W Is for Wasted by Sue Grafton

This latest addition to the series made me laugh more than any previous one. I marvel at Grafton's ability to capture quirky little moments and subtleties that crack me up, one after another! Even though several of the characters featured in Wasted are homeless and addicted, the story is NOT a downer. It also features the return of some very attractive Kinsey boyfriends. I enjoyed reading about her careful defensive maneuvers to protect herself. She has become less guarded over the years I've been reading her... This novel introduces more of her relatives and she's slightly less prickly as time goes on. This Grafton is simply amazing. And I love revisiting the 80's and the time before cell phones and ubiquitous computer technology. It's nice to remember how things were, not so long ago.
I was able to savor this novel with somewhat more control than I have previous ones. It did not take over my life; but I did love returning to it like a sweet treat, again and again. This one was also more clean in language and behavior than occasional other novels in the series. I appreciated the cleaner environment!

REREAD

June 2022

What a fun reread! 

I just also reread my review (above) and still concur that it was a delightful little romp with fun moments and fascinating characters. I'm so sorry that Grafton died before she was able to finish her alphabet series, but, as her family said, 'For us the alphabet stops at Y." I think I'll hunt up some of her others and revisit those as well. She can be rather uncomfortably graphic, so I'll have to watch out for those...

It was always fun to share these books with Melissa who enjoyed them as much as I did...

REREAD

April 2023

I might not have taken this one on again, but this year I'm reading the whole series from A through Y, and I didn't want to break up my continuity. I did remember a lot of what was going to happen next, but that didn't deter from my enjoyment of the humor, the characters, or the plot. And it feels good to know that Kinsey will have plenty of money in retirement!