I have a soft spot in my heart for the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I started this series about 3 years ago. A friend of my mother-in-law raved on and on about them while we were at their pool one day, so I thought I would check them out. I picked up the first one in the series, One for the Money, at my local library. I remember reading it over the course of about 3 days.
The book was well written, had a pretty funny storyline, and some twists and turns that made the ending turn out well for me, but honestly, after reading that first one, I just wasn’t feeling like running around and raving about the book like my MIL’s friend. I mentioned this to a coworker that I knew had read most of the series, and she said she felt the same way about the first book, and encouraged me to give the second one a try.
During this time period I was traveling quite a bit for work, and I was spending more time in my car than normal. I picked up the next few books on CD in the series at my local library to pass the long hours on the road. This was when I really fell in love with Stephanie Plum. The narrator brought the characters into a whole new realm for me, and I finally couldn’t get enough of the books.
I can’t remember exactly which book in the series I was on, but I was heading out of town again, and wanted to put another one behind me – I mean, I really needed more hijinks of Lula and Stephanie, not to mention more descriptions of Joe and Ranger! I popped in the CD, headed down the road, and immediately let out a very loud groan. Alone in my car with no one to judge, I spew forth a stream of profanity that would have made even ME blush if I were in a public setting. THE NARRATOR CHANGED! There was no way I would like these books any longer! Nope! Not going to happen!
But I was wrong! I still loved the mystery surrounding Stephanie Plum, I still cheered when she and Joe got back at it, but secretly wanted her and Ranger to settle down or at least get jiggy with it. I loved their family, their crazy life, and the fact that every woman in the Trenton area carried a gun – even the senior citizens, especially the senior citizens!
So, the Stephanie Plum series has been my little secret of reading for the past three years. I don’t talk about them a lot, and it’s not because they aren’t good, but because I fly through them so fast that I am afraid that I can’t give them the true credit for what they are worth to reading, therefore, the reason for this review.
A month or so ago I had some downtime during a home improvement project. It was one of those do a small bit of the project, wait for an hour, do another small bit, rinse and repeat. I was struggling with a book club book and really wasn’t in the mood to deal with that. I wanted something I could rip through and enjoy all at the same time.
I picked up Eleven On Top and it was like having lunch with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. I got right back into the groove, the laugh out loud moments, the fun, the twists and turns, Lula’s outfits, Ranger’s rock solid body… And by 9:00 that night, I had finished the book! A mere total of maybe 3 hours of reading, but an afternoon that made me smile and remember why I fell in love with Stephanie Plum in the first place.
Most of Ms. Evanovich’s books are picked up on PaperBack Swap. On occasion I will grab one from the library, but my To-Be-Read pile is stacking up by the second, and I don’t want to put time restraints on myself. These books are great little reads and fun little mysteries with a sprinkling of good food, bad fashion, big hair, and sex, along with gun toting grannies and a funeral home that’s packed every night of the week.
If you need something to pass the time while traveling, ANY of the Stephanie Plum books will fit the description! I do recommend reading them in order – there is a method to the madness, and the characters do evolve. All of the books are extremely well written and you get to know the characters easily. You have a sense of accomplishment at the end of each book, but you always want more and more!!!
I’ve already received Twelve Sharp from PBS, and it is sitting on my nightstand...waiting for that lazy day!
Readers and writers - what are your go-to books that you love to read when you simply want to pass a lazy afternoon or get through that flight?
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