Cozy Fantasy | Shan, Briana, Cate, & Dillon

For many of us, modern life continues to feel increasingly complicated. It seems nearly impossible to stay updated on the ever-changing world of current events, technology, science, and economics. The complications of contemporary existence leaves one with a longing for simpler, more comforting times. This may be the reason why cozy fantasy is currently hitting the spot for so many readers. In today's episode, Shan chats with Briana, Cate, and Dillon about why cozy fantasy books have found a place on their shelves. If you're looking for a low-stakes read full of hope, kindness, community, charm, and found family, with a heaping plate of comfort food and a sprinkle of magic, you won't want to miss this delightful genre. Cozy fantasy is inclusive and comforting in all the best ways; your nervous system will breathe a sigh of relief with each turn of the page. So grab a steaming mug of tea and a toasty blanket, your next cozy read is waiting for you! 

Book Recommendations

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong

A Tale of Mirth & Magic by Kristen Vale

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Intro Music by nikitsan

Transcript

Cozy Fantasy

Shan: [00:00:00] Cheers. Welcome to Top Shelf with the librarians of Russell Library. I'm Shannon, joined by Kate, Brianna and Dylan. Hey. Hello. Oh, hey guys. Thanks for joining us today. On Top Shelf, you'll hear about compelling reads from the people who know books best. Our librarians will share titles that connect to a unique theme each episode.

Shan: This show will also invite you to learn about the many services offered here at Russell Library. If you're not local, no worries. Chances are high that your local library will have similar gifts to offer. We are very excited to turn the page with you. The focus of today's show is Cozy Fantasy Novels.

Shan: We've decided to cover this topic because Cozy Fantasy has become such a popular sub-genre. Particularly because of [00:01:00] Book Talk and Bookstagram, it's almost impossible to scroll your feed on both apps and not see a cozy fantasy book pop up. For those of you who have never heard of this sub genre, cozy Fantasies Center around lighter fantasy stories that highlight character journeys over epic adventures.

Shan: Readers who love cozy fantasy look for slow paced, feel good reading, experiences that dive into relationship building community with positive and magical experiences and vibes. These books offer the perfect fictional escape from everyday stresses of the world with the stress that we undergo on a daily basis in our lives.

Shan: Why not jump into a book that promises whimsical adventures with magical creatures and cozy comforting imagery? Now Cozy Fantasy has five key components. They are low stakes, lighthearted and whimsical. Focus on growth or healing. Emphasize a sense of community, and have [00:02:00] a happy ending. Not sad vibes here.

Shan: Just happy recently. I have fallen in love with Cozy Fantasy and Cozy Romance, and it's such a great place to escape to. It has made me laugh, feel warm inside and shed a couple happy tears and you'll see this. Not to plug my own thing, um, in my latest blog post Whine and Words where I talk about.

Shan: Whimsical romances and rose. So I'm plugging myself. Thank you guys. Yeah, do it. The perfect pairing. The perfect pairing. Mm-hmm. Honestly. Okay. So comforting, low stake fantasy books have been around for decades. For example, Diana Wynns Jones, Howells Moving Castle, which inspired the renowned, excuse me if I pronounce this wrong.

Shan: Hao Zaki film of the same name was published back in 1986 with bestselling books such as Travis's, Beltre Legends and Lattes, and Rebecca's Thorns, toes, and Tee series. In the [00:03:00] spotlight, cozy Fantasy is totally having its moment in it isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Let's see what our cozy fantasy loving podcasters have brought to share with us today.

Shan: Brianna, let's start with you. Can you tell us what book you brought today along with a brief description? Keep it brief. 

Briana: It might not be as brief as it should be. Oh, thank God. But it's cute. Good. So I brought The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leon, so it's super cute. This is the summary certainty Bull Rush, that's her name, wants to be useful to the Guild of MAs that took her in as a novice to the little brother who depends on her and to anyone else she can help.

Briana: Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn't proven much use to anyone. When certainty has the chance to earn her mahood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. Nevermind that she'll have to work with Maj Aurel, I think I'm saying her name right, the brilliant, unfairly [00:04:00] attractive overachiever who's managed to alienate everybody around her.

Briana: She's an ice queen. The two must transport minorly magical artifacts, somewhere safe. Spelling the dullest least magical village around there. They must fix up an old warehouse. Separate the gossip et tea pots from the kind of flaming sorts corral an unruly little cat dragon who tagged along and above all avoid any complications.

Briana: The guild's uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident. Still as major novice come to know spelling's, residents and each other, they realize the guild's hoarded magic might do more good being shared. Friendships blossom while certainty in Elia work to make spelling the haven.

Briana: It could be, but magic is fickle at attraction and it might spell trouble. Oh. 

Dillon: Impossible to pronounce words is a key component to any fantasy novel. Yes, very 

Briana: true. Honestly, 

Cate: yes, it does seem to track in [00:05:00] every single one. 

Briana: Yeah. And I practice in my head 

Shan: and I'm like, 

Briana: I'm, I still dunno how to say. Never makes 

Shan: sense.

Shan: Never. Well, what I have in my head ist what comes out of my mouth. Oh. Yeah. Like you think you are saying it right in your head and you're like, this is true, this is true. And you're like, yeah. And then you say it and you're like, this is not true. This is not how it's supposed to sound. Mm-hmm. Ah, so Brianna, what drew you to this?

Briana: I love this author's debut novel, the Teller of Small Fortunes, which was actually my gateway into the Cozy Fantasy kind of. 

