For a Good Time Call---

Throwaway book - a fun to read book without much seriousness, easy to read and easy to give away.

I love throwaway books.  You read them once, maybe twice if they are truly fun and then you pass them on to friends, to enemies, to the goodwill. Or if you're like me, you stick them on your shelves just in case you have an overnight guest who wants something quick and easy to read.  These books are not keepers by any means. You don't keep them as classics; you don't even keep them because they have something profound written in them. Most people don't even keep them. But I do so love them anyway. It is like taking a vacation. You can go somewhere profound like the Mexican ruins, or somewhere memorable like overseas, or somewhere beautiful like the Canadian Rockies. Or you can just go to the local amusement park for the weekend. I see books as a vacation and throwaway books are those trips to the local amusement park.

So today I am reviewing the series by Janet Evanovich about Stephanie Plum, a young woman who out of desperation and a lack of desire for a real job becomes a bounty hunter for her cousin. Now dear reader, there are fun people in these books: a bun-toting grandma; a father that rarely speaks; a mother who crosses herself as she reaches for the bottle. There are fun and enticing people who are introduced to us as the series progresses: a former prostitute who tends to wear clothes a little too small for her full figured frame; a boyfriend cop that Plum has an on again off again relationship with; a black ops type guy who Plum has an on again off again relationship with when she’s away from her cop friend; her boss and his secretary.

This series is fun, the action is fun, the characters are fun, even the bad guys are fun.  Each book you will be looking for the following: 

Who died so grandma can go to the viewing and get cookies? Note she does NOT do well with close casket funerals.

How is Plum going to describe her grandfather's death this time - Bought the farm? Driving that big Buick in the sky? Each time it is something different.

What is going to happen to Plum’s car this time – blown up; burnt up; plunged into a lake; stolen?

What is Lulu, the ex-hooker going to wear this time?

How many times it that simple arrest going to elude Plum before she gets her man?

And finally, how many different ways can Ranger say “Babe.”

If you want something fun to read and you haven't stumbled onto this series, I suggest you give it a try. A friend of mine said these books are just Plum good and one who have to be Plum crazy not to read books that are just Plum fun. I think he went on for several more plums but you get the idea. Please do start at the beginning of the series because like all books in this vein, the stories in the middle are always the best, after you get to know the characters and before they get stale.

That's One for the Money; Two for the Dough; Three to get Ready and so many more!