Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Cozy Fantasy Reads

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Cozy Fantasy Reads

Here's another prompt that I could not pick just 10 books for. These are all fantasy books which feel like a warm hug and filled me with joy when I was reading them. Cozy fantasy books are some of my absolute favorites to read. 

1.  Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 

    - My favorite book I have ever read is Howl's Moving Castle and it to me is the ultimate cozy book. Diana Wynne Jones had a unique writing style that pulled you into her worlds from the very first page. I adore how she wrote every one of her books. Sophie was a character that I related to on a level unlike any heroine that I have read before her. I loved reading about the way she interacted with the world and people around her, especially the titular character, Howl. 

    - Howl is one of my favorite characters in literature. I love our introduction to this character through the stories that are told about him in Sophie's town. The citizens believe that he steals young women's souls and hearts. This is a trope in many fantasy books about characters like Howl and I love how Diana plays with that through his character. Howl is such a drama queen of a wizard. 

    - The world that Diana has created in this tale plays with popular fantasy and fairy tale tropes creating a fantasy world that feels unique and authentic. Each of her books could definitely fit on this list for me, but this is the one that feels the most cozy for me. 

 

2. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

    -  Legends & Lattes has become one of the most quintessential cozy fantasy books for fans of the subgenre and there is a very good reason why. It is such a charming book. I don't like coffee but would go to Viv's shop in a heartbeat and try Thimble's baked goods. This is the perfect comfort read filled to the brim with wholesome characters, heart, and a found family I adored. Each character stole my heart and I hope we get more of Viv, Cal, Tandri, Thimble, and the many other characters in this world. I will be reading Bookshops & Bonedust and Brigands & Breadknives very soon. 

3. The Spellshop series by Sarah Beth Durst 

    - The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse are cozy fantasy companions which I highly adore. I enjoyed the world in The Spellshop last year and was eagerly awaiting the sequel. The Enchanted Greenhouse was even better. I wanted to travel to this world so much and visit the magical greenhouse. 

 

4. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

    - This wonderful book had everything I wanted: witchy vibes, found family, quirkiness, a cute romance, and a warm cozy feeling. The found family was so special and just filled me with joy. I love Sangu's sense of humor in her books and this had so much of it. Definitely, the perfect book for this time of year. 

5. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 

    - Tress's story is one of my favorites so far this year. It has so much I love in books with strong characters, pirates, adventure, and humor. I adore that my favorite character from the Cosmere, Hoid, is the narrator of this tale. His narration is absolutely hilarious and a joy to read. It'll definitely be one I pick up many times. 

 

6. Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett 

    - I read the entire Emily Wilde trilogy in January of this year and fell in love with this world. There are some darker scenes but the overall story feels very cozy. Emily and Wendell's relationship is one of my favorites in literature and my love for this only grows with time. 


7. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

   - Many of T. Kingfisher's books feel very cozy even though there are some darker elements to them. One of my favorites that I read this year was Swordheart. It has a beautiful romance and found family dynamics which is always a favorite element in stories for me. Definitely, a fantasy road-trip of my dreams. Cannot wait for the sequel/companion next year. 

8. The Tea Dragon Society series and A Song for You & I  by Kay O'Neill 

   - A cute middle grade graphic novel series that has the coziest vibes. I adore every single page of this trilogy. The dragons are so small and adorable! It is a great story of family, friendship, and love that is wonderful in every single way.  Kay O'Neill's illustrations are stunning. I also highly recommend their book A Song for You & I which is also cozy. It came out earlier this year. 


9. The Herbwitch's Apprentice (Witches of Olderea, #1) by Ireen Chau

   - Another great cozy fantasy book I read this year. The witchy aspects were perfect along with the fantastical version of the Regency time period. I love reading Regency books set in a fantasy world. They are always so cozy. I will be reading the sequel next month. 

10. The Story of the Hundred Promises by Neil Cochrane

   -  A clever very loose retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" with queer and trans characters. I particularly loved how this book had various fairy tales throughout. The first part of the book focuses on the character Darragh's journey to find the Enchanter he met when he was thirteen. His story is combined by tales that his land tell of the Enchanter. Then, the second part of the book focuses on the Enchanter, Merrigan's story. I love how Neil Cochrane weaved the various tales into the story. This is not your typical retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," but it does have some elements from it. 

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Happy Anniversary to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!

