
I don’t know about you, but as the weather turns chilly and the leaves start to fall, all I want is to curl up under a blanket with some hot tea and read a cozy, feel-good book. If you’re looking for authors to make you “feel the feels” this winter season, look no further than Becky Chambers. I discovered Becky Chambers recently and, for the first time in years, can say I have a favorite author.
While her cozy science fiction stories take place in alternate worlds and the far reaches of outer space, somehow they make you feel warm, hopeful, and connected. The stories she tells are funny, yet achingly heartfelt. Her alien characters feel like your close friends. Her description of imaginary worlds and cultures make you want to surround yourself with earth’s nature and connect with your dearest friends and closest family.
Try A Psalm for the Wild-Built, the first in the Monk and Robot series, where tea monk Dex is searching for their purpose in life with help from the first robot that humanity has seen in centuries. Or if you're more interested in exploring space, try The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, the first in the Wayfarers series, where Rosemary joins the eclectic crew of a spaceship that tunnels through hyperspace, and unexpectedly finds friends (or family?) of a lifetime.
If you find that cozy science fiction is something you love as much as I do, there's so much more to discover! You can try out our database, Novelist Plus, to discover great read-alike recommendations based on books, authors, or series you already enjoy. By searching Novelist for the genre of cozy science fiction, you might even discover other great authors such as TJ Klune—known for his whimsical and moving stories that transport readers to fantastical new worlds similar to Chambers. Klune's In the Lives of Puppets, follows a unique family made of androids, robots, and humans alike in a safe space they've made for themselves. When the human in the group, Gio, accidentally gives their spot away and is captured, the family must band together to reunite. Here are even more cozy science fiction titles that are fantastic reads for a cold winter day:
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells
- Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
- The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
- Clean Sweep The Innkeeper Chronicles vol. 1 by Ilona Andrews
This winter, when I curl up on my own couch next to my dog and drink peppermint tea, I’ll pull my wool blanket across my lap and maybe grab a Becky Chambers book with a worn spine. In those moments, I’ll feel more connected to my community—all of you fellow readers—knowing that you also might be reveling in the adventures and quandaries of my favorite characters like Sissix, Pepper, Roveg, Eyas, or Splendid Speckled Mosscap.