Cozy Mysteries discussion
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Welcome, Bookworm and Shirley, you lucky ladies who have time to read! I'm one of the writers who keeps readers like you busy (hopefully). I'm doing well if I get four pages read before I fall asleep at night. Thank goodness for plane rides (and those hateful waits at the airports) or I'd never get anything read! Wait. Did I just thank the airlines for delays? Erase! Rewind!Shirley wrote: "Hello everyone.
I love The Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun and have recently ordered lots of cozy mysteries. I look forward to getting to know everyone better. I am in So Ca near Palm Sp..."
I've been a member for a while now but I am mostly a "stalker." lol I'm from NC, I'm 55, retired and have one grown daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer and my 81 year old Mother live with me. My Mother reads far more than I do. For the last few months she has been addicted to Westerns. I love mysteries of all kinds. I discovered cozy mysteries when I picked up one of M.C. Beaton's books at the library. She is still my favorite cozy writer. I collect classics, Dean Koontz and Sci-Fi, as well as children's books. When I run out of room for books, I usually give some to the library. I'm a book rescuer...lol I buy mostly old books and always hardcovers. I have never liked paperback books. Because I have trouble holding books sometimes (I have rheumatoid arthritis), I have been thinking of getting a Kindle; then I think about how much love the feel of the binding, the paper, etc., and I give up on that idea. I did get a book pillow that helps.
I've gotten a lot of ideas from this group for new authors (new to me) and books. I love reading everyone's comments here and I'll try to pipe up every once in a while!
Cheryl, I feel the same way about books. I love to tuck a paperback in my purse for long delays, since I travel a lot. Hardcovers just won't fit. However, I've heard the Nooks and Kindles do. I think I'd have to have hard covers AND a digital reader. I like my bookshelves full.
Thank you Kate, for the welcome. And yes, you are one of the writers that keeps us busy reading. :-)I never go anywhere without a book in my bag, especially not an airport. I usually travel once every 2 months to visit my fiancee, and for some reason or another, the flight is ALWAYS delayed.
Cheryl, I'm like you in that I could never give up the feel of a real book for a Kindle or any other e-reader, although I have toyed with the idea for a while. I also collect classics.
And I like my bookshelves full too! Right now, I'm in need of a new bookshelf since the 3 I have already are packed to bursting.
I collect classics, too, but there are some I can't bring myself to read again, like "Forever Amber." It was way too depressing. So why do I keep it?
Kate said: I collect classics, too, but there are some I can't bring myself to read again... So why do I keep it?I do keep books that I know I will not read again. But I keep them thinking maybe my kids would want to read them or future grandkids. I look at my bookshelf and remember when I read that book and all the memories it gives me back. So that is why I keep some of the books. I also tease my kids about the keeper books being their only inheritance!! LOL!!
I'd have to agree with Susan about those classics you will never read again...I've kept some of mine knowing I would never read them again hoping that my daughter would read them. Most she has, thank goodness. Since I am a "moody" reader, I may actually pick them up again, although I am sure I wouldn't want to read them all. I've already told my daughter they are hers to do with as she pleases when I am gone...I just don't want to know what she pleases! lol
I used to have a HUGE book collection, but when it started taking over the whole house I decided I had to do something about it. I actually made a nice profit on a lot of the books I had. eBay is a great place for selling books! Now I only keep a select few of the books I buy and my collection is confined to primarily one room. I still buy a lot of books, but I buy them at great discounts and then turn them back around on eBay. In a lot of cases I sell them for more than I paid to start with. If I can't sell them on eBay then they go on PBS. Has been a great way to keep some order in the house!
I would have never thought of selling classics on ebay. Do you bundle them?
Kate wrote: "I would have never thought of selling classics on ebay. Do you bundle them?"Hardcovers I sell individually. I didn't have a lot of classics ever except for the ones I've had forever and wouldn't sell like DRACULA, Poe anthologies and LITTLE WOMEN. I was never much of one for the classics, Dickens and the like and got CliffNotes for them when I was in school and didn't have to read the books. Paperbacks I sell as 3 and 4 book lots usually. I'll group them as cozy mysteries, hardboiled, UF, etc. When I'm buying books on eBay I usually only buy hardcovers and they are recent releases.