Shan: Yes, I 

Briana: remember that book. Yeah, I think I got it from, um, book of the Month when I used to subscribe to that and I The Cover's Gorgeous. Is that still a round 

Shan: book of the month? 

Briana: Oh yeah.

Briana: Oh, wow. It was like, it's still going. It's still going. That was like before 

Shan: Reese and everybody. 

Briana: I think. I think so. Yeah. Um, but that was like my gateway and I loved it because I found that the adventure in small family component is really what like. Like just dragged me in and I was like, oh my God, I love this so much.

Briana: And as soon as [00:06:00] I saw that the author had her new book coming out, I requested it on Net Galley. Mm-hmm. And I got an early release copy of it. So I read it on my Kindle and I loved it so much I went out and bought it for me. Like the cover's beautiful. Like I know you all can't see it 'cause you're listening, but there's just a lot of pretty like.

Briana: Past, not, not past all, but like just beautiful colors and like, it's just very cozy. The cat dragon's like flying in the sky. Like it's just, it's a really beautiful book and it's a really well-written book. And a lot of books suffer from second book like syndrome. So I didn't know if this was actually gonna be any good.

Briana: Mm-hmm. But it was really good. So it was really like just knowing the author, like I loved her first book and I'm like, I'm gonna try the second one no matter what 

Shan: I think. 'cause it's about ages I love. That I don't know. 

Briana: Mm-hmm. 

Shan: And I just would find that interesting. You would probably find it like whimsical and cute.

Shan: I'd probably love it. Yeah. I have to be in that era again. Yeah. I'm now back in dark academia and vampires, so maybe spring, [00:07:00] maybe my whims. You'll feel more whimsical in the spring. I know. My whimsical ness is kind of over at the moment. Oh, so it's okay. Happens. It'll come back. It happens. It ebbs and flows.

Shan: You need that phase like the cozy right now. Is it's time for Cozy. It's time for Cozy. Yeah. Right now as we're recording this, it's like 18 degrees outside. Yeah, it's cool. And I didn't have heat and that's a whole other story. But besides my drama, how did this, so like you kind of explained how this book resonated with you, but if you wanna go like a little deeper, 'cause I know the whole family component.

Shan: Mm-hmm. 

Briana: So for me, the book was an utter delight, like a warm hug. Again, the found family like. Just everybody coming together, like in the village, our two female main characters, like coming together and using Magic for Good instead of like hoarding it away. Mm-hmm. And letting this little village kind of deteriorate into nothing.

Briana: 'cause one of the kind of underlying things going on is this distrust between like the magical folks and the villagers. Like there's a lot of divisiveness there, so they kind of get to come together and realize like, oh, you're not as bad as I thought you were. [00:08:00] And I also just really liked that. All the magical objects talked and certainty her, her, her type of magic allows her to talk to objects.

Briana: So like, she'll hear this voice and figure out, it's like a chair, or she'll hear a voice and it's like a, a sword. And so the objects kind of tell her what they need to do. So they've had d different objects throughout the book help different villagers. 

Cate: So in this particular world mm-hmm. It's a combination of humans and magical characters.

Cate: Magical, yes or okay. Magical beings. Yeah. 

Shan: So like beauty and the beast, like, I guess like a beauty and the beast in a sense. But they were under a curse. Yeah. So maybe not, but they were in animated objects that had personalities and spoke. Yeah. 

Briana: Fantasy is whatever the fantasy wants it to be. Fantasy to be.

Briana: Exactly. Yeah. Yep. So that just the found family, uh, just made me so happy 'cause everybody just comes together and supports each other. And the romance was really cute. Like it's not spicy, it's just two basically opposite personalities coming [00:09:00] together in a forks proximity, proximity type of situation.

Briana: Okay. And so. It was just whimsical and sweet and low stakes. So I was not worried about any horrible things happening to anybody. And there's just a nice happily ever after, like I feel like that's what I need right now. And I feel like a lot of people are probably looking for that. Just happy little book.

Briana: I think that's why it's 

Cate: having a moment right now. Yeah. 'cause more than not people mm-hmm. Desperately need that. Yep. 

Shan: What was like in COVID with the Hallmark films? Yeah. And then they mass produced them in the, like I still watch those Hallmark films. I do too sometimes, but sometimes I don't. 'cause they're really corny.

Shan: Or they're like, oh, this is just hitting the spot. Yeah. So there's 

Dillon: a lot of suspense media out there, and so it's sometimes it's nice to have like a wholesome ending, a wholesome media that just is easy to digest. 

Shan: Mm-hmm. Well, even a lot of the books coming out, it's like there's so many thrillers. Yeah. So, and it's like, come on.

Shan: Yeah. I just wanna be cozy. Life is intense enough. Yes. [00:10:00] We need it. We need a little cozy. Mm-hmm. We need some cozy. Mm-hmm. So, being at Cozy, would you wanna live in this world? 

Briana: Part of me wants to say yes because like cat dragon flying around and like magical little objects making my life fun. But I don't think I would survive very long.

Briana: 'cause it's too whimsical. It's too whimsical. It's not quite Brianna enough for me to function. So you need to like, you know, I can pass through for like a long weekend. And they don't have a, they don't have chicken nuggets. 

Dillon: Not chicken nuggets or hot sauce. 

Shan: Those are critical. 

Briana: They're critical. That's critical.

Briana: They can't survive. 

Shan: Do they have wine? 

