Jun 21, 2016
In our ongoing quest to become better librarians by reading every genre (regardless of our actual interest) we tackle Cozy Mysteries.
Listen to your hosts Anna Ferri, Meghan Whyte, Matthew Murray, and Amanda Wanner discuss why people read cozy mysteries, character vs. plot, how everything seems to be a series, and their favourite punny titles.
Your Hosts This Episode
Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Amanda Wanner
Cozy Mysteries We Read (or kinda):
Recommended
- The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #15) by Alexander McCall Smith
- Books Can Be Deceiving (Library Lover's Mystery, #1) by Jenn McKinlay
- The Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia Stuart (I finally finished it!)
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce #1) by Alan Bradley
Read
- Ming Tea Murder (Tea Shop Mystery, #16) by Laura Childs
- Swag Bags and Swindlers (Haley Randolph #8) by Dorothy Howell
- The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #3) by Agatha Christie
- The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing (Vish Puri, #2) by Tarquin Hall
- Thread and Gone (Mainely Needlepoint #3) by Lea Wait (almost recommend; not terribly badly written; I just felt the plot/mystery solution was a bit weak)
- Pushing Up Daisies (Dirty Business, #1) by Rosemary Harris
Did Not Finish
- Ghoul Interrupted (Ghost Hunter Mystery #6) by Victoria Laurie
- Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints (A Brothers Grimm Mystery #1) by P. J. Brackston
- From Fear to Eternity (Immortality Bites Mystery, #3; Immortality Bites, #8) by Michelle Rowen
- Six and a Half Deadly Sins (Dr. Siri Paiboun #10) by Colin Cotterill
- Brewed, Crude and Tattooed by Sandra Balzo
- Little Shop of Homicide (A Devereaux Dime Store Mystery #1) by Denise Swanson
More “books” we mentioned
- Shutterbug Follies by Jason Little (recommended)
- Bucko by Jeff Parker and Erika Moen
- Detective Conan/Case Closed by Gosho Aoyama
- From a dog’s perspective: Dog On It (Chet and Bernie #1) by Spencer Quinn
- Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple (recommended)
- Bookmobile mystery series include: Bookmobile Cat Mysteries by Laurie Cass and Portland Bookmobile Mysteries by B. B. Cantwell
The Punniest of the Month
- Don't Cry for Me, Hot Pastrami (Ruby, the Rabbi's Wife #3) by Sharon Kahn
- Crime Brûlée (A Carolyn Blue Culinary Mystery #1) by Nancy Fairbanks
- The Square Root of Murder (Sophie Knowles #1) by Ada Madison
- Feta Attraction (Greek to Me Mystery #1) by Susannah Hardy
- "With her career as a dress designer in shreds, Polyester Monroe is looking forward to a fresh start. But as it all unfolds, the pattern to a new beginning looks a lot like murder. " - description for Suede to Rest by Diane Vallere
- Dearest Constable Evans and his Heavens
- Oh Glorious, Glorious Puns!
Other Links
- Defining the “Whodunit”
- VPL’s online form for Readers Advisory: What Do I Read Next?
- Mysteries with recipes
- Murder most cosy: why mystery novels involving quilts and cats are big business
- VPL Recommended Reads
- Cosy vs cozy
- Diverse cozy mysteries
Questions
- Will someone please write Death By Squats for Meghan and Amanda?
- What are your favourite punny book titles?
Check out our Pinterest board and Tumblr posts for all the Cozy Mysteries people in our club read (or tried to read), and follow us on Twitter!