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

What Cozy Mystery (or Not So Cozy) Are You Reading?

July 21, 2011

Every once in a while I simply have to talk about the Cozy Mystery books I am reading/listening to AND find out what books you all are reading. Call me nosy…

I am listening to one of Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Maud Silvers Cozy Mystery Series and, let me tell you, there is no question that this is a Cozy Mystery! No graphic language, violence, or “adult” situations. The sleuth, Miss Silvers, is an older, retired school teacher/governess who has taken up private investigating in her later years. Her services are found by word of mouth. People who have used her to solve a mystery in their own lives tell people who sound like they need a competent investigator. In turn, those people tell more people, etc. Yes, she is that good!

Patricia Wentworth is an author who I found out about after several Cozy Mystery site readers recommended her to be included on the site. She definitely qualifies as Cozy… and she even knits!

The “real book” (as the other is the audiobook in my car) is the first in the Orchard Mystery Series by Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell). I just passed the fiftieth page, so, as some of you know about my “decide by page 50 rule” >>> I must be enjoying her One Bad Apple. I have recently been reading comments and/or letters about the Orchard Mystery Series, so decided it was time to try it. So far, so good.

I have to admit that I was interested in pursuing the Orchard Mystery Series because, for some reason I had a craving for a Kate Borden (aka Kate Grilley) mystery. But, unfortunately there are only three Cozy Mysteries in her Peggy  Jean Turner Mystery Series, and I have read each of them already. I was in the mood for a New England setting, and also wanted to add a new author to my reading repertoire.

Now that I have told you about the two books I am listening to/reading, would you mind telling us what you are currently enjoying?

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Cozy Mystery Books with Just TOOO Much Romance…

July 19, 2011

A few days ago, Patricia posted this comment on the blog:

“I know this may seem a bit of a rant but I would like to have the views of other readers on this. For many years I have been reading murder mystery cozies and thoroughly enjoyed and devoured them, but I am finding with some of the authors in the past year in particular that perhaps they are writing a romance rather than a murder mystery cozy. On several occasions lately I have picked up their latest paperback, eager to read it, and half way through I start to wonder if the murder mystery is still relevant as I am sidetracked onto the existing romance/or new one and have to go a few chapters before getting back to the plot. On a few occasions this year I have put the book down, not wishing to continue as it has been driving me round the bend.

Sorry for this but I am just wondering if other recipients to your website are finding the same problem.”

Well, Patricia, I have to admit to not having that happen in the Cozy Mystery books that I try. I know that even Agatha Christie would throw a little romantic side-line into her novels a lot of the time. Sometimes she would simply have a young, level-headed working woman (a private secretary, or a terrific housekeeper, you know… something of that sort) who would meet a young man from a “good family” who didn’t care about social class stereotypes. But, she always kept those plot lines as very secondary.

How about you all, what do you think of the romance genre possibly moving into the Cozy Mystery genre? Please post your comments, and thank you!

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Welcome Home!

July 17, 2011

I sometimes write an entry for my blog the day before it posts, and then post-date it. That is what I am doing today. Usually it doesn’t matter, since my entries aren’t time-sensitive. However, today it is… or rather yesterday, it was.

My daughter is flying back today from Washington,DC, where she has spent the first part of her summer interning. She stayed in the same women’s dorm at which she resided for her last summer’s internship. The dorm is right downtown, which has worked out fabulously for her. Both this summer and last, she was able to walk directly to work, passing through one of the most beautiful places in the USA>>> the Washington, DC mall, with all of its incredible monuments.  She has been able to walk to the wonderful, historical, and phenomenally beautiful Union Station during her leisure time. (Those are my descriptions, not hers!) Can you imagine using Union Station as the place you send your packages? It doesn’t get much better than that! (And, from what she tells me, there is actually less of a wait at that Union Station USPS office than my local one!)

She will be spending more time with us this summer than she has during her past few summers. Her school will be starting pretty late this year, so she has another internship lined up downtown, which she is really looking forward to. We are happy that she was able to get this internship, an added bonus for us being that she will be able to stay with us.

The only sad note about her coming home is that I know she will miss Sprite. Sprite spent a lot of time with my daughter while she was in school, and even on her college breaks. If Sprite wasn’t with me, I knew I could find her with my daughter.

I am SO looking forward to having my daughter right here with us. But, I guess I should really be saying: I’m glad she arrived safely YESTERDAY!

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Where Does the Time Go?!?

July 11, 2011

Good grief! Today is one of those days I simply dread. Yep! It’s the first day of my two day clean- the-house days. I still feel the same as I did about twenty years ago when we moved into our home… well, almost the same. What has me worried is that I used to be able to whip through the house – vacuum, dust, clean bathrooms, and mop – all in one day.This was a good thing, since I cleaned our house every week.

But, now that my cleaning is accomplished with my reading glasses on, I find it takes twice the time to do half the job… well, almost. I blame it on being able to see a whole lot better with my reading glasses, but, I have to concede that I used to have perfect vision, so that probably doesn’t account for the huge time increase. I can blame the use of the reading glasses on my need to get the high allergen dust out of the house, not my twenty-year-older eyes.

The only saving grace about this whole housework routine is that I listen to my audible books while doing these awful chores. Currently, I am listening to Patricia Wentworth‘s first Miss Maud Silver’s mystery. I actually read Grey Mask before, but now that audible.com has her books, I want to listen to them in the correct order. I discovered Patricia Wentworth’s mysteries after receiving several recommendations from Cozy Mystery site readers for me to add her to the site. She is one of the Cozy Mystery author gems I have added to my ever-growing list of favorite authors. And, she definitely falls into the traditional definition of Cozies… which I LOVE!

I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent… but, since this is one of my breaks from those pesky house chores, I am guessing that is why I am meandering. And, now that it takes me twice the time to clean the house, I admit I only do a major house cleaning every two weeks… which is more than enough for me – but possibly not enough for my husband… although he absolutely NEVER complains.

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