Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge discussion

2013 Cozy Mystery Cruise

Good luck and thanks for joining again!

1. Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Mixed feelings on this one. I liked the writing, but wished there would have been more townspeople involved. It felt more like it took place in a mall than a town, and the division between the two seemed extreme. Don't even get me started on the sheriff, her blatant unprofessionalism almost made me quit reading the book.

2. Take the Monkeys and Run by Karen Cantwell

I enjoyed this funny cozy.

3. A Deadly Grind by Victoria Hamilton

4. Love You to Death by Melissa Senate

I looked back and saw I missed the first cozy I read this year, so I'll count it now.

5. The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn

I love Chet and Bernie!

6. A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn

7. Buried in a Book by Lucy Arlington

8. Too Big to Miss by Sue Ann Jaffarian

9. The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini

I wasn't sure if it was a cozy, but it felt like one and when I looked, it called itself a "lighthearted historical mystery".

jaxnsmom wrote: "3. A Deadly Grind by Victoria Hamilton"

I so wanted to love this book!! I'm tempted to try reading it a second time by all rights I should have loved it..set in my home state she collects antique kitchen 'stuff' she is all things I love..everyone wrote such great reviews and I didn't get it.. I'm just so bummed:(

Rebecca, I know what you mean. There are some really popular series that I don't connect with for some reason. And I can't always figure out the reason :)

Ladies, I'm with you. I've started observing in my reviews after experiencing the wonderful Maeve Binchy: there's no format for "an excellent book". I'm a paranormal/gothic/mystery lover. I don't get excited about general fiction and yet Maeve draws me in instantly.

It's irritating if reviewers rate low because "it isn't what I thought". You can *observe* that but what a book IS, should gauge stars. All we can go by is how well we reacted to it; no rhyme or reason.

10. Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

Another adventure starring Izzie Spellman. This takes place a couple of years later, and while some things have changed, Izzie is still the woman we love.

11. Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

I'm truly undecided on whether or not I liked this book. Some things annoyed me and seemed over the top, but I really liked Lori.

Unsure you caught my note above. As for Nancy Atherton, love love love! I gave the first two novels five stars and I don't dole them easily. Perhaps what I discussed might help you pinpoint how you feel. http://www.amazon.ca/review/R123FYAJ7...

Yes, I saw your post, and I don't see how it relates to mine on Aunt Dimity. I wasn't doing a full review, just a quick opinion.

I was talking about responding to you in message #14 about something else. There was no reply so I wondered if you saw it. As for Nancy, review or not, we read the same book and I mentioned in message #17 that I loved it.

I take it as a compliment if someone comments on threads. :) If you intended this spot for your notes only, my apologies.

I've been on GR in spurts lately, and it's been almost two weeks since I've been on my thread here. I was trying to catch up quickly and then try and come back. Life has been very weird the last month :)

I agree about the low ratings, unless I feel the book's summary has misled me. I'm really bad at writing reviews, but try to say why I like or don't like a book in group discussions. I've had books that I didn't particularly care for, but the writing was so good that it affected the rating. I've also given another star for the amazing narration in some audiobooks. My ratings are always based on my reaction to the book, and you're right, we're rarely objective.

Thank you - wasn't sure what was going on and feel much better! Hm, I hadn't thought of a synopsis misleading a buyer, which I agree it shouldn't do. Covers have mislead me a lot, often looking more sinister or cuter than the contents.

I read one book (don't remember what it was) where I thought they'd put the wrong blurb on the wrong cover :) The worst ones are the ones like movie trailers - they tell most of the highlights and then there's no real reason to read the book.

I've learned not to read book blurbs until *after I've read the book! And then I sometimes wonder if the blurb is about the same book I just finished reading *@@*

12. The Chocolate Moose Motive by JoAnna Carl

This is one series that doesn't let me down.

13. Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown

14. Free Fall by Chris Grabenstein

15. Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews

16. The Cocoa Conspiracy by Andrea Penrose

17. Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan

18. Death Waxed Over by Tim Myers

19. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

20. Murder Unmentionable by Meg London

I'm about 1/4 of the way through , the first in the John Ceepak series, and I'm wondering why I waited so long to read it! The author is coming to our local used mystery bookstore this fall, and I thought it would be a good idea to read at least one of his books before then, so I can decide whether or not to try to go to hear him speak :)

Well, I'm glad you finally got to it :) It's a great series, and the interplay between John and Danny is wonderful to watch.

Is Danny the "narrator" for all of the books in the series?

Yes he is. As a local, he gives a better overview. And any narration by John would be very "just the facts, ma'am" :)

Yeah, that makes sense, thanks!

A final addition to track the cozies I've read in 2013.

21. Night of the Living Deed
22. A Killer Read
23. The Christie Curse
24. Holmes on the Range
25. Little Shop of Homicide
26. Smarty Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
27. The Cat Sitter's Cradle
28. Bootlegger's Daughter
29. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
30. Murder of a Creped Suzette
31. Foul Play at the Fair
32. You Cannoli Die Once
33. Easter Bunny Murder