Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge discussion
2020 Level 4 (Sleuth Extra)
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Lena's 2020 Challenge
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L.M.
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Jan 28, 2020 09:16AM
Last year I did the challenge but I was not good about posting my progress. This year I will do better!
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- Culinary (anything dealing with food: restaurants, baked goods, etc.)1) Silence of the Jams by Gayle Leeson 2/9
2) On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle 2/17
- Animal related (cats, dogs, birds, etc.)
1) Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything by Nancy Martin 1/1
2) Cat Nap by Claire Donally 2/4
- Craft related (any kind of hobbies - knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.)
1) Cutwork by Monica Ferris 1/12
2) Dead Men Don't Crochet by Betty Hechtman 1/25
- Paranormal (witches, vampires, etc.)
1) Defending Angels by Mary Stanton 5/2
2) Who Do, Voodoo by Rochelle Staab 5/5
- Cozy mysteries based outside the US (example: Belinda Lawrence series (British))
1) Murder Has No Class by Rebecca Kent 4/25
2) The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton 9/23
- Career-based cozy mystery (housekeeping, wedding planner, etc.)
1) Addressed to Kill by Jean Flowers 1/9
2) Death in Advertising by Laura Bradford 1/22
- Holiday based (set during any holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, etc.)
1) Dashing through the Snow by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark 1/14
2) Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle 4/23
- Travel mystery (character could be on a cruise, touring another area, etc.)
1) Crewel Yule by Monica Ferris 1/18
2) Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle (3/9)
- Historical mystery (any mystery not set in the present)
1) Pearl Harbor Murders by Max Allan Collins 4/30
2) The Titanic Murders 5/3
- Choice!
1) Read and Buried by Eva Gates 1/3
2) Button Holed by Kylie Logan 1/20
3) 30 Second Death by Laura Bradford 2/12
4) Through the Grinder by Cleo Coyle 2/20
5) Murder in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth 2/21
6) Gone with the Twins by Kylie Logan 2/23
7) Nogged Off by Barbara Ross 2/24
8) Careless Whiskers by Miranda James 2/26
9) Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle 3/2
10) Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle (3/15)
11) By Hook or by Crook by Betty Hechtman (3/19)
12) Hot Button by Kylie Logan (3/21)
13) Last Licks by Claire Donally (3/24)
14) Delilah Doolittle and the Canine Chorus by Patricia Guiver (3/26)
15) French Pressed by Cleo Coyle (3/26)
16) It Only Takes a Moment by Mary Jane Clark (3/27)
17) A Stitch in Crime by Betty Hechtman (3/29)
18) Panic Button by Kylie Logan (3/30)
19) Steamed Open by Barbara Ross (4/2)
20) Sealed Off by Barbara Ross (4/4)
21) Death of a Blueberry Tart by Lee Hollis (4/7)
22) Espresso Shot by Cleo Coyle (4/10)
23) Hiss and Tell by Claire Donally (4/13)
24) Desert Dead by Lorena McCourtney (4/17)
25) Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams (4/19)
I've discovered the Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle! I'd checked some of them out at the library and bought several of them over the years but never actually got around to reading them. Sometimes I'm glad I've done that because then I can binge read a dozen books at a time :)
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I agree! I've found so many I love it's hard to keep up with new ones as they come out.
I found out there was a new Mac and Ivy book by Lorena McCourtney! She's one author I'll drop all my other books to read immediately. I love her books!
just finished murder has no class by Rebecca Kent. this is my first mystery set outside the US. it was the third in the series and I have not read the first two but I had no trouble following and really enjoyed the story. unfortunately it's the last in the series, there will be no more. maybe the author will decide to self-publish additional books in the series. I have only read one other book by Kate Kingsbury. I can't remember the title but it was her new series where the main character has a B&B. I didn't like that one very much but after reading this one I think I'll give that series another shot.
I just finished The Pearl Harbor Murders by Max Allan Collins. The Trash and Treasures series he writes with his wife is one of my favorite series, they're very funny and engaging. So I was really surprised by how very dry The Pearl Harbor Murders was. Once I got a few dozen pages into it, it got a lot more interesting. It seemed to me that Collins was really good at writing dialogue, but the descriptions were just too drawn out and kind of awkward. But it's book 3 of the disaster series and according to the reviews the first two (which are in my TBR pile) are better.
I finished several since my last post! Defending Angels by Mary Stanton
The paranormal side of things was really confusing to me. I couldn't follow the different things that were happening and what they were tied to. The ending also seemed like kind of a cop out, the murderer being so obvious I never considered them an actual suspect. But that being said, I read almost the entire book in one day so it did hold my interest for sure.