Briana: I feel like there was a special little drink that they made and I can't remember if it was wine. They don't. Wine or like a cider. I can't be there either. Then. Oh yeah, probably it's a past 

Shan: meat or something like that. Maybe that's what it was. Yeah. But that's like honey and I just like can't, after a while it's too much.

Shan: It's too much, but it's all good. Would you recommend this book? I know you said I'd like it. I probably would love it. 

Briana: I think I would recommend it. Um, I [00:11:00] think you'd like it. I think it's. Especially if you're someone that wants to dip your toe into this genre, I feel like this might be a good place to start.

Briana: 'cause the world building also wasn't super complex. Like you get this little world and it all kind of makes sense and you're not trying to learn like a bunch of different names and types of magic and blah, blah, blah. So it was really cute and I think that I would definitely recommend it. Cool. If you don't want anything cute and cozy, whimsical, don't read it.

Shan: It's not for you. It's not for you. I have a question to you, cozy fantasy readers. Is there 'cause my fantasy that I like a lot, there's a lot of world building in cozy fantasy. Is it very like a lighter plot and it's not too heavy with the world building. That's been my experience, I would say. 

Dillon: And if, if there is, it's kind of, it's not explained in depth, it just kind of assumes that you can keep up.

Dillon: Yeah. Like it just says it how it is and you have to just kind of, you know, make a mental note and accept and then you get used to it, you know? Yeah. Okay. It's kind of assumed knowledge [00:12:00] and maybe if you're a fantasy reader, the, the author is assuming that you already like understand Yeah. Some concepts that you know, wouldn't be.

Dillon: Apparent to a non fantasy enjoyer, like you won't 

Briana: have to deal with the world building. You get in like fourth wing. Where there's a lot of things you have to learn. Like, like to your point, Dylan, like it's just assumed that you kind of are in this world and it, you understand everything going on. You get what's going on.

Briana: Like you don't 

Dillon: need to know to be explained what a dragon is or what a goblin is. Like. You kind of just have a basic knowledge of that. 

Cate: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. But they're not the types of books that come with a map. Mm-hmm. And a whole list of all the characters that has names. Yeah. It's not one of the rings so similar.

Cate: Exactly, exactly. So it, it's, it's definitely lighter than that. 

Shan: Yeah. Okay. Cool. 'cause. Most of my fantasy is not cozy. Yeah. I'm sorry. So you guys are teaching me a couple things right now, but um, Kate, can you tell us about what Brooke, you brought today and along with a brief description? 

Cate: Sure. So I brought a Tale of Mirth and Magic by [00:13:00] Kristin Veil.

Cate: So a tale of Mirth and Magic follows an Elvin jewelry artisan named Ellay who has to go on the run After her chaotic Magic gets her into some hot water along the way, she meets Barra a Sweet Half Giant, who is captivated by her fierce independence and boundless charm. They end up on the road together for an unexpected adventure.

Cate: Oh, how fun. Oh, that's cute. That sounds cute. Yeah. 

Dillon: Difficult to pronounce. Name of main character check. Again, I've been 

Cate: saying Eki. It could be aka. It could be something completely different. Eki sounds Elvin. I'm sure it's it. Probably fine. Yeah. Right. I think, yeah, that's what I thought. Do you 

Shan: think the authors do this?

Shan: So it's like, as readers we can. Have our own little, like, touch into this world. So we have our own pronunciation for things. I don't know, feel like thought, feel. It's just 

Cate: annoying to be honest. Yeah. Because sometimes it, it just feels like they're going out of their [00:14:00] way to make it hard to pronounce. Yeah.

Shan: Yeah. But like, say you're in a fantasy and their name is Bob. Nothing against the Bobs out there that this is true. That would break immersion a little bit. It would. It would break it. Yeah. Like I always think of Arrow gone. Yeah. Like from Lord of the Rings. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So 

Cate: that's fair. 

Shan: No, that's fair.

Shan: You know? And then all the Elvin names in that and not Kate. So it's about an Elvin jeweler. Yes. Not to pair anything. But your husband is also, you're jumping ahead. That's gonna come, come up. I'm not gonna say anymore. I can't wait to tell. Tell us more. But so I guess. Did that draw you to this book then 

Cate: maybe?

Cate: Well, first what drew me to the book, okay, is really just the way I choose books, which is I'm sick of staring at my computer, I run up to the stacks, I quickly kind of scan the shelves and I saw the cover and I was like, oh, this is a cute little cozy fantasy, so I'm gonna grab that. But sometimes covers can be deceiving and I did get a [00:15:00] little more than I bargained for with this book.

Cate: Okay. I'll say more about that in a few moments. Okay. I'm like intrigued. 

Shan: Um, so how did this book resonate with you then? 

Cate: Okay. So to answer that question, we have to go on a little journey. 

Shan: Okay. 

Cate: Way back. So, I've been kind of immersed in fantasy for my whole life. I grew up in a household with a mom who was more comfortable in costume.

Cate: Then regular clothes. My older brother and his friends played d and d and other roleplaying games at our house. Um, in fact, he created, he created my first d and d character for me when I was five. Wow. Wow. Because he needed a gnome. Illusionist. So I You were a 

Shan: gnome. 

Cate: I was. I was. And I had no idea what was going on, but there I was.

Cate: Um, so basically imagine the show Stranger Things, and you have the backdrop. To my childhood, uh, [00:16:00] less monsters, thankfully. 

Shan: Good. That's good. Yeah. Yeah. That's good. 

