Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

I was on the fence about whether to store this in the Book Clubs folder or the Hodge Podge folder.

Cozy, slice-of-life books are a growing genre of fiction (I think), but a hard one to seek out... so I wanted to create a thread where we could discuss cozy books we've found and enjoyed, and compile them to give others (me) the opportunity to read them, too :D

EDIT: Compiling a list of all the series mentioned:

1) Black Jewels (selected entries): The Shadow Queen // Shalador's Lady
2) Legends & Lattes
3) Monk & Robot: A Psalm for the Wild-Built
4) The Goblin Emperor // The Witness for the Dead
5) The Wizard's Butler
6) Trader's Tales: Quarter Share
7) The Wandering Inn (sections)
8) The House Witch
9) Midnight, Texas: Midnight Crossroad
10) TJ Klune: The House in the Cerulean Sea // Under the Whispering Door
11) The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
12) Wayfarers: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
13) (forgot made-up series name): Winter's Orbit // Ocean's Echo
14) Singing Hills Cycle: The Empress of Salt and Fortune
15) Greenhollow Duology: Silver in the Wood

Also, Ann-Marie linked a nice GR article: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...
And a whole subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyFantasy/...

(Complete through comment 14)

The earliest books of this type, that I can think of, are the duology buried in the later standalones of the Black Jewels series... about a relatively weak magic user that becomes a Queen of a struggling kingdom, and how she turns it around and heals a male with past traumas...

1) The Shadow Queen // Shalador's Lady

Other than that, there are a number of big ones that we like to mention around here, alot:

2) Legends & Lattes // Bookshops & Bonedust
3) A Psalm for the Wild-Built // A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
4) The Goblin Emperor // The Witness for the Dead // The Grief of Stones // The Tomb of Dragons

And to that list, I'd add:

5) The Wizard's Butler
6) Quarter Share // Half Share // Full Share // sequel series

And finally, a major commitment, but The Wandering Inn: Book 1 and it's followups have large chunks of coziness, but isn't afraid to have heartbreaking plot developments, sometimes...

The book/series that inspired this post, is The House Witch // The House Witch 2 // The House Witch 3... I found this author 2 days ago, and am near the end of the 2nd book already (17+13hrs)... I only have 1 book left to go, then I need to wait for the next book (a semi-sequel/spinoff) to make it from Royal Road to Amazon/Audible in June...

The author has some more ongoing work on Royal Road to look forward to... and Nathan Lowell is working on a sequel to Wizard's Butler called Wizard's Cat... but it seems like every time I find a cozy series, I devour it all and run out, so was hoping to make a thread to help me find more...

I think the Midnight Crossroad // Day Shift // Night Shift trilogy by Charlaine Harris might qualify, too... I devoured that on Hoopla last fall... the characters are all a bit scary, but just trying to live their lives peacefully in the middle of nowhere, Texas, until a big hotel chain tries to move into town, for some reason...

The House Witch is on my list!

I read Legends & Lattes and loved it and went looking for more cosy fantasy so added a fair bit to my TBR.

I would add T.J Klune to the list. His books do have some threat but generally leave you with warm fuzzy feelings! The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door

I fell down this rabbit hole earlier this week when I came across r/CozyFantasy which led me to 36 Cozy and Feel-Good Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books on GR. I've only read a few on that list but several more interest me. If you are participating in r/Fantasy BINGO this year you can find some cozy recommendations for most of the squares in this thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyFantasy/...)

Siobhan wrote: "The House Witch is on my list!

I read Legends & Lattes and loved it and went looking for more cosy fantasy so added a fair bit to my TBR.

I would add T.J Klune to the list. His books do have som..."

Great addition I forgot... I've read Wolfsong and Cerulean Sea... The Lightning Heart one was a bit too juvenile and swear-heavy... but Whispering Door is on my TBR...

Ann-Marie wrote: "I fell down this rabbit hole earlier this week when I came across r/CozyFantasy which led me to 36 Cozy and Feel-Good Fantasy and Sci-Fi Books on GR. I've only read a few on that list but several m..."

Thanks for those links...

Irregular Witches definitely fits... I read that for the GR Awards...
Should have included the other Becky Chambers series (Wayfarers) in my list with Monk & Robot... saw Nirkatze read that asian coffee one with time travel...

That honestly might be the first GR newsy post I've ever seen, where I've read half the books and have another 1/4 on my TBR already...

I'm gonna compile a list, with the mentions we make, to include in my early posts, for posterity...

I definitely love cozies and slice of life so I am glad that this was posted. I just finished The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and really enjoyed it. I already have ordered the next 2 books in the series. I noticed that the second book of the series, The League of Gentlewomen Witches was on the GR article you posted, Ann-Marie.

I would love to try more of the books that are in this category.

