Cozy Reads for the Season

It’s finally getting cool enough to pull out my favorite reading sweaters – and yes, there is such a thing in my house! There really is nothing better than spending a quiet weekend morning curled up on the couch with a hot cup of something, wrapped in a cozy sweater, covered in a blanket, enjoying a good book. And regardless of if you are celebrating Diwali, Halloween, or just enjoying the Autumn weather, there are some great books out for you to curl up with!

Diwali

Halloween

Autumn

Diwali

The Hindu Festival of Lights began this past Monday and lasts 6 days. The most iconic emblem of the festival is rangoli decorations – the colorful sand art common on floors or tabletops to welcome Lakshmi to the home. Below are some of my favorite books featuring Diwali and rangoli that helped me to understand them better.

The Candid Life of Meena Dave

Released in 2022, Namrata Patel’s The Candid Life of Meena Dave quickly became a reader favorite, earning 5 stars from me as well. It earned a nomination for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Longlist and was her debut novel.

When Meena unexpectedly inherits an apartment in Boston, she has to decide what to do with it – sell, or keep it. Meena’s work as a traveling photojournalist has led her to never put down roots, and she has no real family to speak of – she’s not even sure who the person is that gave her this apartment. Adopted at a young age, Meena doesn’t really understand her heritage, but when the three meddling “aunties” from upstairs begin to insert themselves into her life, Meena begins to make connections between the artifacts left in the apartment and her own mysterious history.

A Holly Jolly Diwali

Canadian writer Sonya Lalli delivers a beautiful holiday romance that takes readers across two continents in A Holly Jolly Diwali. When Niki loses her job, she suddenly has the time she never thought she’d have to attend her best friend’s wedding halfway around the world in India just days after Diwali. She immediately locks eyes at the Diwali celebration with a man and finds an unexpected connection – something she really wasn’t looking for. She’s there to celebrate her friend and meet distant family, but now here she is falling in love? Beyond connecting with this new beau, Niki learns more about her heritage, the importance of Diwali, and who she is before she makes the crucial decision of what to do when her time in India is over.

The Forest of Enchantments

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is by far my favorite author of Indian heritage. This book does not necessarily show Diwali as we know it today but shows its origins – the love story of Rama and Sita.

One reason why this author has become one of my favorites is how she frames her works around the women’s stories and this book is no different. This book may be a retelling of a classic folktale, but it is told through the lens of Sita and the struggles women face to find worth in the home and family. If you enjoy this book, I encourage you to read the authors other works including Independence and The Last Queen.

Halloween

This is one of those holidays that can go in so many different directions from a literary standpoint – gore, thriller, mystery, magic….so many great genres to choose from! These are a few of my favorites that feature the actual date of Halloween in them.

The Best Halloween Ever

I get it, this is a “kids book”, but if you’re looking for something that’s not super scary and will give you a laugh…this is it. Barbara Robinson introduced readers to the Herdmans in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and now they’re back in The Best Halloween Ever. Set to wreak even more havoc (and candy-fueled at that), the town has decided to cancel Halloween to avoid the mess all together. But…the Heardmans have other plans. Don’t they always?

I have never heard my son laugh so hard as when we were reading this book together. Give this one a try if you need a read-along book for your younger readers!

Halloween

Usually the book comes before the movie, but that’s not the case with Halloween. Curtis Richards based this short novel off the screenplay for the movie of the same name. I have to be honest – I have neither watched the movie nor read the book because horror just isn’t my thing. However, when I polled my friends for favorite books and movies for this time of year, this was high on everyone else’s list. I question the kind of people I hang out with…

Even more disturbing? There’s an illustrated version of this book out from publisher Printed in Blood. No thanks…

The Invisible Hour

Alice Hoffman may be best known for her Practical Magic series, but my favorite of her novels is actually one of her most recent releases – The Invisible Hour. Magical realism, romance, and a touch of “what can happen if you just believe” flow through these pages in a beautiful way and earned Hoffman a nomination for hte Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction in 2023.

Following a young girl who was raised in a cult, this book shows how important it is to think for yourself. It also shows how a strong love of reading can open doors to other worlds and pull you out of the trouble of this world, too.

Autumn Reads

I love small-town Autumn romance stories and cozy mysteries set just as the leaves start to fall. I always say this time of year brings out the magic, whether it is the way the light shines through the golden leaves or the cooler air. These are some of my favorite general Autumn reads:

The Goode Girls of Maple Lane

The Goode Girls of Maple Lane was one of our early reviews back in the summer and received 5 stars from me! It hit shelves back in the summer and has all the things I love about small-town romance – a dog, an unsuspecting guy that turns into the “golden retriever” type boyfriend, and a girl who is dead set to do it all on her own.

Jacqueline Firkins placed this story in New York just as the leaves are starting to fall and at the start of “sweater weather” which almost becomes a character itself in this book!

The Simplicity of Cider

We read The Simplicity of Cider last year around Thanksgiving and loved it giving it 4 stars. Starring a headstrong businesswoman trying to make her cider business thrive as a new lifeline for her family’s failing orchard, this romcom has the comic relief of a young boy who is just looking for some fun and excitement. What comes with him though is his father, who the businesswoman really has no time for. But when her dad is injured, she has no choice but to accept their help to keep the farm afloat.

I did find fault with a few of the more “out there” moments in this book, but if you’re looking for a Hallmark movie in book form – this is perfect (in a good way).

Just Don’t Fall

This was the book that made me fall in love with Emma St Clair and seal the fate of all sports romance stories out there. Another strong female lead in a business role will make you reach for those power heels (or flats because who are we kidding) on Monday. Honestly, there are so many great hockey and sports romcom books out there right now, but this was the start for me so, if you’ve read this one, I’d recommend searching Google for another – there’s a few dozen results that came up for me!

Cozy Reads for the Season