Nova's Cozy Reading Challenge 2022 - Level 2

[[deleted user]]

I tried this last year but gave up part way through so I'm really hoping this year I can finish the challenge! I'm going to try to complete each of the sub-genres and 10 more. Looking forward to reading some good books and learning about what others are reading too!

Completed: 5/20

Read one book from these sub-genres:

1. One from culinary (anything dealing with food: restaurants, baked goods, etc.) Killer Pancake read 1/2/22
2. One from animal related (cats, dogs, birds, etc.) A Rant of Ravens read 2/5/22
3. One from craft related (any kind of hobbies - knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.)
4. One from paranormal (witches, vampires, etc.)
5. One from cozy mysteries based outside the US (example: Belinda Lawrence series (British))The Thin Woman read 1/5/22
6. One career-based cozy mystery (housekeeping, wedding planner, etc.) The Plot Is Murder read 1/17/22
7. One holiday based (set during any holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, etc.)
8. One travel mystery (character could be on a cruise, touring another area, etc.)
9. One historical mystery (any mystery not set in the present)
10. One is your choice! (freebie!) Bones of a Feather read 1/31/22

10 Cozies of Your Choice

[Yvonne]

Good luck this year! I'm glad you are trying again. Happy New Year!

[[deleted user]]

Thanks Yvonne! I'm happy to be doing it too. And I already finished my first, yay for the last day of holiday break! I doubt the rest will be done so quickly...

1. Killer Pancake read 1/2/22, satisfies the one from culinary cozy

This was book 5 in the Goldy Bear culinary series by Diane Mott Davidson. I've really enjoyed this series so far and I'm happy that this one was good as well, 5 stars for me. The mystery was good, kept me guessing until nearly the end, and the characters are all great. Looking forward to the next one in this series!

[Yvonne]

Nova wrote: "Thanks Yvonne! I'm happy to be doing it too. And I already finished my first, yay for the last day of holiday break! I doubt the rest will be done so quickly...

1. Killer Pancake rea..."

I only read the first book in this series, but I want to read more. I just haven't had a chance. Yay for finishing the first book!

[[deleted user]]

Book #2 for the year - The Thin Woman by Dorothy Cannell, read 1/5/22, 5 stars.

This book was so much fun! A mix of intriguing mystery, a little bit of romance, and treasure hunting with a bunch of kooky family. Just my kind of thing. No real murder which is unusual for a mystery, but there were plenty of other mysteries to solve. This book was lots of fun, and I'm happy it's the first in the series because I'm looking forward to the next one!

This book is based in a small town in England, so I'm using it to fulfill the cozy set outside the US requirement.

[Elaine]

Hi Nova,
Last year I read the 9 book Evan Evans series which was written in late 1990s and early2000s. I actually listened to the series which was narrated by a reader with a Scottish accent. The series was fun and quite sweet, you can imagine yourself climbing the Scottish hills with Constable Evans.

[[deleted user]]

Finished my third for this challenge tonight, The Plot Is Murder by V.M. Burns. I was really hoping I'd like this one but I had a really hard time with it. The plot was pretty unbelievable, the characters were not very realistic and the writing style was too difficult, lots of summary and repetitiveness. I just couldn't get into it, but I definitely tried! 2.5 stars

I'm calling this career related, she was a bookstore/teashop owner and novelist.

[[deleted user]]

Elaine wrote: "Hi Nova,
Last year I read the 9 book Evan Evans series which was written in late 1990s and early2000s. I actually listened to the series which was narrated by a reader with a Scottish accent. The s..."

I'll have to try it out! Sounds like fun and I love books set in Scotland! Thanks for the recommendation :)

[[deleted user]]

Book #4 - Bones of a Feather by Carolyn Haines. This is #11 in the Sarah Booth Delaney series which has always been one of my favorites. There is some mild language and technically she's not an amateur sleuth, although the Cozy Mystery website lists this series as cozy so I'm going with it!

I have always loved the characters and the southern charm of this series. I also love the animals and the ghost and the ongoing storylines. This particular book was a fantastic mystery about a rich family with a dark history, missing jewels, and lots of suspense. This one was just as good as all the rest! Highly recommend it.

Not sure where it fits in the challenge, it's got lots of threads, so I think I'll use it as the freebie.