Cate: I went to my first Renaissance Fair at eight years old. I was a wizard. The the New York Run Fair then became a yearly trip. And when I was a teen, my mom actually fell for a, an artisan jeweler.

Cate: Wow. And so they got married and I wound up working the New York and the Jer, the New Jersey Ren Fair. All through high school and college. Then I met my husband who entered the jewelry business and became the sole ring maker for the company. But life happened. My mom and her husband got divorced. She then sadly passed away.

Cate: My husband left his pool full-time jewelry gig and became a teacher. But he does still subcontract for the company. So he has been, he's been their sole ring maker for 25 years. Wow. So. Full circle. The main character of the book is an elf who makes Rings. [00:17:00] So given my background, yes, I connected with her starting from the tender age of five.

Cate: I'm 

Shan: glad you stopped me at my question because you presented that so well, because I was like, oh, this is probably like connection with Gabe. 

Cate: Yes. Just because No, it Well, and it's just, it is funny because I really, I didn't have a choice. Of wanting to like fantasy. It just was such a part of my life.

Cate: Mm-hmm. All the time. So, yeah. 

Shan: Oh, nice. Well, Kate, do you wanna live in this world? 

Cate: So, I love this question and I would kind of like Brianna, I would at least visit because every town in this whole story seems to have a vibrant marketplace and with creative artisans and cozy taverns and who doesn't wanna sit?

Cate: By a roaring fire, eating stew and warm bread that's, there are also no cell phones, but because it's a cozy fantasy, there are also no [00:18:00] plagues, which I feel like would normally be part of this time period. You know, the medieval time period. Yeah. But there's no plagues, so yeah, I would totally at least visit.

Dillon: Conveniently for the plot. Yes. There is no place, 

Shan: no, Blake. You know, it's funny, you guys both said you would want to visit, so it's like cozy fantasy is a place of like an escape from reality. Yes. But it's not, you don't, you never wanted to be your true reality. Yeah. So I'm curious. That's a, that's deep.

Shan: That I guess that, that was deep. That was deep. That was Shannon. Well, it gets 

Dillon: to a whole like conversation about like contemporary fantasy. Yeah. Which is I don't enjoy as much because we are like, we live in like this modern world. Mm-hmm. So like when I'm reading a fantasy book, I want to be. Whisk to the past, you know?

Dillon: Yeah. Where there's no phones or Yeah. You know, stuff like that. So there's no cars. Mm-hmm. You know, it's just carriages and swords and stuff, so, yeah. It's interesting to think about. 

Shan: Yeah. It's the fantasy I kind of like too. [00:19:00]

Cate: Well, I think 

Shan: that's part of 

Cate: the, the draw of these books is that they're just slower.

Cate: It feels simple. It feels like. A relief to kind of visit these mm-hmm. These worlds. Yeah. For all of those reasons, 

Shan: just to stay a little bit and then Yeah. Slowly creep your way back out and get back to your present self. Yeah. But, um, so Kate, would you recommend this book? 

Cate: Okay. So I would recommend but with a pretty big caveat.

Cate: So if you recall at the start I said, I've got a little more than I bargained for with this book. So I am referring to a very high spice factor. Ooh. Which I did not expect. So when you pull books off the shelf, you don't get the same info that you'd get with like good reads or something. Mm-hmm. Of that nature.

Cate: So I anticipated that this would be a cozy, like a little cozy romance, but it was beyond handholding, let's just say. So I am personally not bothered by adult themes like. Bring it on. [00:20:00] But if you are someone, or if you're looking for something like the spell shop, for example, by Sarah Beth Durst, you should know that this book is not that.

Cate: So the cozy elements are absolutely there, but you're getting an extra dash of spice. Mm-hmm. So grab a glass of water and buckle up because this one is doors open. Gonna take you on a little journey here. So, yeah. Do you, you, if you're squeamish about anything like that, don't get this book, 

Shan: Kate, you said that so eloquently.

Shan: Like with like the set warning, you know it's, you need a little warning. You do because sometimes. I love the book designs they're doing right now. Yeah. For romance. Mm-hmm. Cozy Fantasy slash It seems like it was part romance as well. Yeah. 'cause it 

Cate: was, you know, male female character put their arms around each other.

Cate: So I, but I didn't know that romantic could also be, i's like, this is a cozy fantasy. Fantasy. Very spicy. Yeah. Did not know. 

Shan: Yeah. Well, [00:21:00] and the outside covers, they're like cartoonish and bubble gummy and like a cute illustration and it's like, oh. Oh, it could, it appeared. Yeah. Like it appeals to all people.

Shan: Yes. Just 

Dillon: to play devil's advocate here, what are they supposed to put on the cover that lets you know that it's spicy? See, Fabio saw Fabio. Fabio. That's what 

Briana: we need. Fabio back novels 

Dillon: back. 

Briana: So when, when you showed me the cover. Mm-hmm. I was like, oh, that looks like something that would be spicy, really 'cause of how they look to me, 

Cate: why she knows.

Cate: But if 

Briana: I saw my cover where they're just like gingerly standing next to each other and she's like holding her, like one of the characters is holding the other character's like bag. Like, yeah, like hand behind her. Like I, I would look at my cover and think that this is very like, sweetened, chased. Didn't look chased.

