Reading Cozies

Something I have really enjoyed this summer is reading ‘cozies’. The term ‘cozy’ typically refers to ‘ a mystery story where any violence occurs off stage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and the detection take place in a small, socially intimate community’ (Wikipedia). I have expanded that to any series where the action takes place in a small, socially intimate community and where there is little to no violence involved. In other words, the way I feel when I read a story in the series is ‘comfy/cozy’, while still feeling delightfully involved with the characters.

I can think of 3 series like this :

1) The Irish Country Doctor series, by Patrick Taylor.
These are set in Northern Ireland in the 1950s, and are, for me, really engaging stories of a life in a rural village. I discovered the series this year and I am making my way through most of the books. I just can’t get enough of them!

2) The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith.

This series is set in Botswana, and stars an amateur detective named Precious Ramotswe. I adore this series, as Precious has a very good understanding of human nature. The pace is slow!, but for me, I can remain engaged with the story and I laugh out loud a lot!

3) The Mrs Jeffries detective series by Emily Brightwell

This series is set in Victorian times. The detective, Inspector Witherspoon, is pretty good at his job, but doesn’t realize how much his household helps him solve the crimes with which he is involved. The books, for me are just adorable because I get to observe how the household helps him out so gently and respectfully and how, together, they always figure out ‘whodunnit’!

In COVID times, I find reading a ‘cozy’ before going to sleep is so enjoyable and so something to look forward to after being exposed to various kinds of distressing news all day. I can highly recommend finishing your day tucked into bed with a ‘cozy’!