The Titanic Murders by Max Allan Collins
I agree with other reviewers that this book was more engaging than the Pearl Harbor one (doesn't seem like it should have been but it was). It's cool in this one that he talks about his wife and their collaborations, their later collaboration on the Trash and Treasures series is a personal favorite.
Who Do, Voodoo? by Rochelle Staab
There were some weird inconsistencies throughout. Like someone leaves the room and then a paragraph later she's talking to them. She says "he needs to look at this" and he replies "what do I have to see" (instead of "what do I need to look at"). These things aren't a big deal in themselves but when they come one right after the other it gets irritating. Also irritating was the fact that half the chapters end with her doing something with her hair. I didn't hate it but I doubt I'll be reading any more in the series.
Do I see that you're ONE historical away from completing the B (and A!) version of this challenge? WOW!Congratulations!
Yes! I think this is the earliest I've ever finished. I have The Hindenburg Murders on my pile so that will finish it off! Also have a private browsing scheduled at one of our local used book stores tomorrow and they have a great selection on their website! :)
So, looking back on your list in more detail...Lena wrote: "I've discovered the Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle! ...Sometimes I'm glad I've done that because then I can binge read a dozen books at a time."
Two things... 1) I, too, love this series. I have the latest (to date) on my catch-up list now. Though I've enjoyed some more than others, I have never been disappointed in any. I love the characters, who are richly drawn. The mysteries are involving and sometimes very intricate. Reading those books leaves me in a great mood.
2) Ditto your binge. I love being caught up on series, but there's something about binging several of a series in a row that adds to my reading pleasure.
The reader's catch-22. I like immersing myself in the series' world. I love the satisfaction of being caught up, but I miss the immersion.
Lena wrote: "I found out there was a new Mac and Ivy book by Lorena McCourtney! She's one author I'll drop all my other books to read immediately. I love her books!"
I had her on my "Amazon Freebies" TBR. Now, however, I've moved her to my regular TBR. Thanks!
Lena wrote: "The Trash and Treasures series he [Max Allan Collins] writes with his wife is one of my favorite series, they're very funny and engaging."
I didn't realize Max Allan Collins wrote cozies. I have some of his Hard Case Crime books, thrillers, etc., including some Amazon freebies. I took a look at the series and now have added to my TBR.
These boards are, as Monk would say, a blessing... and a curse!
The Trash and Treasures series is under the name Barbara Allan, it’s hilarious, I love it. That and the Jaine Austen series by Laura Levine are my go-tos when I want to read something humorous, oh and Lee Hollis’s Hayley Powell series (which is also written by two people).I totally agree on immersing yourself into the world of a series! It seems like the series that I’ve read one after the other are series that I tend to enjoy the most. There are some that I swear I’d mover there if I could, like Wagtail in Krista Davis’s Paws and Claws series.
Karen wrote: "So, looking back on your list in more detail...
Lena wrote: "I've discovered the Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle! ...Sometimes I'm glad I've done that because then I can binge read a dozen book..."
I have read a bunch of books since I last posted but the Hindenburg Murder is still on my TBR pile! Just started Mayhem in Miniature by Margaret Grace, I'll try to read it after that. Hope everyone is doing well!
I'm going to swap Titanic Murders down to the historical category and then I just finished The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton as an outside of the US mystery (Scotland). So I'm done now! Woot!
Lena wrote: "I'm going to swap Titanic Murders down to the historical category and then I just finished The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton as an outside of the US mystery (Scotland). So I'm done now! Woot!"Woot-woot!! Congratulations!! I look forward to see how many more you get in this year. You're still gonna read cozies the rest of the year, right?? I mean 3+ months of no cozies... :o)
I hit the target on the "A" portion of the challenge, but will fall short the "historcials" for the "B." The definition of "historical" is pretty broad for this challenge (thankfully!), but I don't think I will get any not-set-in-the-presents (in a previous year, someone put forth the definition of anything set before 2000). I don't think there are any books that fit either currently on my reading horizon. I'll be lucky at this point to get two craft-related books in to hit 90% of the "B" challenge.
I've been reading cozies all along but haven't added them to my list since I had the categories all filled. One of these days maybe I'll go back in and update. I've read some really good ones! I finished the Coffeehouse Mysteries, I read the newest Hayley Powell, I can't remember what all else. I also did my first cozy bingo game in another group, which has been really fun! We're finishing that this week.
