Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

I only had 6 books for July. Some fluff.

Swimsuit Didn't like this one very much but as always a quick read.

The Darker Side This is number 3 in the Smokey Barrett, LA FBI series by Cody McFadyen.

Death in DuplicateI think I'm caught up on the Susan Henshaw series.

Summer On Blossom StreetI always enjoy these knitting books by Debbie Macomber. Light reading.

Summer House A NovelI haven't read a Nancy Thayer book in quite awhile. This one I enjoyed. It's fun to read about Nantucket. So, continuing on I read another by her.

Moon Shell Beach A NovelI liked the Summer House better, but this was okay too.

JanG:
Fluff can be very good! I agree and also always enjoy the Macomber knitting theme books.

JanG wrote: "I only had 6 books for July. Some fluff. Summer On Blossom Street I always enjoy these knitting books by Debbie Macomber. Light reading. "

Jan said: "I always enjoy these knitting books by Debbie Macomber. Light reading. "

Is there a lot about knitting in these books or is it just one element in the story? My mom has become less mobile and I'm not going to the used bookstore for her. I find it daunting to pick out books for her. She enjoys lighter stuff, but not totally cozy. It's a fine line and I'm relying on you "lighter" readers to give me the inside scoop on some of your authors.

Jan O'Cat

Jan O'ThoughtfulDaughterCat:
I hate to hear that Mom O'Cat isn't getting around as well as she was. Hugs to her! I think she might like the Macomber Blossom Street books which revolve around a yarn store where the proprietress holds knitting classes. The classes bring new sets of women with often disparate backgrounds together; they end up becoming close friends and a support group and learn to knit!

JanOMalleycat wrote: " Is there a lot about knitting in these books or is it just one element in the story? My mom has become less mobile and I'm not going to the used bookstore for her. I find it daunting to pick out books for her. She enjoys lighter stuff, but not totally cozy. It's a fine line and I'm relying on you "lighter" readers to give me the inside scoop on some of your authors.
"

Ann wrote: "Jan O'ThoughtfulDaughterCat:
I hate to hear that Mom O'Cat isn't getting around as well as she was. Hugs to her! I think she might like the Macomber Blossom Street books which revolve around a yar..."

Yes, Jan, I too think your Mom might enjoy them. I told my Mom about them and she enjoyed the ones she read.

Quoting myself: "My mom has become less mobile and I'm not going to the used bookstore for her. "

Uh, I meant to say that I'm now going to the ubs for mom. It really wasn't a Freudian slip, just a typo!

Thanks, Ann and Jan, for the recommendation of Debbie Macomber. My mom reads more cozies than I do and I've resolved to watch the recommendations of the cozy readers to get some new ideas. It's easy to pick up books by Mom's old favorites, but I feel sorry for her because she can't go herself and pick up interesting looking books by new authors to just try out.

Jan O'Cat

2 cozy series I would highly recommend, if she hasn't already read them, are the Benni Harper books by Earlene Fowler and China Bayles by Susan Wittig Albert. They're well written and the stories are consistently good.

Melodie wrote: "2 cozy series I would highly recommend, if she hasn't already read them, are the Benni Harper books by Earlene Fowler and China Bayles by Susan Wittig Albert. They're well written and the stories are consistently good."

Thanks, Melodie. I just got her a Benni Harper in the last batch. I've read one and thought she would enjoy the characters.

I've been reading recommends of China Bayles here for years, but hadn't thought about her (and haven't read any yet myself.) Sounds like another good suggestion. Thanks!

Jan O'Cat

JanOMalleycat wrote: "Quoting myself: "My mom has become less mobile and I'm not going to the used bookstore for her. "

Uh, I meant to say that I'm now going to the ubs for mom. It really wasn't a Freudian slip, just a..."

lol, jan. i read it as i am NOW going to the used bookstore for her. sorry to hear about your mom's lessened mobility.

I don't think I've ever read a cozy...what is it exactly?

Mary/Quite Contrary wrote: "I don't think I've ever read a cozy...what is it exactly?"

Mary, there's a GR Board for these: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

Jan, you may get some more recommendations for MommaCat there too. Also, she may like the series by
Jennifer Chiaverini
who writes the Elm Creek Quilters series -- the quilting is just the backdrop for the character's stories.

Donna in Southern Maryland
(PS to Jan - Did you find a new Used Book store, or did the owner decide to treat you with respect again? :o)

Mary/Quite Contrary wrote: "I don't think I've ever read a cozy...what is it exactly?"

They're usually quite non-violent, have female protagonists and the heroine is just an "average Sue" type. Good examples of cozy series are Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper series, Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles series and probably Agatha Christies's Miss Marple books, even though I've never read any Miss Marple books and never really liked anything else by Christie (ducking, bobbing & weaving as I make my way out of the room now!).