Ouuu... That's a good idea, selling the books. But I'm like Cheryl and Susan minus the kids. I hang onto the classics because I figure eventually in the future, someone in my family will want to read them. It's never happened yet, but hope springs eternal.I think I also like hanging onto my books because they're kind of like really good friends. We spend hours with them, and they take us to places that we've never been, or remind us of places that we have been. It's like having your very own collection of alternate universes you can visit on will, all in the space of an itty bitty rectangle.
Bookworm, you phrased it so beautifully. Books have been my friends since I was old enough to listen to my mom read them to me. What adventures they held. They fueled such a desire to see the world that sticks with me today. One book in particular struck a chord with me as a child, but I haven't heard anyone ever mention it since. "The Little Lame Prince." Anyone ever read it?
BookWorm wrote: "Ouuu... That's a good idea, selling the books. But I'm like Cheryl and Susan minus the kids. I hang onto the classics because I figure eventually in the future, someone in my family will want to re..."I think of books in the same way, but when they were taking over my house I had to do something about it. I still have books I keep, but they have to be a pretty special read for me to keep them now.
Bookworm and Kate, I also believe books are my friends. They have seen me through good times, and made me laugh and smile through bad times. I even remember what books I took with me when I had my kids.
Hi I'm Yolanda from California. I love reading all kinds of books but my favorites have always been mysteries and lately especially the cozies! I'm glad to have found Goodreads and this group!
Yolanda wrote: "Hi I'm Yolanda from California. I love reading all kinds of books but my favorites have always been mysteries and lately especially the cozies! I'm glad to have found Goodreads and this group!"You'll definitely find your TBR list growing!
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Susan wrote: "Hi Yolanda, welcome to the group!!"Thanks Susan!
Melodie wrote: "You'll definitely find your TBR list growing! .
Hi Melodie,
You're right! I'm already scouring the other threads to find new series to try!
Welcome Yolanda! When I started on here I read through the "favorite cozy series" thread and soon got a pile of 40-50 cozy series to read! I think that is a great place to start.
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Hi all. I'm Caroline, 56 (about to retire after 35 years of Civil Service on 3 July so it will really be Independence Day this year!). I learned to read (thanks to my grandfather who sat me on his lap and read the newspaper so I'm told) at age 4 and I was so excited when my parents signed me up for the Weekly Reader Book Club in second grade so I'd get a new hardback book in the mail addressed to ME every month! I used to read romance novels but when my second engagement ended badly, I switched to murder mysteries (LOL) and have been a mystery fan always. (I was a Trixie Belden girl as opposed to Nancy Drew). I'm on the Board of Malice Domestic so every year I get to meet a lot of my favorite authors and I'm always reading! Third generation native of the DC area, two sisters, two bros-in-law, and six feline nieces/nephews, three canine nieces/nephew. : )
Heather L wrote: "You can also check out books added to our "bookshelf" at bottom of the main group page, or the link at top of the sidebar. ;)"I must not have scrolled down that far before because I missed that. Thanks for the tip!
Caroline wrote: "Hi all. I'm Caroline, 56 (about to retire after 35 years of Civil Service on 3 July so it will really be Independence Day this year!). I learned to read (thanks to my grandfather who sat me on hi..."Welcome to the group Caroline!! LOL-on switching from the romance novels!! I hope you enjoy this group as much as I do and congratulations on 35 years!!! Now you really will have some time to do serious reading huh?? :)
Thank you, Kate. Now that I went back to re-read what I wrote, it does sound kind of nice. Go figure! You know, if I ever TRY to make things sound nice, it comes out all awkward and strange. :-/ I blame it on the universe.Melodie, I hear you. I'm starting to think I should start selling some of my books too. I'm going to be moving to a new country in August, and I don't know if I'll have enough space for all my books there. But I'm going to procrastinate (always a favourite activity of mine) and decide when I get there if I can make room for my rectangular friends or not.
