Tag: paranormal women’s fiction

Posted in Bookish Thoughts

What Makes a Ghost Story Cozy?

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

There is something about a good ghost story that just feels right in October.

Maybe it’s the old house on the cover. Maybe it’s the promise of a forgotten secret, a family mystery, or a story that has been waiting for someone to uncover it. Or maybe it’s simply the fact that there is something wonderfully fun reading about a haunted house while sitting safely in your own home with a cup of coffee and absolutely no intention of investigating any strange noises you might hear.

Because yes, I love ghost stories.

But what makes a ghost story cozy?

For me, it isn’t necessarily about the ghost itself. It’s about everything surrounding the ghost. The setting, the history, the mystery, the characters, and that feeling of being invited into a story that has been quietly waiting for someone to discover it.

I Want Somewhere Interesting to Go

One of the first things that draws me into a ghost story is the setting. Give me an old house with a history and I’m interested. Give me an old house with a locked room, a dusty attic, an overgrown garden, old photographs, and a family secret nobody wants to talk about, and now I really want to know what’s going on.

I love when a setting feels like more than just a backdrop. A grand old manor, a forgotten estate, a little village with a complicated past, or a cottage tucked away somewhere in the countryside can make me feel like I’ve stepped into another world for a few hours.

And this is one of those things I much prefer experiencing through a book. I can happily explore a supposedly haunted mansion from the safety of my reading chair. If someone actually invited me to investigate one after dark, however, I would suddenly have a very full calendar.

Give Me the Story Behind the Story

History is another big part of the appeal for me. I don’t just want to know that a ghost is haunting a particular place. I want to know who that person was before they became the ghost everyone is talking about.

What was her life like? Who did she love? What happened to her? Why did her story disappear? Who remembers her, and who would rather forget?

I love when a present-day mystery opens a door into the past. Suddenly I’m learning about another generation, another family, another time period, or an event that happened decades ago. The ghost becomes a connection between two stories, and I get to discover both of them at the same time.

That’s one of the things I love about historical fiction in general, and adding a little mystery and the possibility of a haunting makes it even more interesting to me.

Sometimes the Ghost Is the Least Interesting Part

That probably sounds strange coming from someone writing about ghost stories, but hear me out.

Sometimes I don’t actually need the ghost to be frightening. I find it much more interesting when the ghost has a reason for being there. Maybe there is something unfinished. Maybe an old injustice was never resolved. Maybe someone died with a secret that was never uncovered. Maybe the ghost isn’t trying to frighten the living at all. Maybe she’s trying to tell them something.

That’s when I start getting invested.

The question stops being, “What is that ghost going to do?” and becomes, “What happened to this person?”

And once I’m asking that question, I’m no longer simply reading a spooky story. I’m trying to uncover someone’s history.

I Like Stories That Let Me Wonder

I also appreciate a book that doesn’t feel the need to explain everything immediately.

Give me a strange photograph and let me wonder about it for a while. Let someone mention an old family story that doesn’t quite make sense. Give me a room nobody talks about or a piece of information that seems insignificant until several chapters later.

I like putting pieces together.

There is something satisfying about realizing that two little details I’ve been carrying around in the back of my mind actually belong together. I don’t need the author to announce every clue with a flashing neon sign. I want to notice some of them myself.

That kind of mystery gives me something to do as a reader beyond simply turning pages.

The People Still Matter Most

For all my love of old houses, historical secrets, mysterious photographs, and ghosts, I still need to care about the people in the story.

That’s what separates a book I enjoy from one I simply finish.

Maybe the story is about grief. Maybe it’s about family. Maybe someone is trying to understand something that happened to a relative many years ago. Maybe an old secret has affected generations of people without anyone really understanding why.

Whatever the underlying story is, I want it to matter.

The ghost might be what gets my attention, but the people are what keep me reading. I want to understand their choices, their relationships, their losses, and what they’re hoping to find by the time the mystery is finally resolved.

If I can become emotionally invested in the story while I’m also trying to figure out what happened, that’s when you’ve really got me.

And Yes, the Way I Read It Matters

There is also a very practical side to my definition of cozy.

I want to read these books when I’m settled in. Fall is probably the perfect time because everything about the season seems to cooperate. The cooler weather, the earlier sunsets, the blankets, the coffee, the tea, the candles, the books waiting on my nightstand. All of it creates the right mood.

But the book itself doesn’t have to be set in October for me to enjoy it that way.

For me, cozy reading is really about slowing down enough to enjoy the story. I don’t necessarily want to race through it. I want to notice the setting, get attached to the characters, wonder about the clues, and spend some time in the world the author has created.

And if that happens to involve a haunted house?

Even better.

So, What Makes It Cozy?

