Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge discussion

Since quite a few people are looking for cozy series recommendations, I thought it might be easier to have them all in one topic. So feel free to post your suggestions here.

I'll go first :)

Some of the series I love...

Scrumble River Mysteries by Denise Swanson
Jaine Austen Mysteries by Laura Levine
Cats in Trouble Mysteries by Leann Sweeney


Okay, feel free to add to the list...

My first suggestion is any of the Laura Childs mysteries. She does a scrapbooking, tea shop and crackleberry series.

Booktown Mysteries by Lorna Barnett

Teddy Bear Collector seris by John Lamb

My all time favorite and what got me hooked on cozies is Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series.

One of my new favorites is Julie Hyzy White House chef mysteries.

Here are some more. I have over 550 books on my mystery-cozy shelf :)

Susan Wittig Albert China Bayles, runs an herb shop
Lydia Adamson Deirdre Quinn Nightingale, veterinarian
Jennifer Apodaca Samantha Shaw runs a dating service
Laurien Berenson Melanie Travis and standard poodles
Donna Ball Raine Stockton search and rescue dogs
D.B. Borton Cat Caliban, older woman
Rita Mae Brown Mrs. Murphy
Ellen Byerrum Lacey Smithsonian, fashion reporter
JoAnna Carl Lee McKinney, chocolate shop
Nancy Fairbanks Carolyn Blue, food writer
Victoria Laurie Abby Cooper, psychic, and MJ Holliday, ghost hunter
Lee Charles Kelley ex-cop Jack Field, dog trainer
Spencer Quinn PI Bernie and his dog Chet
Jill Churchill Jane Jeffrey, homemaker
Joan Hess Claire Malloy, bookstore owner, and Arlie Hanks, sheriff
Mary Stanton Bree Winston-Beaufort, lawyer for temporal and ethereal clients
Deborah Donnelly Carnegie Kincaid, wedding planner
Melissa Cleary Film professor Jackie Walsh and retired police dog Jake
Jane Cleland Josie Prescott, antiques dealer
Blaize Clement Dixie Hemingway, pet sitter
Nancy J Cohen Marla Shore, hair stylist
Cleo Coyle Clare Cosi, coffee
Ellen Crosby Lucie Montgomery owns a vineyard
Elaine Viets Helen Hawthorne, dead end jobs; and Josie Marcus mystery shopper
Shirley Damsgaard Ophelia and Abby, witches
Laura Durham Annabelle Archer, wedding planner
Christy Evans Georgiana Neverall, plumber's apprentice
Elaine Flinn Molly Doyle, antiques
Earlene Fowler Benni Harper, runs a museum/artist co-op
Dorothy Gilman Mrs. Emily Pollifax, senior citizen
Sarah Graves Jacobia Tiptree, home repair is homicide
Carolyn Haines Sarah Booth Delaney, amateur PI
Rosemary Harris Paula Holiday, gardening business
Janis Harrison Bretta Solomon, flower shop
Heather Webber Nina Quinn, landscaper; and Lucy Valentine, finds lost objects, matchmaking is family business
Lisa Lutz Izzy Spellman, dysfunctional family of PIs
Nancy Martin Nora Blackbird, former debutantr, society columnist
Jane Isenberg Bel Barrett, older woman
Dolores Johnson Mandy Dyer, drycleaner
Sharon Short Josie Toadfern, laundromat
M.D. Lake Peggy O'Neill, campus police
Leslie Meier Lucy Stone, homemaker, columnist
Laura DiSilverio Charlie Swift, PI; and EJ Ferris, mall cop
Linda Palmer Morgan Tyler, soap opera writer/producer
Cathy Pickens Avery Andrews, lawyer
Gillian Roberts Amander Pepper, english teacher

jaxnsmom wrote: "Here are some more. I have over 550 books on my mystery-cozy shelf :)

Susan Wittig Albert China Bayles, runs an herb shop
Lydia Adamson Deirdre Quinn Nightinga..."

Have you read all of these? If you have, what was your absolute favorite or favorites?

Dalene wrote: " Have you read all of these? If you have, what was your absolute favorite or favorites?"

Yes I have, and many more :)
As a dog person, I love dog related mysteries. My top three are the ones by Donna Ball, Lee Charles Kelley and Spencer Quinn.

