Cozy Mysteries discussion

Autumn/fall is already creeping into the northern hemisphere, with many already having a taste of cold nights and chilly mornings. Guess it's time for another seasonal challenge!


* Duration: September 23 - December 20, 2014

* Read to complete the word AUTUMN or FALL (or both, for those of you who really like a challenge), by using either the first word of the title ('A', 'An', and 'The' do not count), or first/last name of the author.

* You may only use a book once for this challenge, but may use it for other challenges.

* You do not have to choose or list books in advance.

* Your books DO NOT have to be all mysteries, but may be from any genre.


Example:

A - Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
U -
T -
U -
M -
N -

F - Fatal Fortune by Victoria Laurie
A -
L -
L -

Bonus: Read a book with the word "autumn" or "fall" in the title.


Have fun!

Heather -

You've got a typo in:
A - Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
U -
T -
U -
M -
R -

"R" instead of "N".

:D

I need a lot of U books to fill in some gaps in various spelling challenges, so I'm going to try to spell both :)


READ THE SEASON - AUTUMN/FALL, 9/23 - 12/20
10/10 COMPLETED

✓ A – author Alan Bradley – I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce #4), finished 10/5 ★★★.5
✓ U – Under the Lake, by Stuart Woods, finished 11/20 ★★★
✓ T – author William G. Tapply – The Dutch Blue Error (Brady Coyne #2), finished 10/9 ★★★
✓ U – Unnatural Causes (Adam Dalgliesh #3), by P.D. James, finished 9/25 ★★★.5
✓ M – Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat #1), by Ellery Adams, finished 9/28 ★★★★
✓ N – author Nero Blanc – Death On The Diagonal (Crossword #12), finished 10/17 ★★★.5

         


✓ F – French Pastry Murder (Lucy Stone #21), by Leslie Meier, finished 10/16 ★★★.5
✓ A – author Donna Andrews – Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon (Meg Langslow #4), bfinished 10/14 ★★★★
✓ L – author Laura Childs – Scones & Bones (Tea Shop #12), finished 9/29 ★★★★
✓ L - Luck Be a Lady, Don't Die (Rat Pack #2), by Robert J. Randisi , finished 10/1 ★★★ 

     


***** CHALLENGE COMPLETE 11/20 *****

❂ Jennifer (reviews on BookLikes) wrote: "Heather -

You've got a typo in:
A - Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
U -
T -
U -
M -
R -

"R" instead of "N".

:D"

Argh! Thought I'd fixed that, which I definitely have now. Guess I should have waited until daylight to do this, huh? :-/

Barb wrote: "I need a lot of U books to fill in some gaps in various spelling challenges, so I'm going to try for AUTUMN ... unless I change my mind halfway through the season :) "


The "U" books can defintely be a challenge at times, but I not only managed to find one for "summer" -- I already have both for "autumn." In fact, I may actually have all my books set for this one. Scary! ☺

Care to share, Heather? :D

Barb wrote: "Care to share, Heather? :D"

Sure, though none are cozy mysteries, for those who prefer sticking to one genre. I made a list of the "U" titles on my GR "to-read" shelf when I was searching out books for the "summer" challenge. I plucked one out of Mount TBR, Undercover Encounter, a rom-suspense by Rebecca York I never got round to reading several years ago.

The other I recently picked up used for only a couple dollars, The Unfinished Garden by Barbara Claypole White. Have never read this author before, but it has a beautiful cover and sounded good.




I have several other "U" books on my "to-read" shelf, but a few are in the middle of series I'm still trying to catch up on, and I'm not sure where in Mount TBR others might be. None of them are cozies, but some are suspense or rom-suspense, and others are romance (some spicier than others):

* Until Tomorrow by Jill Marie Landis
* Up Close & Personal by Maggie Nash
* Unsanctioned Memories by Julie Miller
* Unmasking Kelsey by Kay Hooper
* Uneasy Alliance by Jayne Ann Krentz
* Underneath It All by Nancy Warren
* Undercover Wife by Debra Webb
* Untouchable by Scott O'Connor (this one is actually a friend's)

I'm in. FALL
Fall of Giants
And Your Little Dog, Too
Legs Benedict
Lavender Lies

Heather L wrote: "Barb wrote: "Care to share, Heather? :D"

Sure, though none are cozy mysteries, for those who prefer sticking to one genre"

Thanks, Heather :) *off to see if our library has any of these titles*

Barb wrote: "Heather L wrote: "Barb wrote: "Care to share, Heather? :D"

Sure, though none are cozy mysteries, for those who prefer sticking to one genre"

Thanks, Heather :) *off to see if our library has any ..."

