Suffering through the shortest days of the year as we northern hemisphere folk are, what better rec list for these long winter nights than cosy fantasy. Snuggle up with a blanket and watch the snow fall outside as these books warm your soul. It’s a tried and trusted method, believe me!
Before we start, though, let me just mention that our awards start tomorrow at 10am GMT! Nominations run until 4th January, so if you’re looking to support the great LGBT lit published this year, check it out.
A lot of these titles are available on Scribd, so if you want to check out that service but don’t have an account yet, use my invite code to get 2 months for free! (This also gives me one free month.)
Garlic and the Vampire
Bree Paulsen
Goodreads
Rep: gay character, nonbinary li
Why Should I Read It?
What can be a cosier kind of magic than that which turns fruit and vegetables into the cutest little humanoids? Nothing, that’s what! Both Garlic and the Vampire and its sequel, Garlic and the Witch, are the epitome of cosy fantasy. You’ll want to wrap yourself up in their world and never let it go.
Tea Dragon Society
Kay O’Neill
Goodreads
Rep: sapphic mc & li, achillean side characters
Why Should I Read It?
The Tea Dragon series has the feel of a fairy tale, but in a way that a grandma would tell a story to her most beloved grandchild. It’s full of love and warmth, and acceptance. Plus it has some gorgeous art and colouring, so really, not one to miss out on.
Legends & Lattes
Travis Baldree
Goodreads
Rep: sapphic mcs
Why Should I Read It?
Surely one of the cosiest aspects of cosy fantasy is the way it centres love, just as this book does. Love between friends and love between partners, this is the kind of book that feels healing, feels like you could sink into it and never want to leave.
Mooncakes
Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu
Goodreads
Rep: Chinese-American bi/pan hard of hearing mc, Chinese-American nonbinary li
Why Should I Read It?
Mooncakes is a fun read that will make you root for the characters from the very start, because it makes you feel like you know all of them and they’re your friends. Sure, there are some bad guys to fight, but at the end of the day it’s a story about love.
Moontangled
Stephanie Burgis
Goodreads
Rep: sapphic mcs, trans side character
Why Should I Read It?
Yes, this one is a novella within a series, but it’s one you can read without having read the rest of the series (although it’s very likely you’ll want to by the time you’re done). This is a cosy fantasy that has such warmth to it, from the first page. Add onto that a romance that grabs you from Caroline and Juliana’s first on-page meeting, and you have basically the perfect read.
Silver in the Wood
Emily Tesh
Goodreads
Rep: gay mcs
Why Should I Read It?
Maybe a little less cosy than the rest of the books on this list, but if you want a low stakes fantasy, heavily featuring some romance, that you can devour in a single sitting, then this is the book for you. And really, it is cosy, since all Tobias really wants is to be left in peace to his trees.
Avi Cantor Has Six Months to Live
Sacha Lamb
Goodreads
Rep: Jewish gay trans mcs
Why Should I Read It?
There’s a folktale-ness about all of Sacha Lamb’s works, woven through them, no matter how, ostensibly, they seem not to be folktales, per se. I think that’s what gives them a cosy nature and, really, I feel like I could have picked any of them to go here. But, of course, it had to be Avi.
Holly & Oak
R. Cooper
Goodreads
Rep: achillean mcs
Why Should I Read It?
Let’s call this one a cosy fantasy romance, between two men who embody the Holly King and the Oak King in their little town. Between someone beloved by the town and someone not. Opposites attract. And, frankly, set at the winter solstice, it’s the perfect read for that very day (tomorrow)!
Séance Tea Party
Reimena Yee
Goodreads
Rep: Malaysian sapphic mc, Black achillean character
Why Should I Read It?
Some of the cosiest fantasies are middle grade graphic novels, and this one proves no different. It’s a story about growing up (or not) and about friendships, how they too grow and change and sometimes fall apart. All wrapped up in warmth and kindness.
Last Bus to Everland
Sophie Cameron
Goodreads
Rep: gay mc & li, gay, pan & lesbian side characters
Why Should I Read It?
Last Bus to Everland is a book about finding your people, your safe spaces, and most of all yourself. As such, there’s a warmth and cosiness to it that I think makes it fit this rec list. Also, it’s just one you don’t want to miss out on (trust me).
What would you rec?
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