The first blank line from Listr appeared inside her mind and filled itself out: Walk through house. She’d start here. Do a walk-through. Assess the situation. That made sense, but her feet didn’t move. She didn’t want to go inside. It felt like too much. She didn’t want to see it so empty.

However, being a single mom had made Louise an expert at doing things she’d rather avoid. If she didn’t rip off the Band-Aid and take care of business, who would? She forced her feet to walk across the dry grass, creaked open the screen door, and grabbed the front doorknob. It didn’t turn. No keys. Maybe the back? She walked around the side of the house where the yellow grass faded to dirt, unlatched the waist-high chain-link gate, banged it wide with her hip, and slid through.

Mark’s lumber sat abandoned in the middle of the backyard, a pile of once-yellow pine faded to gray. Louise remembered how excited her mom had been when Lowe’s dropped it off for the deck Mark had promised to build back in 2017. It’d sat untouched ever since, killing the grass.

Not that there was much grass to kill. The backyard had been a blind spot in their family, a big weedy expanse of dirt and whatever mutant grass could survive without watering. Nothing significant grew out back except for a ridiculously tall pecan tree in the middle that was probably dead, and a twisted cypress in the back corner, which had gone feral. A wall of unkillable bamboo separated them from their neighbors.

Louise grabbed the rattling old knob on the back door to the garage and her heart stopped. She expected it to be locked, but it turned beneath her hand and opened with a familiar fanfare of squeaky hinges. She made herself step inside.

Shadowy cousins and neighbors and aunts crowded the garage, drinking Coors the way they always did on Christmas Day, Bing Crosby playing on a boom box, the women smoking Virginia Slims, adding mentholated notes to the pink perfection of roasting Christmas ham. Louise’s eyes adjusted to the gloom and the phantoms faded and the garage looked twice as empty as before.

She walked up the three brick steps to the kitchen door and froze.

She heard the muffled voice of a man speaking with confidence and authority from somewhere inside the house. Louise stared through the window in the middle of the door, peering past its sheer white curtain, trying to see who it was.

The brick-patterned linoleum floor unrolled past the counter separating the kitchen from the dining room and stopped at the far wall where her mom’s gallery of string art hung over the dining room table. Its plastic tablecloth got changed with the seasons, and right now it was red poinsettias for winter. The JCPenney chandelier hung overhead, the china hutch pressed itself into the corner, the chairs kept their backs to her.

The man continued talking from inside the house.

She could see a small slice of the front hall with its green wall-to-wall carpet but no people. A woman asked the man a question. Was Mark in there with a Realtor? Was he already taking stuff? Louise hadn’t seen any cars parked outside but maybe he’d parked around the corner. He could be sneaky.

She carefully turned the latch. The door cracked its seal, then swung open, and the man’s voice got louder. Louise stepped inside and eased the door closed behind her, then crept forward, ears straining, trying to figure out what he was saying. Details registered automatically—her mom’s purse sitting on the end of the counter, the answering machine blinking its red light for 1 New Message, the smell of sun-warmed Yankee Candle—then she reached the dining room and stopped.

The man’s voice sounded big and small at the same time and Louise realized it came from the living room TV. Her scalp tightened. She looked into the front hall. To the left, it got dark, leading deeper into the house. To the right was the living room, where someone was watching TV. Louise held her breath and stepped around the corner.

Hundreds of her mom’s dolls stared at her. Clown dolls on top of the sofa, a Harlequin wedged against one of its arms, German dolly-faced dolls crowded a shelf over their heads, a swarm of dolls stared through the glass doors of the doll cabinet against the far wall. On top of the doll cabinet stood a diorama of three taxidermied squirrels. The TV played the Home Shopping Network to two enormous French Bébé dolls sitting side by side in her dad’s brown velour easy chair.

Mark and Louise.

That’s what her mom had called them when she bought these ugly, expensive, three-foot-tall dolls, with their hard, arrogant faces and coarse, chopped hair.

No matter where you two go, I can keep my precious babies with me forever, she’d said.

The girl sat stiffly in her layered summer frock, arms by her sides, legs sticking straight out in front, strawberry-stained lips puckered into a pout, eyes blank, staring at the TV. The boy wore a navy blue Little Lord Fauntleroy jacket with a white Peter Pan collar and short pants, and his blond hair looked like it had been hacked into a pageboy with a pair of dull scissors. Between them lay the remote. They’d always creeped Louise out.

