As the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, one activity perfectly matches the mood of winter: reading a cozy book. Though any book can be made cozy by the addition of a hot beverage or a warm blanket, some instantly evoke a sense of comfort.
For this roundup, we looked beyond the well-known cozy mystery genre to other unexpected finds: Try a botanical Gothic novel that proves even horror can be cozy, a magical manga, a translated Korean book about the power of community and a volume of poetry that ruminates on the natural world.
On a rainy day, there’s nothing better than cozying up inside and tinkering with hobbies. In Noah Medlock’s “A Botanical Daughter,” life is like that every day.
Gregor pursues botany and Simon taxidermy, both centering a life of quiet creativity in their glass castle, Grimfern. Their perfect setup goes awry when the laundry doesn’t get picked up and some recently arrived mycelium is more prodigious than expected, mysteriously resulting in two new family members — Jennifer, their new housekeeper, and Chloe, the titular botanical daughter.
Chloe’s growth propels the slim plot, but most compelling are the relationships between all those who live in Grimfern. In an unkind world, Gregor and Simon have created a sanctuary for their found family and will stop at nothing to protect it. As Chloe flourishes a little too wildly, this novel finds beauty in the macabre and in the act of becoming one’s true self. While there are moments of horror and violence, “A Botanical Daughter” still shines with a passionate dedication to queer joy.
If you prefer to cozy up with a more familiar creature than a Frankenstein-botanical one, try the manga “A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch, Vol. 1,” written and illustrated by award-winning Japanese artist Hiro Kashiwaba, and translated by Kathryn Henzler. While Kashiwaba’s work was created with teens and young adults in mind, the themes of regret, loneliness and new friendship are appealing to all.
Set in a magical, parallel universe, an elderly retired witch who once saved the world summons a Guardian Beast, Torata, a huge, cuddly house cat. The witch, Mistress Jeanne, is unfamiliar with cats and their antics. Much hilarity ensues as these two beings from different worlds get to know one another.
Kashiwaba uses realistic and detailed line work throughout the book, aside from the slightly cartoonish Torata, and her panels effectively propel the story both forward and backward through flashbacks. As poignant moments in these characters’ histories are revealed on the page through emotive gestures and expressions, our attachment to Mistress Jeanne and Torata — and their connection — grows. Mistress Jeanne summoned Torata in a time of desperate need, and their unlikely friendship and bittersweet histories provide real humor and heart.
One of our favorite recent publishing trends is cozy Asian fiction. Usually translated from Japanese and Korean, these novels often feature intimate community settings like bookstores, libraries and cafes — cats and tea abound.
“Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop” by Hwang Bo-reum, translated from Korean by Shanna Tan, introduces us to Yeong-Ju. After leaving her high-pressure job, Yeong-Ju realizes her dream of opening a bookstore with a coffee shop in a residential Seoul neighborhood. But her anxiety doesn’t abate until she starts connecting with others: She hires a barista who becomes obsessed with making the perfect cup of coffee, shares reading recommendations with an unmotivated teenager, and becomes a pillar of the community and a source of information and comfort for many. At its core, the book is a story of self-discovery and fulfillment, perfect for readers of any age.
Poetry is an inherently cozy format, ideal for consuming between sips of coffee and dozing on the couch. “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World,” edited and introduced by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, offers 50 poems to engage readers in the relationships between humans and the rest of the world.
Poets from across the United States, from Joy Harjo to Danez Smith, meditate on their local landscape, invoking awe and grief as they cope with climate catastrophe and discover natural wonders still present. One of the featured poets is Redmond Poet Laureate and poet planner for King County Laura Da’, who in “Bad Wolf” shares, “At the prairie,/ a solitary Douglas fir’s high branches start/well above my head, telling me it was once/ one of many.” As winter sets in, “You Are Here” is the perfect companion for engaging the natural world from the warmth of home.
– Genesee and Jane
The Seattle Public Library’s Reader Services team writes a monthly column for the Seattle Times that promotes reading and book trends from a librarian’s perspective. Read the article on the Seattle Times website. You can find these titles at the library by visiting spl.org and searching the catalog. This column is reprinted with permission from the Seattle Times.
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