Now's the Time to Curl Up with a Cozy Read

January.  For many of us it's the grayest month.  Holiday lights and dazzle have been put away and we're left with rain, snow, sleet, fog, leafless trees, and early darkness.

Make time for something a bit cozier!  Cozy, as an adjective, is defined as "affording warmth and ease" and "marked by or providing contentment and comfort."  Of course, that can mean candles, a fire, and cuddly slippers.  It can mean your favorite chair and a mug of hot tea or cocoa.  And it can mean a good story that lets you forget about your to-do list and immerse yourself in another world.

Here they are – my favorite cozy reads, from mysteries to fantasy to historical fiction and more.  I hope you'll find something you enjoy.

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1.  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Yes, it's a strange title, but a charming novel.  Set in the aftermath of World War II, the story is told in letters between a writer, Juliet, and the members of a book club formed so the members could help and encourage each other during the German occupation of Guernsey.  One reviewer described it as the book equivalent of that wonderful Mr. Rogers quote for when bad things are happening:  "Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping."  If you have Netflix, you'll also enjoy the film which stars Lily James.

Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.

2.  The Starless Sea

A romance, a mystery, a fantasy – this book has it all.  It begins when Zachary, a graduate student, discovers a mysterious book in the library which tells a story of events from his own childhood.  Desperate to make sense of this and of his own life, he follows a series of clues to a hidden ancient library.  The Starless Sea was voted a best book of the year by The Guardian, Good Housekeeping, and Real Simple.

3.  Sourdough

NPR described this novel as "Fight Club meets The Great British Bake Off."  Lois, a software engineer, is given a temperamental sourdough starter, and discovers a new passion, a new community, and a strange underground farmer's market.  Named a best book of the year by NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Southern Living.

I needed a more interesting life.  I could start by learning something.

4.  All Creatures Great and Small

My entire family read James Herriot's series of books when I was in high school, and wanted to visit the beautiful Yorkshire countryside he describes so well.  This is the first volume, set in the 1930s, with the young Herriot discovering that the realities of veterinary practice are very different from the textbooks he studied in college.  

With plenty of humor, some pathos, and a variety of unforgettable characters (including Tricki Woo, the pampered Pekinese who throws parties and has his own engraved stationery), the books are worth more than one reread.  There's a wonderful-looking TV series (I haven't watched it yet), which you can see if you subscribe to PBS or BritBox.  I've been told that some episodes are on Disney+ as well.

5.  No Two Persons

A young woman, Alice, has always wanted to be a writer.  She has the talent and is learning the skills, but her stories lack heart until a devastating experience infuses her work with immediacy and power.  Over time, her debut novel finds its way to the right readers at the right time, and inspires and changes them in unexpected ways.  I especially enjoyed the tales of the actor, the widower, the homeless teenager, the diver, and the bookseller, but all will draw you in.

6.  The Hobbit

January is the perfect time to indulge in a Tolkien adventure.  Tolkien's writing style is a great match for the out-of-time setting of this fairy tale.  He doesn't jump into the action or write short cliffhanger chapters to keep the reader engaged, but that doesn't mean his prose is tedious.  Instead, you'll experience the story along with its Everyman hero, Bilbo Baggins.  The tale is deep and detailed and terrifying, yet warm and funny too.  Enjoy Tolkien's original drawings, paintings, and maps in this edition.

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

Unlike Peter Jackson's wonderful Lord of the Rings masterpiece, the movie version of The Hobbit was silly and so disappointing.  I don't recommend it.  (The music is good, however!)

7.  Cloud Cuckoo Land

Settle in for three interconnected tales that will take you from 15th century Constantinople, to present-day Idaho, to a future on a space ship traveling to a new world.  Wait... there are actually four stories.  The fourth is a tale from ancient Greece that has survived (in part) on 12 fragmented pages.  How has this fantastical tale endured through the ages, and how does it tie the characters from these far-flung eras and places together?  That is the book that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr has created, and I promise it will dazzle you.

A story about resilience, memory, sacrifice, and beauty, Cloud Cuckoo Land was a finalist for the National Book Award and named best book of the year by the New York Times, Fresh Air, Time, and many others.

8.  A Gentleman in Moscow

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced by the new Bolshevik government in Russia to house arrest in the Metopol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin.  Rostov, a man of charm, intelligence, and wit, must now exist in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades of any century unfold outside.  

This entertaining book will remind you that it's possible to make connections, make a difference, and be happy even in the most unexpected and restrictive circumstances.  Raved about by everyone, including Bill Gates, People, and The New Yorker.  

A life without luxury can be the richest of all.

9.  Madselin

In this era of 600-page books which only begin a multi-volume series, you wouldn't think that a place, an era, and a whole cast of complex characters could be developed in a mere 200 pages.  Well, not just any author can do it, but the late great British author Norah Lofts could.

Madselin is a young English woman whose older husband has been killed by invading Normans, who go on to usurp her husband's lands and title.  She must adapt and learn how to thrive in her changed circumstances.  I recently reread this classic, and it was just as good as I remembered from the last time I read it in the 1990s.  You will settle deep into the 11th century and root for Madselin.  Check your library, opt for a used copy, or try the audio book.

10.  A Little Princess

I was torn between recommending this and Anne of Green Gables (because sometimes you just want to revisit a book you loved as a child).  However, I think Sara Crewe doesn't get the acclaim she deserves.  Sara isn't living in the best of circumstances, but she loves her friends, her dolls, her missing father, and even the rats and birds she tames and makes into friends.  In spite of what happens to her, Sara is never truly forlorn because she has such inner resources.  Her patience, kindness, and resilience pay off big time, and you'll love her for it.  

I pretend I am a princess, so that I can try and behave like one.

Get cozy, and enjoy!

And look for my newest book, Goodbye, Clutter: Say Hello to the Freedom of Minimalism.  The e-book version is available to pre-order at a special price, and I know it will be useful and inspirational for you.