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Just because I'm a cozy author doesn't mean I only read small town murder mysteries. I only actually discovered the cozy genre a few years ago. I read in many genres, the only real exclusions being graphic horror and poetry. Oh, and I don't read books about witches. I just haven't had good experiences with witch books, so if I'm reading the back cover copy and I see the word 'witch', I make myself put it down.

I’ve always loved to read. In my nearly 45 years, I’ve had many favorite authors.

In the 90s, I was into R.L. Stine thrillers (not Goosebumps, I don’t think I ever read those) and The Babysitters Club books.

In the early 2000s, I read a lot of Jodi Picoult and Wally Lamb. I still remember racing home from work to finish reading My Sister's Keeper, and bawling. My own sister happened to call me a few minutes later, and I was blubbering into the phone. She was shocked that I could be so affected by a book.

In the 2010s, I read a lot of Liane Moriarty and really enjoyed a couple books by Helen Russell.

In the last five years, five authors have consistently made me giddy to read. Here they are: 

Frederik Backman

Most people know Frederik Backman for A Man Called Ove, but I read My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She’s Sorry after grabbing it randomly from some books my mom lent to me. I loved that book, and quickly went down a rabbit hole of listening to the audio of all of Backman's other books. My favorites are Britt-Marie Was Here, Anxious People and The Beartown series. I loved the Beartown books so much that I asked for hard copies of all three books for Christmas that year.

The most interesting thing about Backman's writing is that he can write characters so well that you'd think he's lived a million lives. A teen girl? He nails it. A woman in her sixties or seventies? You'd think he got a ghost writer. He puts you in the shoes of so many different types of characters, and gets their emotions so right, that you can't help but be amazed by his storytelling.

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Julie Mulhern

As a cozy writer and reader, I've read a lot of very sweet and sugary small town mysteries. The one day, I saw an ad online for the first book in The Country Club Murders series by Julie Mulhern. It had a ridiculous amount of good reviews, so I downloaded the audio book. Needless to say, I was hooked, and in less than two years, I have listened to all nineteen (twenty? twenty one?) books in the series. 

This series takes place in the 1970s in Kansas City, Missouri. The main character is in her thirties and comes from money. She's sarcastic and in love with her Mr. Coffee coffee maker. Her best friend is hilarious and her mother is a pain in the rear. 

These books are NOT sugary sweet. Book one in particular, The Deep End, has sexual themes, but is otherwise cozy (no graphic violence, no sex, no real language). Give it a try!

Ann Patchett

Is it weird to regret having gone thirty something years in my life without discovering Ann Patchett and her writing? Ann Patchett the person is a total delight, and her writing moves me and makes me want to be a better writer.

Ann's books are character heavy with plots based on the character interactions. They would be called literary fiction or contemporary fiction. If you're looking for a wild ride, her books aren't for you. If you love a unique inciting incident to the story, Ann is your gal.

I recently watched an interview with Ann in which she mentioned off-hand, "Most of what I write is about things I know nothing about" (I'm paraphrasing). But honestly, she writes about hostage situations and opera, cherry picking and acting, medical research and going deep into the Amazon, and so much more. She hasn't done all of those things, but she writes about them deftly.

I'm also in love with Ann's non-fiction books. I've listened to them on audio because they are narrated by her, and she's a fantastic narrator.

I recommend most of her books on audio: The Dutch House (narrated by Tom Hanks), Commonwealth, State of Wonder...I could go on and on.

Allison Larkin

The People We Keep was the first book I read by Allison Larkin, and I absolutely loved it (the audio is great, highly recommended). I went on to read her back list and enjoyed all of her titles. She has a new one coming out this year, Home of the American Circus, and I cannot wait to read it.

Alix E. Harrow

You might know this name because Alix's book The Ten Thousand Doors of January was everywhere a few years ago. And with good reason. That book is on my forever shelf, and I've re-read it recently (something I don't often do, but just really wanted to immerse myself in January's world again).

Alix is a gifted writer and specializes in magical realism. She creates characters with deep and interesting backstories and issues to work through. I really enjoyed her latest full-length book, Starling House, and her fairy tale novellas. Since I don't read books with witches, so I have not read one of her more popular books, but I'm sure it's great.

I sincerely hope you find a new author or book in these recommendations!

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