If you have read Splintered by A.G. Howard, book two is called Unhinged.
Also if you like nonfiction there is Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

I'm going for it!



A - Anna Quindlen Still Life with Bread Crumbscompleted 09/23

U - Unhingedby A.G. Howard completed 09/24

T - Tess Gerritsen The Keepsakecompleted 09/29

U - Unger, Lisa Heartbroken completed 10/01

M - Murder Between the Coversby Elaine Viets completed 10/03

N - Nicholas Sparks The ChoiceCompleted 09/24



F- Forman, Gayle If I StayCompleted 09/25

A-Amy Greene Long ManCompleted 10/21

L- Last Wool and Testamentby Molly MacRae Completed 10/10

L-La Seur, Carrie The Home PlaceCompleted 10/16

I don't think I will be able to do AUTUMN because it was hard enough to find that 'U' book for SUMMER! ;-) I will see how it goes, though.

A - Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery (A)dams
U -
T - Stamped Out by (T)erri (T)hayer
U -
M -
N - (N)orway to Hide by Maddy Hunter

F-
A-
L-
L-

I'm game but it may be difficult!

A-
U- More work for the Undertaker- Allingham
T-
U-
M- The Private School Murders- Patterson
N- Never Cry Wolf-Mowat

F-
A-
L-
L-

I don't read instructions well, I guess. I need to revise my list for the Autumn challenge.

A- More Work for the Undertaker by Margery Allingham
U-
T-
U-
M- The Empty House by Michael Gilbert
N- Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat


F-
A-
L-Last of the California Girls by Pamela Jekel
L-

I am in but I am only going to shoot for AUTUMN.



A-All Mortal Flesh 9/28/14
U-An Unwilling Accomplice 9/24/14
T-Thread Reckoning 10/26/14
U-The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax 11/20/14
M-Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
N-The Ninth Daughter11/7/14

I just wanted to also give out some suggestions for the U from my TBR list.


Uncommon Grounds
Up at Butternut Lake
The Uninvited Guests
Under an English Heaven: An Ellie Kent Mystery
Unsolicited***This is book 1, there are 6 in the series that all start with the letter u.

Just wanted to note .....I have not read any of these books...I have no idea what they are like but they fit the requirement.

I will also chime in and mention the Chrissy McMullen Mystery series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/5112..., starting with Unzipped. 1-4 and #7 all start with "U".

NB: These are NOT for cozy purists. Some language and adult situations. But pretty funny.

I'm definitely doing AUTUMN, not sure if FALL will happen. It seems like I've read a lot of "L" books in the last month or so and every time I read one I think to myself why couldn't this have waited a month so I could use it in the FALL challenge! I guess that's why it's a challenge.

Peg wrote: "I'm game but it may be difficult!

A-
U- More work for the Undertaker- Allingham
T-
U-
M- The Private School Murders- Patterson
N- Never Cry Wolf-Mowat"

Peg, Your first "U" and "M" titles won't work -- the title has to begin with the letter "U," or you can use the author's first or last name. More work for the Undertaker will work for your "M" title, though. ;-)

Here are a few more "U" suggestions from my own GR shelves for all of you. Please note that because I am an eclectic reader these are from different genres. ;-)

Author suggestions: (view spoiler)[

Authors with "U" names
* Thrity Umrigar: The Space Between Us is on my TBR shelf. Other titles by her: The World We Found, If Today Be Sweet, Bombay Time, The Story Hour

* Brenda Ueland: If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

* John Updike: I have only read Brazil, but there are A LOT more titles out there by this author, including: Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Is Rich, Rabbit at Rest, The Witches of Eastwick, The Widows of Eastwick, Couples, The Centaur, Terrorist and The Twelve Terrors of Christmas.
(hide spoiler)]

Titles That Begin with "U": (view spoiler)[
These are books on my GR shelves I have read.


Cozy Mystery:
(An) Uninvited Ghost (A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery, #2) — EJ Copperman


Romance:
Unwanted Wedding -- Penny Jordan
Until Forever — Johanna Lindsey
Untamed (Medieval, #1) — Elizabeth Lowell
(An) Unforgettable Man — Penny Jordan
Unexpected Bride (The Wedding Party, #1) — Lisa Childs
Under the Mistletoe (Lucky Harbor, #6.5) — Jill Shalvis