Briana: Guess to be, 

Cate: see, I guess I need to be hit over the head with it. Brena is better. It looks 

Shan: pretty chased. Brena is a better, better. I know. I can look and I know, I did not know. Brena knows. There's like, I guess, hitting clues within a cover to know what is in the [00:22:00] contents of the book nowadays. Okay. 

Cate: This has to be a whole other podcast conversation.

Cate: I really, because I did not know this. And it, it, it started like out the gate. It was, I was like, is this where this is going? I was like, oh, it's going there, and it, and then it, and it went there. Oh, it went there. It went 

Shan: there. 

Shan: Mm-hmm. 

Cate: Consist consistently. So again, I 

Shan: love it. 

Cate: I was like, oh, here, we're all 

Shan: right.

Shan: Here we go. 

Cate: But other people might be like, no, thanks. 

Shan: No, that's, thank you for that warning. That's, that's fair. Yeah. Okay. That's really fair. You're welcome. That's appreciative of, I think our listeners. Mm-hmm. Okay, Dylan. Whoa. Now we're, we're coming to you. Um, can you tell us what book you brought today along with a brief description of.

Shan: Said book. 

Dillon: I really don't wanna follow that up. There's nobody else. So I kind of have to, um, I brought Bookshops and Bone Dust by Travis Baldry. Um, this is the Prequel to Legends and Lattes. Um, and it is featuring the same female ORC protagonist, [00:23:00] Viv. Um, and I took this from Good Reads because they summarized this better than.

Dillon: I thought I could. So the summary is Vivs career with the notorious mercenary company. Rackham's Ravens isn't going as planned wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer. She's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Merck. So far from the action that she worries, she'll never be able to return to it.

Dillon: What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do? Spending her hours at a belligerent bookshop in the company of its foul mouth proprietor is the last thing Viv would've predicted. But it may be both exactly what she needs in the seed of change she couldn't possibly imagine. Still, adventure isn't all that far away.

Dillon: A suspicious traveler. Aome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Merck to be more eventful than Viv could have expected. 

Briana: Ooh, I am so excited for you to talk about this book because I [00:24:00] really wanna start that series. Mm-hmm. So I didn't know that there was, um, a book before the first one.

Dillon: Yes. Um, this one was my favorite of the ones that 

Shan: I've read too. So. I have a question for you. Yeah. Were there hard needs to pronounce in this one? 

Dillon: I would say less so than you would expect from a fantasy. Yeah. But I mean, I'm, they're still in there, I'm sure. Yeah. 

Shan: And did everyone have a No in their book?

Shan: I don't 

Briana: know if there was a g No in mind. I don't, I don't think I had a gnome in mind. No. There might have been. I was the, I was the gnome was gnome. I was the, the, sorry guys. I think there were gnomes at this magical school where my two characters came from. Okay. I was just curious. I love gnomes. Common 

Shan: fantasy.

Shan: Common fantasy element, race. Yeah. I have gnomes throughout my apartment. All my Christmas stuff is gnomes. That's all I said. I, I appreciate them too. But, um, so Dylan, besides this, what drew you to that book? 

Dillon: I was drawn to, uh, this book because I love traditional fantasy, and one of my friends recommended legends and lattes to me.

Dillon: Mm-hmm. Um, and I [00:25:00] happened to be scrolling through, uh, hoopla and the audio book was recommended to me for this one. So, um, I just started to start with this since it was the prequel and I didn't know it was a cozy book. I, not really a cozy. Book reader. I'm not a huge reader compared to, you know, most of you.

Dillon: So I went in pretty blind. Um, my friend basically just told me that they liked the series. It starts off cozy, but it kind of, you know, it's the injured protagonist trying to do anything but like sit still, but it turns into more of like a slow burn mystery. Ooh. Yeah. There's a lot of, um, like. Kind of found families, kind of like discovering, rediscovering yourself, um, and then the slow mystery that, you know, Viv has to solve to kind of save the town that she's stuck in.

Shan: Oh, cool. So like, kind of like, I guess that Christie can kind of be like warm. Do you guys think so? Or is that just me? I, I think in her own way, yeah. But nobody dies. It's just [00:26:00] a mystery. 

Dillon: I don't remember if anybody dies in this one, but 

Cate: the, the found family is definitely a common theme though. Yeah. Yeah.

Cate: In a lot of the cozy, cozy family, it's wholesome. Yeah. It is wholesome. Yeah. And I think it, it draws people that maybe didn't have a cozy life, but they wanted a cozy life. Yeah. And maybe if it were only. Family of origin, people wouldn't relate to it, but if it's found family, then it's sort of available to everyone.

Dillon: It also has a sense of like melancholy. Mm-hmm. You know, like a cozy book. It's like the feeling of sitting by a window on a cold day with the sun coming through the window. Mm. Yeah. You know, it's, it's, it's cold and it's gloomy, but at the same time it's warm. You know, it's like a, it's very poetic. Dylan.

Dillon: Thank you. Yeah. I'm a poet. Um, you painted a whole picture, you know. Yeah. It's. It's melancholy. It's good. 

Shan: So what resonated with you with this book? 

Dillon: Kind of on the same vein? This book resonated with me because it was relatable. I think a lot of people have experienced a time in life where [00:27:00] they're experiencing like an unexpected, maybe forced change of pace in their life, like putting a pause on your plans or your day-to-day routine and it's messing with like your rhythm, disrupting.

Dillon: Any kind of disruption like that causes like, um, unease. Oh yeah. And the character, Viv is injured, bedridden, abandoned, um, and she's supposed to wait out her recovery in this beach town away from. The adventure that she wants. Mm-hmm. And she's bored. And that I feel like everyone has felt boredom, you know?