Susan, it's wonderful that you can remember those times and associate them with books. I sometimes feel like the phases of my life can be characterized by the tone of the tomes I perused at that time. In high school, I was particularly anguished (thank you, hormones!) and I used to read "anguished" books. Have you found that to be true in your experience?
Yolanda, hello! I'm new here too! These cozy mystery readers know how to get a person addicted! Beware! :-P
Briansgirl (I don't know why I keep wanting to type your name "BrainGirl"), 4000+ books! *eyes open wide in amazement* If you're looking for a housemate, I'm willing to move in. That many books would make me a VERY happy girly whirly.
Caroline, a very warm welcome to you m'dear! As I've already told Yolanda, I'm new here too! I was a fan of the Nancy Drew mysteries when I was growing up. It might be because Trixie wasn't available in my libraries, or that I never made my way to her stories.
Mod
Yolanda: You're welcome! We've only recently started to "populate" our group library, but it sure is growing fast!
Hi, Yolanda! You're in good company here. Are you a book person or an ebook person?Yolanda wrote: "Hi I'm Yolanda from California. I love reading all kinds of books but my favorites have always been mysteries and lately especially the cozies! I'm glad to have found Goodreads and this group!"
Hi, Caroline! I was just at Malice. Didn't know there was another Trixie Belden fan there. Last year there was talk of forming a fan club. I've switched from romance to mystery, too, both reading and writing them, although I haven't been able to resist adding a romance to my mysteries. It just seems natural that a healthy young woman would have a love interest.
Welcome to the group. I'm new, too, but loving the conversation.
Caroline wrote: "Hi all. I'm Caroline, 56 (about to retire after 35 years of Civil Service on 3 July so it will really be Independence Day this year!). I learned to read (thanks to my grandfather who sat me on hi..."
Kate wrote: "Hi, Yolanda! You're in good company here. Are you a book person or an ebook person?Hi Kate, I'm definitely a book person! I LOVE books, the look and feel of them.
There's nothing like holding a book in your hands and looking at how many pages are ahead for you to really get into that story and then again how few left before it's over...
Kate wrote: "Hi, Caroline! I was just at Malice. Didn't know there was another Trixie Belden fan there. Last year there was talk of forming a fan club. I've switched from romance to mystery, too, both reading ..."
Hi Kate! It was good to see you at Malice. And yes, please, keep the romance in your mysteries - I love them all! : )
I'm with you there! When I'm deep in a really really good novel, I hate to see only a few pages left. And when I end it, it's like having to move away from a great neighborhood. Yolanda wrote: "Kate wrote: "Hi, Yolanda! You're in good company here. Are you a book person or an ebook person?
Hi Kate, I'm definitely a book person! I LOVE books, the look and feel of them.
There's not..."
A hearty welcome to Yolanda, Caroline, BookWorm and Shirley! I, too, was at the Malice Domestic Conference, as well as the Festival of Mystery and adding a few days to visit my parents in Virginia, which put me waaay behind on reading my Goodreads groups messages. I love reading mysteries as much as I do writing them. I'm writing the last chapter of the second book in my new Rocky Mountain Adventure mystery series that will debut with DEADLY CURRENTS in March, 2011. Then I switch gears and start work on the third Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery. I just finished reading Nancy Pickard's The Scent of Rain and Lightning: A Novel and absolutely loved it!
Hi EveryoneI'm Nicola and based in the UK. I am a huge fan of cozy mysteries - it started off with the Rita Mae Brown Mrs Murphy series and now my bookshelves are groaning under the weight of all the books!
In 'High Fidelity' style, I'd say that my top 5 series are..
Kate Collins - Flower Shop Mysteries
Victoria Laurie - Psychic Eye and Ghost Hunter
Carole Nelson Douglas - Midnight Louie Mysteries
Leann Sweeney - Cats in Trouble
Hailey Lind - Art Lover's Mystery
Although this line up changes on a frequent basis!
