Sara Paretsky, author of detective fiction, best known for her novels focused on the female protagonist V.I. Warshawski, was born in Ames Iowa on June 8, 1947. The protagonist of all but two of Paretsky’s novels is V.I. Warshawski, a female private investigator. In 1982, when she introduced V I in Indemnity Only. By creating a believable investigator with the grit and the smarts to tackle problems on the mean streets, Paretsky challenged a genre in which women typically were either vamps or victims. As a result, Paretsky is credited with transforming the role and image of women in the crime novel. She is also considered the founding mother of Sisters in Crime, an organization that supports and promotes women in the mystery field. Paretsky gave an author lecture in Avalon on August 1, 2007. Sleuth with V. I. Warshawski through the library stacks, on OverDrive (Avalon & Consotium) and in hoopla.

On June 8, 1946, Nat King Cole’s recording of “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66” enters the R&B chart, where it will peak at #3. Later that summer, it becomes a pop hit as well, just missing the Top Ten. Get your kicks at the library,  on hoopla, and in Freegal.