 Today, is the 75th Anniversary of The Chronicles of Narnia. C. S. Lewis published The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on October 16th, 1950.

Narnia will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first series I finished in full and really got me into reading from an early age. C. S. Lewis is still one of my favorite authors and I love checking out his other works.

Image is from NarniaWeb on Twitter

October 2025 Mid-Month Reading Update 👻

Monday, October 13, 2025

The End of the Year Book Tag 2025 edition 🍂

  The End of the Year Book Tag was created by Ariel Bissett many years ago. 

This is one of my favorite tags to do every year sometime in the fall. 

1.) Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

    🦉The Way of Edan by Phillip Chase- I made a list of 25 books I would like to read this year as one of my yearly goals. The Way of Edan is one of those books and I started this a few months ago, but I just wasn't in the mood to read it earlier this year. I would like to finish this one in the near future.  

2.) Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

    🍁Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood- I think this witchy book will be perfect to transition into the end of the year. 

3.) Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?- Here are some of the new releases I'm still waiting for because I can never pick just one. Most of the books I am waiting for from the end of the year are ones I have ARCs of. These are the ones I do not. 

    🍂 Local Heavens by K. M. Fajardo (Release Date: October 14th, 2025)- This book comes out tomorrow but I'm not sure when I will be able to pick it up. It is a queer science fiction retelling of The Great Gatsby and it sounds amazing. 

 

    🦉The Siren and the Star by Colby Cedar Smith (Release Date: October 28th, 2025)- A novel-in-verse about a young singer who overcomes trauma by connecting to music from a 17th-century female composer. It sounds like this book is told from the young singer, Lula's, perspective and also Barbara, the 17th century composer. I love books told in verse and think this one sounds great. 

4.) What are four books you want to read before the end of the year?-  I have posted a Fall TBR which has over 10 books I would like to read before the end of the year. These are the top 4 of those books that I would definitely love to finish by the end of the year. 

    🍁Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury- I made a goal for myself earlier this year to read through some specific classics that I didn't read before. The last one on that list is Fahrenheit 451. 

    🍂 Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson- Last year, I started The Stormlight Archive finally and have been highly enjoying the series. I need to at least get through the fourth book. 

    🦉The Pinhoe Egg and Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones-I want to finish the Chrestomanci series by the end of this year. I have one final book and then the short story collection.  

5.) Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

    🍁 I have loved so many books this year and I have a hard time believing anything is going to beat them out of my top five. But if anyone could do this, it would be T. Kingfisher. My favorite book of last year was A Sorceress Comes to Call and I will be reading Snake-Eater very soon. I have high hopes for this book, especially after hearing people review it saying that it reminds them of the Witch books from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. 

6.) Have you already started making reading plans for 2026?

    🍂 Yes, I know many of my reading goals for 2026. 

            🦉 Read 100 books- My reading goal for each year is always to read at least 100 books. I don’t plan on changing this anytime soon. 

            🍁 Finish three series I started before 2026- I do not know what series these will be just yet, but I would like to finish at least three series I have started before 2026. 

            🍂 Read at least 5 tomes- Another repeat goal that I definitely will be doing next year.

            🦉 Read 4 C. S. Lewis Books I have never read- I have been trying to read C. S. Lewis books I have never read each year. This coming year, I decided to make it a goal to read at least 4 C.S. Lewis books. I might do this each quarter. Below I have put some of the options. 



           🍁 Start reread of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett- I have been wanting to reread the entire Discworld series for years now. So next year, I'm planning on starting this in January and plan on rereading a book a month. We will see what happens. 

Monday, October 6, 2025

The Life of a Showgirl ❤️‍🔥

Oh my goodness, it's here! ❤️‍🔥

It has been an absolute joy listening to Taylor's almost twenty year discography over the last couple of weeks to countdown to her twelfth album. I don't understand what people are hating so much about The Life of a Showgirl. Yes, there are a couple songs I am not as big of a fan of but for the most part I enjoy most of them. It is fun and gets me wanting to dance. 

I love this album. 

I decided to wait to do this post a bit after the album came out so I could listen to the songs plenty of times before. Many of the songs really surprised me when I was listening to them at midnight on October 3rd. "Ruin the Friendship" did this the most when we got to the third verse and found out who the song was about. I could not believe a song with that beat brought tears to my eyes. What a message. It is one of the best on the album. 

