Dorothy's comments (member since Feb 21, 2009)

Dorothy's comments from the Cozy Mysteries group.

I just finished the second book in the Vicky Bliss series, "Street of the Five Moons" and it was a really fun read. Peters seemed to hit her stride with Vicky in this book. I enjoyed it much more than the first, and I look forward to continuing with the series.

I just finished reading "The Sunday Philosophy Club," first in the Isabel Dalhousie series by Alexander McCall Smith. I'm not sure what I expected but I was a little disappointed by it.

I love his Botswana series with Precious Ramotswe and, certainly, Isabel is the same sort of person as Precious, scrupulously honest and upright with a strong sense of self. But where I find Precious a very appealing character, I found Isabel just a bit pretentious and annoying. Her constant agonizing over decisions while pondering what Kant would say grew a bit tedious for me after a time.

Still, it isn't often that one finds such gentle and humane mysteries as Smith writes and I am prepared to give Isabel another chance. Perhaps she will grow on me.

I've just started reading "The Sunday Philosophy Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. This has definite possibilities, I think. I already like the character of Isabel.

As a genre, I probably read more cozy mysteries than anything else, but I am actually a very eclectic reader who reads a wide variety of things. Looking back at my list for the last 30 days, I see that I have read: 1 historical fiction, 2 historical mysteries, 2 police procedurals, 1 cozy, 1 cultural history, and 1 American literary classic. Currently, I'm reading "Winter in Madrid" by C.J. Sansom, a spy novel set during WWII. There is pleasure in reading all kinds of literature with the possible exception of the "Twilight" series.

I just finished "The White Garden, a Novel of Virginia Woolf" by Stephanie Barron. The mystery here was what actually happened to Virginia Woolf in 1941. Did she commit suicide as everyone assumed or was it something more sinister? I found the ending very satisfying.

I'm currently reading "The White Garden, a Novel of Virginia Woolf" by Stephanie Barron. I loved Barron's pastiche series on Jane Austen and I have been on the lookout for another book by her so I jumped at the chance to read this one. So far, it is interesting, but I admit I'm just a little disappointed. Maybe it's just because I'm more of a Jane Austen fan than I am a Virginia Woolf fan. The interplay between the characters, though, is enough to keep me reading.

I am soon to start Christine Goff's birdwatching mysteries. As a birder and a lover of mysteries I'm certainly looking forward to that.

But I just recently finished the latest entry in one of my very favorite series, Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon. The most recent book, "Borderline," may very well be my favorite one so far. Barr just gets better and better as a writer and Anna becomes ever more engaging and intriguing as a character. I can't wait until the next entry comes out. But I guess I'll have to, won't I?

Betty wrote: "Dorothy wrote: "What are my favorite cozy series? I have so many! And they tend to change over time. But two enduring favorites are Anne Perry and Elizabeth Peters." You listed a lot of my favor..."

I have read all of Sharyn McCrumbs books and I love her writing! I don't know why I didn't think of her when I was naming my favorites. I have not read any of the other four authors you mention. Andrews and Fielding have been on my list of "to be read" authors for a while. One of these days, I'm going to get to all of these writers!

Melodie wrote: "Dorothy wrote: "What are my favorite cozy series? I have so many! And they tend to change over time. But two enduring favorites are Anne Perry and Elizabeth Peters.

I really like historical..."

I confess I haven't actually read the last couple of Mott Davidson's books. I've been busy reading, as you say, a lot of other books that I really do like and discovering new series to read, like Goff's series. But, like you, I enjoyed following that series for years. Perhaps one of these days I will get around to reading the latest few books in the series. Then I may even find that I agree with you!

What are my favorite cozy series? I have so many! And they tend to change over time. But two enduring favorites are Anne Perry and Elizabeth Peters.

I really like historical mysteries and these writers, in my opinion, combine the best of the historical mystery genre with the cozy genre. I love Perry's Monk and Pitts series for their evocation of the Victorian era. I confess I have not read her series set in the World War I period, possibly because that period of history just doesn't interest me as much. But then, of course, I do read Peters' Amelia Peabody series and the later books in that series are set in the WWI period, but in this case, I have followed the adventures of the Peabody family for so long that I can't desert them now. I love the Peabody series because it feeds my interest in archaeology and specifically Egyptian archaeology.

I have many other favorites as well - Evanovich, Susan Wittig Albert, Mott Davidson. I used to read Earlene Fowler's Harper series religiously, but at some point it just got a little...cloying and preachy for my taste and I gave it up.

The next series that I am going to read is Christine Goff's birdwatcher mysteries. As a birder, I can't believe I am only now discovering these, but I am looking forward to reading them.

That's an interesting take on Flavia and "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie," Beth.

I would certainly agree with you that there are problems with having a child narrate a "grown up" story. I did, for example, enjoy "The Lovely Bones" for the most part, although I confess that in the end I found it a bit off-putting. I didn't really have the same problem with Flavia in "Sweetness." She is naive, though precocious, but I was able to accept that along with her limitations and her point of view. It was mainly for that reason, I think, that I enjoyed the book so much and look forward to another entry in the series.

I'm not familiar with that series, Cynthia. I'll have to look it up. I love reading series and there are so many good ones out there. So many series, so little time...

I just finished reading "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley. He is a Canadian author but his book in set in post-WWII England, in 1950. His detective is an 11-year-old girl named Flavia who is much like Sherlock Holmes would have been if Sherlock Holmes were an 11-year-old girl. In short, she is a prodigy who can be very annoying to those around her. She is a budding scientist, a chemist, and uses her scientific skills when a corpse turns up in her family's garden and her widower father is accused of murder. She really is a most delightful character and this book is about as charming as a murder mystery can be! I understand Bradley is working on another book featuring Flavia and I will certainly be in line to get it.

I just got the new entry in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series - "The Miracle at Speedy Motors." I can't wait to read it. I do love this series, and, by the way, I watched the first episode of the new HBO series based on the books last night and found it very true to Smith's writing. I think it is going to be a winner!

You are in for some great reads! I've read all of Laurie King's Sherlock Holmes pastiche series and I absolutely loved every book. I wish she would write more in this series, but I guess she has moved on to other things.