Here we are at the end of the month! I can barely believe that we’re going to be wrapping 2015 up in just a few days! As I mentioned in the Christmas Cozy Mystery Recommendations – 2015, I read quite a few Christmas Cozies this month, and I enjoyed every one of them.

Would you please tell us about the really good Cozy Mysteries you read during December, and please tell us why you liked them so much. (They don’t have to be Christmas Cozies!) These should be the Cozies you thought were better than the other Cozies you read this month. This is a great way for the rest of us to sort of put those authors on our Cozy Mystery radar. (If we don’t already know about them!) Please list the ones you liked the most at the very top of the list, that way we’ll know those are the ones you liked the most.

As usual, please do not tell us about the Cozy Mysteries you did not like.

What really good Cozy Mystery book did you read during December 2015 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?

Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read and recommended this past month:

Isabella Alan (aka Amanda Flower): Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series

Lucy Arlington (aka Susan Furlong): Novel Idea Mystery Series

Terri L. Austin: Rose Strickland Mystery Series (Diners, Dives & Dead Ends is book #1)

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): Good Buy Girls Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy Mystery Series

Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey): Amish Mystery Series

Ali Brandon (aka Diane A.S. Stuckart): Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series

Duffy Brown: Consignment Shop Mystery Series

JoAnna Carl (aka Eve K. Sandstrom): Chocoholic Mystery Series

Laurie Cass (aka Laura Alden): Bookmobile CatMystery Series

Bailey Cates (aka Cricket McRae & Bailey Cattrell): Magical Bakery Mystery Series

Jane K. Cleland: Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Series

Blaize & John Clement: Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): Orchard Mystery Series

J.J. Cook (aka Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant): Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery Series

Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block): Mysteries with Recipes Mystery Series

Jeanne M. Dams: Dorothy Martin Mystery Series

Vicki Delany (aka Eva Gates): Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series

Hannah Dennison: Honeychurch Hall Mystery Series

Kaitlyn Dunnett (aka Kathy Lynn Emerson): Liss MacCrimmon Mystery Series

Martin Edwards (editor): Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries

Margaret Grace (aka Ada Madison, Jean Flowers, & Camille Minichino): Miniature Mystery Series

Heather Graham: Krewe of Hunters Mystery Series (Phantom Evil is book #1)

Sarah Graves: Home Repair is Homicide Mystery Series

Anne Hillerman: Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito Mystery Series

Carolyn Hart: Bailey Ruth Ghost Mystery Series

Sadie Hartwell (aka Susannah Hardy): Tangled Web Mystery Series

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

C.H.B Kitchin (editor): Crime at Christmas

Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Christmas Tree Valley Mystery Series

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent & Gayle Leeson): Embroidery Mystery Series

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig): Peter Shandy Mystery Series

Nancy Martin: Miss Ruffles Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Library Lover’s Mystery Series

Carol J. Perry: Witch City Mystery Series

Nancy Pickard: Jenny Cain Mystery Series

Maggie Sefton: Knitting Mystery Series

Dana Stabenow: Liam Campbell Mystery Series

Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe Mystery Series

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series

Charles Todd: Bess Crawford Mystery Series

Ashley Weaver: Amory Ames Mystery Series (Murder at the Brightwell is book #1)

Julie Weston: Nellie Burns and Moonshine Mystery Series (Moonshadows is book #1)

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to his/her page on the Cozy Mystery site. The pages have all of the authors’ books listed chronologically.]

I will list the authors and series that have been recommended, but I urge you to read the comments below so you can see the reasons other Cozy Mystery readers thought these were their best reads of the month.

♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦

P.S. I usually don’t comment on your recommendations since they speak for themselves.

Yikes! It’s only a day over a week until Christmas! I’m way behind with my gift-wrapping, however, for some reason, I seem to have found the time to read my Christmas Cozy Mysteries! (Shows you where my priorities seem to be these days!) I just finished my latest Christmas Cozy, and am now at the find another Cozy to read stage in my reading process.  Hmmm…

I mentioned before that I have re-read some of my favorite Cozies from the past. I also read some new-to-me Christmas Cozies. I revisited Jessica Fletcher in Cabot Cove while reading Donald Bain‘s A Little Yuletide Murder, and I had a hankering for re-acquainting myself with Leslie Meier‘s Lucy Stone while reading Mistletoe Murder. I also caught up with three of my favorite authors while reading Cleo Coyle‘s Holiday Buzz (Yes, I was that far behind chronologically!), Joanne Fluke‘s Plum Pudding Murder (Another author with whom I’m playing catch-up!), and Margaret Grace‘s Manhattan in Miniature. That’s a whole lot of Christmas Cozy-reading!

As I said in my first paragraph, I’m trying to decide what to read next. I’m not sure if I should attempt another Christmas themed Cozy. I know I have eight days before Christmas, but our daughter is coming home (from D.C.) for a visit on Monday, and I’m really looking forward to having both our son and daughter here for the holidays, so I doubt I’ll get much reading done.

