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Topic: 2017 Cozy Mystery Challenge Discussion Topic

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Subject: 2017 Cozy Mystery Challenge Discussion Topic
Date Posted: 11/21/2016 7:06 AM ET
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2017 Cozy Mystery Challenge

The purpose of this cozy mystery challenge is for you to have fun, and find out about some new to you books and authors. You can read as many or as few categories you want. You may read one or one hundred books in a category. Enjoy and share with us what you are reading.  I did not include historical cozies this year as I have a whole challenge just for historical mysteries. Please join that one too!!

2017 Historical Mystery challenge (List Only)

2017 Historical Mystery Challenge Discussion topic

  1. First in Series—Read the first book in a cozy series.
  2. Nice to Meet Your- Read a cozy by a new to you author (many cozy authors write under several names and that is okay to use one of those).
  3. Flower Power- Read a Cozy with a Flower on the cover.
  4. Those Teen Years. Read a cozy that was published between 2013 and 2017.
  5. Pets Not Allowed—Read a cozy that does not have an animal on the cover.
  6. Murder!!!  - Read a cozy with Murder in the title.
  7. Master Chef – Read a cozy that involves cooking or baking.
  8. No Place Like Home—Read a cozy in which the main character goes back to the area they grew up in or vacationed in when they were young.
  9. The British Isles- Read a cozy set in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland.
  10. Pink or Purple- Read a cozy with Pink or Purple (any shade) on the cover.
  11. Make up your own category (Maybe we will find some new ones for next year)

Bonus Category

So Many Cozy Authors Are There?- Read a book by as many different Cozy authors as you can find. (You can go back to Agatha Christie all the way to present day)

Please go to this thread to post your list  2017 Cozy Mystery Challenge (List Only)



Last Edited on: 11/21/16 7:12 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 7:09 AM ET
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We will use this thread to discuss out 2017 cozy mystery challenge, chat about the books we are reading for it and ask questions. I am looking forward to see what you make up for a category so I get some new ideas for next year. The pink and purple category come from my little nieces. Pink and Purple are their favorite colors. 

This year I did not put levels in but figure you can read as many as you want in  category. Sometimes we get going on one author or theme and want to read many in that area.

I hope you like the challange this year.

Please go to this thread to post your list 2017 Cozy Mystery Challenge (List Only)

Jean has made us banners again this year. Go here Banners for 2017 Cozy Mystery Challenge and save the banner to your system.

Alice



Last Edited on: 11/21/16 7:15 AM ET - Total times edited: 2
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Geri (geejay) -
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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 7:53 AM ET
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Hooray!  Off to the list.  I have no tree books but plenty of Kindles to sort through.

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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 10:35 AM ET
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Thanks Alice, looks good and very interesting. I like that it is ongoing so there will be no one finishing way ahead of anyone else. That tends to be discouraging to those of us who choose not to be constantly reading daily.

The best part to me is what you said about if you enjoy a certain author or theme that we may like to read in that area. I was doing better and enjoying reading certain series and getting caught up on them until a new book was to be released. I lost interest in reading when I felt I had to start a new book or series. It may be fine to others, but once I got into a series I liked, I did not want to stop.

Please thank your nieces for their color choices. Those two colors are also my favorites as well.

The choose yourself category is great. Not sure if I will choose the theme of holidays or something else, yet.

 

 



Last Edited on: 11/21/16 11:40 AM ET - Total times edited: 2
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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 11:12 AM ET
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Really like the challenge, Alice.  Nowhere as much pressure as I seem to have a bit of a competitive gene and am not satisfied unless I manage to complete the top level.  My "other" category is going to be a cozy paranormal--think Juliet Blackwell, Heather Blake, Sofie Ryan, etc.  Should be lots of fun.

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 3:41 PM ET
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I haven't decided on my choose a category yet. Although I am thinking of Paranormal but I want something more creative

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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 4:37 PM ET
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Interesting concept, Alice. Certainly a lot of freedom in this one. Should be fun. Unlike some others, I never feel pressured or discouraged with the challenges - I read daily, but if I don't finish due to reading unqualifying books, forgetting to add them, or lack of time - so be it! :-) Finishing or competing doesn't even make my top 300 things to worry about list - it's a game, your forehead doesn't get branded wih DNF!

