Autumn Reading List: Cozy & Creepy
Cozy mysteries and supernatural romances for the perfect autumn rom-com vibes.
I learned something about myself this weekend: I actually really love these so-called “cozy mysteries” or “cozy fantasies.” Just as I was somewhat surprised to learn that I love Emily Henry novels and rom-coms of all stripes, turns out if you add witches, ghosts, or a murder (or all of the above) I love it even more.
I really think with everything going on in the world, my brain has really been rejecting the darker, more challenging books I typically gravitate to. They’ve been piling up on my TBR, but every time I think about finally cracking open Bury Our Bones in Midnight Soil or Katabasis, my brain says, “What about something lighthearted and charming with a guaranteed happy ending?”
Anywho. Do I think that a lot of these books have disgustingly cheesy names? Oh yeah. Do I really dislike the art style on a lot of the covers? Yep. But hey, I guess it’s true that you can’t judge a book by its cover. (But I’m a graphic designer so I’m definitely going to judge it a bit).
Full disclosure, I haven’t read a lot of these yet, but I thought I would share my list of titles that pass my stringent requirements and are now at the top of my TBR list.
But first, a poll! I’m curious about what makes you upgrade to a paid subscription on Substack, assuming the typical $5/month price range.
Once again I’m fighting with Substack’s poll character count, so here are the full descriptions below:
I don’t need to get anything extra, I’ll pay for a subscription just to support a creator whose content I enjoy.
I want extra paywalled posts that are only for paid subscribers. (Like an extra post every week, or twice a month).
I like extra paywalled content at the end of each post. (such as extra recommendations along the theme of the post, or just link roundups or personal updates).
I would want to receive additional content, like downloads or freebies, podcasts, communities, live videos, etc.
I rarely, if ever, pay for Substack subscriptions.
And now, without further ado, onto the book recs:
A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Sera Swan was one of the most powerful witches in Britain, until she cast a forbidden resurrection spell to bring her Great-Aunt Jasmine back to life, was exiled from the Guild, and lost almost all her magic. Now, fifteen years later, at the age of 30, Sera has resigned herself to a life of managing Jasmine’s inn and the ragtag group of eccentrics that have accumulated there – a talking fox (who used to be a witch), an undead chicken, a self-proclaimed knight, and an elderly woman who seems determined to live her life as a hobbit.
When a hefty dose of meddling brings Guild historian Luke Larsen and his young sister to Sera’s inn, she learns that he might just have the knowledge she needs to cast a spell to get her magic back. But Luke wants nothing to do with helping her defy Albert Grey, the powerful and malevolent witch who rules the Guild with an iron fist. But the more time Luke spends among the impossibly strange group at the inn, the more he feels himself thawing. And before he knows it, he finds himself helping Sera reclaim her magic… and maybe starting to fall for her too.
This was the book that I devoured this weekend. I’d been seeing it constantly online, but avoiding it because the name and cover art aren’t what I normally gravitate to. Joke’s on me!!! This book was utterly charming, and had really fascinating worldbuilding for how short and succinct it was. It was sort of like if Nora Ephron wrote Harry Potter, and I immediately wanted 10 more books like it.
Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
Belle is burnt out. Her boss is making her life miserable, the bookshop she works at is struggling to stay afloat, and on top of it all, she’s been having trouble summoning her magical powers lately.
When her thirtieth birthday brings summons from her coven for a trial that will test her worthiness as a witch, Belle fears she’ll lose her magic forever. With only one month to prove herself, she’ll need all the help she can get – even if it means trusting the infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) coven watchman who’s sworn to keep an eye on her.
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
This one is touted as Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls, so you better believe I added it to the top of my list STAT.
Sadie Revelare has always believed that the curse of four heartbreaks that accompanies her magic would be worth the price. But when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer, and her first heartbreak, Jake McNealy, returns to town after a decade, her carefully structured life begins to unravel. With the news of their grandmother's impending death, Sadie's estranged twin brother Seth returns home, bringing with him deeply buried family secrets that threaten to tear Sadie's world apart.
Their grandmother has been the backbone of the family for generations, and with her death, Sadie isn't sure she'll have the strength to keep the family, and her magic, together. As feelings for Jake begin to rekindle, and with her grandmother growing sicker by the day, Sadie faces the last of her heartbreaks, and has to decide: is love more important than magic?
Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg
It’s 1846, and Merritt Fernsby, a writer long since estranged from his family, is surprised to learn that he has inherited a remote estate in the Narragansett Bay. The property has been empty for more than a century, but that dampen Merritt’s excitement. But once he moves in, Merritt realizes that Whimbrel House is not about to let him leave.
Hulda Larkin of the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms has been trained in taming such structures in order to preserve their historical and magical significance. She understands the dangers of bespelled homes given to tantrums. She advises that it's in Merritt's best interest to make Whimbrel House their ally. To do that, she'll need to move in, too. As well-trained as she is, the work still proves unexpectedly difficult. As the investigation progresses, Hulda and Merritt grow closer, but the house’s secrets run deeper than they anticipated. Can they convince the house to play nice before it’s too late for everyone?
Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire
When Scarlett Melrose receives a call from her estranged sisters, she immediately knows something is wrong. The magic at their mother's inn – and in fact, the whole town of Oak Haven – has gone awry, and they need her help to save it. The last thing Scarlett wants to do is return to her hometown, and to make matters worse, she immediately comes face-to-face with Nate, an old flame and the town’s resident handyman.
When her spell to fix the magic goes horribly wrong, all Scarlett wants to do is flee back to the peace and quiet of her San Francisco flat. But she can't keep running away forever, and she'll need all the help she can to solve this magical mess. With time slipping away, Scarlett must learn that sometimes the greatest spells really do come with the greatest responsibility – especially when love is involved...
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
I started reading this pretty much immediately after I finished A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, and so far it’s every bit as charming and entertaining.
Mika knows the rules that come with being one of the few witches left in Britain: hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. That’s fine by her; Mika’s used to being alone and she follows the rules... with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one could possibly take it seriously.
But then, an unexpected message arrives in her inbox, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of the inhabitants – her three charges, an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and… Jamie, the handsome and prickly librarian that sees Mika as a threat to their anonymity.
As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when peril comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a family she didn’t know she was looking for....
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.
As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.
When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind…
Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson
Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling has lived in Shelley House longer than any of the other residents, and if you take their word for it, she’s as cantankerous as they come. Twenty-five-year-old Kat has never known a place where she felt truly at home, and crumbling Shelley House is no different. Her neighbors find her prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat’s plagued by a guilty secret from her past.
When their apartments face demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy agree on just one thing: they must save their historic building. But when someone plays dirty – and one of the residents is viciously taken down – Dorothy and Kat seek justice. The police close the investigation too soon, leaving it up to the unlikely amateur sleuths to restore peace in their community.
Crazy Spooky Love by Josie Silver
Melody comes from a long line of mediums, and her family has turned that into a successful business. But at 27, Melody is ready to venture out on her own – she’s sick of taking down memos and being an errand girl for departed spirits; instead, she wants to send them back where they belong.
Her first case is a grand old mansion that can’t sell, since the three dead brothers that inhabit it kick up a fuss whenever a prospective buyer tours. Melody has to get to the bottom of the heap of unfinished business that the Scarborough brothers left behind – including but not limited to murder. And to make matters worse, she’s not the only one investigating it. Her ex-boyfriend and paranormal investigator has brought his camera crew to get footage for his show, not to mention the skeptical local reporter looking to discredit Melody’s family business and prove their alleged fraud.
The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski
Orphans Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamon that lie at the bottom of their customers’ teacups.
Until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus – and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet – it seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect.
With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves?
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee – the chance to travel back in time.
Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn't so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most importantly, the trip can last only as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold.
Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent.
A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem – after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead. Not that it matters, since her new editor, a frustratingly handsome mountain of a man, refuses to give her an extension on her deadline, and Florence is prepared to kiss her career goodbye.
All that falls to the wayside when she receives the call that her beloved father has died, and Florence must return to the hometown she spent a decade running from. Though she misses her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay in this town where nothing has changed for decades.
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is. Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.
Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff
Generations ago, the founders of the idyllic town of Lake Argen made a deal with a dark force. In exchange for their service, the town will stay prosperous and successful, and keep outsiders out. And for generations, it’s worked out great. Until a visitor goes missing, his wealthy family sends a private investigator to find him, and everything abruptly goes sideways.
Now, Cassidy Prewitt, town baker and part-time servant of the dark force (it’s a family business) has to contend with a rising army of darkness, a very frustrated town, and a very cute PI who she might just be falling for… and who might just be falling for her. And if they can survive their own home-grown apocalypse, they might even just find happiness together.
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
In 1965, Frances Adams is at an English country fair where a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. It is a prediction that sparks her life’s work – trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet.
Nearly sixty years later, Annie Adams is summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is found murdered, just like she always said she would be. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder.
Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer? As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.
The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller
Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate – sent just days before his death – Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.
Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions, and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
I talked about wanting to read this in my last post, but it definitely fits the cozy mystery vibe. The book follows four seventy-somethings in a retirement community who meet each week to discuss unsolved crimes (as you do). When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph next to the body, the group suddenly finds itself smack dab in the middle of a real murder investigation. As more bodies pile up, the Thursday Murder Club has to catch the killer before it’s too late.
The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson
Having recently moved from London to a small Cornish seaside village, Nova Davies started a book club at the local community center, but so far it’s a disaster. The five members disagree on everything, and to make matters worse, a significant sum of money is stolen during one of the meetings, putting the much-loved community center at risk.
Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when he disappears and a dead body turns up at his house. But the book club has their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove Michael’s been framed, while romance reader Arthur believes there’s a mystery woman involved, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.
While trying to locate Michael, solve the murder, and recover the stolen money, each of them has their own secrets to protect. But despite the danger closing in, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and gotten everyone safe at home with a book, where they belong.
More autumnal book recs:
Will certainly be bookmarking this post for when I need a lighthearted autumn read! I always have either a suspense/thriller or a "challenge" book that has been sitting on my shelf, so when I need something lighter that's not a summer rom-com I'm sometimes at a loss.
Love this list! Looking forward to picking some of them this Autumn 🫶🏼