Dillon: Mm-hmm. You're so bored, you don't know what to do. And she does something she never thought she would do, which was, you know, willingly read a book. Um, and, uh, you know, what do you do when you have all the time in the world, um, and know where to go? You know, you start to explore what's around you. Um, and Viv, via a crutch, starts to explore the little town she's in.

Dillon: She does unexpected things, meets unexpected people, makes friends with, you know, the [00:28:00] baker and the bookshop owner. Mm-hmm. So, you know, what do you do when you have all the time in the world? You know? Exactly. It's kind of that scenario. 

Shan: Yeah. Oh my God, I wish I had all the time in the world. Yeah, 

Dillon: I think we all do right now.

Cate: I feel like I should read this when I have my knee surgery. You, yeah. You should probably go to through whole series. I think so. 

Dillon: It is a leg injury that Viv has, so. So there you go. 

Cate: And my son has these books because see Rick, he reads these. Yeah, there you go. That's meant to happen. I might have to do it.

Cate: Mm-hmm. I know. When's the last day guys 

Shan: were bored. I'm never bored. I am never bored. I'm never bored. Depends on the day. Really. I wanna be bored. Because being bored is actually good for you because it allows you to think more. Oh, I don't, 

Dillon: you're too, um, you keep too busy to I know I do. Yeah. You pack your schedule too tight.

Shan: I know. He tells me this. You do, Matt, you do. People tell me this all the time. I don't mean to though. It happens. It just comes, you have to actively 

Cate: fight against it, otherwise it fills up. 

Shan: Mm-hmm. I know one of my, um, goals I think of this year is to say no, [00:29:00] next year. That's what I meant. It's a good word, yeah.

Shan: To say no. Okay. Besides that, do you wanna live in this world, Dylan 

Dillon: Pro? I wanna say probably, but also probably not. Okay. If I had a choice to live in, you know, medieval fantasy world with monsters and necro answers on the loose, I probably would choose to live in the modern world where I have my cell phone and my couch and my tv.

Dillon: Yeah. Um, 'cause I can experience. Fantasy vicariously through characters and stories mm-hmm. Rather than, um mm-hmm. Putting my life at risk. But Travis Bulger's fantasy world is a pretty picture. Mm-hmm. This like little, you know, quiet beach town that he paints is very quaint. You know, life moves slowly. Um, it'd be fun to visit, you know?

Dillon: Okay. As long as there's not a, you know, looming threat of, um, you know, skeletons, you know, running on the loose. Um, yeah. Y there's another character in the book, um, a [00:30:00] Kin named Fern who owns the bookshop that the book is named for. Mm-hmm. And, um, Viv becomes a regular there. And as we are librarians, I feel like, uh, we work with books professionally.

Dillon: I feel like we could all, you know, quiet beach town. Oh. Owning a bookshop. I feel like we could all get into that. You know, I 

Cate: wouldn't live, that's my regular fantasy. 

Shan: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That's my end goal. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. End goal is. Like Shaq on the beach owning a little bookstore, hanging out with my dog.

Shan: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. A little, a little cafe probably. Oh. Having some me a cat kids, I don't know. Seeing the vibes, like mm-hmm. That's what it's gonna be. Yeah. 

Dillon: Sounds very quaint with a chance of bubonic plague, you know? 

Shan: You never know. Yeah. Ah, so Dylan. Would you recommend this book? 

Dillon: Yes. Yeah. Um, I would recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Dillon: It's a wonderful story about losing your footing, being forced to slow down, only [00:31:00] to find yourself enjoying the slow moments, finding peace with where you are. Um, and I personally always enjoy like a forced perspective change. 

Shan: Mm-hmm. 

Dillon: Um, I would recommend this to fantasy lovers, Dungeons and Dragons enjoyers.

Dillon: Um, maybe a cozy mystery lover who wants a fantasy flavored changeup. Um, this book is quaint and wholesome, while also being packed with adventure and mystery. Perfect. For, uh, this cold weather and curling up on the couch with a blanket. Um, the first book, legends and Lattes was also very good. I enjoyed this one a little bit more, so I decided to talk about it.

Dillon: Um, and there's a sequel to Legends and Lattes. There's a third book that came out in November called Brigands and Bread. Knives, and I believe that book follows Fern. The, the rat kin from this book. Okay. So the first two books are about Viv. Mm-hmm. Um, and then the, the new book is about Fern. And Fern is in the prequel book, but not in legends and lattes.

Dillon: Where did Fern [00:32:00] go? She stayed. Oh, okay. So it's not, she didn't go anywhere. She just wasn't in the second book. She 

Shan: just wasn't present. Yeah. 

Dillon: Okay. Um, it's on my TBR. I'm waiting for the audio book to come up. But there's a long line for it, so 

Cate: I don't know. You might have to actually read it, Dylan. I 

Dillon: know, I just, Travis Baldry records his own audio books.

Dillon: Good. I love when authors do that. Yeah, me too. I love that. And he did a good job with the first two, so I kind of want to wait for the audiobook. Makes sense. Because he did a good job, so, 

Shan: okay. Those titles are just like, so wholesome. 

Dillon: Yeah. Illiterate literative. Yeah. Very cool. 

Shan: It's just so wholesome. There was no surprises.

