BookTok’s Favorite Subgenre: The Cozy Read – by Carley Bishop Carver

If you’re online as a writer or reader, you’re likely familiar with ‘BookTok,’ a subset of TikTok where creators recommend and discuss books. As we approach autumn, readers flock to the app for recommendations of cozy books. As the weather gets chillier, readers want warm and fuzzy reading material.

What is a Cozy Read?

The term ‘cozy read’ describes books that are exactly what they sound like – cozy. Think Hallmark-adjacent reading. They’re the type of writing you want to curl up on the couch with. These books are heartwarming, low-stress, and (usually) guaranteed to include a happy ending.

What are the Central Themes of a Cozy Book?

While the type of content a reader finds “cozy” is subjective, there are ways to narrow down your search. Cozy books exist in many genres of fiction – often mystery, romance or fantasy. The key themes that categorize the writing as certifiably cozy transcend genre constraints.

Relatable, Likable Characters

Cozy readers want characters we can cheer for. Protagonists should be relatable with attainable hopes and dreams. Bonus points for quirky personalities and fun jobs like baristas, florists, or bookstore owners. Even in genres like fantasy, where readers suspend disbelief, we should still feel some relatability to the main character. Antagonists shouldn’t be too evil or dark while still being unlikeable enough to be the villain. Redemption arcs are optional, but encouraged.

Charming Settings and a Sense of Community

In the world of cozy reading, the setting almost acts as another character. Often set in charming small towns or cities where it always feels like autumn, the aesthetic of the setting matters much. It’s in these settings where we will meet the supporting characters built into the life of our main character. They prove the importance and heart-warming nature of our communities.

Lighthearted Plotlines

The beauty of cozy books is that the reading is often light with a hopeful ending. The plotlines are easy to digest without diminishing the storytelling or quality of writing. Readers choose cozy books to escape for the time that they’re reading, and to leave with that warm-and-fuzzy feeling.

Some Cozy Reading Recommendations

Whether you’re in the market for your next cozy read or a writer looking for inspiration, here are five cozy reads that will warm you right up:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

In this cozy fantasy novel, a caseworker for the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth travels to a seaside orphanage for magical children. There he reports on the conditions of the orphanage and its peculiar caretaker.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

In the most unsuspecting of places, a quiet retirement community, four seniors form a club to investigate unsolved murders. With a group of loveable characters and wild antics, you’ll fall in love with this book.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

For the classics fan, this historic novel tells the story of an orphaned girl sent to live with a elderly brother and sister on Prince Edward Island. The trio challenges the notion of traditional family and will warm your heart in the process.

In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace

A young witch must solve a murder after one of the guests at the inn she runs with her aunts turns up dead. If this were a tv series, it would fall somewhere between Gilmore Girls and Charmed.This is the first book in the Evenfall Witches B&B Mystery series.

The Guernsey Literary and Sweet Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

World War II doesn’t scream cozy, but this novel about a book club meeting under a Nazi-occupied island off of Ireland provides all the necessary themes to curl up with.

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Carley Bishop Carver is a writer based in Charlotte who works primarily lifestyle editorial writing but loves to cover just about any subject. Carley is a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina. When not writing or reading, Carley can be found traveling with her husband or doting on their dog, Daisy.

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