Hmmm...hard to narrow down the rest. I read many of them years ago, so they're not as fresh in my mind. And there are many series that I loved up to a certain point, until they irked me. It also depends if I want fluffy or more serious, romance, ghosts, food...each type offers its own attraction. Right now I'll go with these:
Lisa Lutz, Earlene Fowler, Nancy Fairbanks, Carolyn Haines, Joan Hess, Shirley Damsgaard, Laura DiSilverio, Cleo Coyle...I could go on...and on...and on :D

jaxnsmom wrote: "Dalene wrote: " Have you read all of these? If you have, what was your absolute favorite or favorites?"

Yes I have, and many more :)
As a dog person, I love dog related mysteries. My top thre..."

Your favorite genre I take it?

here's some that haven't been mentioned:

E.J. Copperman - Haunted Guesthouse
Carolyn Hart - Death on Demand
Yasmine Galenorn - Tea & Chintz
Livia J. Washburn - Fresh-Baked Mysteries
Hannah Reed - Queen Bee

I just got the first three books in the Molly Murphy Series by Rhys Bowen. I have read her Royal Spyness series and enjoyed it.

Dalene wrote: "Your favorite genre I take it?"

Mysteries in general, there are a lot of non-cozies I love too. But the long list mainly comes from being older (53) and having spent many, many years reading.

Huge fan of Louise Penny. The Inspector Gamache series is wonderful.

Monica Ferris - needlework shop set in Minnesota

Three of my favorites:

Donna Andrews - Meg Langslow, blacksmith
Kate Carlisle - Bookbinder mysteries
Krista Davis - Domestic Divas

I read the first one in Krista Davis' series and loved it.

It's fun seeing others mentioning some of my favs, I'd like to add
Sharon Pape- police sketch artist turned PI with the help of ghost of a 1870s Federal Marshall
P.L.Gaus-Amish country mysteries

Here are some cozy series I like that I haven't seen listed. Sorry I didn't provide author links, but I'm short on time today.

Note: Series marked with an * may not quite fit some definitions of a "cozy," but they're on my personal list of cozies.

Aunt Dimity series, by Nancy Atherton
Agatha Raisin series, by M.C. Beaton
Crossword series, by Nero Blanc
* Bernie Rhodenbarr series, by Lawrence Block
Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie series , Rhys by Bowen
Eleanor Swift series, by Chris Cavender
Miss Marple series, by Agatha Christie
Regan Reilly series, by Carol Higgins Clark
Hitchcock Sewell series, by Tim Cockey
Charlotte LaRue series, by Barbara Colley
Dog Lover's series, by Susan Conant
* Brady Coyne series, by William G. Tapply
* Brady Coyne / J.W. Jackson series, by William G. Tapply & Philip R. Craig
* J.W. Jackson (Martha’s Vineyard) series, by Philip R. Craig
Bed-And-Breakfast series, by Mary Daheim
Goldy Schulz series, by Diane Mott Davidson
Miss Zukas series, by Jo Dereske
Daisy Dalrymple series, by Carola Dunn
Lindy Haggerty series, by Shelley Freydont
* Inspector Lynley series, by Elizabeth George
* Kinsey Milhone series, by Sue Grafton
Puzzle Lady series, by Parnell Hall
Christine Bennett series, by Lee Harris
Dirty Business Mystery series , by Rosemary Harris
"Jack" Daniels series, by J.A. Konrath
Jaine Austen series, by Laura Levine
Savannah Reid series, by G.A. McKevett
PA Dutch Mysteries series, by Tamar Myers
Andy Carpenter series, by David Rosenfelt
Kiki Lowenstein series, by Joanna Campbell Slan
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, by Alexander McCall Smith
* Kate Shugak series, by Dana Stabenow
* Ian Rutledge series, by Charles Todd
Sister Fidelma series, by Peter Tremayne
Fresh Baked series, by Livia J. Washburn
Bailey Weggins series, by Kate White
Pink Carnation series, by Lauren Willig
Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear

Sandy wrote: "Huge fan of Louise Penny. The Inspector Gamache series is wonderful."

Not to be picky, but I don't think of the Inspector Gamache series as cozy. One of the definitions of cozy is a non-traditional sleuth and Gamache is a detective. That said, it is one of my favorite mystery series!!