She looked down the hall but didn’t see any other signs of life—the bathroom door was open, the bedroom doors were closed, no lights were on—so she made herself pluck the remote from between doll Mark and doll Louise, trying not to touch their clothes, and turned off the TV. Silence rushed in around her, and she stood alone in the house full of dolls.

Excerpted from How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2023

Tabletop Roll-Playing Games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons and Dragons have traditionally been played in-person, and rolling the infamous dice is part of what’s made the game famous. I’ve even written about giving handmade dice as gifts this year. However, thanks to the internet, you can play with anyone from around the world using many different RPG dice rollers online.

I have had a lot of fun playing online during lockdown here in the UK with students that I work with at my high school. I am also very fortunate in that I play both in-person and online. I personally have met some amazing people to play D&D with online; they are a huge amount of fun and generally great to be with, even though I’ve only had the pleasure of meeting one of them in person. None of this would be possible without playing online.

Yes, part of the fun of playing TTRPGs is rolling the dice; there is a sensory thrill in grabbing and handful of dice or a single d20 to determine your character’s fate. However, if you play with platforms like Roll20, you can roll dice electronically. I can tell you with certainty that for me, there is still a ton of tension and excitement with rolling dice electronically. It’s all down to the situation the players are in and how they are feeling: the dice does not make the game. So, if you’re looking for great RPG dice rollers online, I’ve compiled a short list for you to check out. Roll on!

Google

Google can be your first stop if you need a fast RPG dice roller online. Simply Google the phrase “roll a d20” and a screen will appear with a giant d20. It then allows you to choose which dice, how many and which modifiers you want to add. I wouldn’t say it’s the prettiest thing to look at, but it gets the job done. It’s great in a pinch, and I used it extensively when I forgot all of my dice for almost a week straight when I was running the campaign with the students.

D&D Beyond

I’m a sucker for this RPG dice roller online because it looks so freakin’ cool. You have to sign up for a D&D Beyond account to access the dice, but you are given the ability to create up to six characters for free, which works well for me. In my opinion, no other D&D dice roller comes close to rolling the real thing, especially the way the dice roll across your screen with sound effects that make you feel like you’ve actually rolled dice across your table.

There you have it, a list of RPG dice rollers online and in app form that will keep you gaming long into the night. I hope you only roll 20s from here on out!

If you still can’t get enough of the real deal, also check out these dice sets recommended by character class.

2023 is full of noteworthy cookbook releases for beginning cooks and seasoned chefs alike, and this list brings together 20 of the best cookbooks 2023 has to offer. Whether you’re looking to improve your everyday meal repertoire or make something for a special event, you’ll find plenty to appreciate here.

Why cookbooks? I’m lucky to have married someone who loves to cook, because it’s helped me discover joy in everyday cooking, too. Before I met my husband, I was a college student with very few culinary skills nor the time to practice them. But driven by an interest in understanding his passion (and an urge to impress him), I strove to improve my cooking abilities.

The best cookbooks became my closest friends, whether they came from the library or recommended from the local bookstore. Not only did I find new meals to cook with my husband, but I found that the tips included by the authors helped me build skills that transferred beyond a single recipe. Plus, the anecdotes included in cookbooks helped make learning new recipes or cooking methods more accessible.

These days, I’m much more comfortable in the kitchen — especially when I get to cook alongside my husband — and I attribute a lot of that to the cookbooks like these that helped me along the way.

The Best Cookbooks: 2023

The Elven Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by the Elves of Tolkien by Robert Tuesley Anderson (January 10) If you’ve ever wondered what lembas bread might taste like, this literary cookbook is for you. Each recipe takes inspiration from the elves in Tolkien’s legendarium — useful for a quiet weekend breakfast (or second breakfast) and themed get-togethers.

Eating from Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World by Maya Feller (January 24) In Eating from Our Roots, registered dietician Maya Feller shares recipes from around the world with sustainable and minimally processed ingredients. Each recipe also includes nutrition tips applicable to cooking as a whole.

On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World by Raghavan Iyer (February 28) Through history, personal experiences, and worldwide travel, food writer and Asian Flavors host Raghvan Iyer traces the culinary origins of curry. As you learn more about the historical and cultural roots of curry, you can also try the over 50 recipes included in the book.

Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed by Abi Balingit (February 28) Creator of the blog The Dusky Kitchen Abi Balingit shares dessert recipes and essays that explore Filipino American heritage and her experiences selling pasalubong boxes of desserts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyday Grand: Soulful Recipes for Celebrating Life’s Big and Small Moments by Jocelyn Delk Adams (March 14) Author and TV personality Jocelyn Delk Adams brings together more than 80 Southern comfort food recipes that encourage readers to find gratitude in every meal. From turkey and mustard greens enchiladas to salted caramel chocolate chip cookies, you’ll find joy in every bite.

The Everlasting Meal Cookbook by Tamar Adler (March 14) In her follow-up to An Everlasting Meal, James Beard Award–winning chef Tamar Adler shares an A–Z compendium of recipes and tips to combat food waste by using every part of the ingredients you’re cooking with.

Totally Kosher: Tradition with a Twist! by Chanie Apfelbaum (March 21) Chanie Apfelbaum, author of Millennial Kosher, is back with another cookbook full of kosher recipes perfect for everyday meals and sharing at special events. Alongside the recipes are cooking hacks, including family meal prep tips.

Sundays: A Celebration of Breakfast and Family in 52 Essential Recipes by Mark Pupo (March 28) Every Sunday morning, food writer Mark Pupo makes breakfast with his son Sam and husband Stephen. In 52 recipes, this cookbook shares anecdotes and advice while exploring the joy of cooking for those you love.

Mind over Batter: 75 Recipes for Baking as Therapy by Jack Hazan (March 28) Written by licensed therapist Jack Hazan, this cookbook encourages readers to practice positive emotional health skills through baking. Each section is organized by the skill the recipes within will teach them, from mindfulness and self-care to dealing with stress and anxiety.

Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others by Amy Thielen (April 4) There are few actions as simultaneously mundane and deeply meaningful as sharing a meal. Company includes over 125 recipes from food writer Amy Thielen designed to help the reader reflect on the relationships they value and how to show loved ones you care through cooking.

Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling by Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral (April 25) In their follow-up to Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico, Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral share over 100 recipes for organizing a carne asada gathering. Each recipe is organized into eight sections: botanas (appetizers), carnes (meats), mariscos (seafood), side dishes and vegetables, salsas, aguas frescas, cocktails, and desserts.

Tasting History: Explore the Past Through 4,000 Years of Recipes by Max Miller (April 25) Curious what a 3,000-year-old stew recipe might taste like? Max Miller, creator of the YouTube channel Tasting History, presents a compendium of recipes from 2000 BCE to today. Although updated in some ways, each recipe follows the original text it comes from as closely as possible.

Pasta for All Seasons: Dishes that Celebrate the Flavors of Italy and the Bounty of the Pacific Northwest by Michela Tartaglia (May 2) Chef Michela Tartaglia shares seasonal recipes inspired by her restaurant Pasta Casalinga as well as her experiences living in both Seattle, Washington, and Turin, Italy. Included are vegetarian- and pescatarian-friendly recipes.

Bake Me a Cat: 50 Purrfect Recipes for Edible Kitty Cakes, Cookies and More! by Kim-Joy (May 9) In Great British Baking Show finalist Kim-Joy’s latest cookbook, she shares recipes for cat-themed treats as cute to decorate as they are delicious to eat. Whether you’re a cat owner yourself or admire Kim-Joy’s culinary style, you’ll find something to enjoy here.

Honey: Recipes From a Beekeeper’s Kitchen by Amy Newsome (June 13) Professional beekeeper and chef Amy Newsome shares more than 80 recipes that teach and celebrate the beauty of cooking with honey — from apricot honey buns to eucalyptus honey granitas and more.

Pomegranates and Artichokes: A Food Journey from Iran to Italy by Saghar Saterah (June 20) Inspired by her time living in Iran and Italy, food writer and photographer Saghar Saterah explores the similarities between Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. In over 80 recipes, this cookbook celebrates the culinary heritage of both countries while reflecting on her own experiences as an immigrant.

Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking by Margaret Li and Irene Li (June 20) Sustainable cooking doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Sisters and restaurant owners Margaret Li and Irene Li share over 80 recipes designed to both reduce food waste and help with budgeting.

