Saturday Seven: Favorite cozy mystery series

My late great-nephew took it upon himself to send my MIL a fruit and vegetable box...to a woman who eats very little of either. The Rainbow Chard above was so striking, I had to take a picture of it. I love Swiss chard, so I am hoping this has a similar taste!

These are in no particular order, and I am sadly behind on most of these series, but the ones I've read, I've enjoyed immensely! Sadly, several of the authors are no longer with us, but in a couple of cases their offspring have continued the series. I realize that some of the series may not "technically" cozy mysteries, but for me, they aren't the gritty and intense mysteries that I have also enjoyed...


    


Amazingly enough, I wasn't enamored with the heroine (who occasionally frustrated me!) but I LOVED the idea of the ghost communicating by writing in the diary.

     


I'm hopelessly inept at sewing, so I am always in awe of those who have the patience and expertise to do these works of art. Each of these titles has a different quilt on the cover, which fascinated me, plus I loved the stories.

    

Florida, pets, hunky brother and his even hunkier partner, what more could I ask for?

     

Yes, I love stories with talking animals, and the snarky conversations between these fur-purrsons always entertained me!


    

Now that I think of it, perhaps I should have done a Saturday Seven with the animal mystery series I loved, lol.

    

These have an interesting mystical twist (as if one needs even more than a cat who calls the Chief of Police on a cell phone, lol)

    

I was so sad when this series was discontinued, as I thought it was a very unique one that explored the idea of AI (artificial intelligence).


And a bonus...


 

There are several more that I could name, but the most recent in the series is fresh in my mind since I just reviewed Lethal in Old Lace, I will end with this fun series that is set in Savannah! My review is at this link.



Please note that I have just included a title or two from the series, not necessarily the first one...or in order, and they may require a treasure hunt through used bookstores or library sales to find, but I found all of them a lot of fun. I hope you give one or two a try and let me know what you think!


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Cat Bearing Gifts and success with mushroom soup!

Cat Bearing Gifts     

by Shirley Rousseau Murphy is part of her mystery series that features talking cats (literally talking in human language, not just in 'cat').  I am intrigued by this group of felines who have not only gathered a group of humans who cater to them (I wish I was fed as well as they are) but who are the most adept of sleuths as the criminals in their small town would never dream that the cats staring at them are actually taking note of their actions.  There are quite a few stories in this series which started with just a couple of cats (Joe Grey and Dulcie) and the humans they associate with plus a bewildered police chief who gets telephone calls from an informant or two that he can't identify.  Over the years, those who know about these special cats have increased and more mystical elements have been introduced to explain their origin.  A talking kitten was added to the mix and many of the humans have found their own mates.  I have missed a few stories in the series but each story can stand alone and the most recent one features even more interconnected humans and talking felines.  One naturally has to suspend belief (I am still picturing them using cell phones and scratching my head) but there are such nice descriptions of the various characters, both two- and four-legged, that each story draws me in nicely.    This is not my favorite of the series and that may be due to the fact that I am behind and haven't read the past few books so there are more characters that I am not familiar with but I enjoyed revisiting some of my favorites.


A few weeks ago, I tried making potato and ham soup and learned about making the flour mixture for thickening the soup.  I tend to experiment in the kitchen (unlike the hubby who likes to plan everything meticulously) so the third time I made this particular soup, I diverted some of the roux (flour/butter/milk mixture).  I had purchased some lovely large button mushrooms, and unlike the technique used by most chefs...I don't just brush the dirt off, I actually skin the mushrooms...sliced them and boiled them with a little chopped onion and chicken bouillon.  I took about 1/3 of the roux that I was supposed to add to the potato ham soup and poured it into my mushroom concoction.  It was fantastic!  I will probably have to experiment more with proportions because my only complaint was that it wasn't thick the way I typically enjoy cream of mushroom soup but I still think it was quite tasty.  Slowly, I continue to add to the repertoire!

Upcoming reviews and reads that I am looking forward to!

I have the great fortune to be ALMOST overwhelmed by a significant number of wonderful reads to look forward to.  I am a little stymied by the fact that I have a few projects that I am juggling and have not been able to keep track of what is being released as closely as I should so I have neglected to post some of my reviews in a timely manner.  I am trying to work on lessons through an online class even as I have had the opportunity to do several interesting editing and proofreading jobs and have accrued quite a few titles that I have read and greatly enjoyed and now have to do the reviews!  I refused to make resolutions for New Year's but did promise myself that I would try to catch up on some of the books that I have been sent for reviews so I am slowly trying to integrate them into my pile but I am afraid that it may almost be an insurmountable task so I am just going to do what I can, a little at a time.  My thought on this is...what a delightful problem to have!

   




Recently reviewed:

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks  (fantasy, sequel to The Black Prism)
Heart of Danger by Lisa Marie Rice (romantic suspense with a paranormal twist), start of a new series
The Protector by N.L. Gassert (m/m, older/younger romantic suspense)


             


Reviews that are pending include:
Wait Until Dark by M.L. Buchman  (military romance)
Cat Bearing Gifts by Shirley Rousseau Murphy  (cozy mystery? with paranormal elements)
Caller of Light by T.J. Shaw  (fantasy)
Lady Eve's Indiscretion by Grace Burrowes (historical romance)
The Marine Next Door by Julie Miller  (Harlequin Intrigue)
A Lady's Pleasure by Robin Schone  (time travel romance)

    


 
Upcoming:
Cold Days  by Jim Butcher  (fantasy)
The Dog in the Dark by Barb and J.C. Hendee  (fantasy)
Dream Unchained by Kate Douglas  (erotica)