Rom-Suspense:
Urban Sensation -- Debra Webb
Untraceable (Tracers, #1) — Laura Griffin
(The) Unsung Hero (Troubleshooters #1) — Suzanne Brockmann
Unhallowed Ground (Harrison Investigation, #7) — Heather Graham
Under Lock and Key — Sylvie Kurtz
Under His Protection (Bachelors at Large #1) — Amy J. Fetzer
The Ugly Duckling — Iris Johansen


Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy:
Up From the Grave -- Jeaniene Frost
Undercover in High Heels (High Heels, #3) — Gemma Halliday
Undead and Unwed (Undead, #1) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unemployed (Undead, #2) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unappreciated (Undead, #3) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unreturnable (Undead, #4) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unpopular (Undead, #5) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Uneasy (Undead, #6) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unworthy (Undead, #7) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unwelcome (Undead, #8) — MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and Unfinished (Undead, #9) — MaryJanice Davidson


Other:
Unicorn in the Garden and Other Fables for Our Time — Thurber, James
Uh-Oh — Fulghum, Robert
The Ugly Duckling — Hans Christian Andersen (hide spoiler)]

Thank you to all of you for the Us.

Heather L wrote: "Peg wrote: "I'm game but it may be difficult!

A-
U- More work for the Undertaker- Allingham
T-
U-
M- The Private School Murders- Patterson
N- Never Cry Wolf-Mowat"

Peg, Your first "U" and "M" tit..."

Tried to clean it up. Thanks so much!

Marisa and Peg ~ You're welcome. ☺

Also for "U" - I highly recommend author Lisa Unger. She writes good thrillers.

Thanks for the lists of 'U' books, Cozy Readers - I just picked up 2 cozy mystery 'U' books for this challenge, so I'll be doing Autumn, which I was shying away from...

Mixed genres for Autumn/Fall
* indicates read.

*A. Audrey (Cow) by Dan Barel
*U. Under the Aspens (The Aspen Series Book 1) Elizabeth Sherry
*T. Trapped by Rose Francis
*U. The UnKnown (Flawed Series Book 1) Lara Henley
*M. Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death by Mark Reutlinger
*N. Never Buried: Volume 1 (Leigh Koslow Mystery Series) by Edie Claire

*F. Fifty two steps to Murder by Steve Demaree
*A. Anywhere but Paradise by Anne Bustard
*L. Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery Book 1) by Jana DeLeon
*L. Last But Not Least Lola & the Wild Chicken by Christine Pakkala



Done, done, done, done! Dragnet theme here. Finished November 9, 2014

On to W.I.N.T.E.R.

Just about all ready for AUTUMN.

A - Murder by Harold Adams
U - Unraveled
T - 'Tis the Season to Be Murdered
U - Undead and Uneasy
M -
N - No Way to Kill a Lady

Carolyn wrote: "I've got the books lined up & ready to read

A. All About the Money (A Jesse Watson Mystery Book #7) by Ann Mullen
U. Under the Aspens (The Aspen Series Book 1) Elizabeth Sherry
T. The Ghost of Christmas Past: A Honey Driver Murder Mystery (Book 8) Jean G. Goodhind
U. Under the Boardwalk (A Pajaro Bay Cozy Mystery + Sweet Romance) Barbara Cool Lee
M. Murder Passes the Buck (A Gertie Johnson Murder Mystery Book 1) by Deb Baker
N. Never Buried: Volume 1 (Leigh Koslow Mystery Series) by Edie Claire

F. Fair Play: A Lupa Schwartz Trilogy by J. David Core
A. A DEAD RED ALIBI (The Dead Red Mystery Series Book 4 by RP Dahlke
L. Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery Book 1) by Jana DeLeon
L. Long Time Coming by Edie Claire"

Can we use titles starting with The or A for this? I just automatically assumed we can't, because it's that way in most other groups.

Cozy Mysteries
Read-the-Season AUTUMN/FALL
September 23 - December 20, 2014

0/6

A = Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind
U = Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo
T = Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert
U = Unsolicited by Julie Kaewert
M = Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy
N = TBD

Barb wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "I've got the books lined up & ready to read

A. All About the Money (A Jesse Watson Mystery Book #7) by Ann Mullen
U. Under the Aspens (The Aspen Series Book 1) Elizabeth Sherry
T. ..."

Thanks, I'd missed that. Changed it to: Abducted: A Sara Cooper Novel

Candice wrote: "I just joined this group and I love the idea of this challenge! I want to play! Just one question- do the books have to be Autumn/Fall themed?"

Nope, but that would make it even ultra challenging! ;-)

Carolyn wrote: "Thanks, I'd missed that. Changed it to: Abducted: A Sara Cooper Novel"

Carolyn, your 'T' book doesn't work, either. As stated in the rules, 'A', 'An', and 'The' do not count. '-)

Welcome to the challenge, Candice. As Julsey said, they do not have to be fall themed, though reading a book with 'autumn' or 'fall' in the title is a bonus. Books do not have to all be from the mystery genre, either.

