Cozy Mysteries discussion
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When You’re Not Reading a Cozy
Read Her Night In Shining Armani by Lisa Wells today. It's the first book in her The Manhattan Knitters’ Club series.
Wells is a new-to-me author, but based on this, I'll definitely be reading more by her. While it's a typical story, it is so funny and sweet and the characters are great. I can't wait for follow-up stories featuring the other club members.
At the end of the book, I found this series is a spin-off of sorts to Wells' three-book (to date) Singles Town series. Readers don't miss out anything by not reading that paranormal romance series, but a couple of characters pop up in phone calls to one of this story's characters.
BTW... This book is NOT a paranormal romance.
My review for
The Sun Rose in Paris by Penny Fields-Schneiderhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've started The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - it's been on my tbr for a while and I'm enjoying it so far.
One of the books I have started recently is, The Last Garden in England. I am so taken with the beautiful prose and very intriguing style in which the author has chosen. Flawless, so far!
sђellΐe wrote: "One of the books I have started recently is, The Last Garden in England. I am so taken with the beautiful prose and very intriguing style in which the author has chosen. Flawless, s..."That looks like a great book! I'm adding it to my list :)
Brenna wrote: "I've started The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - it's been on my tbr for a while and I'm enjoying it so far.[bookcover:The Seven Husbands of..."
One of my favorite books! Enjoy!
I'm departuring from my normal genres with
Skulduggery Pleasant, a YA fantasy that's so far very good.
When not reading a cozy, I'm pretty much reading romance.
** I just finished the short Cake by the Ocean by Cambria Hebert. It's only 35-40 pages if you're just looking for an enjoyable morsel. My Review
Trying to finish an ARC of The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon. The problem is I'm not in reading mode. I hate when this happens.
Brenna wrote: "I've started The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - it's been on my tbr for a while and I'm enjoying it so far.[bookcover:The Seven Husbands of..."
This sounds good - I've added the audiobook to my list.
My review for
Daughters of Eve by Nina D. Campbellhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And my review for
Evie by Annie Seatonhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Karen M wrote: "The problem is I'm not in reading mode. I hate when this happens."Ditto... I find I reread passages when in this mode, like I didn't get it the first time. Or, for some reason easy reads take longer than planned -- or just seem longer. ICK!
Hope you break out of the funk soon.
I am reading one of my favorite historical mystery series, newest in series An Impossible Impostor
by Deanna Raybourn. Love the banter between Stoker and Veronica. This would a make a great TV Series.
My 4 star review of an action-filled crime thriller in a historical western setting: Devil's Ride West
by David Nixhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished reading
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko JeanA YA fiction ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo this morning - LOVED it! Here's my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My four star review of From Bad to Cursed
by Lana Harper has been posted:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am reading A Terrible Fall of Angels
by Laurel K. Hamilton. Very different from her vampire series. Main character is a mail detective in Paranormal department. Lots of Angels, demons and other supernatural. Nice change of pace book if you are looking for something different.
this is more of a paranormal cozy What Devilry is This? [bookcover:What Devilry is This?|57747650] by Sam Cheever
I am reading a wonderful historical mystery A Shrine of Murders
by C.L. Grace. aka Paul Doherty. Set in 1471 England. Mr. Doherty is a wonderful story teller and Historian. This is a first in a series about Healer Kathryn Swinbrooke. Very good story.
My 3.5 star review rounded up to 4 stars for The Drowning Sea
by Sarah Stewart Taylor:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am enjoying The Last Night in London
by Karen White. Set in WWII and 2019 London. I am not that far in but it is well written and story has grabbed my attention.
Mod
I am also listening to Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. I got halfway through this one some years back, then set it aside for a couple challenge books and never got back to it though I was enjoying it. As it is a classic group read for this month, I decided I was going to finish it. I didn’t think I was missing too much from the beginning, so wasn’t going to restart it, just pick up where I left off, but then I stumbled across a free audiobook on YouTube. I started listening to it yesterday while working and got through the first thirteen chapters. I figure I will continue listening at least until I catch up to where I left off, then switch back to the print edition — or read along with the audiobook.
Heather, your post is very timely as I've just been wondering what the best way is to find free books on youtube I poked around a little bit last week before I had to leave for an appointment and it looked a little bit daunting. Mind you, I get decent amount of audiobooks between audible (esp the sales!) and the library, but sometimes neither has what I'm looking for. Thanks in advance for any input!
Mod
Usually if I’m looking for a specific title I do a search on, for example — “Far from the Madding Crowd audiobook.” The version I am listening to is a Librivox recording with a decent narrator. I discovered the hard way today that there is another version with multiple narrators which I do not like (also Librivox). All Librivox recordings are in the public domain, so classics only, nothing new.
Librivox has a YouTube channel, but it can be daunting scrolling through all their offerings. I wish they would set up more “playlists” for individual authors, genres or time periods (example: Victorian Lit, Gothic Horror, etc). Some of their narrators are really good, while others are not, and they don’t always say who the narrator is in the info section. I have decided I do not like their plays. I tried listening to a couple for the classics group last year and gave up after 15-20 minutes. Some of the readers would be excellent while others were horrible, obviously never having read the play before recording it, ruining the overall experience.