Black Rican Vegan: Fire Plant-Based Recipes from a Bronx Kitchen by Lyana Blount (July 25) Lyana Blount, owner of New York City pop-up restaurant Black Rican Vegan, brings together over 60 plant-based Puerto Rican recipes. Alongside each recipe are family stories and anecdotes as shared by the author.

Baking Yesteryear: Plating the Past with the Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s by B. Dylan Hollis (July 25) This is one of my most anticipated reads in cookbooks and in books as a whole. Baking Yesteryear includes vintage recipes that a modern reader might consider surprising. Sometimes in a good way…and sometimes not so much (if you haven’t before, check out B. Dylan Hollis’s TikTok to see what I mean by that).

Recipes for Murder : 66 Dishes That Celebrate the Mysteries of Agatha Christie by Karen Pierce (August 22) Hosting a murder mystery dinner party or book club this fall? You’ll want to use this cookbook to plan your menu. The recipes compiled inside are each paired with one of the 66 novels written by Agatha Christie.

For more bookish culinary adventures, check out Book Riot’s Cookbook Showdown series. In each one, a Book Riot contributor compares recipes for the same meal from different cookbooks to discover which one is the best. And don’t forget to pick up the best cookbooks of 2022, too!

When I was growing up, my favorite Disney movie was Alice in Wonderland. Maybe it’s because I loved how surreal this children’s classic was. Or maybe it’s because I was already a cat lady in training and loved the Cheshire Cat. Doubtless I enjoyed tea, and the Mad Hatter’s tea party looked fun, if a little odd. Yep, I was already a budding Alice fan.

Years later, I reread Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (the correct title) by author Lewis Carroll in a college class on Victorian literature. This time, when I read the classic children’s lit, my eyes were opened to possible subtexts going on beneath the surface. It really made me appreciate how layered this book really is. There are so many different ways to interpret and analyze Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The book really is that good.

If you’re an Alice fan, this quiz is for you. In this 11-question quiz, you’ll be tested on all things Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, from remembering details about the characters to recalling plot points and identifying who said what.

You’re here for queer gothic books. So let’s get one thing straight (lol): gothic literature is inherently queer! Themes that have persisted in this genre, including monstrosity and otherness, often have queer connotations and associations. Have a look at the widely recognized origin of the genre, Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto. Many scholars have identified homoerotic themes in the book. Some biographers think author Horace Walpole was gay or asexual, and that his writing may be a manifestation of his struggles. So queer gothic books are there from the very start.

So many other gothic classics, like Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, have had queer subtexts or not-so-sub-texts. Think about how Dr. Frankenstein, grieving his deceased mother, creates for himself not a maternal figure but a big, burly man: it’s queer! But things rarely end well for the queer-coded characters in older gothic fiction. Gothic novels often end with a restoration of order after the frightening and dramatic events of the plot. The monstrosity is subdued and the status quo is maintained.

The great thing about gothic literature is that contemporary authors are not beholden to that pattern. They can explore queerness in the open and create endings that set characters free if they so wish, while still calling back to other gothic traditions and storytelling modes. Because this is the genre of my heart, I had to be generous and give you 13 queer gothic books for your TBR.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins This novel, set in the 1820s, is a gothic thriller with a riveting crime narrative. Frannie Langton is awaiting trial in London’s Newgate prison (such an iconic location for historical fiction fans!). She is accused of murdering her master and mistress, but she doesn’t think she could have done it. So she goes back to the beginning and traces her full story, starting with her early life on a plantation in Jamaica. This is the gothic for fans of historical fiction that makes sharp commentary on racism, like The Underground Railroad and Washington Black.

The Wife in the Attic by Rose Lerner Jane Eyre is both an incredible book and one full of all kinds of problems. I enjoy reading books that engage with this text and choose different angles to explore. This book — great on audio if you’re into that — spoils the major plot detail of Jane Eyre right in its title. Even knowing that, you will find Sir Kit, the Mr. Rochester analogue, charismatic at first. You’ll watch with fascination as the Jane stand-in, Deborah, falls in love with the titular character and the two exact vengeance. As a bonus, this book is set in the same universe as Rose Lerner’s other Lively St. Lemeson books.

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gómez Vampires are a staple of gothic literature, and this book has become a modern classic since its 1991 publication. Gilda is an enslaved girl who escapes, and is then consensually turned by a vampire. She makes her way in the world, taking what she needs to survive but also giving back as best she can. If you like the idea of a Black lesbian vampire finding a family and witnessing the changes that come with history, this book will glamour you just like a vampire.

