New to the Group

[LJ]

I've been on GoodReads for awhile but just joined this group. I've been unemployed since last June so reading has been keeping me sane. I've about 800 books on my TBR shelves--mysteries. Historical mysteries are my newest passion but I cover most of the sub-genres except cozies and noir.

[[deleted user]]

Hi LJ, welcome... what's a cozy? (prolly self explanatory, but I thought I'd ask anyway...)

I like historical mysteries too... what are you reading now?

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Tell me more about historical mysteries, please. I'm not familiar with the term, and usually like a good mystery!

[[deleted user]]

I love Dorothy Sayers' books which take place (and were written) in the late 1920s to 1940s. Her sleuth is an English nobleman who is very charming and the books are very well written.

Also like Laurie King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. This is the first.

There's a thread somewhere about mysteries which will give you lots of suggestions.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I saw Maisie Dobbs mentioned in that other thread, and will check them out. LJ indicated there were a number of sub-genres, and I'm interested.

[Rory M.]

You guys look fun - can't wait to get started!

[LJ]

I hope Elizabeth and Hayes both see this.

A cozy is a mystery where the protagonist is an amateur detective (shop keeper, housewife, librarian) etc. Think Jessica Fletcher on Murder She Wrote. The newest things seems to be "hobby" mysteries; quilting, gardening, etc. They are just too light for my taste and not remotely believable.

Historical mysteries: these are my latest passion but I'm also a not-so-closet Anglophile. Some of the authors I'm reading at the moment are: Ayls Clare, David Dickinson, Susanna Gregory, Michael Jecks, Edward Marston, Ariana Franklin, Patricia Wynn, Anne Perry, Charles Todd; so many others. Sylvian Hamilton wrote three books, before she sadly passed away, that I loved and had the greatest opening paragraphs of all.

I do enjoy Dorothy Sayers and the other Golden Age authors (Christie, Allingham, Carr, Marsh, Wentworth, etc). I am not a fan of the Laurie King, Mary Russell series as I personally don't care for author's who use either real historical characters or other author's famous protagonists.

Sub-genres include: cozies, traditional mysteries, PIs, unlicensed investigators (ex-cop, journalist, lawyer, etc.) Police Procedural, Paranormal mystery, suspense, thriller, historical (and all the periods therein)... I'm probably missing a few.

I read about 15-20 books per month, most all mysteries, and have coordinated the (SF)East Bay Mystery Readers' Group for 15 years.

Hope I caught everything. :-)
LJ

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Thank you, LJ - copied into Word and saved for future reference.

[Lori, Super Mod]

Hi LJ, thanks for joining!

[[deleted user]]

LJ wrote: "I hope Elizabeth and Hayes both see this.

Thanks!! I'm trying to branch out a little and read things tht I might never have picked up before. But I'll keep your list of new names for the future.

[Eric]

Welcome LJ

[LJ]

Thank you, Eric.

I agree, Hayes. I am always on the lookout for new authors. In fact, I've been keeping a list. So far, I've read books by 13 authors who were new to me. There are some I probably shan't read again, but my successes have been: Reginald Hill (don't know why I've not read him before), Elle Newmark (loved her book "A Book of Unholy Mischief"), Fred Vargas (set in Paris), Dorothy Gilman (another I'm surprised not to have read before), and Edward Marston (great historical).

For everyone but Newmark, is it was her first book, I've already collected other books by those authors.

[Lisa Julianna]

Hi LJ,

Welcome to the group!

[[deleted user]]

Welcome to the group LJ!