasn‘t a great book but it was entertaining. I like a good mystery and this one kept me thinking. I liked how quickly it moved and how something was always going on. I might check out the second book in the series! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm not scared to bail on books, but this one surprised me. Every time I pick it up to read, I get so bored that my mind wanders and I scroll through my phone instead. I know so many people love this series, but the dialogue is making me roll my eyes and the main character doesn't feel like much of a bad ass when she cares about what happens to her pantyhose. It's a no from me.

It's becoming too cold to go outside (for me at least), so a cup of hot chocolate and a easy read sounded nice. 😋

#audioknitting #booksandbooze
🧶🎧🍷

I'm usually really skeptical about books like this, but I know lots of people loved Sue Grafton. My grandma and I often liked the same authors, and she was hooked on this series. So, I'm starting at the beginning tonight for some bedtime reading! 🧐

This is the first time I‘ve ever read this, and I really liked it! I actually liked how she doesn‘t have current technology, and has to do all her investigating the old-fashioned way. I‘ll femininely her reading more!

My Book Outlet order came in! I replaced some classics we used to have with nicer copies, got some fun fiction novels we haven't had before, and a non-fiction I'm really excited about. I watched a documentary about Chernobyl and the whole thing just blows my mind.

Also, Lucas and I have been really into puzzles since lockdown, and Book Outlet now has puzzles, toys, activity kits, etc! Super cool. 😁

Doing some retail therapy today. I found out my local school district is not accepting student teachers due to Covid, and my current job doesn't count. I've already had to delay my degree by a semester, and may have to do it again if my college won't work with me. Pandemics are a bitch.

Anyway, this is just my Book Outlet order. Not pictured is my Thrift Books and BotM orders. I'll be fine. 😅

My first Sue Grafton book. It wasn‘t bad. I felt it dragged at first but it did pick up. I felt there was way too much detail to every person and thing she was talking about. I would still read the rest of series.

Absolutely perfect morning with some of chef Philip‘s almond tart dessert leftovers, a fresh mango, red leaves, and a warm cup. Feeling grateful! Sue Grafton certainly has some vocab prowess, but 119 pages into it, and I can‘t say that I‘m intrigued yet. Hopefully it gets better. #kinsey #murdermystery #homicidefortheholidays

I identify a lot with Kinsey.

1. I did not play sports (not that coordinated), but went to my first hockey game at 3.5 years old. I am a Minnesota North Stars fan, but when they left I became a Philadelphia Flyers fan. Of course, I support the Wild now too.
2. I am thankful for my friends this week.

Thanks for the tag @Cosmos_Moon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A fun audiobook to listen to. Will Kinsey be able to prove who the real murderer was? Did an innocent woman spends years in prison for someone else‘s crime?

I always picture the young Sue Grafton as Kinsey Millhone ?

***So opposed is Grafton to the idea of having her books' protagonist, private detective Kinsey Millhone, portrayed on screen, that she's made her children promise to never sell the rights after her death, threatening to haunt them if they do. "We've taken a blood oath, and if they do so I will come back from the grave, which they know I can do," she said.***

At the start, Kinsey was 32 and I was 18. I‘m now 42, and I‘m revisiting the 32 yo Kinsey 🤯

I still have Y unread because I‘m not ready to say goodbye to Kinsey and Sue Grafton 😢 I started reading the series when I was 18, when I was new to reading in English (my native language is Indonesian). I think it‘s time for me to embark on this re-read project 📚📚📚

... #Ivereread

I‘m rereading two of these currently.

Starting with A. I heard that she passed away before completing the alphabet and then one of her kids finished the series. Awesome legacy!