Category Archives: Books & Book Reviews

Let’s Get Cozy!

Posted on by
Reply

Cozy fantasy is more popular than ever. Why do we love it so much? What makes a story cozy? And is there such a thing as too cozy? We’ll talk favorite tropes and recommend lots of books as we celebrate this warm and fuzzy genre.

I was asked to be the moderator for this panel and happily accepted. Being the moderator means asking the questions and helping to guide the conversation, not (necessarily) giving one’s own answers. I’m going to put the questions here, along with some brief notes on what my answers would have been. Sadly, this panel was not recorded and I kind of wish it had been. My fellow panelists were delightful and had lots of great commentary. The audience was one of the better attended panels I’d seen for the weekend and they were actually really great too. Perhaps it had something to do with the topic itself and the type of person that might be drawn to that? Whatever the case, I did my best to keep the conversation moving along and staying lively. I was quite happy with the whole thing. Probably best of the weekend.

After introductions, How do you define a cozy fantasy?

What are the defining elements? Is it possible to quantify a ‘warm hug’ vibe?

How much conflict is too much conflict? There has to be some to make a story, right?

‘Cozy’ as a sub-genre is generally thought of as a 2020s arrival to the scene ~ are there older stories that fit?

Do we think this ‘cozy’ movement is a direct reaction as a response to the current socio-political environment?

If yes – do you think it will last?

If it doesn’t, will there be any of these works that transcend the movement and have saying power?

Here it is – what is your recommendations list?

So, you’ve indulged. You gave in to your sweet tooth. You’ve consumed all the gooey sweetness you can handle… what do you follow these with (other than many some insulin)?

Those were the questions and the panel easily filled an hour chatting about various aspects of all those things. Given some concern from the folks running the show that only 3 panelists might not be enough, I think it was great.

Coziest picture I have... now I want sweets...

Here are some of my notes on the questions I generated for everyone else.

Cozy really is a feeling. That feeling can be prompted by lower/personal only stakes in a story. No overwhelming things tying the world to the character. That’s not to say there isn’t war or political unrest or danger, just that it’s distant. The story is smaller in scale – often a single location. It’s personal, and often relates to family (found is a particularly common part of that) or a positive romance. Generally the story must have some version of a happy ending. There’s a certain calmness to things, as opposed to the rush and chaos of so many epic stories. It is hard to define that feeling, but it is an important part of this sub-genre.

As for conflict? I once read part of a series where the author specifically set out to create something that had no conflict. The best way to describe it would have been character notes. Nothing happened, we just learned about this person. I say part of a series because she never finished writing or publishing it (to my knowledge). Nothing happened, so nothing happened with it. It just withered in place.

Earlier cozy stories. I wish I had better notes on some of the things others brought up, but my best example was “Howl’s Moving Castle”. I also asked about “The Hobbit”, but the consensus seemed to be that Hobbits themselves were cozy, the story with spiders and dragons and changing the world didn’t actually fit.

As with any literature response to political times, most will fade away and be noted as ‘of their time’, but any truly excellent writing and good story will sustain past the current moment. Only time will really tell for this question.

Skipping ahead – the next thing really can be heavier. I wouldn’t suggest going overboard. Don’t jump directly from a cozy to something like “The Poppy War”. Too jarring and would just not work out well. It would be very easy to just slide into cozy land and stay there, but sometimes you need more than the sweets. Dig up a solid recommendation from a friend and go there next.

And finally – the list of what I felt fit into the category (along with some I found at the con). I’m not going to link them here, other than the first. I’ve read a number of these, but not all of them. I’d be interested to hear if there are any that should be added to this list.

Tea & Treachery at the Infinite Pantry by Jo Miles. They were an excellent panelist – go buy their book!

The rest in no particular order:


Rewitched by Lucy Jane Woods

Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by Ursula Vernon (writing as T. Kingfisher)

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’niel

The Honey Witch by Sydney Shields

Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Spell Shop by Sara Beth Durst

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

A Pslam for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers (Hugo winner)

Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by rebecca Thorne

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

and lastly, for this list – Greenwing & Dart series by Victoria Goddard.

