What I read this week:

F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton 

and 

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

I chose F is for Fugitive because it checked off two of the requirements from Calendar of Crime (it took place in February and the title began with 'F') and it also counted for 52 Books in 52 Weeks (it left me asking 'she did what?' several times).  I've never read Sue Grafton, and it probably didn't help that I jumped in on letter six of the alphabet mystery series about private detective Kinsey Millhone without any previous knowledge of what the series was about.  With that said, it actually only took the first three or four chapters for me to get a feel for who Kinsey was and how she operated.  

Sue Grafton was an extremely talented author (just found out she passed away in 2017), with a knack for writing from the point of view of Kinsey.  The entire story unfolds as if we are sitting through a long meal and Kinsey herself is retelling you point by point how it all went down.  I found this story and their characters to be like watching a train wreck - you are somewhat disgusted by it, but you cannot look away, you might miss some detail that will help you understand why they did or said what they did.  I found myself wondering as the book drew to a close - was there anyone in Floral Beach capable of and/or willing to tell the complete and unaltered truth, and was there anyone in Floral Beach who did not cheat on their spouse or take advantage of Jean Timberlake?  I skimmed over parts that were too much for me and there was quite a bit of language at various points - but all of it - the good, the bad, and the ugly seemed to be par for the course for these characters unfortunately.  

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff was read for the Brighter Winter challenge and it was like getting to visit with an old friend.  I love this book of letters about books.  I realized this time reading it through (I have read it four or five times) that there is another book called Q's Legacy that goes more in depth about how she came to love classic literature so much.  That is going on my ever growing TBR list. I also highly recommend the movie with Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins - read the book first and then treat yourself to the movie!