Cosy fiction to snuggle up with this winter

It's the time of year to snuggle down with a blanket and a hot drink, and why should our minds not feel as cosy as our bodies? If world-saving antics, edge-of-your-seat tension, and action-packed stories aren't calling to you at the moment, why not check out these character driven stories of connection, warmth and growth with a focus on found-family and community.

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang

"It may feel like it's raining, But don't forget that behind dark clouds there's sunshine shining."

When Serin receives a mysterious ticket inviting her to a market that only opens once a year when it rains, she's offered the chance to swap her life for another one. A better one. The problem? She has just one week to find the perfect life and true happiness, or she'll be trapped inside the market forever. Accompanied by Isha the cat, Serin searches through bookstores, hair salons and perfumeries before time runs out. All while a shadow follows quietly behind them . . .

A whimsical story of self-discovery and the pursuit of happiness perfect for lovers of The Midnight LIbrary and A Wonderful Life.

Get it HERE

House of Frank by Kay Sinclaire

Powerless witch Saika is ready to enact her sister's final request: to plant her remains at the famed Ash Gardens. When Saika arrives at the always-stormy sanctuary, she is welcomed by its owner, an enormous knit-cardiganed mythical beast named Frank, who offers her a role as one of the estate's caretakers.

Overcome with grief, Saika accepts, desperate to put off her final farewell to her sister. But the work requires a witch with intrinsic power, and Saika's been disconnected from her magic since her sister's death two years prior. Saika gets by at the sanctuary using a fragment of a fallen star to cast enchantments--while hiding the embarrassing truth about herself.

As Saika works harder in avoidance of her pain, she learns more about Frank, the decaying house at Ash Gardens, and the lives of the motley staff, including bickering twin cherubs, a mute ghost, a cantankerous elf, and an irritating half witch, among others. Over time, she rediscovers what it means to love and be wholly loved and how to allow her joy and grief to coexist.

A gentle and heart-warming story with gorgeous characters, about grief and how everyone experiences it differently.

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Monk & Robot by Becky Chambers

"It is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it."

It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honour the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it a lot. Becky Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

This book brings together Becky Chambers' Hugo Award-winning novellas A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, for delightful, post-Utopian cosiness all in one fabulous tome.

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The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai

Thirteen-year-old Nanami Kosaki loves reading. The local library is a home from home and books have become her best friends. When Nanami notices books disappearing from the library shelves, she’s particularly curious about a suspicious man in a grey suit whose furtive behaviour doesn’t feel right. Should she follow him to see what he’s up to? When a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears to warn her about how dangerous that would be, together they’re brave enough to follow the frightening trail to find out where all the books have gone.

Warm, wonderful and wise, this books is also a powerful lesson never to underestimate the value of great literature, and a reminder always to think for ourselves, no matter what our charismatic leaders might say.

Get it HERE

The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone by Gareth and Louise Ward

For the crime readers who want mystery and suspense but with charm, The Bookshop Detectives series follows two small-town booksellers and their cowardly dog as they solve crimes. In the debut of the series, it's up to these detectives-turned-booksellers to solve a decades-old murder-mystery full of literary clues.

When a mystery parcel arrives at Sherlock Tomes bookshop in small-town Havelock North, New Zealand, husband-and-wife owners Garth and Eloise (and their petrified pooch, Stevie) are drawn into the baffling case of a decades-old missing schoolgirl. Intrigued by the puzzling, bookish clues the two ex-cops are soon tangled in a web of crime, drugs, and floral decapitations, while endeavouring to pull off the international celebrity book launch of the century. With their beloved shop on the chopping block and the sinister suspect who forced them to run away from Blighty re-emerging from the shadows, have Garth and Eloise Sherlock finally met their Moriarty?

Get it HERE

Garlic and the Vampire and Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen

This charming and gorgeously illustrated set of graphic novels, originally written for middle-grade readers but adored by adults worldwide, is the balm you need for when your eyes are looking for minimal words and fantastic visual storytelling.

In the first book, Garlic and the Vampire, Garlic feels as though she's always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is happy to just tend her garden, where it's nice and safe. But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes. After all, garlic drives away vampires...right

Get Garlic and the Vampire HERE

In the charming follow-up, Garlic and the Witch, Garlic loves spending time with Witch Agnes, Carrot, and a new friend. But despite Agnes's best attempts to home-brew a new recipe for her friends, the ingredient she needs most can only be found at the Magic Market, far from the valley. Before she knows it, with a broomstick in hand, Garlic is nervously preparing for a journey. But Garlic is experiencing another change too--finger by finger, she appears to be turning human. Witch Agnes assures her that this is normal for her garden magic, but Garlic isn't so sure that she's ready for such a big change. After all, changes are scary...and what if she doesn't want to be human after all?

Get Garlic and the Witch HERE