Cozy Mysteries discussion
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When you're not reading a cozy....
Caroline wrote: "Next, I plan to read 
. Since the Harry Potter series completed, I've come to enjoy Rick Riordan and also John Stephens' series which started with [book:The Em..."My 10 year old granddaughter has that on hold at the library, so you and she apparently like some of the same kinds of books. Would the John Stevens series be suitable for someone her age, do you think? She's read all of Harry Potter, and seen all the movies, too, just to give you an idea of her maturity level.
Sherry - I think she'd love it!
is a great book and I love the sibling relationships too.
In a paranormal mood, so reading
.
Clare wrote: "No! Can't wait to get by hands on it! Which is your favorite in the series?"Hi Clare,
I waited until I was almost finished with the third book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy to answer your question. I think I like the second one the best: The Girl Who Played with Fire
Beth wrote: "Clare wrote: "No! Can't wait to get by hands on it! Which is your favorite in the series?"Hi Clare,
I waited until I was almost finished with the third book in the Stieg Larsson trilogy to answer..."
I finally read the first one late last year or early this year and was somewhat underwhelmed with it after being told forever by so many people that I had to read it. I have the 2nd one because I was assured it is the best one. Will probably get to it this summer sometime and hope you & they are right, Beth!
I agree with Beth. The second one is the best.
I read the series a few years ago before I knew it was a mega hit. I really only liked the 2nd but I did like that one a lot.
Kaye wrote: "Just started 
"Finished it last night! Couldn't put it down. What a wonderful story!!
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I just finished the first Maisie Dobbs book, and I have to say that this is the first book I have read in years that I actually forced myself to finish. Usually, if I am not enjoying a book, I stop reading it. But so many people had praised the Maisie Dobbs books that I thought I must be missing something. I have always avoided books set in the period during and following World War I, because I find that such a dark and depressing time in history. That war was so horrible, and the drugs and methods available to treat injuries so much more limited than what we have now, that I hate even hearing about it. Despite the high praise lavished upon this series, I will not soon seek out the next book.
Sherry wrote: "I just finished the first Maisie Dobbs book, and I have to say that this is the first book I have read in years that I actually forced myself to finish. Usually, if I am not enjoying a book, I stop..."Do you know, I've had this book only partially read for several years. I feel like you did, that with so many fans, I must be missing something so I keep making myself pick it up and try to slog through it. I've even gone to give it away several times and can't because I feel beholden to it. :P
I just started Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince after re-reading the first five. Am also reading a First Reads Boys and Girls Like You and Me: Stories.
I finished Virgin River by Robyn Carr a few days ago, and have started the 2nd book in the series ( called ) Shelter Mountain.
I started reading
by Susan Cheever. I'm just a few pages in, but so far it's very interesting. I'm very impressionable, so as I'm reading I alternately want to re-read
or watch a movie version of it, and take a pilgrimage to Concord, MA, to visit Alcott's home, Orchard House.
Just finished
. I didn't think I'd like it when I started it as it's a bit heavier than what I usually enjoy reading. Still, the story and the characters hooked me as I continued and I didn't guess the culprit at all. I've marked the next one to read, but I'll have to see what kind of mood I'm in before I buy it.
Jennifer E. wrote: "Just finished . I didn't think I'd like it when I started it as it's a bit heavier than what I usually enjoy reading. Still, the story and the characters hooked ..."I was terribly disappointed with this one. Am a vampire junkie and expected to like it, but really didn't. I do really love her Odelia Gray series, tho!
Jennifer E. wrote: "Sherry wrote: "I just finished the first Maisie Dobbs book, and I have to say that this is the first book I have read in years that I actually forced myself to finish. Usually, if I am not enjoying..."Jennifer, do yourself a favor: Give it up. It is not worth the effort, if you aren't enjoying it. Since I first posted this message on this board and on some others, I have had a large number of people say they felt the same way I did about this book. Not only was the story very depressing, the protagonist relies on mysticism and gimmicks (like mimicking another person's posture to "get into" their head) for insights and clues to help reach a solution. The whole thing was very off-putting to me, and frankly, I'm surprised this series has been so popular for so long. Very overrated, IMNHO.
Sherry - thanks for that! I am going to put it in the giveaway bag right now!
I finished
earlier this week. This was a fascinating story. The main character Bree is very interesting. New Orleans is the "city of masks" and always a good setting. I enjoy a good haunted house and this is was certainly one I will never forget. I will likely read more in this series, but it will be awhile as I think a break from "scary".Kimmie
That has been one of the nicest things for me about winning first reads giveaways. I then am forced to pick up something I ordinarily wouldn't or to continue a book that I didn't really get into at the beginning. My last goodreads win that I highly recommend is The Old Man and the Swamp by John Sellers. By the end of the book I was reading it like a novel, waiting to see what would happen. (It's non-fiction)
I just finished
Where Shadows Dance and loved it. I started
A Question of Belief by Donna Leon featuring the Italian Commissario Guido Brunetti. It is my first of Leon's series and so far I like it.
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Heather, I just have to tell you. I love your pic, avatar whatever you call it. It's so silly that it always makes me smile when you post. I just might re-read that book today too. *thinking* Just found my large print copy on my shelf a few days ago.
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I was at a friend's most of today, so have not got very far into the book, not even the midpoint. Since my rude, inconsiderate upstairs neighbors seem intent on keeping me up all night (for the fourth night in a row), I may just get there before I sleep.
