Eleven Cozy Books You’ve Got To Read During The Fall Season

If you want to sink into an enchanting woodland cottage this fall, then this is the story for you. Emily struggles to connect with people, but she’s content to keep the company of books instead.

She travels to an isolated but rustic Scandinavian village to research the subject of her studies: faeries. Alas, also traveling to the village is her academic rival: annoyingly social and, unfortunately for her, dashingly handsome Wendell Bambleby.

This charming story with its forest setting and magical creatures is the epitome of a cozy read, complete with a relatable protagonist and her loyal pet dog and perfect for lovers of all things cottagecore.

This retelling of the Beauty and the Beast classic puts more of a homey, slice-of-life spin on the fairytale.

Our heroine, Beauty, is, ironically, the very least beautiful of her sisters. Much of the story explores her family dynamic, which makes her imprisonment at the Beast’s castle even more of a gut punch. But despite the melancholy side of the story, Beauty is incredibly heartwarming.

The quiet Beast and shy Beauty develop a very sweet friendship, then romance. The setting of both the simple village and the enchanted castle is equally lovely, and Beauty is a wonderful fairytale escape all around.

Though this is the only macabre book on this list, it is just as much of a cozy read as the others. It’s the coming-of-age story of a boy named Bod who, after a miraculous escape from a murderer, finds himself in the loving care of the ghosts in a graveyard.

We follow Bod throughout his childhood as he’s raised by his ghostly adopted parents and mentor, a vampire. While Bod spends his life chasing ghouls, the story changes when he becomes the imaginary friend of a living girl.

It’s strange how wholesome and comforting this story is, especially because of its grim setting, but it’s the perfect read if you’re looking for a cozy Halloween read.

As an official Bethany myself, I can’t write a cozy reading list without mentioning this book. Even if you don’t read books geared at younger audiences, the vibes of this story are so immaculate that you have to read it.

The main character is Ebenezer Tweezer, a rich snob who’s immortal thanks to the beast he keeps in his mansion. When the beast demands to eat a child, the main character adopts the most insufferable brat at the orphanage.

Though the plot sounds grim, this story is whimsical, funny, and surprisingly sweet, especially as we watch the pair form a father-daughter/partner-in-crime relationship.

Written by the legendary Julie Andrews, this story begins with the imaginative Mandy climbing over the orphanage wall to see the world outside. To her delight, her adventures take her to a seemingly abandoned cottage.

Across the seasons, Mandy cleans the seashell-studded cottage, pretending like it’s the home she never had. However, after becoming unexpectedly trapped in her sanctuary, Mandy finds that she’s not as alone as she thought.

This is another book I read as a kid, and the comfort of escaping to your own secret cottage in the woods is palatable.

This cozy fantasy blew up in the mainstream reading space, even outside of fantasy circles, and it’s easy to see why. True to its “high fantasy, low stakes” tagline, this story is about a retired orc adventurer who purchases an abandoned building and converts it into the town’s very first coffee shop.

If you enjoy cozy books and somehow haven’t read this yet, now is the time. Not only does this book feature the most mouth-watering descriptions of coffee and pastries you will ever experience, but it’s also filled with a diverse cast of characters whose budding friendship with the main character will make you feel even warmer than the coffee.

Baking meets magic in this cozy adventure as apprentice Mona brings to life various foodstuffs in the face of peril. Though her wizardry only works with food, she is forced to be creative with how she defends herself as new threats arrive appear in the town.

Despite the danger, this story is a whimsical and uplifting tale about ordinary people getting to be heroes in unexpected ways. If you’re not sold yet, maybe the sentient gingerbread man and sourdough starter will tempt you.

If you’re an introverted book lover with dreams of escaping to a magical forested island, then this book is the perfect mental staycation for you.

A grumpy librarian is forced to become a magical jam-maker when she unwillingly returns to her not-so-beloved hometown. Tragically, her beloved solitude is interrupted by a neighbor who’s as nosy as he is handsome.

This cozy romantasy is made perfect by a menagerie of magical creatures, food, and, of course, a talking plant friend with anxiety.

You can grab a copy of OwlCrate's edition of this book here.

If you’ve ever watched X-Men and thought, “Man, if only this was a wholesome fantasy story instead,” then I present this tale to you.

This sweet found-family story begins with Linus, a secluded caseworker for magical children, who is sent to a house at the edge of the sea to investigate a top-secret case. Here lives Arthur, a cheerful man fostering six magical children with the potential to end the world.

Though the stakes are high, the focus of this tale is relationships, fueled by dialogue that is at its most charming and lovely. While the book deals with difficult subjects, it has a heartwarming vibe as Linus receives the healing he didn’t know he needed and the family he didn’t know he wanted.