I’ve had excellent luck with short stories on YouTube. Sometimes I search on a specific title, sometimes an author (eg: “Guy de Maupassant short stories”). I’ve also bookmarked a couple channels for short stories. “Windy Night Stories” uploads new stories every week. Some authors have been familiar, some new to me. Librivox also has numerous short story collections.
Once you start listening to books, other titles may be recommended to you. I’ve also had books recommended based on other channels I follow. For example, one of my favorite YouTube channels is Cecilia Blomdahl’s “Life on Svalbard,” about life on a Norwegian archipelago above the Arctic Circle. Based on this, I received a recommendation for Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun, which I listened to last fall. I had never heard of him before, but liked this book. His book Hunger, on the other hand, I did not like.
Mod
Bradbury books I’ve listened to and enjoyed were Dandelion Wine (love!), The Illustrated Man, The Martian Chronicles (I tried reading a print copy years ago and couldn’t get into it, but did not have that problem with the audiobook) and The Halloween Tree. I have a few more of his saved to my “audiobook” file for later.
I have also found some children’s books. There are a lot by Roald Dahl available and I listened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an April group read, as I no longer have a print copy. Unfortunately, some of the kids books cannot be added to your saved content.
Mod
I have also read 50 short stories so far this month. I mentioned previously that I was participating in a short story readathon bingo challenge this month. I am one square away from a blackout. The one remaining square is for a Gothic horror. I have options, so know it will be filled in before the end of the month. I was able to use one author, Guy de Maupassant, for five different squares.
One of my favorites from this month is The Mark on the Wall by Virginia Woolf, which was a random recommendation that came up for me on YouTube. I have used Youtube to fill prompts for the challenge I did not have in print, such as science fiction, allegory and fantasy stories.
Wow, Heather, thanks for the rundown! I'm such a newbie with youtube that the very few random times I've gone there I haven't had much luck finding fun content.I'm going to try your tips out later tonight!
Mod
I confess, I fell down the Youtube rabbit hole at start of the pandemic. I don’t have cable and didn’t have my Roku tv at that time, so I started spending more time on YouTube. I used to listen to music on there at a former job all the time, and listened to a couple short audiobooks, but I started branching out and exploring more two years ago.
One of the first topics I started looking up was “reading journals.” I’ve kept one for several years now to help keep track of challenges and what I am reading, very simple and utilitarian. Some of the content creators on YouTube get very creative. One thing I did adopt the last two years after seeing it in a couple videos is a visual bookshelf. A friend saw mine last year and asked me to draw up one for her this year.
There is an entire community on YT called “BookTube.” You can find content for any genre that interests you. Some talk about the books they’re reading, some visit Little Free Libraries or take you book shopping with them, some have creative ways they choose their monthly TBR pile.
I was never big on audiobooks as it’s too easy for one’s mind to wander or to fall asleep while listening, but started exploring them more in 2021. It started with a classic group read of Dandelion Wine. I really wanted to read it, but couldn’t find a copy at one of my local used bookshops. So, on a whim I tried Youtube. Not only was it there (and really good narrator!), but it ended up being my favorite book of last year and I have since acquired a print copy. There have been a couple Russian novellas for the classics group that I would have given up on with a print copy, but had no problem listening to while putting in a few miles on the stationary bike.
Once you start following channels or watching videos related to certain content, YT will make recommendations based on watch history. After listening to Norwegian Christmas music December 2020, YT recommended Cecilia’s Svalbard vlog. And that led me to the books by Knut Hamsun. Last March the volcano in Iceland started growing more active around my birthday, and that led to a couple Icelandic channels, particularly “Reykjavik Grapevine,” as they had weekly visits to/updates on the volcano.
I also found walking tours of various towns and cities including Stockholm, London, Paris. I watched a really cool one this past Christmas from a NYC neighborhood.
So, consider yourself forewarned. It can be all too easy to get sucked into Youtube for hours if you’re not disciplined. It’s evil like Pinterest that way, LOL.
Oh, and now that I have a Roku, I can watch YouTube on my tv instead of the tiny phone or tablet screen. 😳
ETA: I just uploaded a page of my reading journal that shows half of my visual bookshelf, so you can see what I’m talking about. I think I have room for 130 books this year.
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/...
I thought this was a cozy when I picked it up, but the language keeps is far from being a cozy.
Blood Red by Sherri Leigh James https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Heather L wrote: "I was never big on audiobooks as it’s too easy for one’s mind to wander or to fall asleep while listening..."
That's where I'm at. Maybe it gets easier as one listens more and trains his/her brain, but I find I can't concentrate on audiobooks while doing other things and I'm one to have music or TV on while doing most anything. With audiobooks, however, I do lose focus. I find myself rewinding or restarting too much to enjoy. even in the car.