With that in mind, I thought I would ask you ALL for some ideas about good Christmas Cozies. I know we have done this before (in 2012 and 2013) but I’m curious to ask this again: Which Christmas Cozies would you recommend for the rest of us to NOT miss reading?

So, which Christmas themed Cozy Mysteries would you recommend that the rest of us read? If you mention more than one, please list them in order of your preference so that I can post one or two on the list. Just post a comment. Thank you!

Christmas Mystery Book Recommendations:

Susan Wittig Albert: Mistletoe Man

Stephanie Barron: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas

M. C. Beaton: A Highland Christmas

Josie Belle: Buried in Bargains

Rhys Bowen: Twelve Clues of Christmas

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen, Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings, & Mrs. Jeffries and the Merry Gentlemen 

Isis Crawford: A Catered Christmas Cookie Exchange

Krista Davis: The Diva Cooks a Goose & The Diva Wraps It Up

Vicki Delany: Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, & Leslie Meir: The Candy Cane Murder & Ginger Cookie Murder

Sally Goldenbaum: Trimmed With Murder

Martha Grimes: Jerusalem Inn

Karen Harper: The Queene’s Christmas

Sofie Kelly: A Midwinter’s Tail

Kate Kingsbury: Pennyfoot Hotel Christmas mysteries

Charlotte MacLeod: Rest Ye Merry

Anne Perry: Christmas mysteries

Livia Washburn: Christmas Cookie Killer

P.S. If you need help remembering other Christmas themed Cozies, you can take a look at the Christmas Mystery Book List page on my site.

Also, here are the two previous lists we came up with:

Christmas Mystery Book List Recommendations – 2013

The Best Christmas Cozy Mystery Book – 2012

What a month! I feel like I crunched a whole lot of  chores and errands into the middle of November, but I know I’ll be happy that I did. However, that means that I didn’t get much Cozy Mystery reading done. I didn’t want to get back from Washington, D.C. and then have to decorate the house and put the tree up and do the other things that, since our children grew up, I have done on my own. (Don’t get me wrong, my husband always asks if I need help. But, sometimes it’s just easier to do it myself, rather than have to explain what I want done. >>> Very OCD!)

Anyway, I do want to tell you about a new-to-me author that, shame on me, I should have tried a long time ago! I’m talking about Deb Baker (aka Hannah Reed). Why it ever took me this long to finally read one of her Gertie Johnson books/novellas, I don’t know!

I know I’ve talked and talked about how I always read my Cozies in their chronological order. Well, sometimes during the holidays, I sort of side-step that rule, and try holiday Cozy Mysteries out of order. I am currently reading Murder Decks the Halls, and I am loving it! I enjoy how fast-paced this novella is, I enjoy the characters, I enjoy the Baker’s/Reed’s writing style, and I enjoy the setting. How can you go wrong with a trio of older sleuths who go ice fishing during the Christmas season? Of course, I was so excited to read this novella I didn’t wait and see that Baker’s other Christmas novella (Murder Trims the Tree) actually happens earlier. Oh well, that one is in my Kindle queue, so I’ll be reading it as soon as I finish this one. I should definitely have read them in the reverse order…

How about you? Would you please tell us about the really good Cozy Mysteries you read during November, and please tell us why you liked them so much more than the other Cozies you read? These should be the Cozies you think are even better than the others you read this month. As I’ve mentioned before, lots of us want to find out about Cozy Mystery authors who write great Cozies who we haven’t yet discovered for ourselves. Please list the ones you liked the most at the very top of the list, that way we’ll know those are the ones you liked the most.

As usual, please do not tell us about the Cozy Mysteries you did not like.

What really good Cozy Mystery book did you read during November 2015 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?

Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read and recommended this past month:

Ellery Adams: Books by the Bay Mystery Series

Ellie Alexander (aka Kate Dyer-Seeley): Bakeshop Mystery Series

Terri L. Austin: Rose Strickland Mystery Series (Diners, Dives & Dead Ends is book #1)

Deb Baker (aka Hannah Reed): Gertie Johnson Mystery Series

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries Mystery Series

Duffy Brown: Consignment Shop Mystery Series

Julia Buckley: Undercover Dish Mystery Series (The Big Chili is book #1)

Kate Carlisle: Bibliophile Mystery Series

Maia Chance: Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery Series

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell & Tace Baker): Country Store Mystery Series

Vicki Delany (aka Eva Gates): Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series

Jean Flowers (aka Camille Minichino, Margaret Grace, & Ada Madison): Postmistress Mystery Series

Dorothy Gilman: A Nun in the Closet (Stand Alone mystery)

Sally Goldenbaum: Seaside Knitters Mystery Series

Nancy Haddock: Silver Six Crafting Mystery Series

Victoria Hamilton (aka Amanda Cooper): Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Susannah Hardy (aka Sadie Hartwell): Greek to Me Mystery Series

Betty Hechtman: Yarn Retreat Mystery Series

Steve Hockensmith & Lisa Falco: Tarot Mystery Series (The White Magic Five & Dime is book #1)

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent & Gayle Leeson): Embroidery Mystery Series

T.C. LoTempio: Nick and Nora Mystery Series

Janey Mack: Maisie McGrane Mystery Series (Times Up is book #1)

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig): Peter Shandy Mystery Series

Susan Elia MacNeal: Maggie Hope Mystery Series

Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Clare O’Donohue: Someday Quilts Mystery Series

Carol J. Perry: Witch City Mystery Series

Rose Pressey: Haunted Vintage Mystery Series

Hank Phillippi Ryan: Jane Ryland Mystery Series

Alexander McCall Smith: No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series

Betty Webb: Gunn Zoo Mystery Series (reportedly not Cozy)

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to his/her page on the Cozy Mystery site. The pages have all of the authors’ books listed chronologically.]

