The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Castle, Stephen J. Cannell and Michael Connelly, but Where's James Patterson?

OK… You had to have guessed that I would be posting an entry about the new television season. No doubt, I will be posting several entries as the weeks go by…

Last night was the season premier of Castle… the show about a mystery book author who is allowed to shadow the local police department — because of his ties to the mayor’s office (among many other important acquaintances!), and the show did not disappoint me!

I was so very pleased to see that Stephen J. Cannell made it back to the poker table. And, this year, Michael Connelly was also there, talking about “mystery-book-authors” types of things. (Last year James Patterson was the other guest author.) But, since I’m not a mystery book author, I can only assume that’s what they would be talking about while dealing, shuffling, bidding, and then winning (or losing!) (Sorry, but I’m not sure if this is the same beautiful brunette who was playing poker with them last year, or not!)

Anyway, the new television season is upon us (finally!!!) and for those of you who aren’t fans of “Dancing with the Stars,” (which I believe they are showing every night of the week!!!) you’ll be glad to see that there are actually some other shows on the major networks!

Always Pack One Book Too Many…

I read rather slowly these days. I just find myself doing other things during the times of day that I used to spend reading.

I used to get a lot of reading done during the late hours of the night. I use a small flashlight and lay on my side— and quietly turn the pages of my mystery books. I guess I should use the past tense on that, since I am on a medication that pretty much zonks me out at night after reading just two pages.

It is for that reason that I already started my Halloween mystery books. When I told my daughter I hoped to finish the Halloween mystery book that I started a week ago, her response was “I should hope so!”

Well, thanks to four sleepless/restless nights before and after my air travel days, I was able to read my first Halloween mystery, finish my audio mystery book, and get through the first half of a new audio book. (I had only packed one “real” book for my six day visit to Colorado Springs… Surely, I thought, that would be enough!) Instead of “reading” in bed, once I finished my one “real” book, I lay in bed and listened to my audio books. Unfortunately, this meant that my audio book continued to play while I was zonked out… which meant that I did a lot of rewinding every time I woke up… which was several times a night. Not the most conducive way to get your ZZZZs!)

I love that I’m reading more these days, but I’m not sure I like that I’m sleeping less!

There's No Place Like Home…

My husband has been holding down the fort for me – and that includes taking care of our 14 1/2 year old puppy (who happens to get special medications three times a day) and keeping the ol’ homestead in shape. It has also included taking care of my computer’s comings and goings.

This has meant that he doled out Sprite’s medications on the way to and from work and ALSO listened to her complain about the injustices of life. Her complaints are much louder and more frequent when her favorite person isn’t present. And that would be me!

My husband and I talked several times a day (thank goodness for cell phone family plans!) and he tried to describe what was happening on the site. From what I gather, there are other people who aren’t crazy about grocery store monopolies, AND he told me that when I think I’m recycling my grocery bags… well, quite frankly… I’m not! (Hmmm… I might just have to break down and buy some of the reusable shopping bags… When I do though, they won’t be from my grocery store! All of their over-packing-to-the-point-of-ripping has left me thinking that there are a whole lot of other places to buy those bags!)

I am so tired right now. Rather than spending one restless night contemplating a day of air travel, I am now up to two nights of worrying. Good grief! At this rate, I’ll have to go for much longer visits so that the two restless/sleepless nights before the air travel (each way!) actually pay off.

I had dated some entries so that they would “magically” appear while I was away visiting my brother, mother, and her beau, and since my husband already posted your comments, I’ll go ahead and read them right now. I just wanted to check in and say hello!

October 2009 Mystery Book New Releases…

The following mystery books will be released October 2009:

A. K. Arenz: The Case of the Mystified M.D. (This will be the 2nd in the Bouncing Grandma Mystery Series…)

Donald Bain (& Jessica Fletcher): Murder She Wrote: A Fatal Feast (This will be the 32nd in the Murder She Wrote Mystery Series…) (This is a Thanksgiving-themed book…)

David Baldacci: True Blue (This will be a Stand Alone…)

Cynthia Baxter: Murder Had a Little Lamb (This will be the 8th in the Reigning Cats and Dogs Mystery Series…)