My sister-in-law listens while on the treadmill; others mention listening while knitting/crocheting or other crafting, and doing housework. Even doing those things -- okay, I don't exercise -- I find I sort of stop "hearing" what I'm listening to and the rewinding starts, interrupting not only what I'm doing, but what I'm trying to listen to.
In the end, I find that I read faster anyway. I may try audio again, but maybe I just enjoy the printed word more. Or, maybe I haven't been privy to good narrators. ???
Along with YouTube and the tips Heather gave (thank you, BTW!)...
Assuming you've already checked the eLibrary offerings (Overdrive, Hoopla, Kanopy...) another place to check for audiobooks is in podcasts. When I first got my iPod and iTunes, I subscribed to a couple of "audiobook" podcasts -- one, if I remember correctly, was by Librivox.
I tried audiobooks again a couple of years ago when a romance author I read started a podcast called Read Me Romance (http://readmeromance.com/), which features contemporary romance novellas by a bunch of authors. I couldn't even keep focused on those (though I have read several of the offerings in book form).
I still have a bunch of audiobooks -- and the podcast files are on disc somewhere -- and will try again. Who knows, maybe it'll catch on. :o)
Heather L wrote: "Meg—I confess, I fell down the Youtube rabbit hole at start of the pandemic. I don’t have cable and didn’t have my Roku tv at that time, so I started spending more time on YouTube. I used to list...
So, consider yourself forewarned. It can be all too easy to get sucked into Youtube for hours if you’re not disciplined. It’s evil like Pinterest that way, LOL..."
I was just thinking about that, getting sucked in for hours! My brothers are really into youtube but are pretty disciplined about the amount of time they spend on there. I haven't tapped them for info on the site, tho, so I REALLY appreciate your excellent post!!!
I had a quick look last night as I'd mentioned, but I've decided to hold off until early next month, especially now that you've given me a lot more good stuff to look into. I'm gearing up for a fancy family wedding in SoCal, so have been mad shopping, or trying, both on- and offline. It's kind of disheartening, tho, cuz I can't find things I like, the way I used to before everything hit.
Can't wait to dive into youtube when I get back!
I finished Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them
by John Bainbridge Jr..My 4 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
I think when and where you listen can make a difference. I have a hard time concentrating on print books, never mind audio, if the neighbor brats are running in and out and screaming at top of their lungs in the hallways. But if it’s relatively quiet and I’m just in the mood to do some crafting or play a game, I might listen to an audiobook while doing so. I have had better luck with shorter works, but I think the more you clear your mind and carve out dedicated time to listen it gets easier. Most of us listened to stories before we could read them ourselves. It’s a matter of getting back to that.
Most of the short stories I have listened to run 15-30 minutes long, so I can listen to two or three before I need a break. Then I need to get up and move around for a few minutes before listening to another. But that’s the same with reading. If I have whole hours when I can just sit and read, I need to get up and move every couple chapters.
For longer stories (30-60 min), novellas that can run to a couple hours, or novels that might take a few days to get through, it’s a matter of getting comfortable and pausing for a short break if you start to feel restless or distracted. The one thing I cannot do is listen to a book while in bed or in a moving vehicle because I get too drowsy to pay attention and start to fall asleep. Far from the Madding Crowd is one of the few novels of several hours I have listened to, but I like the story and as good as the refresher has been, I really didn’t want to read it from the beginning again.
Oh — While I have listened to an audiobook or watched a travel video while using the stationary bike, I never listen to music or books while walking. If I am in nature I want to be in nature, to hear the soughing of the wind, the critters scampering about, the birdsong. I want to take notice of what’s around me — and I want to hear anyone coming up behind me, especially the rude bicyclists who think they own the trails and never let people know they’re behind them until in the process of passing (which is not just common courtesy, but for the safety of both parties, because if a pedestrian doesn’t know you’re there, they could inadvertently veer into your path, which results in both parties being injured—and which is likely to be catapulted over the handlebars? But I digress...). I see far more on my walks than most of those I pass along the way. I am fortunate to live on the edge of the city where I have multiple walking routes and often see wildlife on a three-mile walk. If I were listening to music or audiobook, I would miss all that.
Mod
I hope you are able to find something you like for the wedding. I always have difficulty finding something in a style/size/color that suits me, too.
Heather L - thanks for sharing all the info on YouTube. I have wondered how to do that when others have mentioned it. Also thanks for sharing your visual journal. How do you create the colors for the spines? Paint?? I have kept a basic reading journal ever since one of my English teachers (maybe in junior high) suggested it.
Mod
As for the spines, I use colored pencils, though in some of the reading journal videos I’ve watched most people use markers. I chose to designate the type of book read (print, ebook, audio), but some choose not to color them in at all, or denote different genres read or color to match the dominant color of the book cover. You can find printable book shelves on Pinterest (search on reading journals), but I do not have a functioning printer so drew mine by hand.
I have seen some elaborate book journals on YouTube where people do these multi-page themed spreads every month, some using markers to color, some paints. Impressive, but that’s too much for me!
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Cozy Mysteries
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