Returning to the world Travis Baldree built in Legends & Lattes is like any of the metaphors having to do with coziness - being wrapped in a warm blanket, having a cup of tea or cocoa or mulled wine or brandy, enjoying an evening by the fire in the company of friends.

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders is a charming light fantasy about loss, love, and identity with a simple plot but complex characters and themes. 

In classic T. Kingfisher style, Hemlock & Silver is filled with intrigue, adventure, surprise, and humor , sprinkled with a touch of body horror and a little romance. 

Greenteeth, told from Jenny’s perspective, is full of adventure and humor and reminds us of the importance of family - including found family.

Besides a return to characters I enjoyed from The Firekeeper’s Daughter (10 years later and from the perspective of her now/teenage niece), the sequel Warrior Girl Unearthed was as filled with mystery, family, native lore, and attention to social justice as its predecessor. 

This is a great example of the danger of reducing a book to tropes. If you had pitched a YA, fake dating, hockey romance to me, it would be a hard pass.

Filled with Kingfisher’s trademark humor and horror, Sorceress was another fun listen. The audiobook changed narrators between the primary POVs and made it easy to follow. 

The quirkiness and the addition of the fungi & the backstory of pronoun variance made it feel modern and timeless at the same time.

I got Legends & Lattes (this one is a prequel to that) for Christmas & liked it so much, I gave myself Bookshops & Bonedust for New Year & liked it even more - probably, in part, to my love of books and previous life working in a bookshop.

Legends & Lattes was a perfect cozy fantasy - a "new" genre that is sure to become a favorite - to break away from extended family and other obligations to read over the holidays.