The Cozy Mystery List Blog

I have been receiving quite a few letters recently about recommending “Authors Similar to” other authors. I know how frustrating it is when you get to the end of a favorite author’s series, and wonder – what next?

Unfortunately, a lot of the time I get requests for authors who I don’t read. This of course, makes it impossible for me to recommend “Authors Similar to” that author.

Even if I am familiar with the author in question, I obviously am not familiar with all other Cozy Mystery authors. It is for this reason that I appreciate it when Cozy Mystery site readers, who are familiar with an author, recommend authors they think write in the same fashion. It’s great to hear from you ALL – whether I know the author in question, or not. The more similar authors, the better…

PS>>> I will be posting several new “Authors Similar to” pages very soon. Thank you – in advance – for your recommendations.

Every once in a while I simply have to talk about the Cozy Mystery books I am reading/listening to AND find out what books you all are reading. Call me nosy…

I am listening to one of Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Maud Silvers Cozy Mystery Series and, let me tell you, there is no question that this is a Cozy Mystery! No graphic language, violence, or “adult” situations. The sleuth, Miss Silvers, is an older, retired school teacher/governess who has taken up private investigating in her later years. Her services are found by word of mouth. People who have used her to solve a mystery in their own lives tell people who sound like they need a competent investigator. In turn, those people tell more people, etc. Yes, she is that good!

Patricia Wentworth is an author who I found out about after several Cozy Mystery site readers recommended her to be included on the site. She definitely qualifies as Cozy… and she even knits!

The “real book” (as the other is the audiobook in my car) is the first in the Orchard Mystery Series by Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell). I just passed the fiftieth page, so, as some of you know about my “decide by page 50 rule” >>> I must be enjoying her One Bad Apple. I have recently been reading comments and/or letters about the Orchard Mystery Series, so decided it was time to try it. So far, so good.

I have to admit that I was interested in pursuing the Orchard Mystery Series because, for some reason I had a craving for a Kate Borden (aka Kate Grilley) mystery. But, unfortunately there are only three Cozy Mysteries in her Peggy  Jean Turner Mystery Series, and I have read each of them already. I was in the mood for a New England setting, and also wanted to add a new author to my reading repertoire.

Now that I have told you about the two books I am listening to/reading, would you mind telling us what you are currently enjoying?

I sometimes write an entry for my blog the day before it posts, and then post-date it. That is what I am doing today. Usually it doesn’t matter, since my entries aren’t time-sensitive. However, today it is… or rather yesterday, it was.

My daughter is flying back today from Washington,DC, where she has spent the first part of her summer interning. She stayed in the same women’s dorm at which she resided for her last summer’s internship. The dorm is right downtown, which has worked out fabulously for her. Both this summer and last, she was able to walk directly to work, passing through one of the most beautiful places in the USA>>> the Washington, DC mall, with all of its incredible monuments.  She has been able to walk to the wonderful, historical, and phenomenally beautiful Union Station during her leisure time. (Those are my descriptions, not hers!) Can you imagine using Union Station as the place you send your packages? It doesn’t get much better than that! (And, from what she tells me, there is actually less of a wait at that Union Station USPS office than my local one!)

She will be spending more time with us this summer than she has during her past few summers. Her school will be starting pretty late this year, so she has another internship lined up downtown, which she is really looking forward to. We are happy that she was able to get this internship, an added bonus for us being that she will be able to stay with us.

The only sad note about her coming home is that I know she will miss Sprite. Sprite spent a lot of time with my daughter while she was in school, and even on her college breaks. If Sprite wasn’t with me, I knew I could find her with my daughter.

I am SO looking forward to having my daughter right here with us. But, I guess I should really be saying: I’m glad she arrived safely YESTERDAY!