Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

 While I was at the St. George library hunting down Dutch House, I grabbed this one as well. It was similar to Dutch House in that it had great, unpredictable characters and great dialogue. It was also a shade depressing because of the difficult and selfish parents who divorced to marry each other. The fallout from that impacted everyone involved, and not for the better.

This story also had a somewhat of a mystery involved. One of the siblings died, and we only learn in pieces along the way how exactly it happened. There was lots of jumping between time frames as we follow the siblings to maturity, but I was able to follow it just fine. I really enjoyed and admired the tenacity of the main character, Franny, especially her relationship with the famous author. And the story of how that went bad was almost funny; no, it was funny. Pathetic, really, but she ended up with a much better prize. I enjoy stories where people are real and when their goodness is eventually rewarded. 

I also liked Franny;s father, Fix, who was loyal and kept his sense of humor. It was satisfying to see him enjoy his daughters at the end of his life, despite his cancer and pain. The selfish parents, who caused the breakup didn't fare so well... And that seems fitting!

Patchett's dialogue is fun to read, although this book's dialogues didn't have as much clever repartee as the Dutch House did.. On the other hand, this story was a little less dark. I'll take a break from Patchett now, and return to others of hers later, I think!

Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin

 I am needing a challenging goal, so I always turn to thinking about hiking...something hard, but I don't want to camp out...So section hiking would be perfect for me. But now I'm wondering, maybe I just want to read about it? This book I found after reading reviews on Amazon. It sounded intriguing since it's about three older women hiking. It did not disappoint!

I really enjoyed Griffin's descriptions of her thinking, of her surroundings, and of her relationships on the trail. She writes like an amateur, and the conversations are stilted, but it still made me want to go hiking. The way she describes her thinking made me want to challenge myself that way. I don't know if I would get the same transformation of courage and confidence, but it would be fun to try. And on the other hand, I don't want to risk life or limb! At any rate, this book did a good job of making me excited about planning a trip. At least I will plan a Black Hills hiking adventure this summer--at the VERY least! Right? Right! 

This book also awakened in me a desire to hike the John Muir Trail. It's almost 200 miles, so I probably wouldn't do the whole thing, but there are alpine lakes and meadows that sound FANTASTIC! My next book is John Muir's book about his Sierra summer, so it will be interesting to see what effect this book and writing will have on me. I'm wondering if I could combine a JMT hike with a visit to see Eli and Teal's new baby in early September...But at this point, I have no clue about permits, whether one could do it in sections or what would even be possible. I also think about my dad, and how when we named Sierra, he said, "Oh, you named her after my favorite mountains!" I kind of feel his spirit nudging me on...I think he hiked a lot of the Sierras via deer hunting. I like to think about having him encourage me on. He was a great encourager for my adventures. Grateful!

The Legacy of Luna by Julia Butterfly Hill

 I really enjoyed learning more about one of my favorite things in life: TREES!

I started this while Len and I were in Bigfork, Montana, and I was savoring every deep breath of PINE and loving being among the trees again. It was the perfect read for the flights back home!

Julia Hill recounts her journey to become involved in saving a particular old growth redwood tree, named LUNA. She's very naive, and passionate, and risks her life without very much background or knowledge of trees or the environmentalist movement. It reminded me of when I marched against the Viet Nam War knowing very little about any of it!

As Butterfly takes us along on her life in the upper reaches of Luna, we learn along with her about the various forces at work to destroy the forest. She is spurred on by her spiritual confirmation that she MUST save this tree, no matter what. As time goes on (she lives in the top of this tree for two years), she learns and grows and becomes even more committed to this particular tree. 

I enjoyed learning about her challenges--how to stay warm, how to survive in the storms, how to toilet, how to keep her mental health, and how to stay in a place of love when dealing with the loggers who were determined to oust her. Even though her view is definitely her view, and there's no redeeming words for the logging executives or the politicians involved, it's till worthwhile reading her story and her viewpoint, I think. I'm clearly on her side, but I'm cognizant that there is more to this fight than is presented here. 

