What is “cozy”?

What is cozy? According to Marriam-Webster, the word cozy (kō-zē ), as an adjective, means “enjoying or affording warmth and ease, marked by or providing contentment or comfort, and marked by the intimacy of the family or a close group.” It may also have several other meanings, as well as being a noun or other parts of speech, but lets not get too wordy just yet. Here we will focus on “cozy” as relates to books.

Hello, everybeing!

Do you enjoy reading? (I would think so, since you are here, looking at a book publisher website.)

Is it nice to imagine a warm picnic on the lawn? Or a chill gathering in a coffee shop?

Or maybe you are you feeling troubled or overwhelmed?

Would you like a chance to just relax and feel safe for a bit?

If any of these are true for you (and maybe even if they aren’t) you might like to try some cozy fiction!

You may now be wondering, “Just what is the ‘cozy’ genre, and why should I care, anyway?” That’s a reasonable question, although maybe slightly aggressively phrased. That’s okay! I like to read cozy stories when I’m feeling aggressive. Cozy is a new subgenre of story and its primary focus is to tell a story that is small, personal, and leaves the reader feeling happy. Much like wearing a favorite sweater on a chilly day and curling up with a warm cup, cozy fiction seeks to soothe and comfort. It is an escape into a lovely place where no troubles are too overwhelming and you will have help along the way.

Although not rigidly defined, here are some of the main ideas that help outline cozy fiction. These stories have:

• an optimistic and upbeat tone,

• close-knit communities and friendships,

• smaller-stakes challenges,

• no graphic violence or explicit sex scenes, and

• a feel-good ending.

This subgenre is growing in popularity as readers seek out comforting escapes to snuggle into! The reason “cozy” is a subgenre, rather than a full genre itself, is because it can fit within the standard genres. There are many categories of cozies (a term applied to all of cozy fiction) including cozy: fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, romance, graphic novel, classics, YA, historical fiction, anime, cyberpunk, and loads more. Basically, if it is a genre, it can have a cozy subgenre!

What cozy stories would you like to find?