If you are on any sort of social media, and your algorithm includes bookish content, you have undoubtably been hit with a wave of cozy recommendations lately!
Cozy books seem to be all over my social media for the past few months and I have been loving every minute of content.
What is a cozy read?
A book that feels like a hot cup of coffee on a blustery day. A book that feels like curling up in front of a warm fireplace while it snows outside. A book that is comforting, familiar, kind.
In short, a cozy book is a slice of life story with little to no stakes, but still maintains a bit of whimsy and magic.
I have been eating these books up this year! I simply cannot get enough of this wonderful genre. So, I wanted to share some of my favorites with you!
If you are new to the cozy genre, here are five books to start you on your journey!
Legends and Lattes
by Travis Baldree
Arguably, the book that started this whole craze for the cozy fantasy.
Viv, a hired orc assassin, decides to give up her life of pillaging and plundering to open a coffee shop.
I loved this book so much! Someone described it as "What happens to the characters in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign once the campaign ends... And this is exactly that! A high fantasy world full of the most lovable characters I've ever met. This story is all about found family, community, and believing in your dreams.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
by Sangu Mandanna
In this world, witches are not allowed to live together, coexist together, or befriend one another outside of occasional, very secret gatherings. Until one day, Mika Moon is invited to become the governess to three young sister witches in order to help them hone their magic abilities.
I picked this book up because it was described to me as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic and that could not be more accurate! This book is all about found family, self acceptance and self love, with a very sweet will they/won't they love story sprinkled in. Utterly sweet and worth every page!
In the Company of Witches
by Auralee Wallace
In a quiet, small town a young witch named Brynn runs the local Bed and Breakfast with her two aunts. When a murder happens inside the walls of the B&B, Brynn must use her wits and her magic in order to clear her aunts name and prove her family's innocence.
I could argue that this is my new favorite book in the cozy world. I mean, look at that cover! The stakes in this book are a little higher, what with a murder and an investigation... But it's all wrapped up in cozy, magical goodness!
My favorite thing about this story is that each of the witches in the family has a different special power, unique to her own witchy magic. Our protagonist, Brynn's specialty is communicating with the dead... Perfect for solving a murder!
The House in the Cerulean Sea
by TJ Klune
When Linus Baker, a by the book professional, is given a secret assignment to evaluate an orphanage full of dangerous magical children, his life will never be the same.
This is the book that started it all off for me and I will never stop singing its praises! The House in the Cerulean Sea is like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children but in technicolor. There is so much to love about the characters in this story... To know them is to love them! So read it!
Garlic and the Vampire
by Bree Paulsen
When a vampire moves into the castle on the hill, one vegetable must be brave enough to face it.
Bree Paulsen starts off this book with the dedication, "To all of the anxious bulbs..." And that just touched me in such a genuine, special way! I was connected to anxious little Garlic before I even started reading the first page. A character full of self doubt, anxiety, and a world of untapped bravery. Garlic and the Vampire is a story about courage, doing the right thing (even when it's scary!), and friendship in the most unlikely of places.
I am anxious to add to my list of cozy reads, so if you have made it this far, please leave me a recommendation in the comments!
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