Timelord Iain wrote: "Great addition I forgot... I've read Wolfsong and Cerulean Sea... The Lightning Heart one was a bit too juvenile and swear-heavy... but Whispering Door is on my TBR..."

I don't think I'd classify the Green Creek series as cozy but Cerulean and Whispering Door for sure would fit.

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Great addition I forgot... I've read Wolfsong and Cerulean Sea... The Lightning Heart one was a bit too juvenile and swear-heavy... but Whispering Door is on my TBR..."

I don..."

Yea, I wouldn't either... not Lightning Heart... just mentioning what I've tried, and that TJ Klune seems to do a mix of cozy and non-cozy...

Following this thread with interest.

I had a feeling there would be a fair bit of interest in this topic... it's come up, in the past, in other BR threads, like the KJ Charles' Spectred Isle thread, and the Goodreads Award thread, when reading books by T. Kingfisher, Everina Maxwell, and that Irregular Witches book...

I completely forgot some cozy fiction, in my initial lists... I thought of it at work today, and now I'm drawing a blank, again...

SINGING HILLS CYCLE (I checked my spreadsheet)...

These were some Asian authored shorter fiction with a focus on the oral storytelling tradition, that gave me serious Witness for the Dead vibes...

The Empress of Salt and Fortune // When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain // Into the Riverlands // Mammoths at the Gates

And I saw the Emily Tesh duology on that list from Ann-Marie, and it's probably my least favorite from the list of books that is considered cozy, that I've read... I rated them 3 stars... it had some interesting ideas, but I didn't really connect with the characters/story much...

Silver in the Wood // Drowned Country

Following this too! Ive read most of these already... I need moar!! 🥺

That was my inspiration for this thread... my growing voracious appetite for cozy reads... as the main purveyor, I struggle to find new ones... need some new sources... I'll definitely be checking out that GR article and subreddit in the future... I've read everything I listed at the top, except Trader Tales 3-9+spinoffs & Klune's Whispering Door... 13/14 of 15...

I picked up most of Kim M. Watt books in the Smashwords sale a while back, haven't read any yet but I looked at a few and they have cozy as a main page tag.

I've recently started reading cozy mysteries, but this I would like to give it a try too. Following the topic :)

Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've recently started reading cozy mysteries, but this I would like to give it a try too. Following the topic :)"

I find cozy mysteries to be hit or miss... the general definition of a cozy mystery tends to be an amateur detective, usually female, solving crimes with the help of an actual detective...

Murder on Astor Place -- midwife solves murders
Cocaine Blues -- Australian socialite solves murders
Night of the Living Deed -- haunted hotel owner solves murders of ghosts

My main problem with these tends to be when the MC acts too stupid to live... the criminal is obvious or the MC keeps putting herself in situations where she should die...

I really liked the Gaslight Murder series until the narrator changed and it changed the whole tone of the series (it was actually that they hired someone else to go back and do the first 10 books they skipped when they started making audio, so there's no hope of this being "fixed")...

And I really liked the Haunted Guesthouse series, but I think it's an indie author and they stopped commissioning audiobooks around book 11...

I can think of a bunch of cozy mysteries I abandoned: Fangs in Fondant, Lending a Paw, Last Wool and Testament

Ann-Marie wrote: "I picked up most of Kim M. Watt books in the Smashwords sale a while back, haven't read any yet but I looked at a few and they have cozy as a main page tag."

A cozy mystery series with dragons?... count me in... 5 are on audible already, with 2 for pre-order...

Ann-Marie wrote: "I picked up most of Kim M. Watt books in the Smashwords sale a while back, haven't read any yet but I looked at a few and they have cozy as a main page tag."

I'm reading her Gobbelino London PI series and it's not cozy. It's a UF mystery series with plenty of action. Not sure about her other series though. I'll probably try them in the future as I enjoy her writing.

Smoke Show

My friend reads a lot of Indie and highly recommends this series! Not sure if this is book one, only name I remembered 😄

Should probably add she said it was cosy, but I'm yet to read it so can't verify!

Siobhan wrote: "Smoke Show

My friend reads a lot of Indie and highly recommends this series! Not sure if this is book one, only name I remembered 😄

Should probably add she said it was cosy, but I..."

Sounds like something Kristen Bell's character from the Good Place would love:

I want to join. I have recently found that I love these cozy books as pallet cleansers. I currently reading the sequel to That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon, which are kind of cozy adult books. lol

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I want to join. I have recently found that I love these cozy books as pallet cleansers. I currently reading the sequel to That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon, which are kind of ..."

That book's cute, and so are the recommendations on the page for Leviathan Fitness, etc... shame I'm sure half that stuff isn't on audio...

I'm listening to it on audio. I think like 5% of my "reading" is audiobook lol. If i can't find it on audio chances are I'm not reading it. Sadly that's why I still haven't read the Heart strikers books even though they've been on my tbr forever. I can't find them at any library in audio format.

