Genre: Cozy Fantasy

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett

I loved this enchanting story, with its strong echoes of Howl’s Moving Castle and Beauty and the Beast.

Apt to Be Suspicious, by Celia Lake

Set in Oxford’s magical community a year or so after the end of World War II, this gentle, slowly-unfolding romance features intelligent, good-hearted, skilled and competent people treating others with kindness and respect—a hallmark of Celia Lake’s Albion novels, and the reason I (and her other fans) love them so much.

The Reimagining of Thornwood House, by Jaleigh Johnson

You know that feeling when the perfect book comes along just when you need it? That was The Reimagining of Thornwood House for me this spring: a book about hope, new beginnings, moving, healing, and finding a home and a place in your new community.

The Keeper of Magical Things, by Julie Leong

A lovely, warm, cozy sapphic fantasy about kindness, community, and learning to be your true self

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, by Sangu Mandanna

What a lovely, warm hug of a book! Cozy, heartwarming, and enchanting (but never saccharine or twee), A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping centers around found family, love, acceptance, healing, and the strength of rebuilding yourself after disaster.

The Teller of Small Fortunes, by Julie Leong

I loved The Teller of Small Tales, Julie Leong’s debut novel. It’s a cozy quest fantasy with a found-family vibe, set in a vaguely British renaissance-era world.