Lord of the Last Heartbeat by May Peterson I’m often singing the praises of this series, and here I am doing it again! This book has one of the most awesomely spooky haunted houses, and really amazing opera magic. The romance between a nonbinary singer named Mio and an immortal with the power of a bear spirit is action-packed, strange, and cathartic. The best gothic novels have truly villainous villains, and this book has some doozies.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger This is a ghost story. It’s a vampire story. It’s got a small town that’s festering with evil. Good stuff, is what I’m saying. And if you’re looking for asexuality in your queer gothic books, it’s not a major plot point of this book. But its casual presence as part of the main character Elatsoe’s identity may be affirming for you. Ellie is a ghost wrangler who ends up in Willowbee investigating the death of her cousin. While that sounds serious, this book has ghost dinosaurs. It manages to be extremely fun while also commenting on colonialism and spotlighting Lipan Apache culture.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo This book taps into a bunch of different gothic modes that you’re sure to appreciate. Not only queer gothic, but dark academia and Southern Gothic as well. In it, we meet Andrew and Eddie, who are the closest of friends. Eddie left for grad school in Nashville, and then died in an apparent suicide. Andrew inherits his house, which comes with a roommate he doesn’t know and more dark secrets than you can shake a stick at.

Testament by Jose Nateras This gothic horror has a richly detailed setting: a historic hotel in Chicago called the Sentinel Club. Gabe works there in the Rosebriar Room, their fine dining establishment. He’s trying to dig himself out of a hard time — a traumatic breakup and a suicide attempt. His dark past mirrors that of the hotel itself. It’s haunted by something sinister that has its eyes on Gabe. This is a story that delves into gothic metaphors for racism and generational trauma, and it’s the kind of book that pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

Gaywyck by Vincent Virga Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca helped usher in a wave of gothic romances in the mid 20th century that dwindled as historical romances and straight-up horror novels become popular. Most of those gothic romances featured straight couples, but Gaywyck aimed to use those beloved storytelling beats to tell a deliciously gay tale. Robert heads to clifftop mansion Gaywyck to catalog the library. There he meets Donough Gaylord, and you can guess how it goes. Side note: the Fated Mates podcast episode with author Vincent Virga is not to be missed!

The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza, Translated by Sarah Booker Queer horror from a MacArthur genius? Yes, and a slim, Kafkaesque read at that. The story, translated from Spanish, follows an unnamed narrator, who claims to be male. When two women invade his house on a stormy night interrogating him about his gender, his failure to convince anyone about his maleness lands him in a sanitarium. It’s a little The Yellow Wallpaper, a little The Trial. Perfectly gothic and surreal.

Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell Can you tell I love Jane Eyre? I will read just about any twist on it, and this one will keep you on your toes. In the original novel Jane is Adele’s governess. In this novel, Adele knows why Mr. Rochester — who might be her father? — is no good. She leaves home for finishing school in London and meets a charming thief named Nan. And then she becomes a vigilante, murdering men who commit violence against women. I’m pumping my fist triumphantly just writing that!

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean This book has a contemporary setting, starting on the Yorkshire Moors, one of the most gothic of landscapes. A population of people who literally eat books lives there. When Devon gives birth to a child who has a hunger for human minds, she tries to keep him safe by integrating into regular human society. This book definitely has body horror elements, if that’s your jam.

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco If you’ve read and enjoyed the gothic classic Dracula, this one’s for you. Dracula is a bunch of things: an epistolary novel, a gothic novel, but also a detective novel. Rin Chupeco continues in this vein with their vampire novel starring Remy, the son of a duke in the fictional kingdom of Aluria. He’s trying to find who’s unleashing mutant vampires on his city. But here’s the real clincher: this is your book if you wish more of the sexual tension in the novels you read resulted in polyamory.

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth While classic gothic settings include crumbling castles, estates, and monasteries, a school for girls is another perfect setting for tales of the macabre. Plain Bad Heroines is a Russian nesting doll of a book, telling multiple stories across time. Two girls in 1902 are obsessed with a scandalous memoir, but they end up mysteriously dead and the school closes up. Over 100 years later, a film is being made about the event. The stories interweave in delightful and twisty ways. Hint: if you listen to this in audio, check out a hard copy from your library if you want to see the illustrations.