I think I’ve finally figured out what I mean when I call a ghost story cozy.

It isn’t because nothing strange happens. It isn’t because the story is completely comfortable or predictable. And it certainly isn’t because I think ghosts themselves are particularly cuddly.

It’s because the story gives me something I enjoy settling into.

I get a fascinating setting, a little history, a mystery to unravel, characters I care about, and just enough of the unexplained to keep me wondering. The ghost becomes part of a larger story instead of being the entire story.

That’s the combination that works for me.

I want to feel curious. I want to feel a little unsettled in the best possible way. I want to wonder what happened and why the past is still reaching into the present. Most of all, I want to finish the book feeling like I was taken somewhere interesting and given a story worth remembering.

And preferably, I want to experience all of this from the safety of my favorite chair.

Because I’m perfectly happy to read about the haunted old house.

I’m just not going inside it.

Especially after dark.

Photo by Peter Herrmann on Unsplash
Posted in Book Recommendations

If You Like Ghost Stories, Read Jaime Jo Wright

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

It all started with a book. 

I picked up The Bookshop of 99 Doors, and somewhere between the old secrets, the mystery, the supernatural elements, and the questions I couldn’t stop trying to answer, I realized I’d found an author who writes exactly the kind of stories I love.

That author is Jaime Jo Wright.

Since then, I’ve read and reviewed several of her novels, including The House on Foster Hill, The Curse of Misty Wayfair, The Souls of Lost Lake, Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse, The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond, and The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall. And somewhere along the way, I realized this wasn’t just a case of finding an author I enjoyed.

I’d found a very particular kind of book.

Give me an old house with a history. Give me a mystery that stretches across generations. Give me a ghost, a few unanswered questions, a little faith, and just enough creepiness to make me look over my shoulder every now and then.

Now we’re talking.

That’s why Jaime Jo Wright has become such a natural fit for my reading life, and why her books fit so well here at Clean Reads & Cozy Sips.

She Writes the Kind of Ghost Stories I Love

What draws me into Jaime Jo Wright’s books is the way the supernatural element fits into a larger mystery.

There are old places with stories of their own, strange happenings, unanswered questions, and pieces of the past that refuse to stay buried. Her dual-timeline stories give me two mysteries to follow, and I love watching those pieces slowly come together.

I don’t need constant scares to stay interested. Give me a locked door, an old photograph, a suspicious death, or a story from decades ago that doesn’t quite make sense, and I’m ready to start forming theories.

That’s the kind of suspense I enjoy.

Give Me Something to Figure Out

I especially appreciate that her books give me questions without making me feel like I need to brace myself for a horror story.

I want to wonder what happened. I want to notice the clues. I want to change my mind halfway through the book because I’ve decided I’ve figured everything out, only to discover that I absolutely have not.

And yes, I will have theories.

Some will even be correct.

That’s part of the fun.

The mystery keeps me reading, while the supernatural elements add another layer to the story. I can enjoy the eerie atmosphere without needing the book to become increasingly disturbing just for the sake of suspense.

The People Matter, Too

The mysteries may be what pull me in, but the characters are what make me stay.

Jaime Jo Wright’s stories deal with things like grief, family history, loss, regret, forgiveness, and faith. The past isn’t simply there to provide a spooky backdrop. What happened to the people who came before still matters to the people living in the present.

That’s where her books become more than mysteries with ghosts in them.

There is usually an emotional story underneath everything else, and that’s the part that tends to stick with me after I’ve finished reading.

Faith Fits Naturally Into the Story

As a Christian reader, I also appreciate the presence of faith in her books.

I’m not looking for a sermon disguised as a novel. I want characters who are dealing with real circumstances and wrestling with questions that matter. Faith can be part of their lives without turning the entire story into a lesson.

That balance works for me, especially when I’m choosing books intentionally.

I can enjoy the mystery, the history, and the supernatural elements while still reading stories that fit the kind of fiction I want on my shelves.

Why Jaime Jo Wright Became a Favorite

I think it comes down to finding an author whose books consistently give me the reading experience I enjoy.

I want mystery that makes me curious. I want history that gives a story depth. I want supernatural elements that make me wonder without pushing me into horror. And I want characters whose stories mean something.

Jaime Jo Wright brings those things together in a way that keeps me coming back.

Which is probably why her books fit so naturally here at Clean Reads & Cozy Sips.

My Jaime Jo Wright Reading List

If you’re curious about where my Jaime Jo Wright journey has taken me so far, these are the books I’ve read and reviewed:

And I’m not finished yet.

Because I have discovered that one of the easiest ways to get me to pick up a book is to put an old building, a mysterious history, a ghost story, and a little faith between the covers.

Add a cup of coffee and a blanket, and I’m pretty much yours.

