Here is yet another TV & Movies blog on the Cozy Mystery site that has absolutely nothing to do with mysteries. The reason I chose to write about That Girl is because it is one of the shows from the late 1960s/early 1970s that I hope isn't lost amongst the huge array of shows available now.

We moved into our house fifteen years ago— and I remember that That Girl was one of the shows my daughter and I watched together when Nickelodeon offered it (I think that they aired it during the Nick at Night time block… even before there was a TV Land channel!)

That Girl starred Marlo Thomas as Ann Marie, an aspiring, "struggling" actress. The use of quotation marks on the word "struggling" refers to the fact that Ann Marie's apartment was absolutely phenomenal… large enough for a family of four in New York City, and her clothes were even more "absolutely phenomenal" than her apartment. BUT remember that this is a TV show, and just accept the fact that in the world of make-believe>>>Who Cares!?!

That fact is that despite a few little glitches, the show really is a good show to share with your daughters, nieces, granddaughters, or just you alone! (As I am doing now that my daughter doesn't live with us…)

Ann's personality is bubbly, fun, positive, in short… refreshing. Her boyfriend (Donald…played perfectly by Ted Bessell) is her anchor"' but not her protector. Ann doesn't need a protector,. She''s a strong, independent woman.

That Girl- Season One (1966-1967) included thirty episodes, in which we get introduced to the recurring characters. Ann's father (Lou) was played by the wonderful Lew Parker… He is every young daughter's father: over-protective and loving at the same time. Rosemary DeCamp exudes patience in her roll as Ann's mother Helen Marie… She is Ann's champion and runs interference between her leaving-the-nest Ann and her you-should-stay-at-home father.

For those of you like me who enjoyed the show when it first aired, you'll be familiar with some of the great guest stars the show managed to get: Ethel Merman, Merle Milton, Danny Thomas, and some very young guest stars who went on to become big names: Sally Kellerman, Dabney Coleman, George Carlin.

If you're worried about "adult situations," let me just tell you that inn the episode "Rain, Snow and Rice," Donald and Ann are snowed in with their friends in a hotel— the girls end up sharing one room and the boys share the other room… and the other couple is on their honeymoon!

Season Two (1967/1968) also had thirty episodes. (Unbelievable by today's standard!) My daughter and I enjoyed watching these a year or two ago… and I am guessing that at 22, she would still enjoy Ann Marie's antics. (I will pass on my DVDs when I am finished with them…)

Season Three (1968/1969) had 26 episodes and one of them had (almost!) the entire Thomas family. "My Sister's Keeper" had guest appearances by Marlo's dad (Danny), Sister (Terre), and brother Tony. What's not to like?!?

I have yet to watch (or should I say "re-watch"?) any of Season Four (1969/1970) or Season Five (1970/1971) but I am looking forward to them. So here is the way.

If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.

Good grief! I know that I am going to sound VERY OLD here… but am I the only one who is getting tired of "improvements"?!?!?

I finally had to chuck my AOL… I remember way back… when I first started using the computer, about 15 years ago>>> I was the last hold-out in my household to join the modern world! Back then, my relationship with my computer seemed a whole lot easier. I could save pictures to put on my emails, I could make folders that kept all of my correspondence, I could get off of the computer without "it" keeping files hidden in my computer which would then mess up my computer… Computer life was sweet! (As my daughter would say… "Sweet" is the new "delicious"— which a lot of us used to use to describe something that was totally super!)

But, some good things actually do come to pass. AOL kept putting out new versions… which they touted as "improved" (or some such adjective.) I would usually try to put off "upgrading" to the new improved system. And, when I finally acquiesced and let my husband upgrade my AOL (since I was the only one in the family who used AOL) I would immediately find fault with the "improvements." (That's right… "let my husband" do the work>>> Wasn't I a good sport!?!)

Well, this last "upgrade" has finally persuaded me that after fifteen years of using AOL, I am ready to "go solo." Yes, I have finally gotten fed up with all of the improvements… It seemed like this last upgrade meant that my husband had to keep fixing my computer when it "crashed." And, I have enough computer questions for my husband… questions about how to save pictures of cozy mystery books, covers, how to make a new category on the site, how to "go behind the scenes" of my pages and make changes, how to…. well you get my drift.

So, adieu to AOL… You were "delicious" when I was learning my ins and outs of the computer… but your improvements just aren't that "sweet" for me!

