My last entry elicited a lot of really good comments on whether or not we would continue reading a Cozy Mystery series that we are enjoying… after the main sleuth does something for no apparent reason other than progressing the story line. (In this case it was keeping a very vital piece of evidence from the competent police department.)
Thank you all of your responses… You certainly have me thinking about this, and I’m still deliberating on whether I can continue with this sleuth. There is a lot to think about… in regards to what we want and expect from our sleuths.
Amongst all of the responses, there was another theme that came up:
Gail wrote:
As I have mentioned before, I keep a list of authors I have tried and did not like. I know I have mentioned my “*****YUCK” annotation for these authors. However, every once in a while, I read so many good reviews about one of these “*****YUCK” authors on my list that I simply have got to try him/her again. I have found some of my current favorite authors by revisiting my “*****YUCK” authors list. (It seems like sometimes I have set aside an author because I was just not in the right mood – only to find that I really like the author.)
Yep, just like the title of this entry indicates, I am starting to try to update my 
I know that I have written about the drought we are experiencing this summer. Our water district has put us all on very stringent water restrictions. With our drought, I have been extra careful to make sure the birdbaths are always clean and full. And, I finally put out two bird feeders in the yard. I would never have done that while Sprite was with us, but now that she is gone, I find it almost comforting to see the birds congregating in our yard. I have particularly enjoyed watching the birds bring their fledglings to the bird baths… some of the smaller birds’ fledglings are absolutely tiny!
… Lately, I’ve found many of the cozies with a gimmick (cozies built around a hobby, special interest etc) to be really problematic. It seems the mystery plot is sacrificed for the sake of the hobby. So everything stops while we have a little lesson on quilting, or coffee making or something. The gimmick needs to move the plot along or enhance our understanding of the characters. The movement of the plot shouldn’t stop for a lecture.
Not what you asked but it’s annoying me lately! And that’s my new YUCK category.
Maria responded:
Gail, I’ve seen this a lot lately too. A little bit of instruction or hobby is okay–cooking four meals and two desserts in the first 30 pages…well, I think I better go eat something instead of read…
The balance has to be there. And it’s probably easier to take after I love the characters. Sort of like watching grandma bake (or quilt or whatever). If I already like the characters I can enjoy the atmosphere, but if it’s just some gal named Sophie discussing the pros and cons of dark brown sugar versus molasses versus white sugar there better be arsenic in the white sugar that kills the guest! (okay that was kind of mean, but you know what I’m getting at. I hope!)
I have to admit to trying a few Cozy Mystery series just because they revolved around a particular interest of mine. One of those themed series was the Needlecraft Mystery Series by Monica Ferris. Because I enjoy needlework so much, I thought I might enjoy this particular series, and I was right! Monica Ferris is now on my “favorite authors” list. The needlework theme is what caught my interest, but the actual series is what has made me a Monica Ferris fan. (Also, I don’t remember Ferris ever actually devoting pages in these Cozy Mysteries on “how to” types of instruction.)
Do you all have opinions on special interest themes?
If you enjoy a particular theme, say paranormal, do you read every paranormal author you can get your hands on?
Do you think that some authors are using gimmicks to get us to read their books by getting on the bandwagon of a popular theme? (I do! Certainly not all authors, but I think that many do!)