In my humble opinion, as soon as the clock strikes midnight on September 1, it’s officially fall. Is it still blazing hot out? Yes. Does fall not technically start until September 22? Yes. But, as someone who waits all year long for fall to roll back around, I could never let mere technicalities keep me from enjoying my favorite season. It’s the season of changing leaves, crisp weather, Halloween, and diving headfirst into cozy books from the comfort of my reading nook. Can you blame me for wanting to kick things off a little early?
While fall is the spookiest season of them all—and the perfect time to indulge in everything that goes bump in the night—sometimes a thriller book or horror movie simply isn’t what we’re looking for. These cozy books will give you all of the fall vibes you know and love—and even a hint of spookiness, minus the nightmares. Heat a cup of your favorite tea, find the comfiest spot in your home, and get lost in one of these cozy low-stakes stories that will give you your fall fix and leave you able to sleep at night.
Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of what her small English township considers a “true lady." Her needlework is terrible, she has no affinity for music, and her art is so bad it frightens people. To make matters worse, she has an embarrassing obsession with true crime. But when eligible bachelor Edmund Croaksworth comes to town, Beatrice promises her family she’ll be on her best behavior so that her sister may win Croaksworth’s heart. However, Croaksworth drops dead at the autumnal ball, and all bets are off. As the party descends into chaos, Beatrice partners with an alluring detective to find the killer before someone else gets hurt. This mystery is perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Pride & Prejudice.
The gods are warring again, but Iris Winnow has more pressing matters on her mind. Her mother is struggling with addiction, her brother is missing from the frontlines, and she only has one opportunity to keep her life together: win the promotion to columnist at the Oath Gazette. The only thing standing in her way is her rival, Roman Kitt, who also happens to be receiving the private, heartfelt letters that Iris has been writing to her brother and placing underneath her wardrobe where they mysteriously vanish. When Roman decides to anonymously write Iris back, the two forge a connection they never saw coming.
When Ari and Josh first meet, the wrong kind of sparks fly. They hate each other instantly. Ari is the free-spirited kind of girl who takes gigs and never sleeps over after a hookup, and Josh dreams of cooking meals for The One in his spotless kitchen while he takes the culinary world by storm. They really only have one thing in common: they’re sleeping with the same woman.
Years later Ari and Josh are both reeling from ego-bruising breakups and a chance encounter leads to a surprising connection: friendship. As friends-without-benefits, they find comfort in late-night Netflix binges, swiping through each other's online dating profiles, and bickering across boroughs. It's better than romance. Until one night, the unspoken boundaries of their platonic relationship begin to blur.
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is a genius scholar and researcher working on the world’s first encyclopedia of faerie lore. But while she is excellent at what she does, she is not excellent at people. Instead she prefers the company of her books, her dog, and the Fair Folk. So when she decides to travel to the remote village of Hrafnsvik to work on her encyclopedia, Emily has no intention of befriending the townsfolk or spending time with the charming-yet-insufferable colleague, Wendell Bambleby, who crashes her trip. However, as Emily closes in on completing this chapter of her life’s work and uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones, she finds herself opening up to the people of Hrafnsvik and caught up in another mystery—just who is Wendell, really? And what does he want?
Frances Wynn is looking to start a new life in Belgravia following the untimely death of her husband, Reggie. She’s preparing to welcome her sister, Lily, for her first London season when the police find reason to suspect Frances is responsible for her husband’s death. Though she assures Inspector Delaney of her innocence, she also must make sure the scandalous truth of Reggie’s death is never revealed. As fate would have it, Frances’ new neighbor, George Hazelton, is one of only two other people who know the full story. Between navigating Lily’s busy social schedule and worrying over whether Reggie was actually murdered, Frances rallies her wits, a circle of gossips, and of course, Mr. Hazelton, to uncover the truth. But will they unmask the killer before their lives (and, most importantly, Lily’s first London season) come to a disastrous end?
It’s high fantasy and low stakes. What more could you ask for a rainy weekend holed up inside? After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time and open up the first ever coffee shop in Thune. There’s just two problems: her old rivals will do anything to keep her from success and no one in Thune actually knows what coffee is.
Linus Baker finds comfort in his mundane, routine life. He works at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, overseeing the care of children in government-run orphanages. He goes about his life without much incident, until one day he’s summoned by Extremely Upper Management with an assignment far more exciting and dangerous than any he’s been given before. He’s to travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage to see if the six children residing there, one of whom is the literal Antichrist, will actually bring about the end of the world. Linus accepts the assignment, thinking of it as any other job and not realizing just how special the Marsyas Island Orphanage and its residents are.
Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry. She just has one problem: after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. Her handsome new editor refuses to give her an extension on her deadline, and Florence fears she may have to kiss her career goodbye. Things take another turn when she receives a devastating call beckoning her back to the small town she left behind and has no desire to return to. When she eventually does return to the funeral parlor her family runs she’s greeted by a literal ghost. And not just any ghost— it’s the ghost of her infuriatingly-handsome editor who’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Mika Moon is one of the few remaining witches in Britain. In order to keep her identity a secret, she keeps her head down and stays away from other witches so as not to draw attention. She does a pretty good job of this, save for the silly little online account she uses to post videos of herself pretending to be a witch. It’s a harmless joke, right? Wrong. Mika receives a mysterious message asking her to come to the Nowhere House to take over the teaching of three young witches. Despite this being a bad idea and going against the rules she (mostly) followed, Mika decides to go. Once there, Mika begins to view her new charges and the other residents of Nowhere House as a family of sorts, save for the librarian, Jamie, who can’t find it in himself to trust the newcomer.
Every Thursday, four residents of a quaint retirement village meet to discuss unsolved crimes. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph next to their body, the Thursday Murder Club finds themselves in the midst of a real, live case. Can they catch the killer before it’s too late?
As an undertaker, there isn’t anyone in Tanria who gets under Mercy’s skin quite like the marshal Hart. The two have exasperating run-in after exasperating run-in, and after one such incident, Hart finds himself writing a letter to no one in particular. When he gets a surprise response, he finds he has a new pen pal and a friendship is born. Unfortunately, the person Hart has been sharing his deepest darkest secrets to is none other than the person he loathes most in the world: Mercy. What will happen to their budding romance when their identities are finally revealed?
Despite coming from a family of witches, Aria is a magical disaster and the only person in her family whose magic blows up in her face. So she’s come up with a few rules for herself:
1. Never get involved with magic
2. If you must get involved, do not enter a competition to win the biggest magical fortune in England
3. And definitely don't fall for Callan Hawthorne, the sexy billionaire mage who you've hated for years
Unfortunately for Aria, returning to Charming Cove and breaking her only three rules is the only way she can save her family’s potion shop, Seaside Spells.
Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers, but Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open. She's thinking of selling, but that would mean breaking the hearts of her most loyal customers.
There's Sarah, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there's a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish.