It's that time again…. I have completed four new (to the site… but not actually "new") authors who I first heard about from you all. I have yet to read any of their works, but they do look interesting:

Garrison Allen: Allen writes the Big Mike Mystery Series which features the owner of a mystery bookstore, along with Big Mike… a huge Abyssinian cat who happens to love his Lima beans…

Lori Andrews: Although not a Cozy Mystery author, I included Andrews on the site because her books look really interesting, as well as… "smart mysteries"…  Andrews is a professor of law in Chicago and an expert in genetics. She writes the Dr. Alexandra Blake Mystery Series…

Christy Barritt: What better way to do your amateur sleuthing than to own a crime scene cleaning business, and have access to all of the freshly strewn evidence!  Barritt writes the Squeaky Clean Mystery Series which features the owner of that  very unusual business…

Patricia Batta: Batta has worked as an elementary school teacher, as well as a (document) librarian. She writes the Marge Christensen Mystery Series…

Another theme that is very popular in the summer months is Weddings. This summer (August 2008), I am actually going to be touched by that theme… My niece is getting married in Chicago, and I am so excited about this! She is an innately good person… and I wish all good (as in WONDERFUL!) things for her.

The authors who I am going to include in the Wedding Cozy Mystery Theme are:

Deborah Donnelly: Donnelly has a masters in library science… I believe that her Carnegie Kincaid is the only wedding planner I know of who is also a sleuth, and who lives on a houseboat! (Carnegie Kincaid Mystery Series)

Laura Durham: Durham is a Duke graduate with a degree in English who became a wedding planner. That paved the way for her Annabelle  Archer Mystery Series>>> Annabelle is also a sleuth and wedding planner…
 
There are, of course, several mysteries that feature weddings in their plots…

Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone Mystery Series had the Wedding Day Murder, and who can forget M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin and The Murderous Marriage… with its crazy ending!?!

Jean Hager's Iris House Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series gave us both Sew Deadly and The Bride and Doom… While Bride and Groom was offered up for our reading enjoyment from Sue Conant's Dog Lover's Mystery Series.

The Jane Jeffry Mystery Series by Jill Churchill gave us A Groom with a View, while Goldy Bear (of the Goldy Bear Mystery Series) had her own wedding to plan in The Last Suppers by Diane Mott Davidson…

Donna Andrews included not one, but three weddings in Murder with Peacocks, her first Meg Lanslow Mystery…

I am sure that there are other cozy mystery novels with Wedding Themes that I have read, but I just cannot seem to remember their titles… If you know of a novel that I have been remiss in adding to the Cozy Mystery Wedding Theme list… please send a comment and I will gladly add it.

***To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.***

I know of one author (who I will not name) who actually killed off the husband of one of the primary characters in her series… and never mentioned him again!

Actually, I have to admit that the fact that the killed-off husband wasn't mentioned even one time in the next mystery of the series was enough to turn me off of that particular author forever! I have never read another one of her mysteries, so maybe the deceased husband is mentioned in one of the following books in her series. But ignoring one of the secondary character's death in the following novel of the series was enough for me to essentially "ignore" that particular author!

I just don't like it when authors take "the easy road" on pesky details. Sometimes, I wonder what the editors are doing! Don't they actually read the mysteries and make notes like "What happened to Mrs. Primary Character's husband? Why don't you mention his death? Why don't you mention that he was the killer in the previous book? Why is Mrs. Primary Character still feared as a beacon of the town when her husband turned out to have killed several people? Do you even remember that Mrs. Primary Character had a husband?"

Yes, those are just some of the questions that I would have annotated in the margin of the original transcript to the following novel in the series. And, yes, (or should I say no?!)…. I am not an editor! I just don't like inconsistencies…

How about you? Are you able to overlook author's forgetting about a character? Or just changing a character mid-series? Maybe I'm too harsh of a reader… Or maybe it brings out the "teacher-days" in me… red pen in hand… trying to note the positive…. along with the sloppy/just-plain-wrong!

PS>>>>>>> I guess I am really showing my age when I say "the margin of the original transcript" instead of saying "highlighting and adding a comment in the downloaded file" that authors probably submit these days!

I am just wondering what is happening to my time! It feels like as soon as I post an author, I get two or three more recommendations… Which is why it is taking me so long to get all of the authors you all have been nice enough to recommend for the site. Not to worry though… I will get to them soon. (Some of them sooner than others!)

I am not following any particular manner in my posts… I just sort of "grab" the name of an author from my list, and start looking up the needed information. I really like it when I am able to gather all of the information from that particular author's site. And, I have been lucky in being able to find authors' sites through search engines.

But, as I have mentioned before… some of the authors don't list their books chronologically. I don't really know why they would scatter their novels… unless it is to make sure that we can see that the mysteries can also be read as "stand alone" novels. And, most of them can be.

Anyway… I will soon be posting new authors who you all have recommended for the Cozy Mystery Site. Thanks (again) for the recommendations!

