Proof that great minds think alike! Canadian Reader and I both picked up The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, by Alexandra Benedict as gifts for each other! :-) An excellent read, but no cozy. Author likes Dickens, keep that in mind. She also has puzzles and so on scattered throughout the book (it's all explained in the front) so that makes it fun, too. Lonely, curmudgeonly, but well known crossword puzzle setter, Edie, receives a package ... containing six puzzle pieces and a message. They show part of a crime scene (including part of a body) and the warning that there will be more if she doesn't figure out the puzzle in time. There are more bodies, and the threats are getting more personal. Edie reaches out to the one family member to help. Secrets from the past surface, bad/sad memories and so on (remember, the author likes Dickens). A rather grim, but overall it was a great winter read.

Remember the phrase "and now for something completely different" from Monty Python? Well, that's what this book was ... for me, at least! It is NOT a mystery, not even close. I think (gasp) it can be considered a rom com! When the woman in charge of, well, most everything, at the school her kids attend cancels all the events leading up to Christmas, Melody decides to step up and take over. She enlists the help of family (including twin boys, aged 10) and friends to help. The results are funny, and uplifting (mostly) and, well, romancy. The Christmas Cookie Wars, by Eliza Evans was a nice read, although not the type of book I am likely to read again. It was Christmas, though, and it looked fun! ;-)

Reading Hermit With Dog