Sometimes, I just want to read books that I know I'll enjoy and that don't require too much thought or effort. Not necessarily fluff books, but easy, comfortable books.
Joanne Fluke's series of Hannah Swensen mysteries fits this bill perfectly. There's 16 books in the series (not counting the cookbook and a couple short stories that show up as a compilation with other authors), so it's nice to not have to think about what book I'm going to read next upon finishing a book. I just go grab the next in the series. Like I said, easy!
One of the things I like about the books is the inclusion of recipes throughout the story. I have never considered myself much of a baker, I tend to prefer cooking to baking, but the last few months I've really started to enjoy eating cookies, so these books are perfect! The main character, Hannah, owns a bakery called the Cookie Jar and many of the recipes are for cookies. I've decided to make a different cookie every month or so to give my life a little variation from the standard peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies.
These books are kind of like the old TV series, Murder She Wrote, in that you have to overlook the fact that one person is always stumbling across murders...someone who isn't a cop or detective but a normal person...and then goes about solving those murders better than the professionals. And that all these murders are happening in a small town where everyone knows each other. I do like that the author doesn't mind killing off past characters, not just the one she happens to introduce in the current book. No major characters are killed off, that I remember - I'm only on book 7 in my reread of the series - which I also like. I like most of the major characters and don't want to read about them dying.
About the characters, most of them are good people that are fun to read about. Hannah has a couple flaws that bug me, but no one is perfect, I guess. She studied to be an English professor but moved home to open up The Cookie Jar when her dad passed away. She's constantly correcting people's grammar, sometimes just in her head but other times directly to the person. This is a big pet peeve of mine, especially when the person knows what the speaker meant. She's also a bit of a know-it-all, which can annoy at times. Finally, she has this attraction to one of the guys in the series and at first it's okay because he's nice. But by the time you get to where I'm at, he's a jerk and yet she falls into his arms every time he comes around - even when she's mad at him for being a jerk! The author tries to make Hannah out to be an "independent woman" but this bit kind of spoils it. Luckily, there's a really nice guy in the picture, too. I seem to remember that by the end of book 16 Hannah still hasn't settled with either one. Oh well. At least it isn't too central a plot point in most of the books. Everyone else is fairly likeable without seeming too perfect and unrealistic.
The murders aren't especially complex or boggling but I haven't always been able to figure out who the murderer is (I don't try hard because I don't like to know) before the reveal.
Joanne Fluke is no Agatha Christie (but then, who is??) but I really enjoy her books and the recipes I've made so far from her books.
Joanne Fluke's series of Hannah Swensen mysteries fits this bill perfectly. There's 16 books in the series (not counting the cookbook and a couple short stories that show up as a compilation with other authors), so it's nice to not have to think about what book I'm going to read next upon finishing a book. I just go grab the next in the series. Like I said, easy!
One of the things I like about the books is the inclusion of recipes throughout the story. I have never considered myself much of a baker, I tend to prefer cooking to baking, but the last few months I've really started to enjoy eating cookies, so these books are perfect! The main character, Hannah, owns a bakery called the Cookie Jar and many of the recipes are for cookies. I've decided to make a different cookie every month or so to give my life a little variation from the standard peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies.
These books are kind of like the old TV series, Murder She Wrote, in that you have to overlook the fact that one person is always stumbling across murders...someone who isn't a cop or detective but a normal person...and then goes about solving those murders better than the professionals. And that all these murders are happening in a small town where everyone knows each other. I do like that the author doesn't mind killing off past characters, not just the one she happens to introduce in the current book. No major characters are killed off, that I remember - I'm only on book 7 in my reread of the series - which I also like. I like most of the major characters and don't want to read about them dying.
About the characters, most of them are good people that are fun to read about. Hannah has a couple flaws that bug me, but no one is perfect, I guess. She studied to be an English professor but moved home to open up The Cookie Jar when her dad passed away. She's constantly correcting people's grammar, sometimes just in her head but other times directly to the person. This is a big pet peeve of mine, especially when the person knows what the speaker meant. She's also a bit of a know-it-all, which can annoy at times. Finally, she has this attraction to one of the guys in the series and at first it's okay because he's nice. But by the time you get to where I'm at, he's a jerk and yet she falls into his arms every time he comes around - even when she's mad at him for being a jerk! The author tries to make Hannah out to be an "independent woman" but this bit kind of spoils it. Luckily, there's a really nice guy in the picture, too. I seem to remember that by the end of book 16 Hannah still hasn't settled with either one. Oh well. At least it isn't too central a plot point in most of the books. Everyone else is fairly likeable without seeming too perfect and unrealistic.
The murders aren't especially complex or boggling but I haven't always been able to figure out who the murderer is (I don't try hard because I don't like to know) before the reveal.
Joanne Fluke is no Agatha Christie (but then, who is??) but I really enjoy her books and the recipes I've made so far from her books.