Sunday, February 12, 2006

Betty Friedan, 1921-2006

I've really been out of the loop...
Betty Friedan died on February 4th, on her 85th birthday. Such an important and influential woman. The Feminine Mystique radicalized so many women in the '60s and '70s, making it possible for women like me to have all the wonderful opportunities I take for granted. She left her indelible mark...

latest Sue Grafton I've read

I just finished reading "Q" is for Quarry this weekend and I have to admit, I am continually amazed by Grafton's ability to keep writing such engaging, deep and well-written mystery novels. "Q" is much longer than many of the previous alphabet series, and its interesting to note that this novel is rooted in an actual unsolved homicide which took place over thirty-five years ago. Kinsey Millhone is asked by two former Santa Teresa detectives to help with an unsolved investigation going back to 1969 -- a young woman was found stabbed, with her hands bound, and her body in a state of rapid decomposition. The case went nowhere, mostly due to lack of identification of the body and no leads. Eighteen years later and the two detectives are still curious about the girl and want to close the books on the case. Kinsey is asked to step in and help them solve the "cold case".
Coincidences aside, the seventeenth novel in the series is engrossing and revelatory -- the reader is slowly learning more and more of Kinsey's cloudy family history -- at much the same time as Kinsey herself. This novel is much like a jigsaw puzzle. Clues are introduced at the beginning, many of which don't seem like clues until later on in the story. Grafton is a superb storyteller, much of it due to the three-dimensional nature of her characters. Kinsey reveals more of herself in this book than ever before, giving us a glimpse of the soft inside.
Highly recommended and I would add, one of the best in the series so far.

After a long silence...

What a crazy past couple of weeks! I'm hoping to start posting again with some regularity. My life has been pretty chaotic with my job interview, uncertainty about my position, and a whole lot of teaching and web work -- life should be a little more stable soon! Keep reading...