Top Ten Tuesday - Reasons I Love Cozy Mysteries

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Reasons I Love ...  and I decided to fill in that blank with my favorite genre - cozy mysteries!  So here are 10 reasons why I love cozy mysteries!

1.  The variety of interests- Feel like reading about food or books or crafting or home remodeling?  Or just about anything else?  There's a cozy for that!  Granted there's also going to be at least one murder involved with all the rest but there's a lot of the other stuff too.

2.  The community - Most cozies take place in a small town and even if they don't there is very much a community feel to them.  The main character has a group of quirky friends, or coworkers, or employees or family that makes you feel like you're visiting old friends when you pick up the next book in the series.

3.  The variety of characters - Some sleuths are in the early 20s, some are in their 50s, there's single women, and married women with or without kids, the occasional divorced woman (also with or without kids), and even the occasional man.  They are professional people, small business owners, stay at home moms.  Just about everything you can think of.  The only real thing they have in common is that they are all basically nosy and know LOTS of people who get murdered or who are involved in murder investigations.

4. They're just plain cozy - Some are funny, some are a bit cutesy, some are a little more serious but whatever they are you know they won't be too creepy or too grisly.  It's going to be a comfortable, entertaining, cozy read.

5.  They're a bit predictable but in a good way - A character I've really grown to love isn't going to be the victim (or the killer), children or pets will not be in danger, and the bad person will be found.

6. The titles - Hands down cozy mysteries have the best titles if you love a good pun.  I love seeing just what they'll come up with next.

7.  They frequently dig into cold cases - Cold cases are my very favorite mysteries to read about and they frequently come up in cozies.  Sometimes the main character has a mystery about her family or where she came from, sometimes a diary is found in a wall or in the attic, sometimes a body is dug up in a yard, or a major clue shows in a trunk that was auctioned off. 

8.  They're good for traveling vicariously - whether it's an adorable inn in New England, a bookstore in a small town in California, or a bakery in Oregon cozies are usually set in a place I'd like to visit.  And since traveling isn't really happening right now cozies are a good substitute.

9.  They're good for whatever mood you're in - This is mostly due to the variety I mentioned earlier.  Want something funny?  About family connections?  Paranormal?  Foodie?  Crafty?  A cozy usually has you and their perfect when you're feeling in need of a gentle or light read.

10.  I might learn a thing or two - One of the fun things about the variety of interests and locations in cozy mysteries is that they frequently involve things I don't know much about and they're a great place to jump start just about any interest.

What do you love about your favorite genre?