This was the sort of panel I hope to end up on again. Lots of good stuff here – including some books I’m off to read now!

Not My Sci-Fi – Updated!

Posted on by
Reply

This article was originally published in Watch The Skies, the April 2026 edition. This is actually the third time I’ve reviewed and rewritten this list. I suspect these will continue to change in the future.

One of the Watchers asked recently, “if you were going to recommend one book to start somebody off who wants to read science fiction, what would that book be?”

I had actually written a piece about this before but this is a topic that deserves an update. The sheer number of books published during any given month, let alone year, is impossible for an individual to keep up with. Having a solid recommendation from a friend goes a long way. I went hunting and found nothing in my own archive, but I did track down the original eventually.

NOT MY SCI FI – UPDATED

When my mother told me that her book of the month club steadfastly refused to read anything from science fiction, my immediate reaction was to become defensive of my favorite genre. How could any book club worthy of the name deny such a massive portion of today’s literature? Didn’t they realize that science fiction stories are the basis for 4 of the top 5 grossing movies of all time? How could anyone deny such a pervasive part of society, not just literature?

The more I pondered this, the clearer the answer became. Today’s society has attached a stigma to the terminology “science fiction”. Say those two words and the image conjured is that of an overweight middle aged man with an ill fitting 60’s style space uniform, and badly done prosthetic ears, quoting Gene Rodenberry.

“This is not my science fiction!” the voice inside me hollered.

Then it hit me. This is science fiction from my mother’s generation. If it’s what my mother identifies with, then it’s likely the same image is shared among her contemporaries.

Now is my big chance! After stating my personal disbelief, I have been granted an opportunity to defend the faith! I have been challenged to put forth a list of science fiction novels for the next selection of the book club.

I wrote that some years ago and published it in Watch The Skies. I have actually cut off the recommendations I gave them. In the time since then, my recommendations and my personal tastes have grown and changed. I also want to include works that can serve as an introduction for younger folks who are searching for something to read. Inclusion is an important aspect of many parts of genre fiction these days. This list will encompass fantasy and science fiction. The two parts have been paired for so long they have become inseparable.

I have read all of these books, many of them more than once. OK, most of them… fine. All of them, more than once. I’ve included a little of my thought process on each of them. These are all great books to get somebody started in science fiction or fantasy. I recommend all of these works – especially if you know somebody looking for an introduction.

The Hobbit – Tolkien, J.R.R.

This is the novel started it all for me. It is masterfully done. The key here is that it is meant to be read out loud to someone else. That method of delivery can make all the difference. Find an unabridged audio book – that IS reading it! This is a classic and deservedly so. I would also recommend staying as far away from the film adaptations as possible. Those simply failed after the first half hour of film.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Riggs, Ransom

Digging up odd old photos and creating the stories behind them. This is a paranormal / portal fantasy type book with an easy to access story. Following the main character as he navigates the ins and outs of the abandoned orphanage and all the curious, odd and outright scary images that go along with his travels makes for a great story. There are also a series of wonderful illustrations to supply vivid imagery. This is another work adapted into a film. As with most films, I recommend reading the book first.

The Martian – Weir, Andy

This book is truly science fiction. Take away the science and the story collapses. The parts of this book that ring true are likely because the author studied how the space travel aspects and orbital mechanics of the planets work. Despite having a large amount of that kind of content, it’s a fast and engaging read. This is yet another selection that has had a film adaptation made. Definitely read the book before seeing the film.

Steelheart– Sanderson, Brandon

For the comic book fans and the folks that like all the Marvel Cinematic Universe this is a book you should read. What if normal people are given super powers? What if those people are jerks? How do you fight a super human? I love the way Mr. Sanderson’s work reads. This is an engaging and believable story all the way. Well worth digging into.

