The last two years felt like the longest year ever, but to be honest, I didn’t hate it. I mean, there were things I truly loathed about them. But I very much dislikes crowds and loves spending time at home, so kind of being forced to stay in was quite nice. I tried new things, got my house picked up, and discovered the joy of audiobooks. I’m excitedly fully vaccinated and I’m so glad we’re now able to go do things if we want to. But I can’t say I don’t miss the flexibility of working from home. Anyway – this post is all about a genre of audiobooks (the best cozy mysteries, in fact) I discovered and that really got me through the rough parts of 2020/2021.
For all these books it was super important that the plots be enjoyable (obv), but also the person reading the book was enjoyable to listen to. You know what I mean – some narrators just don’t jive, but these are all up to snuff. It was also important to be that the plots be simple enough that I could zone in and out as I was working on different tasks. So without further ado – scroll for the list! P.S. Tomorrow is National Read a Book Day so get on it!
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DAISY DALRYMPLE MYSTERIES
This isn’t the first series I got into, but it was the first I got the most into. We didn’t have internet at our place and data was terrible. Chris had a class in Oklahoma, so before he left, we took a trip to town for supplies and I borrowed and downloaded as many of the series as I could so I would have something to listen to as I unpacked our house and it. was. lovely.
MRS. JEFFERIES
When I started this series, I really just wanted something cozy. I had been stuck on the 1920’s series and didn’t want to break from that, but I’d burned through my library’s options and there’s so many of these books so I kind of relented. But I’m here to recommend it because they are so cute. They are at times suspenseful, at times silly, but overall very cozy and the mysteries are interesting to follow along with without being overly complicated.
GASLIGHT MYSTERIES
This was sort of the most Hallmark of the top 3 series I discovered. But the mysteries were really interesting and I think you fall in love with the characters. There were two narrators (I think) for this series and both were okay. I didn’t like them as much as some other narrators, but they didn’t get in the way of plunging into the story – obviously the most important. I want to know what happens to the characters as much (if not more) than I want to read the next mystery.
MISC. COZY MYSTERY SERIES
A LADY’S GUIDE
This series is so adorable. I wish there were more. I really liked the narrative first-person perspective and I like the character relationships and back and forth in the dialogue. With many of these books, characters can be a little be flat or their actions very predictable (that’s sort of what makes them easy to read, actually). But there were a good amount of “human” moments. Characters sometimes acted a little unexpectedly, but still stayed tru to themselves.
HIGH SOCIETY LADY DETECTIVE
This series gives me similar vibe to A Lady’s Guide. The time period is different and there are different themes connecting the characters. But the relationship between the main character and the secondary characters are really fun. I love the hints and clues and growing relationship between the main female character and the main male character.
KATE SHACKLETON
This was the first series I discovered and actually I read one of the books in book form first. I enjoyed it so I looked up the series and found it on Libby and downloaded a couple. My mom and I listened to a couple on the drive out to California from Colorado. But my library didn’t have all the books, so I ended up moving on to Daisy Dalrymple. This series isn’t as cozy as most of these others – not quite so Hallmark. But still not super intense and the story lines are really interesting!
STELLA & LYNDY MYSTERY
When I say I like mysteries with a romance element. I just want my characters to be happily ever after, okay. But I need action, not drama. Anyway, this series has been super cute so far. There’s a few of the really popular Booktok tropes included (forced proximity, arranged marriage), but it’s mystery heavy and I love that. I’m only two books into this series, but I’m loving it so far!
EVIE PARKER
This is the newest series to me in this genre. I’ve only gotten through one book, but I really enjoyed it! There’s quite a few books in the series so I’m excited to get to know the characters a little better!
