So having just finished re-reading a Christmas-themed Cozy (Leslie Meier‘s Mistletoe Murder – if you want to read that blog entry, go here), it’s gotten me in a bit of a “holiday” sort of mood >>> despite the fact that it is more than 100 degrees outside pretty much every day!

Normally I don’t read holiday themed Cozies “out of season” >>> I tend to read a lot of holiday themed Cozies but only when the actual holiday rolls around. While I was re-reading this Christmas themed Cozy during a rather hot spell here in San Antonio, I started thinking about Christmas in July Cozy Mystery reading. About two years ago, MJ wrote a comment about just this:

… Oft discussed on this blog are the ‘seasonal/theme’ cozies. Danna, too, has said she enjoys reading Christmas cozies in Nov/Dec., winter cozies in Jan/Feb, etc., etc. In addition, many of us have talked about how we enjoy the characters in our favorite series. I’m always looking forward (generally waiting for a year) to the next book in an enjoyable on-going series.

HERE’S THE DILEMMA …….what if a book in a series you enjoy is released with a Christmas theme in June?? Do you read it now because you’ve been waiting for the next ‘installment’? OR, do you wait for 6 months to enjoy the ambiance of the Christmas season?

That’s exactly what happened when I automatically picked up ‘The Diva Wraps It Up’ (released 6/3), by Krista Davis. Since it’s a series I follow, I didn’t even bother reading the story description. When I started reading the first page, I realized it has a Christmas theme! What’s with that?

I haven’t read it yet. But whether one does or doesn’t read it in the summer, probably will depend on how much patience one has. I’m thinking about a ‘Christmas in July’ read (perhaps around the 7/22, 7/23, 7/24 time frame). Since in the last book there was some ‘relationship’ uncertainty in a subplot, I assume this will be a continuing storyline in the new book. We’ll see………………..I’m not a real patient person.

And then just last month, “HookedOnCozyMysteries” wrote this:

Just finished a crazy Donna Andrews mystery: The Nightingale Before Christmas. She’s always good for a laugh, and she came through again; reading something that is set during chilly weather at least makes me feel a little cooler. Now I’m onto A Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanna Fluke. It’s March in Lake Eden, Minnesota … still chilly and Hannah Swenson is sure to bake up something yummy

I know we have discussed reading holiday/seasonal Cozies out of their corresponding season, but I’m wondering (again) when the rest of you Cozy Mystery lovers read holiday Cozies. Do you do what I normally do >>> read holiday mysteries in the “proper” season? (This is sort of a drag if you have to wait several months for the specific holiday.) Or do you read your favorite authors’ Cozies when they are released (or when they are the next books in your TBR pile), regardless of the holiday/season they take place in? Please leave a comment below. Thank you!