Cozy Mysteries discussion

These are based on Bizarre, Wacky, or Unique Holidays. Read as many or as few as you want.

July 4 - Sidewalk Egg Frying Day - Read a book with "Egg" or "Fry" in the title in some way, or read a book with a sidewalk shown (even in part) on the cover. Heck, I'll even let it count if "egg" or "fry" is part of the author's name. (i.e. so Peggy would count, as would Stephen Fry.)

July 13 - Embrace Your Geekness Day - Read a book with "Geek" ("Nerd", etc.) in the title, or any book with a geeky character in it.

July 20 - Moon Day - Read any book with "Moon" in the title, or has a cover showing a scene at night and/or shows the moon on the cover.

July 27th - Summer Olympics - Read a book with an althete in it or the book contains any form of competition. Alternately, as the 2012 Summer Olympics will take place in London, England you can read a book that takes place (even partially) in London.

July 31st - Mutt's Day - Read a book with a dog or a cat in it, or on the cover. (See our featured author for ideas).

Enjoy!

This has some real challenges in finding books for some of these. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with as I have some holes to fill.

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day -
Embrace Your Geekness Day- The Square Root of Murder
Moon Day -
Summer Olympics - The Clocks
Mutt's Day - Death Takes Passage

Try these if you need help with "eggy" mysteries.

Cackleberry Club Mysteries by Laura Childs

1. Eggs in Purgatory
2. Eggs Benedict Arnold
3. Bedeviled Eggs

For London I'm reading Shadow of Night, the second book in the All Soul's Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The first is A Discovery of Witches. I've had it preordered since May as a birthday pressie. It comes out July 10th.

I figured for Egg Frying Day that there are enough cozies with houses on the cover that there had to be a few sidewalks in some of the cover photos. I also remembered those egg themed books. Trouble was remembering who wrote them. lol

The moon/night cover photo might be a little trickier but that's part of the fun. Not every category every month should be easy. (And if it's too hard for someone to find one, they can always skip that category).

I picked the Mutt's Day off the list to go along with our featured author this month.

Carol wrote: "I haven't figured out the geek or Olympics ones yet! "

Have you read any of the Turing Hopper series, by Donna Andrews? They're centered around a software company, I believe. The first in the series is You've Got Murder.

Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics by John Feinstein! It just came up in my Amazon notifications.

"Bestselling sportswriter and Edgar Award winner John Feinstein is back with another sports mystery featuring Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson—this one set at the summer Olympics in London. In this book, Susan Carol isn't a reporter—she's an Olympian, competing as a swimmer at her first Olympic games. Stevie is both proud and envious of her athletic prowess. And he's worried by the agents and sponsors and media all wanting to get up close and personal with Susan Carol. But the more disturbing question becomes—how far might they go to ensure that America's newest Olympic darling wins gold?

Sports novels abound, but Feinstein's books are all stars. They combine sports action, high-stakes mysteries, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of big-time sporting events."

Count me in again!

0/5 Done

1. Egg Frying: Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs
2. Geekness: You've Got Murder by Donna Andrews
3. Moon Day: Moonlighting In Vermont by Kate George
4. Olympics: A Buried Lie by Roberta Isleib
5. Mutt's Day: Dead Canaries Don't Sing by Cynthia Baxter

Valorie wrote: "Count me in again!

0/5 Done

1. Egg Frying: Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs
2. Geekness: You've Got Murder by Donna Andrews

Thank you for reminding me about Donna Andrews' series. She always has a 'geeking' character or three.

Count me in for this
0/5


Sidewalk Egg Frying Day -Eggs in Purgatory
Embrace Your Geekness Day-book:You've Got Murder|615411]
Moon Day -Death in Lovers' Lane
Summer Olympics - book:Murder with Mirrors|14748993
Mutt's Day - Claws and Effect
Claws and EffectDeath in Lovers' LaneYou've Got MurderEggs in Purgatory

1 / 5

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
Embrace Your Geekness Day: The Hydrogen Murder by Camille Minichino (07/10/2012 - ★★★★)
Moon Day
Summer Olympics
Mutt's Day

4/5


Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
Embrace Your Geekness Day - Murder With Puffins, 7/15/12 ★★★★★
Moon Day - Deeply, Desperately, 7/18/12 ★★★★★
Summer Olympics - The Pigeon Pie Mystery: A Novel, 7/11/12 ★★★★
Mutt's Day - Dead Canaries Don't Sing, 7/13/12 ★★★

DONE - All of the mysteries were very good (4 or 5 *)

July 4 - Sidewalk Egg Frying Day - A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett√

July 13 - Embrace Your Geekness Day - One Coffee With by Margaret Maron √

July 20 - Moon Day - Home Fires by Margaret Maron √

July 27th - Summer Olympics - A Night Like This by Julia Quinn √

July 31st - Mutt's Day - The Diva Digs Up the Dirt by Krista Davis √

A hobby that might be considered geeky could be button collecting - The new series by Kylie Logan would work for that. :)

Carol wrote: "I'm a little stuck on the Geekness category! I'm trying to think of jobs that might be considered geeky that might be held by someone in some book(s) I have on my shelves. I'm not coming up with ma..."