Looking for more queer scares? Here are some of the best queer horror novels, queer haunted house stories, and queer YA horror.

I could talk all day about queer gothic books, but instead I’ll just encourage you to read more gothic literature. We’ve got gothic books for every mood, recent gothic books, and some YA gothic. If you read them all, they will haunt you. If you don’t read them all, they will also haunt you…

Cozy fantasy books have been popping up all over my bookish socials. I say it’s a sub-genre we’re way overdue for! My local bookstore shelves the cozy mysteries all together on the endcap of the mystery section. The dream is that cozy fantasy could reach the same status for the fantasy aisle. Like cozy mystery readers, cozy fantasy readers are looking for a fairly specific reading experience. First, we want an immersive world, lovingly drawn. We want characters we can really get to know and love. And perhaps most importantly, we don’t want the stakes to be super high.

Here are the cozy fantasy books for those of us who love a gentle slice of life story once in a while. I don’t want to read endless battle sequences. I certainly don’t want the brutality of sexual assault or epidemic disease to be a part of the story. Still, the sub-genre isn’t yet that well-defined, and what any individual finds “cozy” will vary. Plenty of people find The Lord of the Rings cozy, because hobbits lead a cozy way of life. But the stakes are high as could be in that series! Keeping that in mind, these are 20 must-read cozy fantasy books that dip their toes into other genres like romance, mystery, and even horror. Snuggle under your warmest quilt with your favorite hot beverage and settle in.

Adult Cozy Fantasy Books

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna A quirky found family story is a pretty easy sell to a lot of people looking for cozy fantasy. I’m someone who generally avoids romance books that have a plot line involving childcare. This one does, but it proves me wrong with delightfully devilish children. In a world where witches have to live in solitude to avoid attention, Mika finds herself taking a gig training three young witches whose out-of-control magic is threatening everything. What ensues is incredibly cute, cozy, and romantic.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming This fun book is for readers who want some real humor in their fantasy and who don’t mind that the stakes are a little higher than many cozy fantasies. It’s also for people, myself included, who are happy to read fantasy not peppered with “thee” and “thine” and whatnot. In this story, Cinnamon runs into a demon who informs her that she’s been worshiping an evil goddess, so they set out to hunt her down. That sounds serious, but the book is a laugh riot.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree  Here’s the book that really brought cozy fantasy books to the map this year. If you’re truly looking for low stakes, start here. Viv, an orc barbarian, has hung up her sword. She just wants to start a coffee shop. The obstacles that threaten this business venture are more Animal Crossing than World of Warcraft. Read it for the sweet cast of characters and the dollop of romance.

Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club by Roselle Lim This sweet book delves into magical realism, and what is cozier than feeling that magic really could suffuse our everyday lives? Sophie Go is an unaccredited matchmaker and an outcast. But she finds a community to practice her skills on: seven septuagenarian bachelors in her condo complex. Sophie can see people’s “red threads” connecting to their relationship matches, and she’s a genuine and caring person. The story does depict a toxic parent relationship, if that’s something you want to avoid. If you’re okay with that, I can guarantee you’ll be smiling page after page.

Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord I recommend listening to this as an audiobook if that’s an option for you. It has the kinds of digressions and asides you’d get from someone spinning you a real yarn. That style is what lends this fable-like story such coziness. It’s a reimagining of a Senegalese folk tale following Paama, who leaves her foolish husband. This attracts the attention of the undying djombi, who give her something called the Chaos Stick. But whether she’s truly worthy of wielding that power is not clear to the Indigo Lord, and he wants to persuade Paama to give it back.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen Hear me out: it’s a loose You’ve Got Mail retelling, set in a world with zombies, and it’s cozy. When the lonely zombie hunter Hart sends a letter into the void, it ends up in his nemesis Mercy’s hands, and their epistolary romance ensues. Because I’m the person that I am, my favorite thing about this book was the coziness and heartfelt nature of the funerary rites that Mercy performs.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa I know there are people out there who count books, bookstores, and cats among their top interests. Here’s the book for you. What would you do if a talking cat showed up at your bookstore telling you that you needed to liberate lonely, unread books from their neglectful owners? First I would be worried they’d be coming for my physical TBR, but then I’d want to join Rintaro Natsuki on this thoughtful, sweet adventure.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers  If you’re looking for cozy sci-fi, you need to be reading Becky Chambers. If you’re looking for cozy fantasy, this is one of those speculative books that blurs the boundary between sci-fi and fantasy. In this vision of the far future, the robots all walked off their jobs long ago, and humanity chose a different way life. When a tea monk meets one of these fabled robots, the two wrestle with the question of what humans really need. The result is positively lovely.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho Coziness means different things to different people, which is why I wanted to include this book that brings some cozy horror into an urban fantasy setting. Jessamyn Teoh is back in Malaysia after college and discovers she’s being haunted by the ghost of her estranged grandmother Ah Ma. Ah Ma has a score to settle and is going to drag Jessamyn into a world of gods, gangs, and family secrets. It’s a touch darker than many of the books on this list, but if you want both thrumming rage and a wholesome relationship with a cantankerous ghost, you’ve gotta read this one.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen A comfort book for lots of readers, Garden Spells boasts an absolutely enchanting old house, home to the eccentric Waverly women who are known for their magic. When the last Waverly, Sydney, returns home, she upends everyone’s lives. The family has to come together to heal,  and readers should take care if wishing to avoid domestic abuse plot lines. If you think food is magic, and you have a fondness for Practical Magic, this is definitely your flavor of cozy.

