Little Free Libraries - There's a Cozy Mystery for That

Little Free Library - mixed media
acrylic, magazine scraps, ink stamps, pen

Several years ago now, over dinner my son explained something new he had learned at school (yes sometimes children do have an answer to the "What did you do at school today?" question) something called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. What is that you might ask? Well, the phrase originally came from a West German militant group that formed in the 1970s that included two members with the names Baader and Meinhof, but in the 1990s was used to describe that thing that happens to us when we see or hear something and then it continues to crop up. True to form, shortly after my son explained Baader-Meinhof to me I read it in a book and then encountered it somewhere else. Too strange.

How does this relate to today's post you might ask, well remember about two or three posts back I mentioned my librarian friend's Little Free Library that she has in her yard? I had taken a book (how i became stupid) which I read and reviewed here. Meanwhile, I needed a new audiobook title to listen to and searched on new additions (see post on The Murder at the House of Rooster Happiness) and found A Most Curious Murder by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli. This cozy mystery opens with the destruction of a Little Library built by the narrator's deceased father, and maintained by her mother. In a Michigan town with no library of its own, this Little Library served the community and its loss is seen as an outrage. Soon after, the man suspected of committing the vandalism is found murdered. Obviously, there is more to the story of just a vandal at work.

In the course of my reading life I have come across many a cozy mystery story. If you have an interest or a passion for something there is a cozy mystery out there for you. Do you like cooking or baking? There is Diane Mott Davidson's catering series or Joanna Fluke's bakery series. Need something to drink with those yummy treats? Try a tea shop mystery by Laura Childs or a coffee house mystery by Cleo Coyle. Do you knit, quilt, do needlepoint? There's Maggie Sefton, Earlene Fowler, and Monica Ferris.  Maybe you're into gardening, or vintage cookware, antiques, fixer-uppers, Bed and Breakfasts, libraries, I could go on all day, but the point is there is a cozy mystery out there to match any and all of your interests. Just think about it for a while and our old friend Baader-Meinhof will make sure you come across just what you need.

Vintage Kitchens and Cozy Mysteries

Hoosier Cabinet

We are warned to be wary of multitasking, that our brains are not wired to handle doing several of tasks at once and doing them all well. In one instance I disagree, I'm a fan of 'reading' while walking. Exercising might not be one of my favorite things, but listening to an audiobook (reading is one of my favorite things) helps to make the miles go quicker especially if I'm on the treadmill.  Installing the Overdrive app on my phone was a brilliant move on my part. Just log into my local library, search for a new title to listen to, download, and off I go down the road.


That's how I found Victoria Hamilton's Vintage Kitchen Mysteries featuring budding cookbook author, collector of vintage cookbooks and cookware, and amateur sleuth - Jaymie Leighton. The first in the series, A Deadly Grind  centered around a hidden object in a Hoosier cabinet that Jaymie had purchased at an estate auction. I was pleased to see how an author could create a story around a piece of furniture that I had in my very own dining room.  My piece is a hand-me-down from my aunt and uncle when they downsized from a larger home when they retired.

The ensuing stories have all revolved around different vintage items that Jaymie has acquired or is researching for her writing projects (I've only gotten through the first three novels so I can't speak for all the titles). I too like to collect dinner and glassware. With the passing of my grandmothers and great aunts I have selected items from their kitchens as a way to remember them and their homes. The little blue and white doll pictured is actually a set of nesting measuring cups. The two small monks are a pepper and salt shaker set, and the larger one is designed to hold some other condiment such as mustard. His head is removable and there is a small spoon to ladle out the contents.

Doll is actually nesting measuring
cups. 

Vintage kitchenware - Monks
are salt and pepper shakers,
large monk's head comes off
and there is a small spoon.