There are so many great beats throughout each of these songs. They sound beautiful together. I enjoyed listening to this the first time through and love them even better now after many more listens. Looking forward to listening through this album so many more times. Taylor is happily in love and it is so great getting to hear that. She doesn't have the anxiety she had in so much of her past music. I love the infectious joy she is showing in the sound and lyrics on this album. Beautiful!  

My favorite songs from the album so far are: "Opalite" (This will definitely be on repeat for a long time. I love this song with all my heart.), "Ruin The Friendship," "Father Figure," "The Fate of Ophelia," "Elizabeth Taylor," and "The Life of a Showgirl."

Thursday, October 2, 2025

"Straight from the Tortured Poets Department" 🤍

The Tortured Poets Department is my favorite out of Taylor's most recent albums. I adore almost every single song from both the standard album and The Anthology. It is one of her albums that I enjoy listening to in full more often than not. I'm looking forward to The Life of a Showgirl very much, but I know that this is still going to be heavily in my rotation. It is definitely in my top favorites of hers. 

Favorites from the standard album: "But Daddy I Love Him," "Guilty as Sin?," "Fortnight," "The Tortured Poets Department, "So Long, London, and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me." 

 

Favorites from The Anthology: "Peter," "The Black Dog," "I Hate It Here," "The Bolter," and "How Did It End?" 

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

3rd Quarterly 2025 Reading Goals Update and Stats

  📚 July- September 2025 Reading Goals Update 📖

I decided to keep track of my goals each quarter again this year. Here are my goals and reading stats for July, August, and September. 

🟪 Read 100 Books- 146/100 ✔️

🟦 Reread at least one book every month- 9/12

        🎆 July: Reread 2 ✔️

                - Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 1: Imperial Machine by Charles Soule

                Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol 2: Legacy's End by Charles Soule 

 

        🏖️ August: Reread 1 ✔️

                - Caught Running by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
 

       🍁 September: Reread 1 ✔️

                - The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
 
 

🟩 Read at least one 2025 release every month- 9/12

        🎆 July: Read 4 ✔️

                - The Enchanted Greenhouse (The Spellshop #2) by Sarah Beth Durst

                - Brume, Volume 1: The Dragon Awakens by Jérôme Pélissier and Carine Hinder

                - The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso 

                - Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill  

        🏖️ August: Read 5 ✔️

                - Bookends of Life by Sonja Koch and Dalys Finzgar
                 
                - Brigg's Dictionary of Fairies: Banshees, Boggarts and Other Folklore Creatures by Katharine Briggs 
             
                Anywhere with You by Margo Glynn
         
                - I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 8: Happy End Game by Skottie Young
 
                - Daedalus Is Dead by Seamus Sullivan 
 
        🍁 September: Read 6 ✔️

                - Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
 
                - Cinder House by Freya Marske
 
                - The Midnight Carnival by Kenny Gould 
 
                - Not Quite By The Book by Julie Hatcher
 
                - The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark Orshiro
 
                - J.R.R. Tolkien: The Father of Modern Fantasy by Don Marshall
 
 
 

🟨 Read at least 5 tomes- 6/5 ✔️

                -Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -650 pages

                -Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson- 1248 pages

                -Katabasis by R. F. Kuang- 560 

 

🟧 Review every book I read- 146/146 ✔️

                - I have reviews for each book on this blog and Goodreads.

🟥 Read 5 classics other than the books in my next goal- 13/5 ✔️

                - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

               - Animal Farm by George Orwell

🟧 Complete the Jane Austen Reading Challenge from Canterbury Classics- 8/12

        🎆 July: Read Mansfield Park- DNFed at around 175 pages but I may continue this at another time. I was not a fan of this plot at all.                        

        🏖️ August: Read a Jane Austen Inspired Book by Another Author ✔️

                - Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin 

        🍁 September: Read Persuasion ✔️

🟨 Finish 3 Series8/3 ✔️

        - Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith by Charles Soule

                - Reread the first two volumes and read the final 2 for the first time

 

🟩 Read 12 retellings29/12 ✔️

        - My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

        - The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next #3) by Jasper Fforde

        - The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

        - Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin

        - Daedalus Is Dead by Seamus Sullivan

 

        - Cinder House by Freya Marske

        - The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro     

 

