On another topic

Here is a website that I stumbled across this morning:  http://www.cozy-mystery.com/.  

I've been on a kick reading the Claire Malloy mystery series by Joan Hesse, thinking it was my childhood addiction to Nancy Drew that compelled me to read one, then two, then fifteen Claire Malloy books in the last several months. That, and a recently acquired mindless approach to reading in general. Summer? Could be. I'm not a "beach book" or "chick book" fan, nor do I find Nora Roberts and other romance novelists intriguing, so I have to find mindlessness elsewhere.

I was looking for other mystery series titles that might be fun to read, and found the Cozy Mystery site. I first came across the term "cozy mysteries" in the Joan Hesse book I'm just finishing up reading. I didn't know if it was a term for a sub-genre, or if Hesse was just using that phrase on her own. I found out there is indeed a "cozy mystery" sub-genre, and the website defines what it is and shares titles and authors. 

A committed series book reader when I was a kid, I find comfort and enjoyment in reading series books as an adult, too. Always nice to know the personality and quirks of a main character. That's what I've loved about Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta character. She got older as the series progressed, and her relationships with friends and family were always a part of the story line. Cornwell's books don't exactly fit into the cozy mystery genre, however!  Hesse takes a much lighter approach than Cornwell, although there are an equal number of murders committed in both series. Less blood in Hesse's books, and more humor.