Heather,understand about the upstairs neighbors. A father and son live above me and usually I never hear anything. But sometimes they get into an argument with all the windows open and are very loud. But worse is a woman who visits (could be a sister, girlfriend, I don't know) she has young child too. The child runs around stomping feet sometimes after midnight. The woman herself is loud, climbing the steps, just normal conversation. (It sounds like an elephant is stomping up the steps and she is a very thin, slight woman) But when she gets into an argument with one of the men it's a real scream fest. The worst for me is when she does laundry after 11:00 because I get the humidity in my apt and the smell of her fabric softener which I seem to be allergic to. One night I finally knocked on the door and asked could they please not do laundry after 10:00 pm.
Now the worse part of the arguing is that it is always in Spanish and I can't understand a word of it! *LOL* One night I swore someone was going to get hurt but it was just screaming.
Next to them are two sisters who go to bed at 8:00 and no matter how hot it is their bedroom windows are wide open and then they complain to the manager that everyone around them is too loud. I have had three neighbors live and move under them, and the women complained about them all. But when the grandchild of one visits, he screams his head off ... windows wide open, sliding glass door open. I was always taught to be considerate of neighbors in an apartment complex, especially if you are above someone. To always be aware of the sounds you are making. But I'm still glad to be on the ground floor and not have all those steps. *LOL*
Currently reading
and just loving it. Hope to finish it up today, the heck with housework! :)
Oh Kaye, you sound like my kind of person. Don't you just love it when you can't put a book down? Unfortunately the housework, though not a book, calls to me from its own shelf of constant reproach.
Karen B wrote: "Oh Kaye, you sound like my kind of person. Don't you just love it when you can't put a book down? Unfortunately the housework, though not a book, calls to me from its own shelf of constant reproach."I only have about 15 more pages to go and have to say this is one of the best books I have read in many months. It's been a long time since I've read a book I would rate 5 stars!!
Ha ha, Karen, you've got to ignore some of those reproachs.
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I admit, I was spoiled by the last tenants that lived above me; they were always in bed by 10/10:30, which meant that *I* actually got to sleep at night. My only complaint about them would be that they did 6-10 loads of laundry every day, for only a family of three (and their daughter was pre-teen, not an infant or toddler). Granted, they never did laundry after 10, but still...whatever happened to conserving water and energy?
Alas, they were there only a year, and now I have two guys above me ('nuff said, right?), and although they don't do endless laundry or run the machines after 10, they will be fairly quiet all evening, then suddenly 9/10 o'clock rolls around and they decide that's the time to start moving furniture, or lifting weights, or whatever the heck they're doing up there that sends stuff crashing through my ceiling every ten minutes. Plus, one of them is lead-footed. Like you said, sounds like an elephant overhead, or Godzilla preparing to take Tokyo.
Sigh...the "joys" of apartment living. Anyway, since I could not get to sleep, I did end up reading a bit more. Finished part one, and am into part two. I used it for my Teaser Tuesday selection on my blog today.
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, that I've been waiting for Hawke and Sienna's story a lot.
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Have finished my reread of To Kill a Mockingbird. Amazing how much of it I remembered so many years after my initial read. I think the only major event I didn't remember was the fire. Not sure what I will pick up next...
When I'm not reading cozies, I love audiobooks. They make my commute fly by. I've been getting the true classics - those slower-paced stories that are sometimes hard to start at the end of a long day. Right now, I'm reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens, something I never got to even in my college days.
Janice wrote: "When I'm not reading cozies, I love audiobooks. They make my commute fly by. I've been getting the true classics - those slower-paced stories that are sometimes hard to start at the end of a long d..."Love audiobooks :)
Add me to the audiobook fan club - my commute would be intolerable without a book to listen to. I'm new to audiobooks though and my aural comprehension isn't so good, so I prefer books I've already read and enjoyed - I find it easier to follow along. I figure after several of those, I'll be ready to tackle a 'new read'.
Jennifer E. wrote: "Add me to the audiobook fan club - my commute would be intolerable without a book to listen to. I'm new to audiobooks though and my aural comprehension isn't so good, so I prefer books I've alread..."I did the same thing without planning to! I started with books I already loved. What helps my comprehension is a great reader - it makes all the difference. Have you tried the Jeeves and Wooster books read by Jonathan Cecil? I was laughing out loud in my car. Anyone watching would have thought I was a nut.
Thanks for the suggestion Janice - I'll have to check what's available by Wodehouse - I've read a few of the short stories and found them to be a riot. Heaven knows I could use a laugh on my commute! (Although yesterday some idiot tried to skateboard through our downtown 1.5 mile long tunnel during rush hour...that would have been funny had he not almost been killed).
I'm taking a break from mysteries to read a couple of romance novels, one by Debbie Macomber and one by Mary Jo Putney. They both write well, but I prefer Mary Jo's writing by far. Her book will probably get 4 stars from me, while Debbie's got 3.
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Heather L wrote: "Decided to read In the Woods by Tana French next. About 60 pages into it and I really hope it picks up soon. Her writing style is such that this is definitly NOT a fas..."I started that book, but it was so slow, I started skipping, then I finally gave up.
I love Scandinavian mysteries, Henning Mankell, Ann Holt, Karin Fossum oh many more. Also love Lisa See "Dreams of Joy: A Novel" is just out.
Her "On Gold Mountain" was wonderful.
Enjoy!
Just finished Friendship Bread and loved it. I read it all yesterday could not put it down. I can't wait to try the bread recipes.
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Cozy Mysteries
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Oh my! I did not even know they had books for this show.