A book set at a college or with a teacher as a character fits this category. A series featuring a librarian could fit such as the Miranda James or mystical cats series - both also fit the animal category.

Congrats to everyone who has already finished! Finished mine up over the weekend.

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day - Murder by the Slice 7/3/12
Embrace Your Geekness Day- The Square Root of Murder 7/6/12
Moon Day - For Whom Death Tolls 7/18/12
Summer Olympics - The Clocks 7/12/12
Mutt's Day - Manor of Death 7/21/12

Congrats, Linda!

5/5 - Challenge Complete


Sidewalk Egg Frying Day - The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery, 7/24/12 ★★★★
Embrace Your Geekness Day - Murder With Puffins, 7/15/12 ★★★★★
Moon Day - Deeply, Desperately, 7/18/12 ★★★★★
Summer Olympics - The Pigeon Pie Mystery: A Novel, 7/11/12 ★★★★
Mutt's Day - Dead Canaries Don't Sing, 7/13/12 ★★★

Finished this challenge and within the month it came in!
Sidewalk - A Town in a Blueberry Jam by B.B Haywood

Geek - Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews

Moon - Death on the Mississippi by Peter J. Heck

London - Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose

Mutt - Strangled Prose by Joan Hess


A Town in a Blueberry Jam was the best, IMO.

Wasn't sure I was going to be able to do all of this month's mini-challenges, but somehow managed to do so.


July 4 - Sidewalk Egg Frying Day: Read a book with "Egg" or "Fry" in the title in some way.

Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs

July 13 - Embrace Your Geekness Day: Read a book with a geeky character in it.

Eden Burning by Elizabeth Lowell (Hero is a vulcanologist)

July 20 - Moon Day: Read any book with "Moon" in the title, or has a cover showing a scene at night and/or shows the moon on the cover.

Disney after Dark by Ridley Pearson (Crescent moon on cover)

July 27th - Summer Olympics: Read a book with an athlete in it or the book contains any form of competition. Alternately, as the 2012 Summer Olympics will take place in London, England you can read a book that takes place in London.

Let Love Find You by Johanna Lindsey (horseback riding and is set mostly in London)

July 31st - Mutt's Day: Read a book with a dog or a cat in it, or on the cover.

The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery by Leann Sweeney (Not only is cat in the title, but there is a dog and cat on the cover)

Thanks, Kari--congrats to you as well!

5/5

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day -Eggs in Purgatory Finished 7/10/12
Embrace Your Geekness Day-book:You've Got Murder|615411] Finished 7/13/12
Moon Day -Death in Lovers' Lane finished 7/29/12
Summer Olympics - book:Murder with Mirrors|14748993
Finished 7/31/12
Mutt's Day - Claws and Effect Fished 7/23/12



I finished this challenge and I really enjoyed the books I read, this was alot of fun

Just in time :)

5 / 5

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day: Hearse and Buggy by Laura Bradford (07/20/2012 - ★★★★)
Embrace Your Geekness Day: The Hydrogen Murder by Camille Minichino (07/10/2012 - ★★★★)
Moon Day: Endangered by Pamela Beason (07/12/2012 - ★★)
Summer Olympics: A Wicked Slice by Aaron J. Elkins (07/21/2012 - ★★★★)
Mutt's Day: Quilt or Innocence by Elizabeth Spann Craig (07/28/2012 - ★★★★)

Finished a few days ago.


Sidewalk Egg Frying Day: A Killer Crop by Sheila Connolly

Embrace Your Geekness Day: Carbs & Cadavers by J.B. Stanley
(Protagonist is a former English professor, now a librarian.)

Moon Day: Moon Dance by J.R. Rain

Summer Olympics: Rush for the Gold: Mystery at the Olympics by John Feinstein

Mutt's Day: Dead and Berried by Karen MacInerney

Congratulations everyone.

July 2012 Mini Challenge
5/5 Done

1. Sidewalk Egg Frying Day: Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs 7/22/12 ****
2. Embrace Your Geekness Day:You've Got Murder by Donna Andrews 8/2/12 ****
3. Moon Day:Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris 7/14/12 ****
4. Summer Olympics:Tacked to Death by Michele Scott 7/8/12 ***
5. Mutt's Day:Dead Canaries Don't Sing by Cynthia Baxter 7/28/12 ***

Featured Author: Cynthia Baxter: Dead Canaries Don't Sing 7/28/12 ***



I forgot to post this. I hope it is not too late.

Congrats, Linda!