10 Cozy Books I Recommend Reading

May 26th marked my 10 years since I started my blog! In 2016, I published my first blog post, a book review of Dream House by Marzia Bisognin. To celebrate my blogiversary, I want to share 10 cozy books I have read over the years and would recommend.

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What are Cozy Books?

Before I share my list of cozy book recommendations, I want to clarify what cozy books are. The term cozy can be subjective, but to me, cozy books give you a warm feeling when you read them. They are not violent or action-packed. Instead, they are often lighthearted and optimistic. Cozy books can cover a variety of genres, from romance and literary fiction to even fantasy and mystery. Without further ado, let us begin with my recommendations.

10 Cozy Books I Recommend

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

The book follows Simon, a junior in high school, who is gay. He has not come out to his family or friends. On Tumblr, he finds an anonymous post from another junior in his school who is also gay, and they begin emailing each other under pseudonyms. Simon is a lovable character who is caring and funny. He is also human and makes mistakes. I enjoyed figuring out who Simon was emailing, and the book had a feel-good ending. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a cozy coming-out story to read.

Available at Bookshop

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove follows a grumpy man named Ove when a young family moves in next door and runs over his mailbox. The story alternates between the present, as Ove struggles with the loss of his wife, and the past with his father, and when he met his wife. What makes A Man Called Ove a cozy read is that even though Ove is set in his routines, he genuinely cares about others, and it was sweet seeing the relationships develop with his neighbors and others he meets. The ending is emotional, but it is such a great book.

Available at Bookshop

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

Happiness for Beginners is about Helen when she signs up for a wilderness survival course to find herself again after going through a divorce. However, her brother’s best friend, Jake, also joined the course, and they agreed to pretend to be strangers. Even though Helen is the oldest in the course, I loved seeing the connections that develop and the friendships that form throughout the 3-week course. Also, Helen does experience personal growth, and there is a slow-burn romance between her and Jake, which makes it a sweet romance read.

Available at Bookshop

Funny Story by Emily Henry

I generally find all of Emily Henry’s romance books cozy, but I will focus on Funny Story for this post. In Funny Story, Daphne moves to the hometown of her fiancé, Peter. However, Peter realizes he is in love with his childhood friend Petra. Daphne then lives with Petra’s ex, Miles. In the book, Daphne is trying to find where she belongs after uprooting her whole life to follow Peter, and then being blindsided by him. Peter and Petra then announce their engagement, and Daphne and Miles begin fake dating, which is one of my favorite tropes. The connection between Daphne and Miles works well because both of them are going through the same situation with their exes, and Funny Story is one of my favorite Emily Henry books.

Available at Bookshop

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat follows the stories of five individuals who are struggling in their lives. They visit the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, where they are prescribed a cat. A couple of the stories include Shuta, an office worker who wants to quit his job because he cannot sleep or eat, but he does not want to give up the stability the job provides, and Koga, a worker at a call center whose coworkers are predominantly women, and he has a hard time connecting with them and his family at home. We’ll Prescribe You a Cat is a touching book and shows how having a cat in their lives helped them when they needed it most.

Available at Bookshop

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

In The Kamogawa Food Detectives, Koishi Kamogawa and her father, Nagare, run the Kamogawa Diner in Kyoto. Together, they help recreate dishes from a person’s memories. Each chapter follows a different person who came to the Kamogawa Diner to have a dish from their past made. The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a sweet book, and I enjoyed the father-daughter relationship between Koishi and Nagare. Overall, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a heartwarming read focused on the connection between food and memories.

Available at Bookshop

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

The House in the Cerulean Sea follows Linus Baker, who works as a Case Worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and oversees the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. Linus is given a classified assignment to travel to the Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children live with their caretaker, Arthur Parnassus. The House in the Cerulean Sea is a sweet book, and I enjoyed seeing Linus getting to know the kids. I also liked the relationship that developed between Arthur and Linus. The book has a great ending, and the theme of found family does make it a cozy read.

Available at Bookshop

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

In The Cat Who Saved Books, Rintaro inherits his grandfather’s second-hand bookshop after his death. Rintaro believes he will have to close the shop when a talking cat named Tiger arrives and needs Rintaro’s help. Tiger needs Rintaro to save the books from the people who imprisoned, mistreated, and betrayed them. I loved Tiger, and I liked seeing how Rintaro faced each labyrinth. The Cat Who Saved Books fits under the magical realism genre, and it would be great for people who love books and reading.

Available at Bookshop

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper is my favorite graphic novel series that follows the relationship between Charlie and Nick, who both attend the Truham Grammar School for Boys. The overarching story of Heartstopper is touching and at times emotional, and I love Nick and Charlie and also Charlie’s friends. I also love the art style and illustrations. Heartstopper is a feel-good series with themes of identity, acceptance, friendship, love, and mental health.

Available at Bookshop

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

For my last recommendation, Vera Wong runs a tea shop, and she finds a dead man in her shop. Vera takes it upon herself to solve the murder as she believes the police will do a lousy job. I adored Vera and liked following her investigation. Also, Vera cooks throughout the book, and the suspects end up forming a found family. I did not expect the ending, which is a plus, and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is a great cozy mystery read.

Available at Bookshop

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What is your favorite cozy book?