Some of my current favorite cozy series (some are mentioned above):

Laura Childs - Tea Shop Mysteries set in Charlestown, SC
Jo Dereske - Miss Zukas series set in Bellingham, WA
Jenn McKinlay - The Cupcake mysteries set in Scottsdale, AZ
Jerrilyn Farmer - Madeline Bean Catering series set in Hollywood, CA
Lila Dare - Southern Beauty Shop series set in small town, GA
Krista Davis - Domestic Diva Series set in Alexandria, VA
Cleo Coyle - The Coffee House series in NYC
Shelley Freydont - Sudoku series set in Granville, NH
Deborah Woodworth - Sister Rose Calahan / Shaker series set in Pleasant Plain, KY

Not really a cozy series, but Chris Grabenstein's Jersey Shore mysteries are very funny and pretty light.

Suzanne wrote: "Some of my current favorite cozy series (some are mentioned above):

Jo Dereske - Miss Zukas series set in Belingham, WA"

I was sad to see this series end :-(

I've been savoring it - stretching out the reading of the books. :)

Suzanne wrote: "I've been savoring it - stretching out the reading of the books. :)"

Unfortunately, I was current on the series, and couldn't wait when the last one came out.

Suzanne wrote: "Not really a cozy series, but Chris Grabenstein's Jersey Shore mysteries are very funny and pretty light."

Love, love, love this series. The newest, is coming out in May. Have you read the two Holiday Thriller books? Also good, but definitely not cozies.

I agree that a cozy has an amateur slueth, although I include the Stephanie Plum books there, 'cause there's no way to take them seriously. But the last two had a lot more sex in them, which would also disqualify them. I was so disappointed in those two for so many reasons that I won't be reading any more of Stephanie's adventures, and classifying them won't be an issue.

jaxnsmom wrote: "Suzanne wrote: "Not really a cozy series, but Chris Grabenstein's Jersey Shore mysteries are very funny and pretty light."

Love, love, love this series. The newest, [bookcover:Fu..."

I can't wait for Fun House!! I have read the two holiday books and really liked them. I was fortunate to see Chris Grabenstein at Bouchercon a couple of years ago and I asked him if he was going to continue the Christopher Miller series. He said the publisher for those didn't contract for anymore. Strange, I thought they were really good.

I quit the Plum series after 15. They just got to be kinda the same.

Did you see the movie "One for the Money?"

Suzanne wrote: " I quit the Plum series after 15. They just got to be kinda the same.

Did you see the movie "One for the Money?"

It had been a while since I had read them so I thought I'd give her a chance. Started Eighteen, didn't know what was going on so read Seventeen and Eighteen in same week.

Didn't see the movie and don't plan to. Did you?

I too would suggest the Death on Demand series by Carolyn Hart. I've also read:
Crewel World series by Monica Ferris
The Antique shop series by Tamar Myers
The Quilt series by Earlene Fowler
The White House series by Elliott Roosevelt

Here are some that I like. There are more but not sure they are "cozies"
The Gaslight Mysteries by Victoria Thompson
Psychic Eye Mysteries by Victoria Laurie
Anything by Lorna Barrett, Lorraine Bartlett, Charlaine Harris,
Yellow Rose Mysteries by Leann Sweeny
Cats in Trouble Mysteries by Leann Sweeny
Haunted Guesthouse Mysteries by E.J. Copperman
The Bibliophile Mysteries by Kate Carlisle
Beaufort and Company Mysteries by Mary Stanton
Cat in the Stacks by Miranda Jones

I am currently reading the Molly Murphy Series by Rhys Bowen and really enjoying it.

An author I haven't seen come up yet is Sue Ann Jaffarian. She has three series. Her vampire series is definitely not cozy. I would say her other two are (although the first in the Odelia Gray series is boarderline).

Odelia Gray is a overweight, middle age, paralegal in Orange County, CA who keeps stumbling over dead bodies. Starts with Too Big to Miss.

The Ghost of Granny Apples series is about a modern day woman who learns she can communicate with ghosts. She teams up with her great-great grandmother to solve mysteries old and modern. The first is othese is Ghost a la Mode.

Some of my favourite authors are: Laura Childs
Isis Crawford
Maggie Sefton
Joanne Fluke
Jessica Beck
I see there are a lot of other authors I'll have to check out:)

A brand new cozy series, Murders by Design by Jean Harrington, features an interior designer as amateur sleuth. Deva Dunne know the devil's in the details, but not that the devil's after her. A light-hearted look at murder and mayhem set in Naples, Florida. The first, Designed for Death, is out as an e-book and an audio. A paper edition will be released in December. The second in the series, The Monet Murders, is due out on June 11th. Fun reads!

Thanks, will have to keep an eye out for those:)