Where I live, we’re in one of the darkest days of winter, with plenty of reason for dread. So this holiday season, I’m bringing out a list of book recs that are the equivalent of me wrapping you in my most trusted blanket. Some are more or less cozy in terms of subject matter, but all of them are personal sources of hope, comfort, or warmth.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
I have a bad habit of waiting for the illusive “right” time to read a book. From the first time I heard about This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone—that it was a sapphic sci-fi novella that had received glowing reviews for its beautiful writing, and that it was epistolary fiction featured enemy spies pining for each other across time and space, literally writing their love into history—I knew it would be a favorite. So, naturally, it collected dust on my shelf for years.
When I contracted Covid immediately after picking up this book one holiday season, I cursed the irony in choosing perhaps the only wrong time to read it. Of course, this wasn’t true. While I lay prone and isolated, Red and Blue’s intense devotion kept me company. For once, I really did pick up a book at the perfect time. You could even say… I won the time war.
Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant
Though I borrowed a Kindle just to read the novella Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant, it’s since come out in paperback, and realizing I could finally add it to my shelves was the inspiration for this whole post.
In this love letter to Howl’s Moving Castle, a spell shop owner has been fruitlessly trying for years to resurrect her wife. When a gentle cowboy gets injured trying to help the witch, saving his life requires her to use up the main component for her necromantic spell, a clockwork heart. In this historical fantasy romance between two bi and trans protagonists, set in a time where both characters have to remain closeted, the numerous ways they help each other heal were just as healing to read.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is possibly the most unabashedly cozy pick on this list. As a longtime Dungeons & Dragons player, I giggled up a storm at how this book evoked the improv that happens at a D&D table when you have to justify where your character got a latte. That context made it easy for me to sink into the story of a former adventurer who starts a coffee shop, fostering community with her neighbors (who would make delightful NPCs) while having a charmingly understated romance with her business partner. The way that she doubts her own capacity and worthiness to have a happy ending, to the point that she doesn’t actively register all the things she’s building, makes this a heartwarming read. It felt like being told a story around a fireplace, one I would happily return to with a hot drink.
In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard
I don’t remember where I was when I first read the fantasy romance novella In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard, but I’ve since turned to many of the author’s works when I most needed them (reading Fireheart Tiger at an intimidating dentist appointment comes to mind). Still, In the Vanishers’ Palace remains my favorite by her. Partly, I knew that as a fan of both dragons and themes of mentorship, I’d be well catered to by this Beauty and the Beast retelling in which a village sacrifices a woman to a dragon shapeshifter, who—rather than, say, eat her—makes the woman tutor her children. And partly, while this author’s works vary in length, I thought this one was paced just right for the story being told, with space for the surreal backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world and the tender tale of a thawing heart.
Anything by Malinda Lo
I couldn’t possibly pick just one book by Malinda Lo, one of my favorite YA authors. This is partially because I started reading her books over a decade ago, but possibly even more so because she’s written fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, historical, and contemporary books, all with a range of tones and endings. Every time I see that she’s trying something new, I do a little cheer. Knowing someone whose writing I love continues to stretch the boundaries of diverse YA fiction is a comfort and inspiration in itself. I was glad to see that her historical book, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, received so much acclaim, and I hope that her other books get as much appreciation.
I’ll round out this list with a few honorary mentions of books I’ve already covered: one of my favorite nonfiction titles, the memoir Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H, and one of my favorite manga series, She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki.
Wherever you end up this new year, I hope you take comfort in these books and in the things that bring you joy.
