My wrap-up post for the Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2022

I signed up for the Snoop level (ten cozy mysteries of my choice), since I didn't know if I'd enjoy reading cozies.  The challenge began January 1st and ends December 31st (today).  I passed my goal by one extra cozy mystery and will record my wrap-up post HERE.  Below are the eleven cozies that I read.  (Can you spot my favorite?  Click the title to read about it.):

1.  Croissants and Corruption ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 164 pages, 8/10

2.  Desserts and Deception ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 128 pages, 7/10

3.  Pastries and Pilfering (Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 12) ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (California and Mexico), 180 pages, 7/10

4.  Oy Vey, Maria! : A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2021, cozy mystery, 186 pages, 8/10

5.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

6.  Class Reunions Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 4) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2013, cozy mystery, 240 pages, 9/10

7.  Retirement Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 1) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2009, cozy mystery, 214 pages, 8/10

8.  A Pain in the Tuchis: A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2015, cozy mystery, 217 pages, 10/10

9.  Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2014, cozy mystery, 244 pages, 6/10

10.  The Obituary Society ~ by Jessica L. Randall, 2014, cozy mystery, 196 pages, 3/10

11.  Murder to Go (Food Truck Mysteries #1) ~ by Chloe Kendrick, 2015, cozy mystery, 149 pages, 6/10

Reading cozy mysteries, continues (finally)

Pastries and Pilfering (Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 12) ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (California and Mexico), 180 pages

Margot Durand is running a growing bakery business in a quaint little town near Washington DC.  When she attempts to take a vacation on a cruise ship, mystery follows.  What starts as a small time case of robbery, quickly turns into murder.  Can Margot solve the mystery before someone else goes overboard?

Okay, I kind of bogged down on reading cozy mysteries for my Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2022.  In other words, I managed to read two books.  That's 2, as in TWO.  Yes, two in three months.  I picked up Donna's Kindle, the one I adopted after she died, and have started reading the third of three that I mentioned way back on December 10th.  I am determined to get to ten, though the first two did NOT convince me I'm a reader of cozies.  Okay, pilfering, not piddling around.

Word of the Day

Definition of piddle around = to waste time doing something that is not important or useful.  Example:  "I really will stop piddling around and get busy reading this book."

Two cozies on TWOsday

Oy Vey, Maria! : A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2021, cozy mystery, 186 pages

Rose Kaplan and her best friend Ida are at it again, as they investigate another murder at the Julius and Rebecca Cohen Home for Jewish Seniors.  This time Maria, the young companion to a disabled resident, is found shot to death during a celebration of the holiday of Purim.  Standing over her holding the murder weapon is the manager of the Home, making it a proverbial "smoking gun" case.  His motive is clear, as he had been having an affair with Maria, which she had recently tried to break off.  The police are convinced, of course, that they have an open and shut case, but as Ida puts it, "Open, yes.  Shut, it turns out, not so much."  These geriatric amateur sleuths will keep you laughing, guessing, and maybe even learning a bissel Yiddish!

A Pain in the Tuchis: A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2015, cozy mystery, 217 pages

A notorious crank meets an untimely fate.  Yom Kippur is a day of reflection and soul searching, but at the Julius and Rebecca Cohen Home for Jewish Seniors, Vera Gold misses this opportunity to atone for her many sins when she up and dies.  Indeed, Vera was such a pain in the tuchis to all those around her that when her sister claims Vera was deliberately poisoned, the tough question isn't who would want to kill her — but who wouldn't?

These count for my Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2022, and the second one counts in my TBR 22 in '22 Challenge.

Beginning ~ before dawn

Beginning

It was the beginning of a perfect late spring day in North Bank, Virginia, despite the fact that the sun hadn't yet come up.  The crisp air coming off the Potomac invigorated Margot Durand as she picked up her pace down the street on the way to her bakery, The Parisian Pâtisserie.

Croissants and Corruption ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 164 pages

Margot Durand runs a French Bakery in the charming town of North Bank, Virginia. When her troublesome niece comes for a summer visit, she knows she is going to have her hands full. After an unexpected murder, the girl is labeled as the prime suspect and Margot is forced to fight for her niece’s freedom. Can she solve the mystery and clear her niece before the killer gets away…or strikes again?

The REAL beginning is on page 4, just as Margot Durand unlocks the door and the phone rings.  It's her sister calling, wanting to send her daughter to work for Margot for the summer.  She hopes that will "turn her life around" (p. 6).  Now we can see what's going on.  Now the plot is all set up, and I'm about to read my first book for the Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Sunday Salon ~ books for this week and next year

What I've been reading

Cat Tales: A Catty Concoction of Quotes, Poems and "Dear Tabby" Advice ~ edited by Suzanne Beilenson, 1992, gift book, 48 pages, 7/10

CAT-NIP = Feline love nip (p. 14)

CAT-CALL = Feline 'fone conversation (p. 15)

CAT-SKILL = Tabby talent (p. 16)

CAT-TAIL = Kitty legend (p. 17)

Nothing Ever Happens on My Block ~ Ellen Raskin, 1966, children's picture book, 8/10

Chester Filbert is sure that his block is the most boring in the world.  Other blocks have haunted houses, ferocious lions and tigers, monsters, astronauts, even fireworks.  His block has nothing.  See what really happens on Chester's block.