Melodie, you're safe with me...got your back! I spent my childhood going through The Miss Marple series. I loved them, but I go for a bit more gore, blood, and thrills now. Still, the cozies sound, well, cozy. I will try one. Thanks for the education gang.

Mary:
Cozy books are good to slip in between the really hardboiled books and thrillers. From about.com:
Definition: Cozies are mystery novels typically set in English country houses, villages, or other benign environments. Cozies feature very little violence, aside for the murder, and few gory details. The term arose from the relatively genteel settings, the common use of amateur sleuths as protagonists, and the fact that all loose ends are tied up and the villain caught and punished by the novel's conclusion. Agatha Christie's Jane Marple novels typify the subgenre. Hard-boiled detective novels are the opposite of the cozy.

Mary/Quite Contrary wrote: "Melodie, you're safe with me...got your back! I spent my childhood going through The Miss Marple series. I loved them, but I go for a bit more gore, blood, and thrills now. Still, the cozies sound, well, cozy...."

Mary/Quite Contrary wrote: "I spent my childhood going through The Miss Marple series. I loved them, but I go for a bit more gore, blood, and thrills now. Still, the cozies sound, well, cozy. I will try one. Thanks for the education gang..."

Mary, with a post like the above you are going to fit right in here.

Your post causes me to pose a question to all us non-cozy readers: what is your favorite cozy? I'm not a fan of the cozies in general, but especially those where animals figure prominently in the detection, and I've recently banned cooking from my preferred cozy list. I'd have to say if I read a cozy a Miss Marple type would do just fine. In general my eyes glaze over when an MC stumbles over multiple bodies in her home town and on vacation, but Miss Marple seems more like a real detective in that sometimes people summon her, through friends, to help solve a crime.

My current favorite MC Jamaica Wild has an animal figuring prominently in the books. Her wolf is almost like a sidekick because he does help her investigate. But I doubt that this series could be described as cozy. I don't think it's hardboiled either. I think I don't read cozies, but I'm not sure about that. My F2F mystery group lumps all amateur detectives into the cozy category, and I don't think that's accurate.

Shomeret

Carol:
I would have to say my favorite cozy mysteries are full of humor, and at the top of the list, the Southern Sisters series by the late Anne George

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Your post causes me to pose a question to all us non-cozy readers: what is your favorite cozy? I'm not a fan of the cozies in general, but especially those where animals figure prominently in the detection, and I've recently banned cooking from my preferred cozy list. I'd have to say if I read a cozy a Miss Marple type would do just fine."

Carol, The first one that comes to mind is the Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler. There are so many others, but I know there are lots of fans of her writing.

Donna in Southern Maryland

A couple of my favorite cozy series are the Benni Harper books by Earlene Fowler and Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles books.

Melodie wrote: "A couple of my favorite cozy series are the Benni Harper books by Earlene Fowler and Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles books."

Well, if that's the case then I definitely read at least one cozy recently. I read Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert. I liked the historical content and the Shaker aspect. If it weren't for the Shaker aspect, I probably wouldn't have read it. Other situations like that may arise in the future, so I may read other cozies. Is Deborah Woodworth, the Shaker mystery author, a cozy writer?

Shomeret

Shomeret wrote: "Well, if that's the case then I definitely read at least one cozy recently. I read Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert. I liked the historical content and the Shaker aspect. If it weren't for the Shaker aspect, I probably wouldn't have read it. Other situations like that may arise in the future, so I may read other cozies. Is Deborah Woodworth, the Shaker mystery author, a cozy writer?
.."

I'd classify Woodworth's Shaker mysteries as cozies.

Melodie wrote: "Is Deborah Woodworth, the Shaker mystery author, a cozy writer?
.."

I'd classify Woodworth's Shaker mysteries as cozies. "

How about the Maisie Dobbs series? Do people consider them cozies?
A woman from my stitching group loaned me a copy of the first in the series and I know you guys have talked about them here.

Carol:
The Maisie Dobbs books are some of my favorites!
I don't think of them as cozy mystery books, although they are not violent hard boiled books either. The main reason I don't think of them as cozies is that Maisie is a professional rather than an amateur detective which is often quoted as one of the criteria for a cozy. I would categorize them as historical mysteries (set in the 1920's and 1930's London) The realism of the WWI wartime experiences told in flashbacks would also disqualify them as cozies. Do read the first book when you get a chance!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "How about the Maisie Dobbs series? Do people consider them cozies?
A woman from my stitching group loaned me a copy of the first in the series and I know you guys have talked about them here. ..."