🟦 Read 25 fantasy books- 87/25 ✔️

        - The Enchanted Greenhouse (The Spellshop #2) by Sarah Beth Durst

        - Brume, Volume 1: The Dragon Awakens by Jérôme Pélissier and Carine Hinder

        - Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3) by Brandon Sanderson  

        - My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 

        - The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde  

        - The Book of Lost Hours by Haley Gelfuso

        - Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill


        - The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson 

        - Brigg's Dictionary of Fairies: Banshees, Boggarts and Other Folklore Creatures by Katharine Briggs

        - The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown 

         I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 8: Happy End Game by Skottie Young

        -  Daedalus Is Dead by Seamus Sullivan

        -  Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

        - Conrad's Fate (Chrestomanci #5) by Diana Wynne Jones 

        - Cinder House by Freya Marske

        - The Midnight Carnival by Kenny Gould

        - The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro 

        - Lacuna by N. R. Walker 

 

🟪 Read 25 graphic novels24/25

        - Brume, Volume 1: The Dragon Awakens by Jérôme Pélissier and Carine Hinder

        - Fantastic Four, Vol. 1: Whatever Happened to the Fantastic Four? by Ryan North

        - Fantastic Four, Vol. 2: Four Stories About Hope by Ryan North

        - Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 1: Imperial Machine by Charles Soule

        - Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 2: Legacy's End by Charles Soule

        - Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 3: The Burning Seas by Charles Soule

        - Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 4: Fortress Vader by Charles Soule

        - Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin 

        - I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 8: Happy End Game by Skottie Young

🟦 Read 25 books in 2025 from my list- 18/25

  1. Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick ✔️
  2. When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley ✔️
  3. Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen ✔️
  4. A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames ✔️
  5. Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett ✔️
  6. The Way of Edan by Phillip Chase
  7. Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
  8. The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown ✔️
  9. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson ✔️
  10. The Little Liar by Mitch Albom ✔️
  11. The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
  12. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson ✔️
  13. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree ✔️
  14. Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
  15. Emma by Jane Austen
  16. The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
  17. The Dragons of Winter by James A. Owen ✔️
  18. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher ✔️
  19. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher ✔️
  20. The Library Mule of Cordoba by Wilfrid Lupano ✔️
  21. Aria in the Land of Wonders by Mia Araujo ✔️
  22. The Herbwitch’s Apprentice by Ireen Chau ✔️
  23. The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones ✔️
  24. Darwin’s Watch by Terry Pratchett ✔️
  25. Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett       

🟩 Read 10 poetry collections10/10 ✔️

        - Love by Night: A Book of Poetry by S. K. Williams

        - Bookends of Life by Sonja Koch and Dalys Finzgar

        - The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

Challenges

Here are some challenges I would like to also complete during the year, but I’m not making them goals. 

🟣 Buzzword Reading Challenge- Words & Covers

        🎆 July✔️

               WordsTitles featuring punctuation such as : ; , ) ! ? & 

                        -The Pirates! In an Adventures with Scientists by Gideon Defoe 

 

               Covers- Technology

                        - Darth Vader- Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 1: Imperial Machine by Charles Soule 

 

        🏖️ August✔️

               WordsWith 

                        - The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

 

               Covers- Transportation 

                        -Anywhere with you by Margo Glynn

 

        🍁 September✔️

               WordsEvents: party, vacation, birthday, wedding, retreat, prom, midnight, summer, etc. 

                         - Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

 

               Covers- Foliage

                        - The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore 

 

🔵 Extra Goodreads Challenges

        ~ Challenge 1: January Reader- Challenge 12: December- 9/12

        ~ Challenge 13: Grand Slam

        ~ Challenge 14: Nailed It- 146/100 ✔️

        ~ Challenge 15: Stepped Up    

📚 July-September 2025 Reading Stats 📖

🟢 Amount of books read in July-September: 44 books 

        🎆 July- 17 books

        🏖️ August- 16 books

        🍁 September- 11 books 

 

🟡 Favorite Books


🟠 Least Favorite Books

🔴 Page Counts

        Total of Pages read in July-September:

            📜 1-100: 1

            📖 101-200: 17

            📔 201-300: 9

            📚 301-400: 9

            📕 401-500: 5

            📗 501-600: 1

            📘 601-700: 1

            📙 701-800: 0

            📒 801-900: 0

            📓 901-1000+: 1

        Per Month:

            🎆 July:  5516 pages

            🏖️ August:  3805 pages

            🍁 September3572 pages     

🟣 Star Ratings for July- September

        ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 16

        ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 19

        ⭐️⭐️⭐️- 7

        ⭐️⭐️- 2

        ⭐️- 0