The Cozy Mystery List Blog

A site visitor to the site who is a library science student asked for some more clarification about the site for a paper she is writing – the following is how I answered her questions:

“…As I said in my “About” page on my blog… I pretty much started this site because I love to read cozy mysteries. I didn’t actually start the site thinking that it would become as big as it has. I started the site with only the authors who I had personally read. However, with time, I got more and more recommendations of authors who other cozy mystery readers thought would be ideal for the site.

Again, as it says on the “About” page… I started making lists of all of the authors I followed. Also, I had one particular friend from the days when I was in online mystery reading groups who had very similar preferences in authors. So, we would “introduce” each other to new authors. The online mystery reading groups that I belonged to would take nominations from the members and then vote on which books we would read every month… so I was introduced to a lot of new authors.

I had (literally) pages and pages of authors who I read, and my husband kept telling me that rather than retype the list each year when I brought it up to date, I should store it on my computer so that I could just “strike out” the books that I had read or add the new books that the author had written during the last year. I did all of this for several years before I actually started the site. My husband thought that since I liked chronological lists of my favorite cozy authors, there were probably people out there who would also like lists of their favorite authors’ chronological lists. And, since I am always on the lookout for new Cozy Mystery authors, I knew that there were others looking for new authors to add to their lists.

As for my “authority”… Several times on the site I have written that I simply love the cozy genre of mysteries. I don’t tout myself as an expert of any sort… I simply like my cozy mysteries, and like to read books in their correct chronological order. I became very frustrated having to pick out all of the books by one author out of the library shelves just so that I could get their chronological publishing dates. (Of course… it doesn’t need saying that I always re-shelved the books in the correct alphabetical order!!!)

Yes, I do believe that I have connected readers to books that they will enjoy. I receive a good deal of mail from site readers, and many of them have told me that they found a new author (or two, or three!) from perusing the site.

I get most of my information from the different authors’ websites, from a wonderful librarian who writes me letters keeping me posted on new books from some of the authors on the site, or new series from some of the authors on the site, and from readers of the site. I am amazed at how many people want the site to be a good site, which is complete with up-to-date information. And, the amount of author recommendations astounds me! I am very lucky for all of the site readers’ input!

Since I always go to the authors websites, I believe that the “validity of any information” is 100%. Of course, since not all authors have websites, I have actually had to contact some of them so that they can provide me with the correct information via emails. And, in some cases, the authors’ websites are organized in such a way that it is difficult to decipher the books’ order… that’s when I hit the internet and Google everything I can.

I have a search feature on the blog part of the website, but haven’t thought about putting one in on the main site. I rely on my husband to fix/upgrade/”computerize” the site and he is so very good about doing all of the actual computer work that I hesitate asking him to have to work through that type of feature. But, I am sure that we will discuss it….”

***Actually, I should not have said 100% accurate… I have received letters from site readers a few times where I have been told that my dates were off by a year or two, and once, I was corrected by a fan of an author who told me that I had “topsy-turvied” two books… But, since I always correct things (after verifying the need) on the site that are brought to my attention, I think that I can safely say that I strive to be 100% accurate.

♦Not in my answers is this: Thank you all for the author recommendations and the comments. This website has grown because of the response of people like you!♦

For some reason, I just don’t seem to be the talk-show format type of viewer. Every once in a while I will tune in (actually I set up my taping device) to a talk show to see if I think I might enjoy watching it… I know that there are so many other people who love these shows. I guess that I’m just not interested enough in what guest “stars” think or do.

That was all before The Bonnie Hunt Show. Since the show is still in its infancy (this is its debut week) some might think that I will change my mind…. and I might! But I think that I have finally hit upon a talk show that really appeals to me. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I have always enjoyed the humor of Bonnie Hunt… or if it’s because she comes from a “working” background (Did you know that she used to be an R. N.?)… or if it’s because she seems so “normal”… But, I have been tuning into her show this past week, and I love it!

She talks to “normal” people, while sprinkling in the mandatory “stars”… She talks about her family, and how much she adores her siblings and their children… She talks about finding “rats” in her house (although I want to think that they are mice… which seem a little more palpable than rats!) She talks to her crew and actually knows their names… She just seems so “normal” and is so funny. And, dare I say it, the show seems so… positive. It’s hard to describe it… I just felt myself smiling all the way through it… and loved that she actually seems to like her staff… sort of a “feel good” type of show.

Anyway, that’s my current take on The Bonnie Hunt Show… Who knows what I’ll think in a year… But right now… I am loving it!

OK!!! What’s with this weather in San Antonio! I was talking to my college roommate the other night, who was saying that her weather forecast looked awful… She lives in the eastern part of Iowa, and she was talking about possible dips down to 38°. So, of course, I had to go and google her city… and sure enough, fall/autumn is upon us! When I say “us”… I don’t mean the people here in San  Antonio. Our seven day forecast ranges with temperatures from 67° to 95°.

So, probably many of you are wondering… Is this woman ever happy!?! How can you complain about those types of temperatures!?!

The answer is this: I have lived in Connecticut, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska… Maryland and Virginia (on very cold days!) and I just expect certain things to go hand-in-hand with the first sightings of the bright yellow/orange school buses, and those things certainly don’t include shorts and sleeveless shirts!

I guess it’s just that time of year: I’m going to have to get out my seasonal cozy mysteries and my 3-D fall/autumn stickers so that I can be reminded that yes, indeed… fall/autumn is on the way…

I know that I wrote about this last year, but already I miss my daughter. Luckily, my son lives right here in San Antonio, but my time with our daughter was way too short this summer. She interned (again!!!) for most of the summer, but she was able to “give us” two weeks at home before returning to college.

When I was growing up, my summer jobs consisted of just that… summer jobs. It seems like today, students who want to get ahead have to intern in jobs that are essentially “try outs” for the jobs they will hold when they graduate from college.

I remember some of my summer jobs: salad “girl” at an Officer’s Club, dessert “girl” at that same club, greeter at a lake resort, envelope stuffer at that same resort, neighborhood newspaper girl… not anything that actually contributed to my formal education. Those jobs, however, did contribute to me learning the importance of holding a job, showing up on time, and working for my wages.

Although my jobs weren’t anything like today’s society (almost) requires of our college students, my jobs did actually fulfill their roles of teaching me that, in short, money doesn’t grow on trees and that you have to strive to be the best you can be in any situation in which you find yourself.

Of course, as I proof read this blog I am struck with how I totally lost the initial point of my blog… Summer is over and students are back in school… whether they still live at home or they are off to other locations… those of us who are parents miss them terribly.