I remember exactly when and how I came to love mystery books: I was in the third grade, and a family friend gave me the first Nancy Drew book. I read it quickly, and then went on to read the next 60 or so books in quick succession, and then another 20 to 30 books as they came out over the subsequent years. Trixie Belden was another favorite series, along with Encyclopedia Brown.
So it should come as no surprise that I remember Sue Grafton's Alphabet series of mysteries in my high school library, and later in airport bookstores. You probably know what I'm talking about: A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc. But I never read them until last year, probably prompted by reports of the author's death in December 2017. Over the course of last year, I borrowed the Kindle version of all 25 of the books from the library, and was appalled when I finished them to learn that Z was never written. But, having said that, I greatly enjoyed A through Y. Since the series, at least in the beginning, is set in the 80's, it really took me back to my childhood, when there were no cell phones and people had to use actual paper maps to figure out where to go. If you enjoy mysteries, and especially if you're over, oh, the age of 35, I think you'll like the series.
The other series I've been enjoying is The Chronicles of St. Mary's, which is about time-traveling historians. I'm on the wait list for the last book at the library, and looking forward to it so much. I don't want to give too much away about the stories, but you know a series is good when the characters feel like friends, and because I'm so fond of them, I've laughed aloud quite a bit while reading the last two or three books. If you enjoy the books, be aware that there are short stories also, but be careful about reading the collected volume of stories, The Long and Short of It - if you haven't read through Book 8, you'll encounter a few spoilers.
What are your favorite books lately? I'm always on the lookout for suggestions!
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