The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – November 2015

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving! I hope your day is a safe and happy one.

This is the first year in what seems like a very long time that I will not cook a turkey with all of the trimmings. It is going to be a day of fun and relaxation. As I have mentioned, we are here in D.C. visiting our daughter, who is taking us to a Thanksgiving brunch, which started me thinking that this might just be the way to go! The mundane tasks like washing dishes, prepping the turkey, mashing potatoes, ETC will be things of the past. (I have to admit to feeling a little bad about leaving our son to hold down the fort in our home. But he will be spending his holiday with friends.)

Anyway, I am Thankful to be here having a good time with family. 

And, this holiday reminds me that I don’t say often enough how thankful I am to ALL you Cozy Mystery blog readers. You ALL are who make this place come alive >>> THANK YOU.

Cozy (Non Mystery!) Christmas Tips

christmas222222222225687889890-09(***I know this is a mystery blog. I will get back to the mystery side of it soon.***)

One of the activities I enjoy each Christmas season is decorating our home. While I miss our son’s and daughter’s help positioning each ornament on the tree, in a way, I feel like they are still with me decorating the tree. My husband and I have replaced our full-branched artificial Christmas tree with a thin but tall artificial tree that takes many fewer ornaments.

When we switched to a skinny (almost anorexic!) tree, I decided to limit the ornaments to just those to which we have sentimental attachments. So, gone are our shiny store-bought baubles. Instead, we have ornaments lovingly made by our son and daughter. Some of these decorations go back to a time when their little hands were barely able to manipulate the safety scissors or hold the glue sticks.

As I unwrap each of these priceless ornaments (including a toilet paper tube little drummer boy!) I am taken right back to those days. It’s funny, I remember wondering why those elementary school teachers thought we’d want toilet paper roll tubes hanging on our Christmas trees for may future years. And yet, now every year as I pack them away I treat them like precious family heirlooms.

OK, enough of my sentimental journey! To get back to the point of this blog entry!

I mentioned a tip a few years ago for families with young children. Please bear with me as I repeat it:

When my children were young, my son’s very favorite toys of all time were his Transformers. My daughter loved her tiny Sesame Street characters and, itty, bitty My Little Ponies and dolls. As they both got a little older and stopped playing with these small toys, I had the idea to save some of their beloved toys by turning them into small Christmas ornaments using festive holiday ribbons to attach them to the tree.

So now, amongst our third grade pipe cleaner-with-red-and-white Pony bead candy canes, and our fifth grade sequined styrofoam pin-cushion ornaments, we have tiny Transformers and itty, bitty My Little Ponies. All of these things make our Christmas tree special to us.

How about you? Do you have any holiday decorating tips? If you do, please share them with us by posting a comment below. Thank you!

Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas Movie – A Terrific Holiday Movie for Everyone

If  you’re looking for a short, delightful Christmas show that is perfect for the entire family, I recommend Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. This 2014 production is based on both the 2003 hit movie, Elf, starring Will Ferrell and the Broadway musical production.

My husband and I recently watched this fun, short Christmas (43 minutes long) movie, and we both enjoyed it immensely. Although both of our children are now grown, we are sure they would have loved this movie when they were little. This of course means that this movie would have been played over and over (and over again!) in our home during the Christmas holidays.

The movie is done in an amalgamation of animation styles. All through the movie I was fascinated by the different details used in its production. I especially liked the different textures used, for example, Holly’s hair, the costumes, and the quirky facial expressions.

The story is a heart-warming Christmas tale about the importance of family. The music is catchy, fun, and up-beat. The movie uses the vocal talents of The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons (who is terrific!), Star Wars‘ Mark Hamill, and Ed Asner, among others.

I’ve told both of my (now grown) children they should definitely watch this fun, cute Christmas movie. It truly is lots of fun for everyone.

P.S. In the past we have discussed favorite Christmas movies, and compiled quite a few on these lists:

Christmas : Favorite Classic Holiday Movies: Old, Black & White… and a Few In Color (not mysteries)

Christmas : Favorite Holiday Movies – More Recent, In Color (not mysteries)

What are your favorite Christmas movies that you find yourself watching every year during the holiday season. Please post a comment below and let us know! Thank you!

***This movie is available on Netflix in disc format.**

MENU