Shan: Like Kates book. Yeah, yeah. No spice in any, none of us. So in, 

Dillon: in, um, both of them, there was a little bit, but it wasn't like overwhelmingly So just to sprinkle it, spice Yeah. No, I don't think, I can't remember if there was, I don't think there was any like open door scenes. I think it was more PG 13. It was open door, but it was.

Dillon: You know, not full on. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Fair. Yeah. I was gonna say something to everyone. Yeah. There was [00:33:00] romance. There was romance, you know. Yeah. This one, I, this one was a summer fling, I believe. The description, the, the synopsis said, but legends and lattes is a little bit more than, a little, a summer fling, you know?

Shan: Okay. Well, so cozy fantasy also is like, it's not totally. Romantic 'cause that's its own genre. Genre. That's a different sub genre. Yeah. But it seems like cozy fantasy also has like love. Yeah, but not all the time. Like, I don't, it's 

Dillon: a re require, I don't think it's a requirement. It's not 

Shan: a, yeah, it just shows up a lot.

Shan: Yeah. It's just a common, yeah. Theme feature within the stories. Mm-hmm. Okay. Cool. You guys are teaching me. Yeah. There's a lot to learn. Mm-hmm. Clearly there is so much to learn. The amount of sub genres there are about things, and now like tropes, all these different. I'm pretty simple. I say one or the other, but now I need to define it better.

Shan: Being a librarian? Probably, yeah, because somebody's gonna come up to me for like reader advisory and be like, I can help you with that. So Google's also a [00:34:00] friend. Yeah, seriously. 

Cate: And Brianna, 'cause she and Brianna seems to know everything about all these sub genres. Yeah. 

Briana: Sometimes I act like I do and I know nothing.

Briana: So 

Shan: you pull it off really well. Just keep doing what you're doing. Do fake it. Well, doing your confidence is impeccable. Thanks. Libraries are so much more than. So we want you to know what's happening off the shelf this month at Russell Library. It's 2026, and many of us have probably put together a list of goals for the new year.

Shan: One of those goals could be getting back into reading. What better way to get back into the swing of things by joining a book club. Your local library is a great place to start. Book clubs are another great way to meet like-minded people and getting more reading done. Maybe you wanna start your own book club or just found one to join.

Briana: That was actually one of my goals for 2025 was to join a book club. Oh really? Because I get books for book clubs, but I'm actually not in my own, [00:35:00] so I That's surprising. Reached out. Yeah. So I reached out to someone I used to go to high school with that I was pretty friendly with 'cause she started book club and I was like, can I come?

Briana: And she was like, yeah. So that's, I haven't gone to every single meeting. It's like once a month, but I have gone to a bunch. Um, and it really is a, to what you just said, it's a great way to meet other people who also like to read and they may not read the same things as you. Yeah. Like my book club, I feel like they are like fantasy girlies and I've gotten more into fantasy probably because of them.

Briana: But libraries are like a great way to either start your book club, get books for a book club you're in. 

Shan: Mm-hmm. 

Briana: Like I, it's the, it's the best place to start. 

Shan: So I'm doing, sorry, little segue. A 40 day yoga journey at the beginning of the year and uh, we're reading a book. So I'm ex, I don't know what book it is just yet.

Shan: So I'm going to be doing this with a bunch of yogis alike. Nice. So we're doing 40 days of Yoga and reading. That's, that's which I just think is pretty cool. I 

Cate: know. [00:36:00] So, well, Steph's book club is, they just added a fourth member, but it was just Wow. Her and her husband and their friend. Mm-hmm. For a long time.

Cate: And she said it's like the best book club. They don't even read the same book. 

Briana: See. I find that so fascinating. Yeah. I've never, 

Cate: occasionally, I guess she said that they do, but for the most part they read their own books and then talk about it. That's so 

Shan: interesting. That's interesting. I think I would want to read like a shared book.

Shan: Yeah, yeah. And then have a discussion, because that's the podcast I listen to. I read a book, and then I listen to a podcast. Actually have conversations with these people in my head with their thoughts that they're saying about the book, but that's all they think. It's funny. Maybe I need to get in a book club of my own.

Shan: I think you might, Jen, it's a, yeah. Oh my goodness. Okay, well, did you guys know that you can borrow book club kits from the Russell Library to use? Each kit comes with a set of books and discussion questions. Russell Library has thought of everything to make sure you can run your book club meeting with minimal [00:37:00] stress.

Shan: Especially when it comes to leading a discussion. The questions are all created by Christie, who we are all familiar with. Mm-hmm. In her voice. And she also runs the Books and Brews book club, which is, by the way, like one of the best book clubs. Oh yeah. And it looks fantastic. I know you have a beer, you drink.

Shan: Wait. You have a beer. You 

Briana: have a beer, 

Shan: you finish. Talk about a book. You don't drink the book. You don't drink the book, the book. Well, maybe it's legends and lattes. You do. I don't know, 

Briana: because what's which? I shouldn't say it's unique, but I feel like in a lot of cases it is. Her book club does actually have a discussion.

Briana: It's not just showing up and having a couple beers and leaving. Yeah. And talking about the book for like two seconds. So Christie does a good job of making questions for people who read the book, but also maybe you just didn't get to it, but you still wanna come paying. But they can still participate.

Briana: Yeah, you can still participate. And there's questions for those who didn't read it. So she does a fantastic job running book clubs. I've learned so much from her, especially when it comes to recommendations. 'cause yeah, like I mentioned, I get [00:38:00] books for two different book clubs that meet outside of the library.