The Red : First Light – Nagata, Linda

I will not lie, I envy the way Ms. Nagata writes. This is not the only work of hers I have read. She is an excellent author and this is a thought-provoking book. The story is set in the future where for profit wars and defense industry causes are what soldiers are involved in. This contains a lot of military elements along with the future tech for readers out there looking for some action and some excitement. When you read this, be prepared to finish out the series.

Fart Quest – Reynolds, Aaron

This last work is actually a children’s book. I felt it was important to have something that could fill that need and this book is both fun and a gateway into role playing games. Is the title childish? Of course it is. Meet them where they are, but allow them to want more. The cover illustration is great and so is all the interior artwork. It’s quick, it’s easy and is a great way to get a disinterested kid into reading.

Hopefully you’ll find something worthy on the list that will allow you to connect with somebody over a good book. Happy reading!

Am I a Crawler?

Posted on by

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Having just posted about a book that was a love story with romance and poetry… this is not that.

I was skeptical about this book. Anything with ‘buzz’ just sounds like a lot of disappointment waiting to happen. Pop culture often feels like a thing I want to avoid more than something I should know.

I have finished this one off at a very rapid pace – and have purchased the second in the series. That will stand as its own recommendation I think. Moving on to the second in a series is a rare thing for me.

This book could be considered a full story. Did I need to go to the second one? That is a pet peeve of mine – just stopping a story in the middle for the sake of creating a second book. I loathe that publishing tactic. This story teetered on the edge of that, but there was just enough closure to work. The writing style is very easy to read, with short chapters that keep the action moving right along.

The book starts with the set up from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and just moves in a different direction. Some of the humor seems cruel to me, but that, perhaps, is the point. The aliens aren’t trying to be nice, they’re trying to wipe people out while producing a Running Man style show where the characters are abused for the entertainment of the audience. I am not super fond of the main character, nor am I enough of a cat fan to be overly attached to the main duo. What this story does deliver is enough interesting world building to make the action feel important. There are a ton of threads dangling in the story that (if the author is good) will get tied back into the story later.

So… good, but will it carry past the second novel? We shall see.



View all my reviews

Time Shifting

Posted on by

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I suspect it will shock some people who know and repeatedly hear about my penchant for simpler hero stories and books that go boom, I very much enjoyed this book.

Is it flowery, poetic and romantic? Yes. It is all those things and more. It has a longing in it that the author brings out in each of the characters. So different, yet not really that different at all. When one is deeply involved in a thing, sometimes the only other who can truly understand is also deeply involved in the same thing. Being on opposite sides becomes academic when there aren’t any others who share the profound depth of knowledge and experience.

I can’t match the language skills of the authors, but I will say I enjoyed this elevated text. Love is not easy, and neither is the relationship in this story. The delivery methods for messages were fascinating. One that still stands out is, “…burn before reading…”. Time shifting stories often get trapped in a cycle of what if scenarios and technicalities, but this story only hints at the full background and gives just enough to make it believable. In the end, the simplest clues and the smallest actions give pause to the reader and concern for the relationship, while showing hints of a deepening love.

An excellent book. Absolutely recommend to the romantics out there.



View all my reviews

Breadknives and BS

Posted on by

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I didn’t know what to expect with this entry into the world of Legends & Lattes. I hadn’t read anything leading up to it, nor did I read the back cover copy. I enjoyed the first one, and the second one was ok. I have been leaning toward ‘cozy’ lately and this seemed like it would fit the bill.

It is still cozy… but there’s a lot more action and a lot more peril in this one than in the previous entries. The whole thing is a very interesting take on adventure. It starts without intention to adventure, morphs into a mid-life crisis and wraps up as something I can’t really identify.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

I wanted to empathize with Fern more than I could. Going from the position of ‘I have everything’ to ‘I can’t be here anymore’ seemed very abrupt. Running away from your problems is not a heroic thing, and I generally have a lot of problems with that. I think if there was some return to wrap up the story that was more than ‘I am broken and I won’t be here anymore’ it might have been better? Just abandon your pet? I’m shocked more people aren’t upset about that. Come back to your friends just long enough to… make yourself feel better about what you did?

