For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just in time.

Wait, hang on a second.

[Looks up how many PC Peter Grant novels there are so far.]

[Discovers Ben Aaronovitch wrote a few serials for “Doctor Who,” in the late Eighties. Light bulb.]

[Discovers that although the book jackets say “PC Peter Grant Series,” whoever edited Wikipedia last prefers to refer to them as the “Rivers of London Series.” Huh, makes sense. Also: spoilerish.]

[Discovers there are 6 “Rivers of London” novels so far, and what’s this, now? 9 spin-off graphic novels? And 4 companion short stories? Who is this fucker, Neil Gaiman?!]

Goddamnit, you guys. I do want to be reading other things. Among my myriad of Very Important Responsibilities which include hiding under the bed every time I get a CNN alert on my phone, and feeding the dog, I kind of committed to myself that I would read the Stephen King’s “Gunslinger” series this year, and hopefully having time for something else (like The Handmaid’s Tale, which I’m on the waitlist for at the library; let me at it right now!!!).

But these are so fun! And escapism is important! And things that make me laugh these days are so rare. And they’re clever and poignant and delightful and delicious and English in the most self-deprecating way possible, which is how we Canadians like our Brits.

Needless to say, I’ll figure it out. I just started a Not!Peter Grant novel because I have it out from the library and it expires before Book 3 and I’m a little OCD like that, and I’m not sorry. But frankly, unless it’s amazing (which of course, it probably is, because it came well-recommended), it’s just getting in my way ’til I read more Grant.

Again, let me reiterate: these books are not going to change your life. But the world is complete, promises are made and kept, the whimsy overflows, and action! adventure! magic! sarcasm! nailing it!

End of review.