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I'm listening to it on audio. I think like 5% of my "reading" is audiobook lol. If i can't find it on audio chances are I'm not reading it. Sadly that's why I still haven't read the Heart strikers ..."

I think you mean 95% then... not 5%... what surprised me, is that that audiobook doesn't seem to be available on Audible... I found it on Audiobooks.com

They're on sale, too, so I think I might join you, right after I finish House of Chains in the next hour :D

yes, yes I do. it's been a long week at work lol

I listened to the Save the Demon one... I enjoyed it... the plot was fun, and great setup for future books...

Didn't do enough research to realize it was more paranormal erotica than tame romance :D

Edit: went ahead and signed up for an audiobooks.com account... even if I don't maintain a monthly subscription, I can hopefully get a few cheap books there on sales... my number of book apps seem to be piling up this year, between adding Chirp, and needing Speechify or Spotify for the Sanderson Secret Projects...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I listened to the Save the Demon one... I enjoyed it... the plot was fun, and great setup for future books...

Didn't do enough research to realize it was more paranormal erotica than tame romance ..."

Sorry, that's what i meant by "adult" lol. Should have given a warning. Second book isn't as cute as just straight up adult lol.

Bit more graphic, but the sex scenes are generally in the same vein as the Dark Hunter books, I'd say...

The Matchmaker's Gift - Just finished this and it was great! A bit of magic mixed into a generational tale about Grandma Sara's fight for love. The parts about NYC were fun and made me think fondly of thr city. I haven't visited in ages.

A good pick for a cozy read. 🥰

I think Dealing with Dragons and the other books in the series could fall into this category. I usually have a cozy feeling after reading them (especially the first one).

Kayzo wrote: "I think Dealing with Dragons and the other books in the series could fall into this category. I usually have a cozy feeling after reading them (especially the first one)."

You'll find that definitions of cozy vary greatly around here. Some like cozy stories to in fact be cozy whereas others do not require any cozy elements at all! lol

I can recommend the Falling for Fables series! Tbh I think the pacing is kind of wack and the plot is not managed very well but I think they're pretty cozy and just a nice chill read when you don't want to read anything serious (: If anyone has any recommendations for something similar to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet I will be eternally grateful.

The only thing truly similar to Becky Chambers is other Becky Chambers, I think... Monk & Robot, etc...

But I think the sequels to Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison are kinda close...

The Witness for the Dead
The Grief of Stones
The Tomb of Dragons someday...

Timelord Iain wrote: "The only thing truly similar to Becky Chambers is other Becky Chambers, I think... Monk & Robot, etc...

But I think the sequels to Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison are kinda close...

[book:The..."

I've read the novellas by Becky Chambers but I'm saving the other novels by her because I haven't seen anything similar XD I will try Goblin Emperor series though thank you so much!

Nana wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "The only thing truly similar to Becky Chambers is other Becky Chambers, I think... Monk & Robot, etc...

But I think the sequels to Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison are kin..."

I like Goblin Emperor, but not everyone does... it's a slow-moving, cozy-to-me political thing with goblins & elves and stuff... Cemetaries of Amalo is a "sequel series" that shouldn't really be considered Goblin Emperor #2, but it's usually listed that way... books 2/3/4 follow the investigator assigned to solve the airship crash in Goblin Emperor, after he movies across the Empire a bit to a secluded backwater, and starts taking more normal cases again and helping people... I love love love those even more than Goblin Emperor... we've BR'd them all around here, as they released...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Nana wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "The only thing truly similar to Becky Chambers is other Becky Chambers, I think... Monk & Robot, etc...

But I think the sequels to Goblin Emperor by Katherine Ad..."

Someone in my local book club nominates The Goblin Emperor any time it fits the monthly category and it never gets picked!

Ann-Marie wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "Nana wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "The only thing truly similar to Becky Chambers is other Becky Chambers, I think... Monk & Robot, etc...

But I think the sequels to Goblin E..."

Ouch... maybe someday people will pick it, just so they stop nominating it?...

Right now, my go-to cozy fiction is Cozy LitRPGs by RavensDagger... so far, I've only read Cinnamon Bun & Cinnamon Bun 2, but I'm already a fan...

There's 5 Cinnamon Bun books, and I think it's still ongoing... I think they're all ongoing... other series:

Dead Tired 1 (1 audio, 2 ebook)
Stray Cat Strut: A Young Lady's Journey to Becoming a Pop-Up Samurai (5 audio)
Fluff: A Wholesome LitRPG (2 audio)
Sporemageddon (2 audio)
Love Crafted (1 audio)
The Agartha Loop: Book 1 (no audio)
Lever Action (no audio)
Past the Redline (no audio)

Plenty of options, once I finish Cinnamon Bun, basically... they run the gamut of SF/Fantasy...