I’m sure there’s a part of this that’s supposed to be a happy ending where Fern is off with the unintentional bad guy that she thought smelled good – but I just don’t see it. Maybe it’s me?



View all my reviews

Black Leopard, not read wolf~

Posted on by

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I put this work into the same category as I do many other works that win awards for reasons beyond my understanding. I don’t get it. I am clearly not the right audience for this work. Part of my dislike is the writer’s style. Part of my dislike is the sexual violence. Part of my dislike is the main character… I just don’t connect. I gave this more than one shot, but just never got past about chapter 4 or 5.

I will say this title did provide for interesting discussion among the members of our club. Interesting discussion is about as far as I can recommend it.



View all my reviews

Something I did not add to my Goodreads review is the artwork I created based on whatever inspiration I could find in the portion of the book I did read. The visuals of this mystic tree and following various forms of a being through the mist did help me create this work. It was also nice that I got some small amount of feedback on the art. IF I can create something and it provides enough of a mood or a feeling that you are compelled to comment that’s a good sign.

Small and Angry

Posted on by

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I don’t know if 3 stars is enough ~ I think 3.5 is closer to where I am. This was a smoothly written book with very believable characters. I did enjoy it.

I wonder if it is more of a character study than an adventure story? This is part of my hesitancy with the full on liking. The characters are great but this feels like a small piece of something much bigger and it doesn’t seem like we’re getting more than “hey, this was our adventure”. Even when I read the teaser for the next book, it seemed like this one was just done. The next book doesn’t seem to have any of the same people.

To be entirely fair, I do like stand alone books. This is fantastic for that, but there are a number of things that I wanted more of and questions that I didn’t think were answered. Still good.



View all my reviews

Reading Statistics

Posted on by

I posted up a summary of a decade of reading last year. I am not a spreadsheet person, nor did I make a graph but I did lay out the numbers. I averaged just a little over 22 books a year during that time. Pretty close to two per month.

This year I made it to 19 (20 if you count the one I’m reading right now because it will probably be done by the end of the week). All things considered, not a bad amount. The month to month has understandable gaps, and some of the selections I made were decidedly shorter than others, but they were still books and they still counted as reading.

If I stated some kind of goal or set out to specifically read any number of books for the coming year I think that would turn something enjoyable and relaxing into work. As if I just had to get to that next or last book to make a quota. I do things like that (personal goals that mean nothing to anyone other than the voices in my head) but I think for relaxation time it would become a problem.

I’m pretty sure I’ll hit 11 in the coming year, as that’s how many meetings of Watch The Skies we’ll have and we pick a book each month, but beyond that I just hope the book selections I get will be really good stories. I want to have a book that I sneak a peek into while I’m on a break at work. I want a story that inspires me to go and create fan art for it. That’s the sign of a good year of books in my mind.

How did your year of reading go?

Old Man Indeed

Posted on by

The first time I read “Old Man’s War” was back in 2009. I checked the date on Goodreads… and I suspect I was lucky because I don’t think I started posting books there much earlier than that (although it’s shocking to me that I’ve been posting to Goodreads for 16+ years at this point).

I had a very positive review at the time and it was very focused on the action. I complained about the 150ish pages of set up.

I saw that the latest in that series was published a couple of months ago. It’s the seventh! book in the series – he must be doing something right. I thought I’d dive back into the series and see about cruising through a nice space opera with some action and plenty of fun stuff to read. I picked up a new copy (e-reader this time partly for convenience and partly because I coudln’t find the other one) and dove in.

To carry forward the diving analogy… I dove into the shallow part of the pool and it didn’t end the way I thought it would.