Heart of Stone by Johannes T. Evans Let’s serve you up some slow burn, pining vampire cozy fantasy. It’s a historical romance between a vampire named Henry and his newly hired secretary Theophilus. It’s also an immersive slice of 18th century life for characters expressly written, per the author’s note, with ADHD and autism. While the threat of outing and/or violence for queer characters is often driving the plot in queer historicals, this book doesn’t not delve into those kinds of stakes. It’s gorgeous.

Inked by Rachel Rener  This is an urban fantasy that does have some real stakes to it, but there are plenty of elements that add coziness. One is a truly adorable animal sidekick. Another is the hilarious relationship between tattoo artist Talia and her very protective Jewish mother. Talia has encountered the fae realm after using magical ink from her hot, mysterious boss Zayn’s office. Turns out Zayn is an incubus, they have an adventure to go on, and Talia’s mom is not going to stop calling.

YA Cozy Fantasy Books

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas While this book does have a sense of danger, there is a deep coziness that runs through it. It’s there in the autumnal atmosphere and the richly developed folklore. This story about trans brujo Yadriel, who accidentally summons the ghost of Julian, the school bad boy. If you like reading books where you feel very protective of the characters and their unfolding relationship, this is your book. It’s the cozy fantasy mystery romance you’ve been looking for.

Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell (March 14) Just look at this cover and tell me you’re not dying to read this cottagecore fantasy. Catherine’s out of control magic has accidentally poisoned her father. To help him, she needs help from her former best friend Xavier. Their story is friends to enemies to lovers, if that’s your cup of tea. And you’ll be enchanted by the flower magic and the cast of characters you’ll wish you could hug.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher Anyone looking for cozy fantasy vibes should definitely be checking out T. Kingfisher’s fantasy books as a rule. This one follows Mona, who wields magic that only works on bread. She’s got a sourdough starter as a familiar. What could be cozier? A dead body in her bakery kicks off her journey to figure out how to creatively wield her magic in order to save the day. The result is both so fun and so, so funny.

Middle Grade Cozy Fantasy Books

The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill  If there’s one book I could move into, it would be this one. It’s basically all vibes and worldbuilding, little plot. Imagine if Pokemon didn’t have to fight, but they were just super cute little dragons who produce tea. It’s a book that underscores the value of care, and appreciating the good things in life that take time. And lucky you, there are three books in the series to treasure.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones  Talk about the blueprint! Any book that has been adapted by Studio Ghibli is likely to have cozy elements, and this one definitely does. It’s the captivating story of Sophie, cursed into the body of an old woman, making her way in the dramatic and Vain Howl’s house. I’m honestly not sure whether I’d recommend watching the movie first or reading the book first, because it’s not clear which one people generally prefer. But I would say you absolutely need both in your life. You might also want to check out Books to Read if You Love Studio Ghibli, What To Read Next Based On Your Favorite Hayao Miyazaki Movie, and 11 Enchanting Books for Fans of Miyazaki Films.

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega If you like books that are a little spooky and very sweet, here’s a cozy middle grade fantasy you’ll love. Pitched as Coco meets Stranger Things, the book chronicles the ghostbusting hijinks of friends Lucely and Syd. They’re the ones who released the malicious spirits in the first place. Because of the strong friendships and family bonds depicted, this book really does give cozy feelings in abundance.