I'm pondering Vintage Private Eyes or Vintage Police if I can find enough that are "cozy," some might be too hard boiled, but many series were "mellower" then, If that doesn't work - Vintage Cozies (before they were called cozies) such as Miss Silver, Albert Campion, Ms. Marple. Lord Peter, and others.

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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 4:39 PM ET
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I favor paranormal but something more than a witch or vamp.  I loved the series by Kirsten Painter.  Light, light happy series with vamps, werewolves and even a gargoyle.  It seems that books I'm reading now have a paranormal vein to them.    



Last Edited on: 11/22/16 11:57 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
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I thought of calling that category "Witchy Poo" and the books had to have witches, but thought that might be a little too confining.  I still have until Jan. 1 to fully make up my mind. laugh

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 11/21/2016 8:38 PM ET
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I like Kristin Painter a lot too Geri

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Date Posted: 11/22/2016 2:28 PM ET
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When do we have to decide on our preference category?

Alice, looks great once again!   Now if I can remember how to create the link to where I post my gameboard.

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 11/22/2016 2:34 PM ET
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When every you want. You can wait until the middle of the year if you want to work on the other categories first.

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Will someone verify if my link for my 2017 list works as below?   I think I remembered how to create it!

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Lynn worked for me.

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 11/22/2016 4:15 PM ET
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Yes it works Lynn

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I am going to give this a try. I just started reading this genre.



Last Edited on: 11/22/16 7:43 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Hi Evelyn Louise!   Nice thing about this challenge; it's your challenge;  no penalty if you don't read for all of the categories. 

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People seem to forget this isn't a competition.  It's not the Olympics of reading.  To me the challenge is a way to find new authors, maybe touch on another aspect of the genre.  If not for an older challenge I would not have picked up a British police procedure book.  I liked Agatha Christie's but very few other English authors.  Because of the challenge I found Kate Ellis and Stuart Pawson which I read voraciously.

Another way to share favorites with other people who like the same type of reading material.  I love the challenges for the new things I find.  I can easily get stuck in a rut of reading the same type of book and the challenges pull me out.

But, Alice if you want to offer that trip to Tahiti as the grand prize I'll find the books to read on January 1.  wink

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 11/23/2016 4:26 PM ET
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If I hit the lottery between now and then I will offer it up:)

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Date Posted: 11/23/2016 4:51 PM ET
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Hi Evelyn Louise, I'm glad you've joined in and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

I enjoy the challenges for many of the same reasons as Geri, before one of the challenges, I wouldn't have considered reading a book with a paranormal element, but I did for that challenge, now there are several authors that I enjoy. Similarly, I also like the recommendations, "if you enjoy X, you'll likely enjoy Y as well." I've found many a good book that way that I likely wouldn't have stumbled on myself. It's also interesting to read the varied opinions on the same book, sometimes they range from DNF to meh all the way to excellent. Mystery is such an encompassing genre, and the cozies so varied, some formulaic but the characters are enough to make them different, some really unique - there's something for almost everyone.

And although I may not have finished all of the challenges - either by not reading or forgetting to add my books, I've never found Alice at my door with a hammer to beat me over the head! wink   It's all good fun, and thats why we all read some or mostly fiction - for fun and enjoyment and to take us to a different place for a while!

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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The other advise we get is if a book is awful and perhaps not bothering to read it.

 

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Date Posted: 11/23/2016 8:23 PM ET
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Oh yes!  Especially if the person tells why the book is awful.  The good thing is so many are good!

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I have a list of cozy mysteries on my wordpad of series that I started and never got caught up with. There are 21 of those series. surprise At least I am caught up on 8 series with a new book being released in 2017, lol. Also, on the list are those recommended by peeps on here that I never started.

So, my main goal for this 2017 cozy challenge will be to get caught up on the series I want and need to and to start the recommended ones. There will be someway, somehow to make them fit into these categories, thanks to Alice. smiley

HAPPY tHANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!

 



Last Edited on: 11/23/16 11:25 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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I tried to make the categories broad enought that lots of books would fit into them. Busy day today

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 11/28/2016 2:16 PM ET
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So I was looking through my cozies last night. I thinking about the no pets allowed category. More than half of my cozies have an animal on them!! Cats win by far.

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