Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

Stay (or Stuck) at Home Cover Challenge



This challenge will run from August 1st until September 30th. But feel free to keep going as long as you want.
Books must be at least 125 pages long.
Cozy mysteries are preferred, but other books will be accepted.

Since we're pretty much stuck inside, we're going to choose covers with items that represent things that we're tired of or miss doing.

Pick 5 to 7 items you're sick of seeing or doing. This can be things such as:
Our home we're stuck in, a car that we can't use much, kitchen item/oven/stove/microwave that means we're having to cook and eat in more, couch we're tired of sitting on while becoming potatoes, computer we're tired of watching stupid videos on youtube, a person or people we're tired of being stuck with,etc.

Also choose 5 to 7 things we miss:
Coffee drinks, food we didn't have to cook (restaurants, takeout), the library, specialty stores, people other than those we're stuck with, the park, school, the gym, church etc.

Choose covers with items representing these things and tell us how they fit your choices. Be as creative as you want. A halloween mask could represent having to wear a face mask when you're in public. Popcorn could be for missing going to the movies. Could be a person to represent being tired of being with same people day after day, or missing being around certain people. Books or e-reader for escape. Computer for games and communicating with outside world.

I tend to have love/hate relationship with many stay-at-home things so this challenge intrigues me.
5 to 7 things I'm sick of

5 to 7 things I miss

I live in the state of Ohio and live twenty minutes from Indiana and can walk right into Michigan. I do a lot of stuff mor in Indiana and they seem to have a lot open as well as Ohio. So I listed my choices according to what I was sick of when we were shut down even though cases are starting to flare back up and I believe we may start going backwards again, yuck! Here are my choices...

Items your sick of seeing and doing....

1. HOME (sick of being here and seeing it, so my book cover has a house on it) by Gayle Leeson (8/14/20)

2. MASK by Diane Vallere (8/20/20)

3. NEWS (so sick of the news my cover has a newspaper) by Leigh Perry

4. COOKING (yuck, sick of cooking, food on cover) byJulia Buckley (8/2/20)

5. CLEANING (sick of cleaning and organizing, cover has a duster on it) byR. A. Muth (09/09/20)

Things we miss doing are....

1. MOVIES (I’m a big movie fan and I miss the movie theater, cover has popcorn) byJuliet Blackwell (8/11/20)

2. RESTAURANTS (miss some restaurants that haven’t opened yet) by Gayle Leeson (09/11/20)

3. CAMPING/VACATIONS by Tonya Kappes (09/03/20)

4. BOOKSTORES ( miss going in a good bookstore) by Vicki Delany (8/3/20)

5. PETSITTING ( I have a petsitting business and it is slow because no one isn’t traveling, dogs on cover) by Alex Erickson

Would it be ok to choose two books for the same 'category'? Or do you want five different categories?

Yes Barb. You can have as many books as you want for each category.

Anyone can also have more than seven categories if you want. That was a suggestion because we didn't know how many books people would be reading.

Great, thanks! Now to figure out if (how?) my plan ned books will work. I know for sure, though, that they won't all be cozies. I'm not even sure they'll all be mysteries, but most will :D

Stay (or Stuck) at Home Cover Challenge
August 1 - Sep 30

Good one, Heather! Here we go:

5 to 7 items you're sick of seeing or doing:

Staying home - the same view of the yard and house for days at a time (though thankful for both!)
Behind Closed Doors


Cooking/eating in (specially because I can't really cook)
Sweet Tea and Spirits

Snacking/eating too much junk!
Sinfully Delicious
Carbs & Cadavers

Wearing a mask on 100-degree summer days (though I do it, no problem)
Ghost of a Potion

Just the two of us most days
Cooking Up Trouble

5 to 7 things you miss: (Guess I've been missing a lot!)

Trip(s) to Hawaii to see family and just breath in that sea air
Two to Mango

Road trips to Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake
Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody (lake on cover)
Dying for a Double (book is set in the Sierra Nevada foothills)

Socializing
Mai Tai One On

Big family gatherings
The Sweeney Sisters

Dressing up:
High Heels are Murder

Church:
The Wisdom of Father Brown

Celebrations (weddings and graduations cancelled this year):
Murder at an Irish Wedding

Festivals (this book has a Renaissance Faire as the setting):
The Falcon Always Wings Twice

Eating out/restaurants
Murder Lo Mein

Random, spur-of-moment activities
Shooting Gallery

Shopping whenever and wherever (I'll really miss this at Christmas)
Buyer Beware
Paint the Town Dead

Ah! Interesting challenge! 😎
August 1 - September 30

Pick 5 to 7 items you're sick of seeing or doing.
Progress: 1/7
1. Hedgehogs are allowed to go out but humans are sick of being stuck at home! 🦔 (house on cover) -
Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow by Jessica Redland - Aug. 1

2. Stuck at home and watch the world go by -
Watching You by Lisa Jewell

3.