Butterfly is a descriptive and good writer who was able to keep me turning the pages. I was also intrigued as she climbed around Luna barefoot, and felt the tree's strength. It was heartbreaking to read about her reaction to Luna's destruction. Since this book is twenty years old, I'm wondering what is going on with her and with Luna nowadays...

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

 This was an intriguing one. Kinsey again solves an old case - twenty plus years- and the flashbacks to the sixties as told by the other characters is a fun look at the stereotypical hippie and commune culture. In the modern part of the story (late 80s), Kinsey puts together cryptic clues from fascinating characters to eventually solve the crime.

She has little help from her old flame Cheney Phillips in the police department, but at least he makes an appearance or two, and seems to be moving on after being dumped!

My favorite part of this story was watching Kinsey finally learn some of the other side of her estranged family's story. And there's a sweet moment when she finally thaws out to the point of meeting her autocratic and well-known grandmother. I also loved it when she grilled the detective who had investigated her Aunt Gin. We finally get a closer look at this character who has figured strongly in every episode but only from a very narrow point of view.

I also loved how we got to see Walker, an alcoholic criminal, start on the road to sobriety and better thinking. Grafton's gift of illuminating characters' thinking is one of her best. I learn a lot from thinking about the criminal, the timid, the confident, and other types of personalities that she so thoroughly describes as they move the plot forward. Of course I enjoyed a brief look in on Stacey Oliphant and Con Dolan, the retired law enforcement buddies she has worked with before. 

I'm feeling glad to be near the end of this marathon, to move on to other things, but also a little sad because I enjoy these stories and characters so much. Sometimes, though, I'd rather read than engage with the real world, and that isn't always healthy for me, especially when there's Relief Society work that would bring more good into the world. Still, I love my time with my nose in a good book! If only thses weren't so addictive!

S is for Silence by Sue Grafton

 In this installment in the series, Kinsey again is asked to go back to the past to figure out an unsolved mystery. What was different was that the present was interspersed with chapters from the past. So we learned about the characters from different points of view in different points in time. It was a nice effect.

Like several of these books, though, there were quite a few characters to keep track of. The missing woman, Violet, was the center of the story, and it was her daughter, Daisy, who hired Kinsey to find her. Turns out there were many people deeply involved in her life and story, and keeping track of them proved challenging for me. Not bad, but I did have to keep my wits about me!

There was very little of Henry or Cheney in this story because she was on site trying to solve this missing person mystery on site in a lot of little towns not too far from Santa Theresa, but far enough that she had some interesting overnight accommodations. As usual, the characters were interesting, and again, Kinsey became friendly with several of the players. She is definitely warming up in her relationships! 

This has been a nice escape as we are stuck at home more than usual as our demolition and remodel of our downstairs is going on. It's frustrating to have it go on so long, but this series has been fun. I might have overdone it yesterday, but it was nice to hunker down in a couple of blankets and read to the end. I do have to pace myself, though, because it can be depressing if the story is seedy or violent. This one was slightly seedy, but not too violent... The parts that I enjoyed were the looks into 1953 when Violet disappeared, and I could relate to the babysitter's emerging love life. It was neat to see the potential of that relationship being rekindled later in life. That was a nice plot twist. Grafton had a lot of cultural references from the fifties too, like movies and TV shows that were before my time. Still, it added some color...

R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton

 This might be my favorite Kinsey Milhone story in the whole series. In this episode, Kinsey is hired to pick up a young woman, Reba, being released from prison, and they become friends in crazy escapades. Reba is a worthy opponent to Kinsey's reasonable advice, and so Kinsey is led into many dangerous situations. I enjoyed the rapport that these two developed, and it was cool to see Kinsey warm to having a friend.

In this book Kinsey also warms to a very attractive detective, Cheney, whom we've met before. But in this story, his romantic moves and conversation are exhibited in a captivating way. I was kind of anxious to get to the end, because he seems like such a good guy, that I didn't want the relationship to go south. I wanted brusque and prickly Kinsey to get to keep her equal partner and not blow it. 

I liked the ending when Reba was able to outsmart her evil, using boyfriend and bring him down. It was satisfying to see him get his just desserts, which isn't always the case in Grafton novels nor in real life! 

Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton

I enjoyed this story because it was a significant departure in Kinsey's usual modus operandi; she teamed up with two  older detectives who kept the dialogue and action interesting and often funny. The search for the killer of a missing Jane Doe from years  earlier was the premise, and apparently this story was inspired by a real-life case. The other part that was interesting to me was when Kinsey learned more about her blocked out childhood and even had a visit with her aunt. I can sense her very gradually warming to the idea of having a family, and I just wish this subplot had been fleshed out a little more.

The other part of this one that made it interesting to me was the way Kinsey discovered the fabric in a quilt that matched the dead girl's pants. The fabric, the people in the small town, and the earlier time and lifestyle were all things to which I could relate. It wasn't as dark and sinister as some of Grafton's settings, and I liked that.

Kinsey's spunk is still evident and I enjoy the unraveling of the plot twists; this was cool because it was a plot that merged with a concurrent present plot. It definitely held my interest as I worked through it and kept MOST of the characters straight. Either I'm getting smarter or this plot was easier to follow than some of those I get lost in!

O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton

 

D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton

 Still suffering from Covid AND laid up with a very painful left knee, I sought comfort in yet another lightweight mystery. It was not the most pleasant of milieus, however, and I was a little relieved to have it be done. This "deadbeat" is an alcoholic who killed people in a car crash. Kinsey's attempt to solve his murder by drowning when the police didn't even count it as a murder, took her into unsavory places and people. There is though, despite the seedy characters, Kinsey's usual humor and cynicism to enjoy. Her relationship with policeman Jonah Robb heats up, and she has a harrowing experience at the very end, at the top of a building trying to talk the murderer down. This is a story where her epilogues are too brief! I really wanted to know how she got down off that building. I wanted to know how the characters left behind dealt with this tragedy. But no, her epilogues are brief and to the point. They may be alluded to in the next installment, but maybe not. We shall see!

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

 This one was a fun one, but also kind of depressing. Not one of my favorites, although I did literally laugh out loud several times. What was depressing was the story; a missing woman that Kinsey has to fly to Florida several times to track down, and then has to investigate an older Santa Teresa murder to dig up some evidence on the missing woman. The housing and situation of the people is dark and dank and not a fun world to inhabit. Still, Kinsey's humor shines through.

A significant introduction in this story is that of Jonah Robb, who becomes a good help to her in solving this case and in later ones as well. One thread from A is for Alibi that shows up in this one is that crusty old Lt. Dolan asks Kinsey how she's coping with the aftermath of shooting in self-defense. 

Again, moments in this story had me laughing out loud. I'll have to mark them sometime so I can remember some examples. Right now (Covid brain?) I can't even exactly remember how the case all came together and who was whom. Sheesh. But it was a fun read, that I DO remember!

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

I enjoyed this author so much when I read it in the 1980s, that I decided to start at the beginning again and see where it leads. I love the wit, don't mind the violence too much, and really enjoy the colorful characters. This one is the first in the series, and it seems Grafton was already fully developed in her ideas and writing. I wonder if I'll notice any progression this time through?

This is the story of a woman out of prison who was accused of murdering her husband. She hires Kinsey to find the real killer. Through this story, we are introduced to her landlord Henry and some of her business associates. I didn't remember much about this novel at all, and was horrified that Kinsey was dumb enough to sleep with one of her suspects. The folly of that was borne out when he chased her down, and in high drama, attempted to kill her as she crouched in a garbage can on the beach. Instead, she shot him. What became a pattern in all of the novels is that there is an exciting ending, and then a very brief epilogue. We aren't told very much about how things unwound or came out, which makes the reader curious about the next installment. Threads of the previous stories are woven through later novels, so it will be interesting to see if any of these characters are referred back to later.

The Grafton/Milhone wit was fresh and funny and in full splendor in this beginning book of the series. It was good to be back in Santa Teresa, a place she describes really well. What I also noticed this time around is the absence of technology and how that affects her detective work. She's using phone books and libraries to get the job done. It's like a time capsule.