Robert Parker, RIP

Robert Parker is dead, and with his passing readers have lost his most enduring character, the detective without a first name, Spenser. The first Spenser novel, The Godwulf Manuscript, was published in 1974. I can't remember when I first began reading Parker's mysteries, but it's surely been at least twenty-five years ago.

Parker and his characters Spenser, Susan, and Hawk brought me many years of pleasurable reading--and whenever I visit Boston I think of him, and the people and places he wrote about. And if I've grown less attached to this series lately, I still occasionally wish my husband was as good a cook as Spenser, and that I had Susan Silverman's will power.

Books into Film

I tend to think that anytime Hollywood gets its hands on a book I've loved, they ruin it. However, after seeing Up in the Air with George Clooney recently, I started thinking about all the movies based on books that I've really enjoyed. Up in the Air is based on a book, which I haven't read--but the movie was excellent.

It almost goes without saying that any BBC production based on the work of a famous author is worth watching--and they are too numerous to name here. I would recommend both reading and watching any of the following titles: I Capture the Castle, Ghost World, Room with a View, and Remains of the Day.

You probably have your own favorites, and maybe you'll share them here.