Q Is For Quarry is the name of a Sue Grafton mystery that I passed by on my walk the other day. I have a new route that takes me past a Little Free Library.
For those not in the know, Little Free Libraries are very small, wooden structures perched on top of a post. Passerby are encouraged to take –or leave– a book.
The previous week I had left Gone Girl, which I picked up about two months ago from another Little Free Library. It was quite riveting, but I was ready to part with it, so I dropped it off. I was curious whether anyone else had picked it up or had left any other books.
Q Is For Quarry caught my eye. It was a hardback. It beckoned to me. I opened the little Little Free Library Door, but wasn’t sure if I’d like it. I am very particular about mysteries and gravitate toward those involving food (my favorite authors are Joanne Fluke and Ellen Hart). I started to walk away, but the book called to me again. I thought about bringing it home. I thought of the other books waiting at home for me. I didn’t want to bring it home, only to neglect it.
Fast forward twelve hours. I was scanning headlines on nytimes.com to see if anything jumped out at me. One headline did. It read: “Sue Grafton, Whose Detective Novels Spanned The Alphabet, Dies At 77.”
How quirky to have had a special connection with her book only hours before. Perhaps her spirit wished to talk with me. When Sue Grafton was still alive, we had been in touch via snail mail. I had asked her a question. She typed a response and then kept me on her mailing list, sending holiday greetings every year. Recently she told her fans about her surgery and book tour cancellation; she enclosed a tiny flashlight like that her character, Kinsey Millhone, uses. I sent a thank you note and best wishes for her recovery. I keep the flashlight on my keychain for good luck. I am sad that she’s gone. I will miss her sweet cards.
Notes from the cupcake rescue league 
You must be logged in to post a comment.