Choose 5 to 7 things we miss.
Progress: 4/7
1. County/country fairs -
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda - Aug. 28

2. Rock concerts -
Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll, and Mental Illness by Mary Forsberg Weiland - Sep. 3

3. International traveling, big time!!! 😥
Mystery of the Winged Lion by Carolyn Keene - Sept. 4

4. Summer carnivals -
The Elusive Heiress by Carolyn Keene - Sept. 8

5. Dining inside restaurants (still severely restricted in my county) -
Egg Drop Dead by Vivien Chien


Choose covers with items representing these things and tell us how they fit your choices.
1. More drinking while at home -
Fashion, Rosé & Foul Play by Gemma Halliday - Aug. 13

2. Cruise ships were floating petri dishes for the coronavirus (and other viruses) -
The Missing Sapphire of (Z)angrabar by Steve Higgs - Aug. 16

3. Pretending that the fog is COVID-19, trying to run away from it fast!
Captive Witness by Carolyn Keene - Aug. 18

4. Record number of senior deaths at nursing homes & assisted living facilities - 😢
by J.J. Chow - Aug. 23

5. Weddings for 2020 are cancelled or postponed -
Death of a Wedding Cake Baker by Lee Hollis - Sept. 8

6. Casinos have finally opened (at least in my state) -
Dying for a Deal by Cindy Sample

I’m in, even though I am not quite as restricted as some of you are, as I live in a fairly remote, very small, Australian town.

5-7 things I’m sick of.
1. living at home with a cat. A bigger choice of company would be welcome.

2. Teenagers. I should have been in Europe this month. Instead, I’m still at work, with teenage clients.

3. Being stuck in a small rural town. is set in a small town.

4. Australia, when I should have been in Europe. and are both set in Australia.


5-7 things I miss.

1. The sea. The MC and her friend holiday in a beach town where they solve a mystery.

2. Overseas travel . The MC travels from the USA to England to scout movie locations.

3. Large outdoor celebrations. starts at a big outdoor festival.

4. I should have been setting off on a cruise next month. And even my plans to travel to Kangaroo Island are on hold as we can’t cross state borders at present. is set on a cruise ship which visits Kangaroo Island.

5. The pre-schoolers who aren’t allowed to come to school.
is set in a children’s play group.

6. Catching up with long lost relatives, who all live in other states where I haven’t been able to go.

This is a timely challenge! I'm in:

5-7 Things I'm Sick Of:

1. Looking Outside My Window: With this stay at home order in place, I hardly ever get out -- just a brief walk to keep in shape and a couple of trips to the store. Other than that, it seems all I do is work. I'd love to go to San Francisco where Brooklyn Wainwright lives!
The Lies That Bind by Kate Carlisle (finished 8/15/2020)

2. Cooking: Since all of the restaurants in my area are closed for indoor dining, I have been doing an inordinate amount of cooking. Worse still is the constant cleaning up in the kitchen. Ugh!
Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke (finished 8/13/2020)
It Cannoli Be Murder by Catherine Bruns (finished 8/18/2020)

3. The Computer: As much as I use a computer IRL (I'm an attorney), it seems I've been chained to mine since the stay-at-home order started. Maybe, like Turing Hopper, my computer is learning from me.
You’ve Got Murder by Donna Andrews (finished 8/23/2020)

4. Parking: See the parking sign? I am so tired of having to move my car twice a week for street sweeping! When I actually went to the office, this was never a problem!
Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower (finished 9/6/2020)

5-7 Things I Miss:

1. Dressing Professionally for Work: With working from home, my "business casual" has devolved into "casual." Not very attorney-like. Odelia Grey, however, is smartly clad in dress and heels:
Hide & Snoop by Sue Ann Jaffarian (finished 8/3/2020)

2. Going Out for Fresh Peach Pie with my Best Friend: Each summer, my BFF and I would go out and have our favorite pie (hers is strawberry, mine peach) during the times when the growing seasons overlap. Due to Covid, we have not been able to do this:
Peaches and Scream by Susan Furlong (finished 8/9/2020)

3. Watching the Sunset from my Office: Office is closed, so no more beautiful sunset views. Luckily there's one on this Pendergast book cover:
The Obsidian Chamber by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (finished 8/9/2020)
And on this romantic suspense cover:
by Suzanne Brockmann (finished 8/30/2020)

4. Book Club: This was our selection for August, but we had to keep rescheduling the Zoom, and finally had to just move it to September:

I’ve now posted four things I’m missing. Finding things I’m sick of in books seems to be harder.

