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Showing posts with label Julia Buckley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julia Buckley. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday: Craving the Cozy (Mysteries)
6:48 PM
Even though it's still in the upper 90s here in Arizona, I'm all about the cozy Fall vibes right now. After a weekend that was rough on members of my Latter-day Saint faith, my heart is longing for all things warm (weather excluded), soft, and comforting. Considering all the divisiveness, intolerance, hate, conflict, and general terribleness that is happening right now in the U.S. and beyond, I doubt I'm the only one who could use some heart warming and soul soothing.
This week's TTT topic is perfect: Top Ten Book Covers That Give Off Fall Vibes. Since nothing was coming right to mind for this topic and since I'm going to be out of town next week, I'm going to combine this week's prompt with next week's—Top Ten Satisfying Book Series—to create a list of cozy mystery series (that I hope will be satisfying), specifically ones that I want to start sometime soon.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Cozy Mystery Series I Want to Try
- in no particular order, covers correspond to first book in series -
1. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen—Set in 1930s London, this series stars Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, a penniless cousin of King George V. She's trying to survive as an ordinary citizen with little success. Then, she's asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen. Suddenly, Georgie's life is anything but common.
2. The Pennsylvania Dutch Murders by Tamar Myers—Magdalena Yoder, owner of the PennDutch Inn is the star of this series. When murders occur at her place of business, she can't help but investigate.
3. Cranberry Cove by Peg Cochran—Monica Albertson returns to her hometown on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to help her brother with his cranberry farm. Murder and mayhem ensue.
4. Hungarian Tea House Mysteries by Julia Buckley—Maggie's Tea House is run by Hana Keller and her family. They're known for serving traditional European-style tea services, enhanced by Hana's grandmother's fortune telling. Hana becomes an amateur sleuth when mysteries continue to plague the tea house.
5. The Country Club Murders by Julie Mulhern—With a 1970s setting, this series offers a nostalgic take on crime among the crème de la crème.
6. Miss Marple by Agatha Christie—I've read a handful of Hercules Poirot mysteries, but I've never read a Miss Marple one. Nosy Jane Marple is an amateur consulting detective in a small English village.
7. The Relatively Dead series by Sheila Connolly—Having just moved to New England, Abby Kimball is already feeling unsettled. Then, she has a couple encounters which convince her she has the dubious "gift" of being able to see ghosts. Leaning into her ability, she uses her otherworldly knowledge to solve mysteries.
8. Year Round Christmas Mysteries by Vicki Delany—It's Christmas every day in the festive town of Rudolph, New York. Merry Wilkinson is the owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures and an amateur sleuth whose talents are being called on a little too often in a town that's supposed to be full of 24/7 holiday cheer.
9. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood—When 77-year-old Judith Potts witnesses a murder and unwittingly becomes a suspect, she determines to solve the crime herself. With the aid of two friends, she forms the titular club, which solves crimes in Marlow, England.
10. A Lady & Lady's Maid Mysteries by Alyssa Maxwell—Maxwell's Gilded Newport Mystery series is one of my favorites, so I'm interested to see how this other series compares. Set in post World War I England, it stars Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her maid, who work together to solve mysteries.
There you are, ten cozy mystery series I'm hoping to start soon. Have you read any of them? Which cozy reads are your favorite? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Punny Cozy Mystery Titles to Make You Smile
7:20 AM
One of the most fun Top Ten Tuesday topics that has come up this year was Book Titles That Would Make Awesome Band Names. I blanked on that one and I'm having the same problem with today's prompt: Book Titles That Would Make Great Song Titles. I love music as much as the next person, but for some reason, song topics make my brain short out. Thus, I'm going rogue today. Not too rogue as I'm going to stick with book titles—I just decided to highlight some punny ones that make me laugh. Cozy mystery titles are all about playing with words, so all the ones on my list come from that genre. I haven't read any of them, but they all sound entertaining!
Speaking of cozy mysteries, there was some discussion on my blog the other day (see this post) about what makes a mystery "cozy." Generally, books in the genre adhere to these loose guidelines:
- Content is clean—sex, violence, and untoward behavior occur off-screen. There is little to no cursing.
- Stories take place in close, intimate settings like small towns and tight-knit communities within larger cities.
- The mystery solver is an amateur sleuth, not a professional detective, and is typically a woman.
- Despite whatever murder and mayhem may be taking place within their pages, cozies maintain a positive, upbeat vibe.
If you're still confused, check out these posts by my cozy go-to girl Katherine over at I Wish I Lived in a Library—Five Signs You're in a Cozy Mystery, and Five Signs You're Not and Ten Books Everyone Who Wants to Read a Cozy Mystery Should Try.
To join in the TTT fun, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the deets.
My Top Ten Favorite Punny Cozy Mystery Book Titles
A Tale of Two Biddies by Kylie Logan
To Brie or Not to Brie by Avery Aames
It's a Wonderful Knife by Christine Wenger
Foreign Eclairs by Julie Hyzy
Better Off Thread by Amanda Lee
Cheddar Off Dead by Julia Buckley
Freezer I'll Shoot by Victoria Hamilton
Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle
A Sheetcake Named Desire by Jacklyn Brady
Flour in the Attic by Winnie Archer
Ahhh, there's nothing like a good pun, is there? And these are nothing like good puns! Just kidding, but even the terrible ones make me smile :)
How about you? Are you a cozy addict or do you avoid them like the plague? I used to be a hater, but after inhaling all kinds of dark, gruesome mystery/thrillers, I have come to really appreciate the lightness I feel after reading books in this genre. Sure, they're far-fetched, even silly, but sometimes I just crave an easy, entertaining mystery that's not going to give me nightmares. I am picky about the series I read, though. So far, my favorites are: The Noodle Shop series by Vivien Chien, the Sloan Krause series by Ellie Alexander, the Cookie House series by Eve Calder, and the Amish Candy Shop series by Amanda Flower. Which cozies are your favorites? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
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