The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Mystery Books Recommendations – November 2013

I have been keeping myself pretty busy lately, which is why I forgot to post this Cozy Mysteries Recommendations for November 2013 entry earlier. I have been working on going through our garage in the hopes of clearing up some space. It has just gotten too crowded out there. I have also been getting our Thanksgiving organized, and am trying to get our Christmas decorations up. (Yes, I know it’s odd to be working on Christmas before Thanksgiving, but our daughter comes home for such a short time that I like to have the house holiday-ed up for her.)

We are already at the end of November, so I’d like to ask you all to let us know about some of the mysteries you have read during the month which you thought were really, really good. Would you please tell us why you enjoyed your recommended Cozy Mystery books? A lot of us use those comments to help us decide if that particular author/mystery is something we would also enjoy reading.

[As usual, I ask that you don’t tell us about the mystery books you read that you didn’t like.]

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to their page on the Cozy Mystery site. Their page has all of the author’s books listed chronologically.]

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during November 2013, and why did you enjoy it (or him/her)?

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

Victoria Abbott (Mary Jane Maffini & Victoria Maffini): Book Collector’s Mystery Series

Charles Warren Adams: The Notting Hill Mystery

Ellery Adams (aka Jennifer Stanley, J. B. Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Books by the Bay Mystery Series

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

Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow Mystery Series

Lucy Arlington: (Jennifer Stanley & Sylvia May): A Novel Idea Mystery Series

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

Frances Brody: Kate Shackleton Mystery Series

Joelle Charbonneau: Glee Club Mystery Series

Jessie Crockett: Sugar Grove Mystery Series

Mary Daheim: Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series 

Christine DeSmet: Fudge Shop Mystery Series

Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum Mystery Series 

Shelley Freydont: Celebration Bay Mystery Series

Sophie Kelly (aka Sophie Ryan): Magical Cats Mystery Series 

Laurie R. King: Mary Russell Mystery Series

Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J. J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Missing Pieces Mystery Series 

Ada Madison (aka Camille Minichino & Margaret Grace): Sophie Knowles Mystery Series

G.M. Malliet: Max Tudor Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Hat Shop Mystery Series

Leonard Merrick: Mr. Bazalgette’s Agent

Camille Minichino (aka Margaret Grace & Ada Madison): Periodic Table Mystery Series

Clare O’Donohue: Someday Quilts Mystery Series

Sara Rosett: Ellie Avery Mystery Series

Josephine Tey: Alan Grant Mystery Series

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

Finally It’s Time for a Winter Carnival Mystery…

In March of this year, I finally tried my first Joanne Fluke Hannah Swensen (Cookie Jar) mystery. I liked it so much that I actually recommended Fluke as my pick for the monthly mystery book recommendation entry. While it has been (more than) several months since I last read about Hannah and the rest of Lake Eden’s towns’ people, I am currently feeling very Cozy reading about the town’s Winter Carnival.

For those of you who read Fluke’s series, you will probably remember that the Winter Carnival takes place in the third book of the series. Why, you may ask, has it taken me so long to read these mysteries if I enjoy them so much?

This all gets back to my seasonal mysteries hang-up. For some reason, I just don’t enjoy reading about a winter carnival that takes place up in Minnesota during a San Antonio 100° summer day. Those two things just don’t mesh for me. That’s a problem that I encounter from time to time when I really like an author, but I know the next book in the series takes place in a certain type of weather/season.

So after I read Strawberry Shortcake Murder (the second in the series) I took a rather long break before reading the third in the series, Blueberry Muffin Murder, since I knew I would want to read it during one of our infrequent cold snaps, which is exactly what we are experiencing right now.

I have spoken a lot about how much I enjoy reading seasonal Cozy Mystery books during their appropriate seasons. This sort of thing often leads to me feeling like I’m not able to read a book until the “correct time of year.” It’s a major drag when I really like an author, but it’s what I do.

So, while I may not have to put on a winter coat, a scarf, and mittens, at least I am wearing my jacket these days. Perfect weather in San Antonio for a Winter Carnival.

If You’re Having a Not-So-Good Day, This Will Surely Make You Smile…

You know how the internet is… You look for one specific thing, and that leads you to a second somewhat related thing, which in turn takes you to a third subject, which really isn’t at all related to the first item. You always seem to go from point 1 to destination Z. No rhyme or reason to it, which would be why it’s called “surfing” >>> although it may be called something else these days.

This leads me to a YouTube clip that I just watched from an old television show called “I’ve Got a Secret”. Anyway, before I post the clip, I will point out that it was a different time. The host had his perfunctory Winston cigarette hanging from his mouth while he greeted and played with the toddler. (So the next time you hear the “those were the days” you can remind yourself that not everything was better back then.)

Here is the I’ve Got a Secret clip off the YouTube site:

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