Obviously, they don’t have to slide into the cozy genre. But what books do you cuddle up with during a thunderstorm, or your variable weather of choice? Personally, Becky Chambers has become one of my favorites. I also read LOTR when I need a “good guys doing the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do”.
Terry Pratchett! His books had a significant role in shaping my moral compass and are always a joy to re-read.
the hobbit is so cozy
been my favourite cozy read since childhood
it really is
Usually either Terry Pratchett if I’m in a more upbeat mood (Discworld only, as I haven’t read any of his other books… yet. One day I’ll broaden my horizons), or China Mieville otherwise (especially The City & the City).
His Johny series is my cozy go to. But, Trucker, Diggers and Wings is sitting in front of a fire, under a fluffy blanket and sipping hot chocolate with a hint of cinnamon and a touch of cayenne.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has always been a favorite of mine.
Fanfiction is my go-to when I’m sick, or depressed, or really tired. Nothing beats its combo of easy-to-read and wildly absorbing.
Otherwise, I’m partial to cozy fantasy, like The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.
Also the Murderbot books by Martha Wells never fail me.
Also… older books, with their wordiness and long sentences and lack of fear of semicolons, can be great for this. Virginia Woolf’s books for example are so dense, and the atmosphere that creates is sublime, but the way she writes somehow makes her wordy prose also really easy to read. The sentences just kind of tumble you along. I love it.
Caveat being that older books, including Woolf’s, contain shit like casual racism and sexism and etc, and sometimes I have more capacity to overlook that than other times. Which is one reason I love when modern authors write in a more old-fashioned style, like in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke - it lets me have my cake and eat it too.
Poetry is also great a rainy day, including old poetry. It’s underrated these days. I think it’s partly from the pervasive modern idea that poetry is automatically “cringey”, and partly from the elitism and other -isms among the Poetry Establishment^tm, and partly from English teachers taking the fun out of it. But you can rediscover poetry, just like you can rediscover a love of novels after highschool steals it from you for a while.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke
I want to reread that one but I have it in trade paperback size and the thought of lugging it to and from work (I only get to read on my lunchbreak) is enough to keep it anchored firmly on the shelf.
My personal favorite trilogy is His Dark Materials from Philip Pullman. It is somewhat forgotten these days but they are excellent in every meaning of the word.
A fantastic series that left a lasting influence on my taste in fiction. Surprisingly thought-provoking and heavy for the age at which I read it.
Just about anything from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Clever, insightful, delightfully sarcastic, but never mean-spirited.
And no matter how many times you re-read them, you always find something new.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. There is a good sequel too called A Prayer for the Crown-Shy that came out last year.
I totally just saw the headline and missed your comment that included Becky Chambers. I’m still getting used to Lemmy/Beehaw. Sorry for the reading comprehension fail!
No that’s totally reasonable because A Psalm for the Wild Built is such a great book. I need to read A Prayer for the Crown Shy though. That one I’m waiting for my turn for the copy on Libby
I went ahead and bought all of the Long Way series from my local bookstore. I broke down and bought the audio books from Apple for the monk and robot series. I’ll buy them in paperback too when I can get to the bookstore and order them.
Has there been hints of any new Becky Chambers book that you’ve heard of? The news section of otherscribbles.com doesn’t have anything since nearly a year ago.
When I was deep in the sleep deprived zone of new parenthood, listening & readying to Beckychambers books on audio book was just perfect. I was too fragile to deal with any horribly dark or dense sci-fi books (that so many seem to be) and her books always felt like a nice cup of tea (pretty appropriate considering psalm for the wild-built!)
We are expecting our second and I’d love to have a new Becky chambers book to read or listen to when we restart the new born saga!
Another vote for Terry Pratchett. I also find myself coming back to The Autumn of the Patriarch and A Hundred Years of Solitude over and over. They are not my favorite books, but they are sort of a habit, they’re definitely the ones I’ve re-read the most.
Usually any kind of fantasy book! There are already good recommendations in this thread for those so I’ll also mention books aimed more towards a younger audience, they tend to feel nostalgic and warm. Books like the classic editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Winnie-the-Pooh :)
That’s a good one! I use children’s animated movies as comfort watches a lot.
Middle-grade fantasy specifically can be really cozy, too. Or fantasy that feels aimed at that kind of age. Like Howl’s Moving Castle (different from the Miyazaki movie), The Hero and the Sword / The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (can’t remember which book was first), the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. Granted, some of these I haven’t re-read in a looooong time, so they may not hold up quite so well as I remember, I dunno.
I also really feel this way about R.A. Salvator’s Drizzt books. They’re kinda racially problematic in retrospect, but in a way I can look past, and apparently Salvator has been making active efforts to mitigate that in his most recent books, and I really, really appreciate when an author is willing to listen and make changes based on that kind of feedback instead of just taking offense and kneejerk rejecting it, especially when he’s been writing for so ridiculously long now. Anyway, the Drizzt books are very much light popcorn type reads, but they’re a very specific flavor of popcorn read that I just haven’t found replicated quite the same anywhere else. Something about Salvator’s writing style, and Drizzt’s melancholy journal entries, or something. Probably partly because of the hurt/comfort element, in that Drizzt has a shit time but always makes it through and also finds Found Family^tm, which is definitely a popular kind of theme today too.
Aside from Discworld which really is a fantastic series, I’ll recommend The Dresden Files.
It has a slow start IMO but once the edge wears down and Butcher just lets himself nerd out it’s just such good modern fantasy
right now, it’s ‘Ascendance of a Bookworm’
It used to be Percy Jackson when I was a kid, but I think the re-reads have numbed it a bit. I also like to read ‘Never Let Me Go’ whenever I wanna get grounded and appreciate the simple joys of life
I made an instance for the entire Bookworm Series, if you want you can join the weekly discussions there or open up new ones as you finish the volumes
Woah that’s awesome! I’ll join you guys there once I finish reading the latest Pre-pub
It depends on what “Cozy” means. If I want to reread a familiar story I’ve read a million times before, it’s Raymond Feist’s Riftwar books or Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files.
If however we are going for low(er) stakes come out feeling good, it’s all about feeling relaxed and enjoying friendships, Legends & Lates or the Fred the Vampire Accountant series are fun. I enjoyed the This Quest is Bananas series too.
I’m currently in a cozy mystery phase for reading, so anything by Jenn McKinlay and her aliases (Cupcake Bakery, Library Lovers, Hat Shop, Good Buy Girls, Decoupage) or Krista Davis (Diva series, Paws & Claws, Pen & Ink) are my go-tos.
For cozy days, I usually find myself gravitating toward some of my childhood favorites like the Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell, Pendragon by D. J. MacHale, or the Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris d’Lacey.