I started blogging about the books I have read at http://murdersheread.wordpress.com
It is great to meet so many fans of this genre, just browsing through the message boards has doubled my To Read list :)
Nicola
Welcome Nicola! Hope you like it here. I am going to have to add that Kate Collins series to my tbr pile, as everyone seems fond of it here.
Thanks! It is so refreshing to have a wealth of books to choose from, unfortunately most book shops here in the UK don't carry cozy mysteries, so it is hard to pick up new titles. I hope that you like the Kate Collins books :)
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Welcome, Nicola! I'm thrilled that you like my series. Heidi, I hope you'll like it, too.Have a great weekend, everyone.
Kate
Nicola wrote: "Thanks! It is so refreshing to have a wealth of books to choose from, unfortunately most book shops here in the UK don't carry cozy mysteries, so it is hard to pick up new titles. I hope that you ..."
Nicola wrote: "Hi EveryoneI'm Nicola and based in the UK. I am a huge fan of cozy mysteries - it started off with the Rita Mae Brown Mrs Murphy series and now my bookshelves are groaning under the weight of all..."
Welcome! I really like Kate's Flower Shop series, too. I like Victoria Laurie's Abby Cooper Psychic Eye series, but the Ghost Hunters series, not so much. I've read all of them and the latest one was just way past silly, so I think I'll give that series a pass from now on.
Hi Everyone, I think its time I introduced myself. I have been on here about a month. My name is Priscilla,I live in the country in Lancashire uk.I used to read as a child/teen but not as much as I read now! I began reading more when I joined a Drama class that made you read a novel for the Exam, I began reading books I would of never have read before.. I then carried on finding new books!
I used to browse amazon and Barnes and noble and found my first Themed Mystery.. I had no idea what a 'Cozy' was, and was really amazed to find a mystery themed on any subject you love..Gardening, Cakes, oh how wonderful.. The local library became my new friend, and I am in there so much I am now Volunteering to help with their computer class! lol
I tend to enjoy reading books with some kind of magic within,mysteries,cozies,YA Novels, no favourite Authors as yet, I am also a cake decorator so have lots of cake design books too!..
Priscilla wrote: "Hi Everyone, I think its time I introduced myself. I have been on here about a month. My name is Priscilla,I live in the country in Lancashire uk.I used to read as a child/teen but not as much ..."
Welcome, Priscilla! I enjoy YA, too, but it has to have a supernatural bent to it!
Hi Melodie thanks..Its great on goodreads and like another person said my TBR Pile is getting larger due to this site! Everyone has great book lists. I also enjoy a supernatural tint to books! Enjoy ;)
Welcome to the group, Priscilla. Oddly enough, when I sold the Flower Shop mystery series, I wasn't aware there were so many categories of cozies. It's a lot of fun discovering them all.Priscilla wrote: "Hi Everyone, I think its time I introduced myself. I have been on here about a month. My name is Priscilla,I live in the country in Lancashire uk.
I used to read as a child/teen but not as much ..."
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Priscilla wrote: "Hi Everyone, I think its time I introduced myself. I have been on here about a month. My name is Priscilla,I live in the country in Lancashire uk.I used to read as a child/teen but not as much ..."
Hi Priscilla, nice to meet a fellow Brit!
I'm Susie...a California girl now living in Kansas. I was part of the AOL group that Melodie belonged to, but when we got bumped off from AOL, quite a few of us moved to Goodreads. I love mysteries...mostly cozy mysteries ;)
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Cozy Mysteries
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Like another member, I think I picked up on reading fairly early in my life as a companionship thing, since I was an only child until the ripe old age of 11!
I don't read just one type of book. I'm interested in reading all types of genres, but cozy mysteries have a special place in my heart.
Agatha Christie can probably be attributed with sparking my love of solving a puzzle in a book, and Marian Keyes' character "Lola" in "This Charming Man" can probably be attributed for my obsession with finding a Margery Allingham novel today.
I hope being part of a reading group inspires me to turn on the television less, and pick up a book more.
Here's to cozy mysteries, and the people who love them!
Cheers!