Just don’t ask me to investigate the haunted house myself.

I’ll be over here reading about it.

Looking for your next clean read?

That’s what I’m doing here at Clean Reads & Cozy Sips. I’m sharing the books I’m reading, the stories that keep me turning pages, and the cozy drinks that make reading even better. If you enjoy clean fiction, Christian fiction, mysteries, historical stories, or a little gentle paranormal intrigue, stick around and see what I’m reading next.

Posted in Book Collections & Shelves

Ten Cozy Mysteries for Summer Reading

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

As someone who is still getting her reading mojo back, I’m going to cheat a little on this one. Don’t worry – I’ll probably revisit this topic more than once.

I don’t have a list of my top ten cozy mysteries for summer. What I do have is a list of my top ten cozy paranormal mysteries for summer.

All by the same author.

How’s that for efficiency?

My sister and niece introduced me to the Southern Ghost Hunter series, and they absolutely nailed my reading vibe. I love mysteries. I love ghost stories. And if you stick around here long enough, you’ll probably hear me talk about both quite a bit.

Now, you may be thinking, “Ghost stories? Aren’t those better suited for fall?”

Honestly, you’re not wrong. I may very well revisit this list when Halloween rolls around.

For now, though, these are my favorite cozy summer ghost stories. Why summer? Because every one of them takes place in the South, where the weather is hot, the sweet tea is cold, the pecan pie is plentiful, and somebody is always firing up a barbecue.

These are listed in no particular order of favorites.

1. Southern Spirits

This is where it all begins. The story takes place in a fictional Georgia town known for peaches and pecans—which, when combined and topped with ice cream, make a dessert worthy of its own book review. But I digress. We’re here for books, not pie.

Southern Spirits introduces Verity Long, who inherits her grandmother’s house and accidentally traps a 1920s gangster ghost on the property. One accidental ghost imprisonment later, Verity can suddenly see and talk to spirits. Naturally, chaos follows.

2. The Skeleton in the Closet

The second book doesn’t disappoint. This time, Verity and Frankie investigate a murder that takes place in the town library. Because apparently even libraries can’t escape murder mysteries.

3. The Haunted Heist

Verity tries to focus on something other than ghosts for a change. Unfortunately, her boss ends up dead, and a gangster ghost may have information about the crime. Before long, Verity and Frankie plunge headfirst into another mystery and plenty of chaos.

4. Deader Homes and Gardens

Next, Verity takes a job at the creepiest mansion in town. She plans to identify the murderer and exorcise the resident ghosts.

The ghosts, however, have their own plans.

5. Sweet Tea and Spirits

When a prestigious local society invites Verity to join, she thinks she’s finally moving up in the world. Then someone discovers a dead body at the society’s headquarters.

As usual, Verity drags Frankie along while she untangles the mystery.

6. Murder on the Sugarland Express

Verity and her boyfriend plan a romantic train trip through the Tennessee mountains. Unfortunately, the train comes with a haunted history.

It doesn’t take long before the past crashes into the present and derails what should have been a romantic weekend.

7. The Mint Julep Murders

This time, Frankie needs Verity’s help. Together, they assist a gangster ghost with a colorful past that leads them straight to a haunted asylum.

As the body count rises, Verity’s simple plan – help the ghost and get out – becomes considerably more complicated.

8. Southern Bread and Dead

Verity volunteers at a church charity event, expecting a fairly normal day.

Instead, a longtime family friend turns up dead.

As old secrets begin surfacing, Verity discovers that some members of the congregation have worked very hard to keep the past buried.

9. Give Up the Ghost

High school reunions already have a reputation for dredging up old memories.

This reunion takes things a step further.

When ghosts from the past start pulling the living into decades-old conflicts, Verity and Frankie race to uncover the truth.

You may never look at a class reunion the same way again.

10. Death at the Drive-In

Finally, a seventy-year-old cold case returns to the spotlight when new evidence emerges in the death of a young girl.

While the police follow the physical evidence, Verity and Frankie consult the ghostly witnesses. Together, they help solve a murder that has remained unsolved for decades.

Final Thoughts

These books fall around a Level 2 on the intimacy scale and contain only mild swearing. Some of the hauntings get intense, but the stories never venture into anything occult or dark. They’re simply fun ghost stories wrapped around engaging murder mysteries.

One of the things I appreciate most about Angie Fox’s writing is her commitment to character development. She builds a cast you genuinely enjoy spending time with while delivering mysteries that keep the pages turning. Most importantly, she never forgets to make the stories fun.

Of course, this list only covers paranormal mysteries. The next time I put together a summer mystery recommendation list, I may actually include books that don’t involve ghosts.

Although, let’s be honest.

That seems highly unlikely.