Why Cozies?

When I was growing up, I didn't like to read. I was pretty good at decoding words, but comprehension didn't come easy to me. As a result, reading made me tired and I saw it as a laborious task that was simply necessary.

When I started teaching, I grew to enjoy reading, both children's books and books for adults. Nicholas Sparks was my favorite author and I still enjoy his books today. I wanted to do more reading for pleasure, but since comprehension still didn't come easy for me, I rarely made the time for it. 

I retired on disability in 2010. Although I now had the time to read, since I had not done it for pleasure for so long, I rarely picked up a book even after I was retired. When I did, I rarely followed through and finished it.

Fast-forward to 2021 when I was participating in an online Brain Fitness class sponsored by the local library. That's how I found out about their summer reading challenge for adults. I thought it would be a fun way to read more books, so I joined the challenge. For the most part, I chose books that were recommended by others. I successfully completed the summer reading, but something still didn't click with me. I wanted to keep reading, but I was bored with most of the books I had chosen thus far.

It suddenly hit me that my lifelong best friend, Stephanie, who departed from this world on July 25, 2010, loved to read. I remembered that she enjoyed reading a series of fiction books that had recipes in them. I Googled something like "fiction books with recipes" and I came across Joanne Fluke and her books in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. Several of the books in this series were published in Stephanie's lifetime, around the time I remembered her reading them. I called Stephanie's mom to ask if this was the series she read and enjoyed so much. Her mom recognized the name of the author and it was confirmed this was the series Stephanie read (one of the many, actually).

So, I ordered the first two books in the series from a local bookstore - "Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder" and "Strawberry Shortcake Murder". I had to order the second one because strawberry shortcake is my favorite dessert, but since the series is best read in order, I had planned on reading "Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder" first. I then found out that some of the books were made into movies. I decided to watch the movies before reading the books. I enjoyed the movies immensely.

Next, I read the books I ordered. I enjoyed these two books so much, that I did another Google search, entering something like "mysteries that aren't too graphic". That's exactly what I loved about the two I had read. They were like solving puzzles, which I enjoy.

This was when I discovered the genre called cozy mysteries. I was delighted to see that there is an endless supply of books (and lots of movies, too) for people like me who enjoy reading mysteries without the graphic details and foul language. I read more of these books and soon realized I had found my niche. I could finally say without a shadow of a doubt that I love reading. 

This love for reading has branched out into other genres, but cozy mysteries (a.k.a. cozies) are, by far, my genre of choice. I enjoy trying to figure out whodunnit in an atmosphere that is friendly and inviting. Not long after I started reading cozies, I realized that there are movies other than the ones in this series, made in this genre as well. I have since then watched and enjoyed many of them.

Here are the components of cozies that I've noticed in books and movies:

• There is a well-loved amateur sleuth, usually a female, who is retired or has a day job.
• The setting often has a small town atmosphere.
• A heinous crime, like murder, takes place.
• The scene of the crime is briefly described, but most of the story is about solving the mystery.
• They are self-contained mysteries, which are solved by the end of each book.
• Many cozies are part of an ongoing series with a continuous subplot or two.
• There is often a budding romance as one of the subplots.
• There are countless themes within the cozy mystery genre, such as culinary, magical, and more.
• Culinary-themed cozy books often include recipes for the reader to try.
• The amateur sleuth usually has a pet, often a dog or a cat.

Earlier this year, I joined a cozy mysteries challenge on Goodreads. Besides being fun and a good way to connect with others with similar interests, it's been helpful in introducing me to more cozies with different themes. I named my section in that challenge "Meezan's Caboodle of Cozies". After I came up with that name, I felt like I needed to do something else with it. That's when the idea for this blog, Caboodle of Cozies, was born.

I hope you enjoy reading about cozies on my blog as much as I enjoy reading, watching, and writing about them. Perhaps you'll recognize some or maybe you'll be introduced to new ones. I'll also be sharing cozy puzzles that you can work on, as well my general thoughts on books and movies. 

Oh, and since cats are themselves cozy mysteries, you'll also get acquainted with my two new kittens, Bell and Fiona.

So grab some popcorn (or whatever the snack of your choice is) and come join the fun on Caboodle of Cozies!