"Cozy" fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, etc. - thoughts?

Mutineer81

Mutineer81

New Member
What are people's opinions on cozy fiction? It feels like a new genre, well, a sub-genre. It seems to be very popular nowadays. To me, it's meandering fiction, like, some of the books I've read could be cut in half and be just as good--perhaps better.

Cozy fictions goes against the tenant of keep it tight--don't write a 50 billion word book.

The jumping around POVs also makes me mental.

Anyway, people's thoughts?
 
So, here's it's definition:

Cozy Fiction Genre Definition | Campfire Codex

Cozy fiction invites readers into idyllic settings where close-knit communities solve mysteries and face life's challenges together, all while sipping tea by a warm fire.
www.campfirewriting.com www.campfirewriting.com

Examples would be stuff by Delemhach, and the Tales of Pell series, Legends & Lattes, and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.
 
I think it has a place just like all genres do. There's an audience for it, and if it starts trending, even better for those readers. We've had enough dark romantasy these days. Let the cozy folk pull up the recliner for a bit.

I'm not one of those folk, because I absolutely write dark shit, but I also appreciate the authors who can give back a bit of happiness and light to the world. As far as not keeping the story tight, I'm of the opinion that not every story needs to be. I think some meandering is okay. I didn't mind reading about the trees in Lord of the Rings. I did mind Hugo's ramblings about Napoleon in Les Miserables, though. It's all a matter of preference, really. Which you know, just stating the obvious, haha.
 
I like both cosy and dark books. The last cosy one I read was What You Are Looking For Is In The Library. It was basically a collection of short stories told from different character's POVs about how the library helped them overcome a hurdle in life. It was slow, totally harmless, but I found it very engaging. The "plot" was basically figuring out how the library will affect each life because you only find out at the end of the story. I also enjoyed the variety of voices -- the author managed everything from insecure 20-year-old woman in her first job to recently retired old man who's never once lifted a finger in his house and I found them all believable. I would definitely describe it as "meandering," but I like books that flesh out characters and dip into everyday life.

I didn't enjoy the Monk & Robot books as much. I thought the first book had the right level of tension to keep you going (the MC is going through a quarter-life crisis, escapes to the woods), and the monk/robot interactions were lovely, but the second book felt like a walk through a small utopia with a peppering of anxiety, kind of like a theme park. I thought it was a boring theme park. So I also have my limits when it comes to cosiness vs. more standard storytelling formats.
 
I've heard about Legends & Lattes for quite some time, everyone I've talked to who has read it has loved it. I recently started it myself. Only about 80 pages in, but am quite enjoying it so far. It's a comfy departure from other fantasy novels that's for sure, but still has those elements to it.
 
Light novels, in themselves, can be any genre, from mystery to comedy to horror. The majority aren't cosy.

It's more of a format.
 
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