Discussions and requests for low stakes, slice-of-life and cozy SFF novels have been coming up frequently in the past few months. I've been maintaining a list of books I've enjoyed to quickly recommend whenever such threads came up. And then I thought, I should put up a blog post with mini-reviews as well.

The links lead to the book page on goodreads, from where I've also copied a portion of the blurbs for this post.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Blurb:

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle.

Review:

My goodreads review from 5 years back says "a delightful and heart-warming read!". That short review certainly captures the essence of what I felt, but I do wish I had added few more details. I enjoyed her Derkholm duology too.

Here's a quote from Robin Hobb:

Every character is engaging. The world and situation is unique. There is a thoughtful thread that runs through the story about how we see ourselves and how we see others. Appearances can be deceiving, and not just to people outside ourselves.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Blurb:

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

Review:

My favorite book of 2022 so far. Characters shone through this very enjoyable slice-of-life book. The pacing and writing were good, it felt like the work of an experienced writer instead of a debut. I'd say the worldbuilding was bit light on details, but more than enough for the story to come alive. About halfway through, I was a bit disappointed about a magical device feeling like deus ex machina, but turns out that was part of the main plot and it was more than satisfying to see the direction author went with it. All the chapters had a nice illustration at the start too!

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

Blurb:

Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest dragon there is. And she's ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human. But when the human she finds tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, Aventurine is transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw.

Review:

The book was fast paced, I started reading in the afternoon and midway through the book I realized I have to finish it before sleeping. I don't have a particular craving for chocolate but I did wish for some while reading.

The author did a great job of moving the story forward and mixing it with character growth. I quite liked how the secondary characters were handled. I looked up the series info after finishing the book and I was delighted to know that those secondary characters will have their own stories to tell. Oh, and the illustrations were nice too!

Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede

Blurb:

Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.

Review:

This series has four books, the last of which was published first. The books had a different main POV character each, and I enjoyed them all. The whimsical setting, witty dialogue and well written characters were the highlight.

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Blurb:

Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers close up shop, and fast. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her—feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it.

Review:

I enjoyed this a lot, especially the slice-of- bread life aspects. I didn't expect the climax to have such a big explosion, but it did help end the novel nicely. Haven't come across Sourdough bread in my part of the world yet, hope it tastes as good as this book made it out to be whenever I get a chance.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Blurb

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Review

I re-read earlier this year and enjoyed it very much this time around as well. Every crew member was fleshed out memorably, and the side characters were well written too. Especially liked the various cultures and their quirks.

Morcster Chef by Actus

Blurb:

Adventurers flock to massive crypts brimming with riches.... Heroes storm the gates of dark fortresses... Gods clash over the fate of the realm itself.... Arek cooks lasagna, and tops it with a dash of finely chopped basil.

Review:

The various cooking bets and recipes were a blast to read. Even though I'm a vegetarian, I could easily imagine the pleasure of eating good food. Apart from all the cooking, this is a dungeon based adventure book too. Arek gets recruited to cook for an adventure team and I loved their powers and dynamic. I especially liked Ming's character, reminded me of Lift from Stormlight Archives. Plenty of humor sprinkled throughout the book as well.

The sequel was equally good.

Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

Blurb:

When Molly shows up on Castle Hangnail's doorstep to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the castle's minions are understandably dubious. After all, she is twelve years old, barely five feet tall, and quite polite.

Review:

A charming book about a 12 year old wicked witch. The best things I remember enjoying were the characters, the humor and the illustrations. Things seemed fun and witty, but there was a lot of depth too. I'd say that this was one of those middle grade books enjoyable for all ages.

The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell

Blurb:

For five grand a month and a million dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn't care how crazy the old geezer is. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year. They didn't tell him about the pixies.

Review:

Roger stole the show as the main character and his interactions with the wizard were enjoyable right from the start. The way these two worked along with side characters to thwart the evil overlord (just kidding, no grand villains in this book) was delightful. I felt like the author's real life competency was imparted on these characters.

Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson

Blurb:

Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg.

Review

Enjoyed reading this charming slice-of-life novel about discovering and taking care of a dragon. It was nice to see older protagonist as well. Characters were all well written. Writing was easy to follow and I'd say the pacing was steady all the way through.

The Dragon's Banker by Scott Warren

Blurb:

Finance: The lifeblood of any country’s beating heart and the life’s work of Sailor Kelstern — Merchant Banker. While wizards brood in their towers and great warriors charge into battle Sailor is more interested in the price of ore, herbs, and alchemicals carried by the trade ships.

Review:

A good slice-of-life story of a banker, who likes to help people and takes pride in his banking skills. Mix dragons and competitor bankers into the plot and you have a delightful story. The ending had a few surprising and pleasing twists, which I wasn't even looking for in such a book. And it did leave a good impression.

Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt

Blurb:

A simple case - or it should be. But all clues point to the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute, and Detective Inspector Adams is about to discover there’s much more to the W.I. than bake sales and jam making. This investigation is about to take on dragonish proportions. Best put the kettle on.

Review:

Overall, I enjoyed this mystery fantasy aided by dragons. Said dragons were pet sized and I loved the snippets of their history and current relationship with some of the humans. The pacing picked up in the second half, but I didn't mind the slower start as the main characters were all interesting in their own ways.

A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano

Blurb:

Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake.

Review:

Wholesome family. Small scale conflict. Baked goodness. A perfect recipe for a comfort read in troubling times. Leo's tantrums didn't make a good first impression for me (especially since it resulted in food wastage). As I got used to the family members, the bakery and the school setting, I started enjoying the book more. The school day after the cookie disaster had me laughing out loud.