Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (say that 3 times fast) over at The Broke and the Bookish is “Books I’d Give to Readers Who Have Never Read X”. I chose one of my favorite feel-good genres: the Cozy Mystery.
“Cozy mysteries, also referred to simply as “cozies”, are a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.” Thank you Wikipedia. 😉
Cozies always seem to be series, so I’ve listed the first book in 10 of my favorite cozy series:
Modern:
One For the Money by Janet Evanovich – This first novel in the Stephanie Plum series is darker in tone than most cozies, but the scrappy heroine and hilarious hijinks make it a must read for me.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke – There are a plethora of culinary sleuths and Hannah Swensen is one of my favorite.
The Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton – Agatha Raisin is an anti-heroine that I can’t help but love.
Historical:
Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn – The Daisy Dalrymple series is perfect for Downton Abbey fans!
The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert – This series features Beatrix Potter as the amateur sleuth, weaving real events from her life with animal stories to create a unique cozy experience.
Anything Goes by Jill Churchill – The Grace and Favor series is well researched, combining a history lesson on 1930s Americana with a fun cozy mystery.
Oddball:
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde – A sci-fi cozy! See my review here. I’m looking forward to reading more about Thursday Next.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman – This series successfully combines a traditional cozy heroine, Emily Pollifax, with the fast paced world of espionage.
Classic:
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie – Miss Marple is the consummate female amateur sleuth. A must read!
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot is the only professional detective on the list and one of my favorite literary characters!
Linking up: 
A BIBLIOPHILE'S STYLE 
I’ve never heard the term Cozy Mysteries, but I think it’d be right up my alley. Thanks for the suggestions!
LikeLike
Cozies are my go-to for quick, lite reads. Enjoy!
LikeLike
I need to read The Eyre Affair. I mean, a character whose name is Thursday Next? Awesome. I’m going to see if my library system has it!
LikeLike
We do! Going to check it out soon.
LikeLike
Awesome! You’ve read other Jasper Fforde books, haven’t you? I could’ve sworn you’ve talked about him.
LikeLike
Yeah! The Big Over Easy and Shades of Grey. 🙂 Only the first in each series though. I need to reread both and read some more of the series.
LikeLike
Question: do you have to read the Thursday Next books in order?
LikeLike
I’ve only read the first one so far and it really sets up the world and introduces a ton of characters. I would definitely read it first.
LikeLike
Okay. Will do! 🙂
LikeLike
I honestly didn’t realize Agatha Christie is considered a cozy mystery. I love And Then There Were None. I didn’t think I had read any cozy mysteries until I saw your list.
My TTT Post
LikeLike
The Miss Marple books really fall very squarely in the Cozy category. Christie’s other works hover around the outskirts of Cozy territory. 😉 And Then There Were None is a fabulous stand alone!
LikeLike
I LOVE this list and Cozy Mysteries! I was just eyeing the Mrs. Pollifax books at the library this weekend but wasn’t sure was book one. Now I do:) It sounds more espionage-y. I really like the Carola Dunn series but have a complicated relationship with M.C. Beaton. Have you read any of her Hamish MacBeth series?
LikeLike
Yay, I’m glad you like it! It’s been a long time since I read the Mrs. Pollifax books – I need to re-read them. 🙂 I haven’t read any of the Hamish MacBeth books. Are they good?
LikeLike
The simple answer is they are fun. I am also obsessed with the three season BBC series featuring Robert Carlyle from the mid-1990s. I just struggle a little with M.C. Beaton because of her writing style. It’s very abrupt or something and throws me off. But I generally love her characters and subject matter. It’s weird and unique among my relationships with authors. If you like Agatha Raisin though, I would definitely give Hamish a try. And the TV Show is super awesome.
LikeLike
Ooh, my local library system has the DVDs. How fun to see Robert Carlyle as a good guy!
LikeLike
I’ve been wondering if the Evanovich books might be worth reading. I like Grafton’s novels and have heard they are similar. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for a fun mystery.
LikeLike
I haven’t read Grafton’s books but Evanovich’s are great fun. One For the Money is darker than the other books in the series. Evanovich creates a host of hilariously flawed characters.
LikeLike
Styles is a fave of mine.
http://she-read.blogspot.com/2014/08/ttt-new-adult-books.html
LikeLike
I adore Poirot! 🙂
LikeLike
The Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs are also great cozy mysteries 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for the rec Whitney! I’m mostly caught up on all my series and looking for new ones. 🙂
LikeLike