My Sister's Keeper ~ by Jodi Picoult, 2004, fiction, 423 pages

Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for her leukemia-stricken sister Kate, a life and a role that she is now challenging.

Reading Challenges

I'm ready to start 2022 with two reading challenges, listed at the top of the right sidebar:  Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2022 and Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2022.  I'll choose cozy mysteries already on my friend Donna's Kindle, which her sister let me "inherit" after Donna died.  I have always been much more into historical fiction.  Let's see how I do in each category

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon, a place for us to link up and share what we have read and done during this week.

Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge

The Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge is hosted by Socrates' Book Review.  I discovered this reading challenge when Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  (asking for her book club) posted these questions:

"What is a cozy mystery?  Could you suggest some holiday-themed cozy mystery titles or authors who write cozies with a holiday theme?"

Some of you may be wondering what a "cozy mystery" is, as Deb did.  The comments on her post say (more or less) that they are mystery novels featuring an amateur detective, off-scene violence, maybe romance, but no sex.  They vary from comical to more serious, but are apparently always fast-paced.  And they have fun covers.  Basically, it seems that a cozy mystery is lighter reading than a murder mystery.  I left Deb this comment:

"I haven't read many cozy mysteries, though [like Deb] I think I'd recognize one when I see it.  However, I inherited my friend Donna's Kindle after she died.  I haven't looked at ALL of the books on it yet, but I see that she gave 5 stars to these cozy mysteries (all by the same author)."

• Croissants and Corruption (Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 1 of 12) ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 5 stars
• Desserts and Deception (Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 2 of 12) ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 5 stars
• Pastries and Pilfering (Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 12) ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (California and Virginia), 5 stars

That's when I decided to sign up for this challenge, starting my list with these three cozies, since Donna gave them top ratings.  Yes, I see that these are not "holiday-themed" (as Deb wanted), but they are cozy mysteries and Donna enjoyed them.  So I'm in!

I'm also planning to do the version of the challenge where I'll read only cozy mysteries of my choice, since I can then read ones that are already on Donna's Kindle.  I just looked again and see a couple more that she gave 5-star ratings:

• Brew or Die: A Java Jive Mystery (Book 4 of 5) ~ by Caroline Fardig, 2017, cozy mystery, 5 stars
• Murder Over Mochas: A Java Jive Mystery (Book 5 of 5) ~ by Caroline Fardig, 2017, cozy mystery, 5 stars
• [I looked up the first three, which are Death Before Decaf, Mug Shot, and A Whole Latte Murder.  They are the three shown in the illustration above.  These three are probably among the hundreds of other books on Donna's Kindle, too.]

The next step is to choose how many books I plan to read:

1. Level one (Snoop) ~ Read 10 cozy mysteries of your choice.
2. Level two (Investigator) ~ Read 20 cozy mysteries of your choice.
3. Level three (Super Sleuth) ~ Read 30 cozy mysteries of your choice.
4. Level four (Sleuth Extraordinaire) ~ Read 40 cozy mysteries of your choice.

I'll start at the Snoop level, since I don't know how much I'll enjoy cozies.  I've probably read fewer than ten in my whole life.  We shall see.  Anyway, the challenge begins January 1, 2022 and ends December 31, 2022.  We don't have to choose our books in advance and, even if we do, we can change the list at any time during the year.  Okay, I'm in!

Books I've completed:

1.  Croissants and Corruption ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 164 pages, 8/10

2.  Desserts and Deception ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (Virginia), 128 pages, 7/10

3.  Pastries and Pilfering (Margot Durand Cozy Mystery, Book 3 of 12) ~ by Danielle Collins, 2017, cozy mystery (California and Mexico), 180 pages, 7/10

4.  Oy Vey, Maria! : A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2021, cozy mystery, 186 pages, 8/10

5.  Aunt Bessie Decides ~ by Diana Xarissa, 2014, cozy mystery, 238 pages, 4/10

6.  Class Reunions Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 4) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2013, cozy mystery, 240 pages, 9/10

7.  Retirement Can Be Murder: Every Wife Has A Story (A Baby Boomer Mystery Book 1) ~ by Susan Santangelo, 2009, cozy mystery, 214 pages, 8/10

8.  A Pain in the Tuchis: A Mrs. Kaplan Mystery ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2015, cozy mystery, 217 pages, 10/10

9.  Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death ~ by Mark Reutlinger, 2014, cozy mystery, 244 pages, 6/10

10.  The Obituary Society ~ by Jessica L. Randall, 2014, cozy mystery, 196 pages, 3/10

11.  Murder to Go (Food Truck Mysteries #1) ~ by Chloe Kendrick, 2015, cozy mystery, 149 pages, 6/10

Well, I passed my goal by one extra cozy mystery.