In home decor, Danish “Hygge” is the trend. Roughly translated, hygge is anything which gives one a feeling of coziness, contentment and comfort. Think: plush rugs, soft fabrics, gentle hues, shimmering candles, clean lines, overstuffed chairs. Sounds like heaven, right?
Hygge-ness (is that a word?) comes in book form as well. In fact, it’s part of this genre’s name. Say hello to the Cozy Mystery!
According to our friend Wikipedia, Cozy Mysteries are “a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.” Cozies tend to have a clever, likable main character (often a woman), lush, intimate settings (where neighbors know one another’s business), and a crime which has happened off-page. Readers are free to settle in to the Cozy’s quaint community with a likable cast of characters and puzzle alongside a novice or wanna-be detective who stumbles upon a mystery.
Make no mistake, however. Cozy Mysteries don’t just focus on lost cats or grandma’s missing ring. Much of the stumbling the main characters do is over dead bodies. And in the pursuit of truth, the main character might unknowingly put themselves in grave danger, though always live to tell the tale.
Interested in trying a little hygge reading? Here are a few great ones to get you started.
Happy reading!
