An Old Friend

I settled in, under my fuzzy faux fur blanket, fluffed the pillows behind my back, and put my reading glasses on. I was ready to meet up with an old friend. As you may or may not know I am an avid reader. My favorite books are those known as "Cozy Mysteries" , be it English or American based matters not to me, though it is nice to escape to the Cotswold's, a remote region in England filled with thatch cottages and all the quaint villages there filled with quirky characters. Such was the case last night when I cracked the cover of the latest Nancy Atherton novel in the Aunt Dimity series that I have followed from the beginning. This go around would be Aunt Dimity & The Family Tree.

Who is Aunt Dimity. Well she is not what you may expect. She is a ghost. How can a ghost solve mysteries? Well it is not unheard of , but in this case she helps, via text written out in answer to questions the main character may ask or discuss with her. She is quite wise, often thinks outside the box and can see all from her vantage point in the other realm. The main Character, our investigator of the crimes that happen in the small town of Finch is Lori Shephard. She is an American transplant to England, 30 something, mother of twin boys, married to her lawyer husband, and they live in a cottage willed to her by her Aunt Dimity, who really was just a close family friend. Her Father in law  lives near by, also a transplant to be near his family, and she has a wonderful array of friends who make up the small village in which she lives...of course there is always the new person in town that helps shape the mystery that is about to happen.  Like most great characters in cozy mysteries, seems to always put her nose where it does not belong and her foot right into the middle of it all. And the fun begins!! In the authors own words they "....take me on the most magical journey of my life, a journey filled with mystery and history, romance and fantasy, laughter and heartache,  many, many surprises, and, oh, yes, yummy recipes!" Now who could resist that??

From the very first time I read one of the Aunt Dimity books Aunt Dimity's Death I was hooked!I instantly felt like I had met an old friend, jumped right into the middle of her life and made a wonderful connection that would last. I was along for the ride and I loved it! As I wrote on the guest book on the web site for the author, "With the first page I feel as if I am reconnecting with an old friend and by the last I am so very sorry to see her go" . That is exactly how I feel. When the book is over and the book is closed, I feel a slight emptiness , well of course till I grab another cozy mystery and meet up with another friend....but shhhhh don't tell the author ! 

I simply adore that with such a simple act of opening a book I can escape all the money and health woes I deal with, all the stress, and anxiety slip away and for the time that I am lost within the pages a warm fuzzy feeling come over me....just as if I was hugging Lori Shephards faithful companion from childhood, a gift from Aunt Dimity, the pink bunny Reginald. And I am comforted and happy and I can hardly wait till each bedtime arrives and I can have that feeling again and be right there as the mysteries unravel, and work themselves out as the pages are turned.