Listicle: 10 books to get you into cosy fiction mode

Jane Borges infuses her story of the Catholic inhabitants of Mumbai’s Bosco Mansion with so much heart, they feel familiar, almost like a second family, as you watch them squabble, fall in love, grow up, and grow old. There’s a widow who smuggles hooch, a local crossword expert, a woman who elopes right before she is to be engaged. The book has a soothing, lived-in feel to it – like that sagging sofa you lounge in every day.

Finally, a book that dares to ask the important question: Is the solution to all your problems a cat? Syou Ishida’s novel (translated by Emmie Madison Shimoda) is set in Kyoto’s Kokoro Clinic for the Soul which prescribes the company of cats as medicine. Hate your job? Here’s a cat! Colleague getting on your nerves? Cat! Your perfectionism is ruining your life? C-to-the-A–to-the-T. The whole thing is ridiculous, but it’s meant to be.

Want Lord of the Rings but with nicer orcs? Viv is a battle-weary barbarian who’s had enough of the warrior life, and hangs up her sword to open a cafe. Travis Baldree sets the story in Thune, where succubi, hobbits and giant cats go through the motions of their daily life. No evil rings or expeditions to Mordor to get worked up about, just pastries, hot lattes, and Viv’s everyday problems that probably echo your own.

TJ Klune’s novel will get your serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine and other happy juices flowing. Linus Baker, a 40-year-old case worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, is on a secret assignment to an orphanage by the sea. There he meets six orphans, including a gnome, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist called Lucy (short for Lucifer). As these kids melt Linus’s crusty ol’ heart, they form a unique, loving family, the kind none of them has ever known. (We’re not crying, there’s just something stuck in our eye!)

Author Sarah Beth Durst’s universe has winged cats, a sentient, sassy spider plant, merhorses, cloud bears and more. It’s set in Caltrey, the coziest, pillow-fort of an island town. Kiera, an introverted book-lover with zero people skills (#relatable), sells illegal spells and raspberry jam with help from a neighbour, who’s the greenest flag of a man. Slowburn cottagecore romance, here we come!

That feeling you get after a delicious meal? Like someone gave your soul a tight, warm hug? That’s how you’ll feel reading Hisashi Kashiwai’s book. It’s set in Kyoto, where a father-daughter duo run a detective agency that tracks and recreates recipes from their clients’ memories. It’ll leave you reminiscing about your favourite meals, even as you wonder if Nabeyaki-udon is good as the Japanese say it is.

Bengaluru-born author Sangu Mandanna is a world-building champ. Mika Moon is a spunky witch who calls her car Broomstick. She travels to the mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their powers. Magical hijinks ensue! There’s a swoon-worthy hero, a sunshine-grumpy romance and eccentric but lovable characters you’ll want as your extended family.

Want a murder mystery, set in 1920s Bangalore, that explores themes of sexism, racism, casteism — but is also cosy? “Say no more,” said Harini Nagendra. Her whodunnit is all Arthur Conan Doyle-Agatha Christie vibes. The 19-year-old sari-clad sleuth Kaveri and her husband Doctor Ramu show readers an older Bengaluru as they try to solve a murder at the Century Club.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever dreamt of leaving behind the rat race to open a cozy bookshop. We’ve all dreamt it, Yeongju really does it, quitting her high-flying job and divorcing her husband in the process. Hwang Bo-Reum’s novel largely follows the everyday management of the store. But in slowing down, we watch as a woman rebuilds her life from scratch, and meet her customers and friends, who are also searching for meaning and peace. It’s most satisfying.

Brace for waterworks as you step into this over-100-year-old cafe in Tokyo. It offers customers a chance to travel back in time – as long as they return before the coffee gets cold. Four visitors rewind to reunite with loved ones and gain closure, but not without a bit of ugly crying on your part. Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel, like the coffee, is bittersweet. But it’ll remind you to hold your friends and family a little tighter.