I'll try Autumn, and Fall will come if there's enough time. And, oh miracle! I have my two Us chosen (Under the Boardwalk and Unraveled), thank you all.

A-Signature of All things
U
T
U
M

oops I forgot the N
A- Signature of ALL Things
u
t
u
m
n- Night Road

Heather L wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "Thanks, I'd missed that. Changed it to: Abducted: A Sara Cooper Novel"

I could not find my original post to correct it there. It's late & my eyes are tired.

Changed my 'T'book to Trapped: Expanded Edition (Bite-Sized Romance #1) by Rose Francis


Carolyn, your 'T' book doesn't work, either. As stated in the rules, 'A', 'An', and 'The' do not count. '-)"

Off to make the change. Thanks. Shouldn't do my list after a sleepless night.

Carolyn wrote: "Off to make the change. Thanks. Shouldn't do my list after a sleepless night."

No worries. I know the feeling. ;-)

Read-the-Season AUTUMN
September 23 - December 20, 2014
It's Spring, but the weather is pretty similar in both seasons where I am - especially to begin with, so who will know the difference. Right now we are 5 degrees celsius and snow on the hill tops while two days ago we had beautiful warm sunshine and 20 degrees C! :)

A - Strong Spirits by <A>lice Duncan 10/25/2014
U - Heartbroken by Lisa <U>nger 11/04/2014
T - Tressed to Kill by Lila Dare 10/31/2014
U - An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd 11/21/2014
M - Death is a Cabaret by Deborah <M>organ 10/04/2014
N - Nancy Wake: a biography of our greatest war heroine by Peter FitzSimons 10/24/2014

F Final Account by Peter Robinson 11/15/2014
A Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa 11/14/2014
L The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames 11/13/2014
L Loose Screw by Rae Davies 11/22/2014

Welcome to the challenge, Ella! Isn't it funny how fast weather can change? A week and a half ago we set new record low-highs two days in a row with daytime temps in the low 50s (F). This week? We're head to 80F by end of the week. It figures we'd get summer weather in fall, LOL.

Good luck, Tonya -- we know you'll find that second U! ☺

I'm in!



A - Andrews, Mary Kay Savannah Blues 9.28.14 3.5 stars
U An Unexpected Grace
T Threaded for Trouble 10.12.14 3 stars
U Unraveled
M Murder on the Half Shelf
N

F Fleece Navidad
A
L Last Dance
L Lemon Tart

Karen wrote: "A-Signature of All things
U
T
U
M"

Karen - The "A" has to be the first letter of the title or the author's first or last name. Also the words "A" or "An" don't count.

I'm in!


A
U
T Twenty Wishes 11/15/14
U
M Mary Kay Andrews Hissy Fit
N Nancy Thayer An Island Christmas 12/1/14

F Frankly My Dear, I'm Dead 10/27/14
A
L Let's Play Dead 12/15/14
L

Susan wrote: "T The Ginseng Conspiracy -Halloween Mystery
"

That book actually looks good! I might buy it as one of my Halloween reads.

By the way, the books for the challenge cannot start with "The", "A", "An", etc. :-(

Ok I'm in for fall! Summer was fun.



F

A Another Piece of My Heartby Jane Green

L

L

Only doing fall, have quite a few challenges going.

Susan wrote: "A
U
T The Ginseng Conspiracy -Halloween Mystery
U
M
N"


Susan-- Sorry, but this book does not fit the letter T. Remember, we do not count "a," "an" or "the" in titles. ;-)

I have made a new list after much research.
Ashes to Ashes
Unforgiving Minutes
Tacked to Death
Under the Boardwalk
Murder in the South of France
Nothing Bundt Murder

I sent this via phone so I couldn't type the titles in correct format.

Here is 4 more (U) choices.

An Unwilling Accomplice - Charles Todd
Up the Down Staircase- Bel Kaufman
Unmarked Grave - Charles Todd
Under the Lake - Stuart Woods

I'm in! 10/10 DONE


A - Watership Down by Richard Adams
U - Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie
T - The Gold of Thrace by Aileen G. Baron
U - Unfinished Portrait: A Novel of Romance and Suspense. by Mary Westmacott
M - Merry, Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
N - On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint

F - Family Matters by Joel Rosenberg
A - Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan
L - Loose Ends by Terri Reid
L - Still Life by Louise Penny