The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

What was I Thinking?!?

July 15, 2007

Well, yesterday was a day of revamping several of my pages on the site. If you happened to look at any of the holiday pages before… I extend my apologies! I felt a classic case of V-8: "What was I thinking?" 

One of the comments I recently received referenced an author who can be found on my Easter page. After a rather extended time looking to see where I had put her (Joanne Harris), when I clicked on the main holiday page… and then clicked on the Easter page… I literally found myself mumbling out loud… almost as if I had never seen the pages before… "What the heck are these?"

By "these," I meant… these graphics… As much as I liked them over a year ago, they certainly didn’t belong here now. The graphics were easy enough to get rid of… just one delete key click, and they disappeared. But then I was left with the spacing between the books in the right column.

This, of course, meant that I was either going to have to go "behind the scenes" and fix the problem myself, or I was going to have to wait until my husband got up from his Saturday afternoon nap. "Behind the scenes" is about as technical as my jargon is going to get… suffice it to say that I have to go to a "display-split-coded-page" (or something like that) and then try to find the "<br> " type of symbol that all of the book covers had between them, right behind the scenes, somewhere "inside of" the computer, which to me means the screen, not the actual computer!

It only took me a little over an hour, but when my husband came out of the room from his refreshing nap, I was able to smile proudly… as if I were a five year old child bringing dandelion flowers to my mother… and show him the fruits of my efforts.

Now, I am proud to invite you to visit "my dandelions," which can be found on any one of the Holiday pages. (And please note how nicely spaced the books to the right are…)

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Some Cozies are Simply Cozier than Others!

July 14, 2007

It takes place at night… OR… on a bright, sunny morning.
It occurs in New York City, bustling with activity… OR… a quaint English village.
The main character is a hip, young man with a beautiful young wife and one child… OR… a nice "older" teacher, getting ready to retire.
It involves a sleek Corvette… OR… an umbrella/cane.

Hmmm… If you’re a reader of cozy mysteries, I don’t need to tell you the correct answers!

I am embarrassed to admit this, but I just started my FIRST Miss Emily D. Seeton novel! Yes, I know that they are almost as classic as the Miss Marple books. Yes, I have almost all of the Miss Seeton novels waiting in my bookshelf… along with many other wonderful cozy novels…. all of them seemingly there just to gather dust now that I am spending all of the time at my computer… rather than reading my favorite cozy mysteries!   ("More Reading/Less Typing" ought to be my new mantra!)

Getting back to the purpose of today’s blog:

The Miss Seeton’s series of books has been written by three different authors. Heron Carvic began the series in 1968, with Hampton Charles taking over during 1990, followed by Sarah J. Mason (aka Hamilton Crane) in 1991, with her last book (or should that be "his" for Hamilton?!?) published in 1999.

Miss Emily D. Seeton is a retired British teacher, although in the novel I am reading, she hasn’t quite decided to retire… at least she hasn’t by page 49! So far, "Picture Miss Seeton" has all of the things you would expect from a Cozy Mystery… all of the above correct answers come into play, but, alas, I haven’t met up with a cat yet… just egg-laying chickens…

I am really excited about starting this new cozy series, although I know it’s not new at all. Sometimes, when I start to read a book that has this much promise, I actually feel like "I’m home again"… It’s a difficult feeling to describe, but I am guessing that other cozy mystery readers have a sensation similar to my "I’m home again" feeling when they start reading a new author’s book that looks like it is really going to deliver the COZY that we all want so much!

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Let's Go to the Bookstore for a Croissant and an Espresso…

July 8, 2007

We are lucky to live in a city that has a lot of books stores. I have to admit that I usually do all of my book-purchasing through Amazon’s site, but occasionally I break down and buy a book at an actual store. We have five Barnes and Nobles and seven Borders books stores within a 25 mile radius! That’s a lot of books stores!

Recently, though, I have not really enjoyed my visits to these bookstores. On one occasion, two teenagers were seated (plopped) right in front of the area (mysteries, of course!) that I wanted to look at… They didn’t budge, even with me towering over them trying to find my author of choice. On another occasion, people on the couches near my area were talking loudly on their cell phones while I was trying to peruse the books (mysteries… again!)

I have noticed a trend in the bookstores near our home… they seem to want to make the store have the feeling of a lounge… where people can sit and talk, eat, drink, and even LAY on the floor !!!!! It appears that some people go early so that they can stake out a favorite couch to call their own while they read magazines and drink their morning coffee… before reading more magazines while sipping their fruit shakes in the afternoon.

When I go to a bookstore, I am there with a purpose…. I always take my list of books… I go in, find my book, do a little browsing, and then leave. Well, that’s what I used to do. Now I go in, carefully walk around, step over, peer over, or try to phase out people’s chatter.

Years ago, when our children were young, we had access to a wonderful branch of bookstores called Book Stop. Each trip to Book Stop would last at least an hour…. but it was an hour that was spent on our feet, combing through the children’s’ aisles, discovering the latest Bruce Coville, Daniel Pinkwater, Roald Dahl, or  Klutz books. Certainly, we were not having lunch on one of the store’s couches… while talking on our cell phones… while paging through the latest magazines!  Come to think of it, they didn’t have couches, nor did they sell café latté/caffè latte! 

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Is There A Doctor In The House… Or How About A Book?!?

July 4, 2007

I have been in and out of doctors offices this past week, and I am here to tell you about an observation I have made… and, as my family will attest to, I have made (and made and made and made, ETC) this observation "a few times" before. (They would probably tell you that I make the same observation… almost verbatim, every time I return from visiting any type of office where I am required to sit in a waiting room…)

Let me preface this blog by saying that I NEVER go to any type of waiting room without my current book…. and, I mean NEVER… As a matter of fact, I think that I would be very safe in saying that neither of my children nor my husband ever go anywhere without their current books… either a "real" book, or an audio book. So, enough about us!

I am always amazed, while sitting in a waiting room, at just how few people take a book to read. I guess that a lot of people really want to read golf magazines that are so outdated that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus are the big stars, or basketball magazines that feature the dazzling new young players… Larry Byrd or Wilt Chamberlain.

What are these people thinking?!? I just cannot imagine going somewhere that might require an hour (or longer in some cases) wait, and not having something to read… of MY choice!

I remember back to the time when my children were young. Any time there was an expectation of sitting in a waiting room, there was a tote bag with several books in it that came with us. Apparently, doctors’ offices are now aware that the majority of people who bring their children for doctors’ appointments do not bring books, because now there are actually little play areas for all of the sick children to congregate and share germs while handling the toys.

Whatever happened to children sitting quietly while their mother or father simply read to them? When did it become necessary for doctors’ offices to have play areas, or loud videos on over-head plasma  televisions in their waiting rooms? I guess a better question would be WHY is it necessary for the people who are going to keep us waiting to provide entertainment for us…. wouldn’t a better idea be for us to simply BRING A BOOK?

If you’d like to post a comment… please feel free to do so… the comment button is below this blog entry.

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