Cozy fantasy. Cozy mystery. Cozy romance. Cozy horror. Pretty much every genre now has a cozy sub-genre. But why is this? Why is it so popular? And will this trend continue? In this blog post I will discuss this and also give you some recommendations for cozy books in multiple genres.

What are cozy books?

The cozy sub-genre can be found in almost all genres. But there are some typical traits that appear across all the cozy stories. Cozy books tend to have low stakes, food and drink can be a popular theme, characters are rounded and their character arcs tend to be more focused on friendships rather than darker themes. The settings tend to be small town, or in small settings like libraries, coffee shops or characters homes. Typically, a cozy read invokes feelings of warmth, hugs and comfort.

The cozy trend has been popular for a few years now, with the leaders of the trend being House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune and The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (both released in 2020). It is easy to see that with all the stress of the world in 2020, people were looking for something with lower stakes. Today, while the world has got pretty much back to “normal”, there is still a need for cozy emotions and escapism.

What is the future for cozy books?

In my opinion, cozy is here to stay. I don’t think that we are going to see the darker, grittier themes come back in to fashion for a while. There are so many books in cozy genres already announced for 2025, I for one am very excited! Check out the recommendations below for books from various genres.

There is a lot of cross over between the East Asian Japanese and South Korean literature, and cozy novels. I believe that we will continue to see one with the other for another year at least.

Cozy Mystery

• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
• Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
• Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd
• Murder Under the Mistletoe by Reverend Richard Coles
• A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey

Cozy Fantasy

• Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
• House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune
• The Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst
• Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
• Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

Cozy Romance

• The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore
• The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
• The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre
• Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison
• When in Rome by Sarah Adams

Cozy Horror

• Cackle by Rachel Harrison
• A House with Good Bones by T Kingfisher
• Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell
• Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
• The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner

Other Cozy books

• The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki
• Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
• What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
• The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
• The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke

I hope that these recommendations give you some ideas on books to read. Let me know if you are a cozy fan and what your favourite cozy books are.