I will list the authors and series that have been recommended, but I urge you to read the comments below so you can see the reasons other Cozy Mystery readers thought these were their best reads of the month.

♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦

P.S. I usually don’t comment on your recommendations since they speak for themselves.

I have been busy reading Halloween Cozies. Even though I rarely re-read my Cozies, I decided I would read some of the Halloween Cozies I have read (and enjoyed) in the past, two of Leslie Meier‘s Cozies were amongst them (Trick or Treat Murder and Wicked Witch Murder). Right now I am reading (not re-reading!) Krista Davis’ The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer. This is a Halloween themed Cozy that was released last December which has sat in my TBR Kindle queue since then. As much as I wanted to read it, I made myself wait until this month.

I think of the Paws & Claws Mystery Series (by Krista Davis) as an equal opportunity pet Cozy. You can be a devoted dog lover or a cherishing cat owner, and still there is a little something for you. Krista Davis sets this series in Wagtail, Virginia >>> and with a name like that, you know the town is a pet-friendly community.

As with her Domestic Diva Mystery Series, Krista Davis has developed her Paws & Claws characters in a way that makes you feel like you’re visiting with your friends. (I hope that makes sense!) I’m never quite sure where the mystery will end up, and sometimes the red herrings have fooled me completely! (I especially like it when a Cozy author does that >>> rather than the other way, when I can guess who the culprits are within the first fourth of the book.)

If you’re looking for a Halloween themed Cozy Mystery, I’d definitely recommend The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer. Now I’m going to go read some more to find out what Holly, Trixie, and Twinkletoes are up to!

How about you? Would you please tell us about the really good Cozy Mysteries you read this month, and please tell us why you liked them so much more than the other Cozies you read? These should be the Cozies you think are even better than the others you read this month. The rest of us are always interested in finding Cozy Mystery authors who write great Cozies  who we don’t yet read. Please list the ones you liked the most at the very top of the list, that way we’ll know those are the ones you liked the most.

As usual, please do not tell us about the Cozy Mysteries you did not like.

What really good Cozy Mystery book did you read during October 2015 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?

Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read and recommended this past month:

Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Herbal Mystery Series

Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series

Tessa Arlen: Lady Montfort Mystery Series

Donald Bain & “Jessica Fletcher”: Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series

M.C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Agatha Raisin Mystery Series

Carrie Bebris: Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): Good Buy Girls Mystery Series

Cindy Blackburn: Cue Ball Mystery Series

Kate Borden (aka Kate Grilley): Peggy Jean Turner Mystery Series

Maia Chance: Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery Series

Blaize & John Clement: Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series

J.J. Cook (Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant): Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery Series

Deborah Crombie: Kincaid & James Mystery Series

Waverly Curtis: Barking Detective Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Paws & Claws Mystery Series

Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series

Dawn Eastman: Family Fortune Mystery Series

Janet Evanovich: Lizzy & Diesel Mystery Series

Shelley Freydont: Celebration Bay Mystery Series

Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames): Cookbook Nook Mystery Series

Elly Griffiths: The Zig Zag Girl (not Cozy)

Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series

Sherry Harris: Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery Series

D.E. Ireland: Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery Series

Miranda James (aka Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Southern Ladies Mystery Series

Miranda James (aka Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series

Diane Kelly: Tara Holloway Mystery Series

John J. Lamb: Bear Collector’s Mystery Series

Joyce and Joe Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Retired Witches Mystery Series

Colette London: Chocolate Whisperer Mystery Series

Susan McBride: Debutante Dropout Mystery Series

G.A. McKevett: Savannah Reid Mystery Series

Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Angela Pepper: Stormy Day Mystery Series

Leigh Perry (aka Toni L.P. Kelner): Family Skeleton Mystery Series

Lora Roberts: Liz Sullivan Mystery Series

Michael Robertson: Baker Street Letters Mystery Series

Jeff Shelby (aka Jeffrey Allen): Moose River Mystery Series

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series

Lea Wait: Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series

Donna Glaser White: Letty Whittaker Mystery Series

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to his/her page on the Cozy Mystery site. The pages have all of the authors’ books listed chronologically.]

I will list the authors and series that have been recommended, but I urge you to read the comments below so you can see the reasons other Cozy Mystery readers thought these were their best reads of the month.

♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦

P.S. I usually don’t comment on your recommendations since they speak for themselves.