M. C. Beaton: There Goes the Bride (This will be the 20th in the Agatha Raisin Mystery Series…) (Actually September 29…)

JoAnna Carl (aka Eve K. Sandstrom): The Chocolate Cupid Killings (This will be the 9th in the Chocoholic Mystery Series…) (This will be a Valentine-themed book…)

Laura Childs: Tragic Magic (This will be the 7th in the Scrapbooking Mystery Series…)

Michael Connelly: Nine Dragons (This will be the 15th in the Harry Bosch Mystery Series…)

Patricia Cornwell: The Scarpetta Factor (This will be the 17th in the Kay Scarpetta Mystery Series…)

Deborah Crombie: Necessary as Blood (This will be the 13th in the Kincaid & James Mystery Series…)

Casey Daniels: Dead Man Talking (This will be the 5th in the Pepper Martin Mystery Series…)

James D. Doss: The Widow’s Revenge (This will be the 14th in the Charlie Moon Mystery Series…)

Monica Ferris: Blackwork (This will be the 13th in the Needlecraft Mystery Series…) (This is a Halloween-themed book…)

Sharon Fiffer: Scary Stuff (This will be the 6th in the Jane Wheel Mystery Series…) (This is a Halloween-themed book…)

Jessica Fletcher (& Donald Bain): Murder She Wrote: A Fatal Feast (This will be the 32nd in the Murder She Wrote Mystery Series…) (This is a Thanksgiving-themed book…)

Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino): Mourning in Miniature (This will be the 4th in the Miniature Mystery Series…)

Kerry Greenwood: Trick or Treat (This will be the 4th in the Corinna Chapman Mystery Series… It will be released in October in the USA)

Kerry Greenwood: Forbidden Fruit (This will be the 5th in the Corinna Chapman Mystery Series… Not released yet in the USA) (This is a Christmas-theme book…)

Gemma Halliday: Scandal Sheet (This will be the 1st in the NEW Hollywood Headlines Mystery Series…)

Charlaine Harris: Grave Secret (This will be the 4th in the Harper Connelly Mystery Series…)

Charlaine Harris: A Touch of Dead (This will include Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire stories…)

Carolyn Hart: Merry, Merry Ghost (This will be the 2nd in the Bailey Ruth Mystery Series…) (This is a Christmas-themed book…)

Reginald Hill: Midnight Fugue (This will be the 24th in the Dalziel & Pascoe Mystery Series…)

Elise Hyatt: Dipped, Stripped, and Dead (This will be the 1st in the NEW Daring Finds Mystery Series…)

Susan Kandell: Dial H. for Hitchcock (This will be the 5th in the Cece Caruso Mystery Series…)

Jonathan Kellerman: Evidence (This will be the 25th in the Alex Delaware Mystery Series…)

Debbie Macomber: That Holiday Feeling: Silver Bells (Not a mystery. This is a Christmas-themed book…)

Archer Mayor: The Price of Malice (This will be the 19th in the Joe Gunther Mystery Series…) (Actually Sept. 29…)

Ralph M. McInerny: Stained Glass (This will be the 28th in the Father Dowling Mystery Series…)

Marcia Muller: Locked In (This will be the 28th in the Sharon McCone Mystery Series…)

Shirley Rousseau Murphy: Cat Striking Back (This will be the 15th in the Joe Grey Mystery Series…)

Tamar Myers: The Witch Doctor’s Wife (This will be a Stand Alone…)

Katherine Hall Page: The Body in the Sleigh (This will be the 18th in the Faith Fairchild Mystery Series…) (This is a Christmas-themed book…)

Robert B. Parker: The Professional (This will be the 37th in the Spencer Mystery Series…)

Anne Perry: A Christmas Promise (This will be the 7th of Anne Perry’s Victorian Christmas series…)

Anne Perry: Silent Nights (This will include two previously released Anne Perry Victorian Christmas mysteries: A Christmas Beginning and A Christmas Grace…)

Ruth Rendell: The Monster in the Box (This will be the 23rd in the Inspector Wexford Mystery Series…)

Peter Robinson: The Price of Love and Other Stories (This will be a collections of stories…)

Livia J. Washburn: Huckleberry Finished (This will be the 2nd in the Delilah Dickinson Literary Tour Mystery Series…)

Wendy Lyn Watson: I Scream, You Scream (This will be the 1st in the NEW Mystery à la Mode Mystery Series…)

♦To go back to the Cozy Mystery Book New Releases page click here♦

MENU