Briana: So I'm, I go to her a lot when I have ideas. If I'm like, what's something that like a man might like because I pick a lot of female Yeah. Led. Books and there's a man in one of my book clubs who has complained, so I'm trying to find things he might like to Aw. But, and this 

Dillon: isn't unique just to us because mm-hmm.

Dillon: Um, my wife's library does, um, a, uh, book club at the vineyard. So ask your local, I think they call it, um, between the vines. Oh, that's so cute. Yeah. I love that. So ask your local librarian if they have a book club. Mm-hmm. Um, and ask 'em if they meet at a vineyard, brewery, tap house, whatever. Because, and if not, maybe you know, drop a, a suggestion.

Dillon: Yeah. 

Cate: Yeah. I think sometimes it might be better to do it with people you don't really know. Because I think when it's. It is a group of friends, you're more likely to completely disregard the book and start talking about just life. Mm-hmm. Hundred percent. Whereas if it's [00:39:00] people that this is your common thread, this is your bond, I think you're much more likely to actually talk about the book.

Cate: Yeah. 

Shan: Well it's funny, in my past, my life, I've had book friends. And our relationship is based on book discussions. Yeah. You don't even like them outside of books actually. They're not 

Dillon: getting a Christmas card. No. Yeah, they 

Shan: totally aren't. But we read similar books, so it's, and a lot of my book friends have been.

Shan: Males. Mm-hmm. Like older men. That makes so much sense. Doesn't surprise you. It doesn't surprise me either. And I'm just like, like, what are you reading? And I'm like, oh, this. And then we just talk books for like hours. And a lot of these people are actually like my customers at the wine store. Yeah, I know.

Shan: They're all, see 

Briana: my book friends are either people here or like online friends that we talk about books off and on through Instagram. Yeah, that makes sense. And I might not ever meet these people in real life, but they're great. 

Shan: The Russell Library's book club kits are curated by librarians like Kristy and Brianna.[00:40:00]

Shan: We literally make 

Briana: all of them, 

Shan: and Brianna does a great job. Thank, and Kristy does a wonderful job. 

Briana: Kelsey makes them. Shout out to Kelsey. Oh, shout out to Kelsey too. She does the cataloging, her and Carolyn and, um, me and Kristy pick all the books out. 

Shan: You guys do a good job service. It's a great team effort and they both own run their own book clubs as we know.

Shan: However, if your local library does not have book club kits, no worries. You can ask 

Briana: any librarian book recommendations. Someone should be able to tell you something, especially if you can tell them like I really liked. A cord of thorns and roses. 'cause I actually went to a bookstore and asked a book seller to recommend me something similar and they couldn't, which was very awkward.

Briana: So I found something for myself. But if you can go in saying, this is what I've just read that I really loved. That really helps librarians kind of think about what they can recommend you. 

Shan: Mm-hmm. 

Briana: Or just say like, if you were in a book club, like what would you pick? And I can guarantee you that they're gonna have an idea that they can give you.

Briana: That'll probably do pretty well. 

Shan: We're also trained reader advisors. So [00:41:00] that was a huge thing. Yeah. When you go to Library Schools Reader Advisory, I did not get trained on reader's advisory. 

Briana: Oh my God. No. That's like my favorite thing. I wish I got trained. Oh, so much fun. I just taught myself, I guess. 

Cate: Yeah.

Cate: And booksellers don't get that kind of training. They don't. They don't. So that, yeah, it's, it's unfortunate because it would really help them at their jobs. Yeah. Mm-hmm. 

Briana: It should be something that everyone in this kind of field of work should get an opportunity to like learn. Yeah. And not necessarily just.

Briana: Teach yourself, like, I read this, so maybe they'll like that. Mm-hmm. You can kind of go into it with a little more confidence. Yeah. Yeah. But also you just have to go into it with confidence and if they like it, they like it, and if they don't, they don't. That's just how it works. And don't be 

Shan: upset if they don't like it.

Shan: Yeah. I've recommended books to people before and they're like, you know, I really didn't like that. I'm like, that's okay. So let's try and find something that, mm-hmm. You do like, so if you give me a little bit more, so it's asking the right questions for people. Mm-hmm. Is gonna get. Actually is gonna help you provide them with what they want.

Shan: Yeah. So, yeah. [00:42:00] And I think that's like an art too, like knowing what people want. 

Cate: Well it's knowing how to tease the que the right, you know, questions and, and answers from them. Because sometimes people say one thing, but that's actually not what they mean. Mm-hmm. So there's a lot of reading between the lines to get, to get to the heart of what they want.

Cate: Sometimes 

Dillon: you have to ask 'em what they don't like. Yeah. To figure out what they do. They do like, 'cause they don't give you enough. Yeah. 

Shan: Well, this is a freeway to explore a new hobby with other like-minded individuals like we do here. Your local library may offer something similar as Dylan said. Mm-hmm.

Shan: And so keep an eye on their events page and see what classes or clubs you have the ability to join by being a library user. Yay. It's time to close the book on today's episode. If you like what you've heard here, please subscribe to the show. This ensures that you won't miss any episodes. And if you have a moment, kindly rate and review the podcast.

Shan: This helps other bookish people like yourself. [00:43:00] Find the show. Tune in next month to find out what else is on the shelf. 

Shan: Bye bye.

Shan: It is 2026, and many of us have probably put together a list of goals for the new year. One of those goals could be getting backing in, getting backing into reading, getting backing in, back it in, back it in. Okay.