More on Cozies

I've been thinking about my previous post on cozies and I realized I didn't mention the main reason I like cozies! Cozies are comforting.

This weekend when I was looking for something to read, I realized how important the comfort element is to me. My tendonitis has been hurting a lot, I feel overwhelmed with grading (I'm behind because of the tendonitis), and I'm worried about Saffron. I wasn't in the mood for a medical thriller (too graphic), a psychological thriller (too scary and/or unrealistic), or a police procedural (too graphic). I realized I needed a cozy! In cozies the violence usually take place off stage and the focus is on how the crime effects the characters' lives. There are lots of descriptions of food, settings, and wonderful characters. When you need a comforting visit with old friends, a cozy series is even better. The fact that the murderer is always brought to justice at the end of the book is also comforting.

Thinking about this made me remember that reading a cozy (a book in Dorothy Cannell's series) help me cope with 9/11. When I couldn't take any more unthinkable tragedy, I curled with one of her books and I was transported to a little village in England where I didn't have to think about anything else. When I saw Dorothy at Magna cum Murder that October, I told her why I now considered her books comfort reading and we both cried. She has new book this year and I can hardly wait to read it!

Need comfort? Read a cozy.