The part I didn’t remember was the basis of these stories is that the military uses old people. The ‘magic/science’ allows all the knowledge and experience to be swapped into a new, supercharged body that is built to fight. That also means the characters in the stories have a ton of life they have lived… and lost.

The book opens with the main character visiting the grave of the woman he’d been married to for decades who died after having a massive stroke.

That just crushed me. I had to stop almost as soon as I started.

When you read a book matters so much. All the other parts, the style, the characters, the plot are the core but the timing is everything. Back in ’09 I gave no thought to what that meant. I wanted to push past all that ‘old man’ part and get to the war part. Well, here we are 16 years later and the ‘old man’ part is intensely difficult to read. I did finish the reread of this one. The book is still good, but it’s not the same excitement driving work that I read earlier in my life.

I still like the book. I’m not nearly as enthusiastic as I was. I struggled with the main character seeing his wife so clearly in others in so many places. I see the found spirit part but I don’t think I believe it. Maybe if I read this again in a decade or so it might be different, but I don’t think I’m going any further with the series right now (or maybe ever). We’ll see how the timing works out in the future.

Book Review Catchup Post

Posted on by

Keeping up with things lately has not been easy. It was never “easy” but less so in recent months. I hadn’t actually stopped reading, I just haven’t had the emotional space to write down reviews of books I’ve finished. There are a handful that I’d like to track, so I’ve added them to Goodreads. I’m not going to try to link each of them individually here, nor will I have deep reviews for all of them but I did want to land them where I can track them.

Assassin’s Quest (The Farseer Trilogy, #3) by Robin Hobb (3 stars)

I pushed through and finished the series. I can say I ‘liked it’ but I did not love it. It ended, but somehow it just didn’t feel right to me. I’m glad I finished the series.

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse (4 stars)

It was really good to see a fantasy work set in something NOT medieval Europe. It’s well done and I will likely pick up the next book in the series.

Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky, #2) by Rebecca Roanhorse (3 stars)

I continue to like the concept of non-Europe based fantasy. This book was good and the characters continued to be solid, but when I hit the end I just didn’t have the same drive to get to the next book. We’ll see if I wrap it up at some point.

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn (The Library Trilogy, #1) by Mark Lawrence (2 stars)

There was a lot of potential here and I was really drawn in at the start. The longer I read, the more I was hoping for certain things and not getting them… then things just got weird. That’s good – weird is good – it just wasn’t weird that worked for me.

Glory Road by Robert A. Heinlein (1 star)

I realize there are a lot of fans out there that will not like a one star review for this classic. There are some I have spoken to who read this in their youth and remember it fondly. There are some who continue to reread this as a ‘true classic’ that they really enjoy.

I didn’t read this as a youth, and reading it now with a more modern view… didn’t do it any favors. I suspect if I had picked this up when I was 14 I would consider it one of the best ever. Looking at it now? It is dated, male-centric and just not the exciting adventure everyone seems to think it is… at least not to me. I didn’t even make it to the end.

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk (3 stars)

A wizard private investigator in Chicago on the outs with the official wizarding organization…

I really had to struggle past the direct comparison to Harry Dresden as a starting point. It’s likely not fair, but it’s definitely something people will see right away.

I am not a fan of Supernatural (TV series) but others have told me there is a heavy influence in the book for that as well.

In the end I read the whole thing rather quickly. I struggled with the ending, but then it was as advertised in the title… even though I knew the end.

The Spellshop (Spellshop, #1) by Sarah Beth Durst (4 stars)

This book is exactly the warm, relaxing cup of hot chocolate the author wanted it to be. Charming characters, low stakes (that seem more so) and lots of positive thoughts. If you’re looking for a cozy, I absolutely recommend this.

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked this story as much as I liked the first book. There is an attachment, but not nearly as much as I thought there might be, to the first book but this definitely stands on its own.

I will say that when I finished this, directly on the heels of the first one I may have felt like I’d eaten too many sweets. Even saying that, if you’re looking for a cozy, this is also on the recommended list.



View all my reviews