Helen wrote: "I’ve now posted four things I’m missing. Finding things I’m sick of in books seems to be harder."

Try looking at the covers and seeing if there's anything on them that represents something you miss. That might be easier than looking for something specific.

Helen wrote: "I’ve now posted four things I’m missing. Finding things I’m sick of in books seems to be harder."

There are things I usually like to do or at least don't mind, like car sitting in driveway, but they are things I am getting tired of. So far I'm finding it easy to find covers for sitting car, yard work, laundry, cooking, cleaning closets and other household chores.

I'm looking for a cover with cardboard boxes because I am sick of looking at all the things my cleaning has accumulated to donate with nowhere for them to go.

I'm having more problems with things I miss. I have chocolate pie, library, bookstore, donating books, CDs, etc.
Any suggestion for cozy with re-cycling? Does cozy with re-purposing store work for that?

L J wrote: "There are things I usually like to do or at least don't mind, like car sitting in driveway, but they are things I am getting tired of. So far I'm finding it easy to find covers for sitting car, yard work, laundry, cooking, cleaning closets and other household chores.

I'm looking for a cover with cardboard boxes because I am sick of looking at all the things my cleaning has accumulated to donate with nowhere for them to go.

I'm having more problems with things I miss. I have chocolate pie, library, bookstore, donating books, CDs, etc.
Any suggestion for cozy with re-cycling? Does cozy with re-purposing store work for that?"

How about the Charlotte Adams series by Mary Jane Maffini? The first book has cardboard boxes on the cover: Organize Your Corpses. I remember reading it and enjoying it.

Another one with lots of cardboard boxes is I Know What You Bid Last Summer in the garage sale series.

This is a really good item for the 'sick of' portion -- I have the same problem with bunches of kids books I had amassed for our SPCA's sale, which has been cancelled. =(

I don't think I've run into recycling but will think on it.

Julesy wrote: "L J wrote: "...cover with cardboard boxes...
How about the Charlotte Adams series by Mary Jane Maffini? The first book has cardboard boxes on the cover: Organize Your Corpses. Organize Your Corpses (Charlotte Adams, #1) by Mary Jane Maffini I remember reading it and enjoying it."

Thanks, added to wish list - sounds really good

Meg wrote: "Another one with lots of cardboard boxes is I Know What You Bid Last Summer in the garage sale series.

Success! I still have hoopla borrow available this month and they have this.

This is a really good item for 'sick of' portion -- I have the same problem with bunches of kids books I had amassed for our SPCA's sale, which has been cancelled.

In my case Friends of the Library sales cancelled. Thrift stores here are not accepting books. They are overwhelmed. Friends were already not accepting books due to library renovations.

meg wrote: L J wrote: "This is a really good item for 'sick of' portion -- I have the same problem with bunches of kids books I had amassed for our SPCA's sale, which has been cancelled.

In my case Friends of the Library sales cancelled. Thrift stores here are not accepting books. They are overwhelmed. Friends were already not accepting books due to library renovations.."

It's a downer, right?! And yet I hate to think of recycling these.

Julie R’s stay at home challenge

5 things I am sick of

Homemade soup for lunch - Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth by Tamar Myers


Washing Hands (Hand) - Death Drops by Chrystle Fiedler


Children at Home (Child’s Toy) - Dead, Bath, and Beyond by Lorraine Bartlett


Being Alone - A Clubbable Woman by Reginald Hill


*Masks - Careless Whiskers by Miranda James


5 things I miss

*Movies - Ghost and the Femme Fatale by Cleo Coyle


*Stores - Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan


*Libraries - No Cats Allowed by Miranda James


*Large Town Gatherings - Diva Sweetens the Pie by Krista Davis


*Air travel - Ghost of a Chance by Cherie Claire


* = read

I'm done - see message 7!

Sending out cyber hugs to everyone, please stay healthy and safe.

Congratulations Meg! Hopefully it'll be safe to do more things by the end of the year.

Good job Meg! Very creative. I miss a lot of these things too!

Thanks, jaxnsmom and Nell, and, yes, here's to safer times sooner than later!

Posted two more in the “I’m sick of” category, but they fit the same thing. One to go.

Good job!