I’ve been re-reading the Robert B. Parker “Spenser” series of books lately.

I am a huge mystery/crime/detective novel aficionado (read freak) and Parker is one of my favorites. I also enjoy Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, Jonathan Kellerman, and James Patterson-but Robert B. Parker is the greatest, in my mind.

He also writes the Jesse Stone novels-which have been made into movies starring Tom Selleck-always a good man to watch. Not to be accused of being sexist, he also has a series of P.I. novels featuring female investigator Sunny Randall.

The Spenser series is my favorite though. Those readers of my age (read old) will recall the Robert Urich series “Spenser: For Hire.” I just read, on Parker’s Amazon.com blog, that there are negotiations going on to revive the series, sans Urich, of course, who is now dead-cancer, I think.

A & E produced some Spenser movies starring Joe Mantegna as Spenser-by the way, no one knows Spenser’s first name, except his paramour, Susan.

I just got in a shipment of Spenser paperbacks, so I will be enjoying my spring evenings reading for a while.

My reading habits can be annoying to some-I would rather read than watch TV, and though that sounds laudable, let me take that a little further. I would rather read than cook, clean, sleep, eat, talk, work, shower, etc. Hence the annoyance.

The upside is I read very fast. A 300-page novel is a one-evening book for me. I inherited the speed-reading gene from my father.

There IS a point to this blog-though I am beating the long path around the bush to get to it.

One of the reasons I adore Robert B. Parker is his dedications-no, not dedication, as in “to his craft”-I mean his book dedications. All of his books are dedicated to his wife, Joan. They have been married since 1955 and have two sons. Parker doesn’t just say, “Dedicated to Joan” or “To my wife”-oh no, he is much more poetic, and frankly, romantic. Case in point: “Hugger Mugger,” published in 2000. The dedication reads: “Joan: the ocean’s roar, a thousand drums.”

Another book’s dedication, “Walking Shadow” published in 1994, reads: “For Joan: ‘Whom if you please, I care for other none.'”

Swoon.

There is nothing lovelier than a man who loves his wife, and demonstrates it. Truly a rare and lovely thing.

My darling husband, John, is rare and lovely in his expression of love for me. It is not always overt-in fact, sometimes I am not meant to hear it. I overhear it.

There are times when he has come to bed very late at night-he often works in the shop next to our house (John is a Master cabinetmaker) into the wee hours so he can concentrate-and, although he is being stealthy-well, as stealthy as a 6′ 7″ man can be-I am slightly awakened by him. He reaches over pulls me close, and whispers, “I love my girl . . .” and then drifts off to sleep.

I can live off that moment for a very long time.