I have finally added three more new authors to the Cozy Mystery Site.  All three of them were recommended by readers to the site…

Sally Gunning: Sally Gunning began her writing career with the Peter Bartholomew Mystery Series, which is set in a New England coastal area… very much like Cape Cod. She is currently writing historical fiction…

Sue Ann Jaffarian: Sue Ann Jaffarian writes the Odelia Grey Mystery Series which features a queen-size paralegal living in California. Jaffarian is working on the new Granny Apples Mystery Series…

Susan S. James: Susan S. James has her Master's in English, and after teaching a short time, decided that her background in Creative Writing would be better used doing just that: Writing Creatively! She writes the Solace Glen Mystery Series…

This Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery Theme also includes mystery series that take place in boarding houses and hotels:

Claudia Bishop: The Hemlock Falls Mystery Series features Sarah Quilliam, the owner of an inn and Meg Quilliam, the chef at the inn, and is set in New York…

Jill Churchill: The Grace & Favor Mystery Series is set in 1930s New York and features Robert and Lily Brewster, a brother and sister who live in the boarding mansion of that name…

Mary Daheim: The Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series features the owner of the Seattle B&B…

Jean Hager: The Iris House Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series is set in Missouri and features the owner of that B&B…

Kate Kingsbury: The Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery Series takes place in the very early 1900s, is set in England, and features the hotel owner…

Karen MacInerney: The Gray Whale Inn Mystery Series takes place in Maine and features the inn's owner, an ex-Texan…

Charlotte MacLeod:  The Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn Mystery Series features Sarah, the owner of a boardinghouse in Boston…

Tamar Myers:  The Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery Series features the owner of a Mennonite Inn…

Tim Myers: The Lighthouse Inn Series features the owner of the inn in North Carolina…

***To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.***

The following Mystery Books will be released in July 2008:

Jeff Abbott: Collision (This will be a Stand Alone…)

Donna Andrews: Cockatiels at Seven (This will be the 9th in the Meg Langslow Mystery Series…)

L. L. Bartlett: Dead in Red (This will be the 2nd in the Jeff Resnick Mystery Series…)

Rhys Bowen: A Royal Pain (This will be the 2nd in the Lady Georgiana Mystery Series…)

James Lee Burke: Swan Peak (This will be the 17th in the Dave Robicheaux Mystery Series…)

Ellen Byerrum: Armed and Glamorous (This will be the 6th in the Crime of Fashion Mystery Series…)

Stephen J. Cannell: At First Sight (This will be a Stand Alone…)

Mary Daheim: Vi Agra Falls (This will be the 24th in the Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series…)

Aaron Elkins: Uneasy Relations (This will be the 15th in the Gideon Oliver Mystery Series…)

Lee Goldberg: Mr. Monk Goes to Germany (This will be the 6th in the Mr. Monk Mystery Series…)

Victoria Houston: Dead Hot Shot (This will be the 9th in the Loon Lake Fishing Mystery Series…)

Mary Ellen Hughes: Paper-Thin Alibi (This will be the 3rd in the Craft Corner Mystery Series…)

J. A. Jance: Damage Control (This will be the 13th in the Joanna Brady Mystery Series…)

Ralph M. McInerny: Ash Wednesday (This will be the 27th in the Father Dowling Mystery Series…)

James Patterson (written with Michael Ledwidge) : The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (This will be a Stand Alone…)

Richard North Patterson: The Race (This will be a Stand Alone…)

Emilie Richards: Sister’s Choice (This will be the 5th in the Shenandoah Album Series- not a mystery…)

Michele Scott: A Vintage Murder (This will be the 4th in the Wine Lover's Mystery Series…)

Heather Webber: Weeding out Trouble (This will be the 5th in the Nina Quinn Mystery Series…) 

*****To go back to the Cozy Mystery New Releases page click here*****

Lyn Hamilton writes the Archaeological Mystery Series which features Lara McClintoch, an antiques dealer. I guess I should restate that: Lyn Hamilton WROTE the series. Hamilton has decided to retire Lara after eleven books in the series. Actually, the final book in the series (The Chinese Alchemist) was released in paperback form at the beginning of 2008. That publication marks Lara's end.)

I know that Hamilton's retirement will make a lot of her fans sad… BUT>>> I think that it's terrific when an author decides to retire a series. Not because I like series to actually end, but because (I feel that) sometimes it appears that an author has lost interest/fresh ideas/a passion for their characters>>> and I think that it's sad to see that…at least to me it is sad. I know of one cozy author (***NOT Hamilton!***) who is getting reviews on Amazon from her fans saying that they think she is no longer writing the series' books… but that ghostwriters are being employed to churn out more book$.

I was very grateful when a site reader pointed this tidbit of information out to me. My time perusing authors' sites is spent on looking at new authors (to the site… not necessarily new authors!) So, I always appreciate hearing from site readers who have an update… as well as possible new authors to the site. (Thank you, Joyce!)