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe This book has similar cozy vibes to the beloved Studio Ghibli film Kiki’s Delivery Service. The story follows Eva, a witch-in-training who could lose her magic if she doesn’t prove herself by the time she turns 13. It’s as wholesome and precious as you can imagine a book about a young witch who summons cabbage when she means to summon flowers to be. Also, check out these other books like Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Root Magic by Eden Royce This historical fantasy delves into the folk magic that has been the legacy of African American families for generations. Jez and Jay are twins learning about their family’s use of rootwork, and not a moment too soon, because their town is under threat. Even with some scary themes and the underlying racism that provides a backdrop to the story, the atmospheric writing will bring you the kind of coziness that helps you brace against the cruel world.

Once you’ve let each of these books wrap you in a warm hug, check out our feel-good fantasy and light fantasy lists for even more books to cozy up with. Hunker down and happy reading.

If you’re a reader of mysteries or even fancy a whodunit murder mystery movie at the end of a long day, you’ve likely heard of the trope “the butler did it.” It conjures images of a butler, darting around an isolated mansion unnoticed, spinning up some revenge plot or plan to escape with his rich employer’s millions. This type of plot is often seen as cheap or predictable, an easy out for a closed-room murder or heist. But where did the trope come from, and how common is it, really?

When the Butler First Did It

According to numerous sources, “the butler did it” trope was coined by Mary Roberts Rinehart in The Door, a 1930s mystery by the prolific author in which, well, the butler does it. In the novel, an elderly family nurse was murdered, and the revealed suspect isn’t confirmed until the very last page. Interestingly enough, though Rinehart is credited with the expression “the butler did it,” the phrase doesn’t appear in The Door, nor was she the first to use that plot device.

In fact, in 1930 when it came out, it was already seen as a weak and predictable plot in the public eye. In a review in Life in 1926, according to an analysis of the trope by Gareth Rees, a reviewer of The Donovan Affair said “we automatically suspect the butler right at the start” and a character in “What, No Butler?” by Damon Runyon in 1933 says the “way these things are done in all the murder-mystery movies and plays” is to pin it on the butler.

A much-quoted rule for mysteries by S.S. Van Dine, an American art critic and detective novel writer, railed against choosing a servant as the culprit as a “too easy solution” in his list of “Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories” from 1928.

How Popular Was the Trope, Really?

As it turns out, the trope was not that popular, despite how much people poke at the possibility of the butler brandishing the butter knife. In 1893, “The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual” by Arthur Conan Doyle features a criminal butler, though not the main suspect; in 1914, “The Man with Nine Lives” by Hugh C. Weir featured a criminal butler; and in 1915, E. Philips Oppenheim wrote The Black Box, in which a criminal masquerading as a British butler murders a girl for the family jewels. Agatha Christie, too, took on the butler finger-pointing in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in 1926, though this is a red herring in the novel and no actual butler-doing-it was done.

But really, there weren’t that many novels or stories that used the trope, especially not enough to garner the public’s eye-rolling at the use of it in 1930. Mike Grost said The Door was “notable for being one of only a few real-life examples” of the trope.

So, how can Rinehart be the creator of the trope if people were already cracking jokes or offering criticisms about it by the time her novel even came out? And how can it be so popular if not many novels even used the trope?

TV Tropes posits it may have to do with societal fears in reality, a playing up of the upper class’s suspicion of their domestic servants having sticky fingers in their own household. In volume four of London Labour and the London Poor published in 1851 by Henry Mayhew, the chapter on “housebreakers and burglars” says it “occasionally happens servants are in league with thieves,” detailing the ways in which criminals can manipulate or work with the servants of the household to gain access to its hidden riches. In Lady Audley’s Secret from 1862, too, the character Lady Audley “shares with her Victorian readers a mounting anxiety about the eyes and ears of servants in the home.” It makes a certain sense that the trope seemed more popular because it dug into the fears of the upper class at the time.

Whether you like the old butler-did-it trope or could do without it, hopefully, you found this glimpse into the trope’s history interesting. If you’re in the mood for a whodunit (don’t worry, no spoilers on the who), check out these locked room mysteries or this quiz that will match you with your next whodunit read!

Even superheroes need friends! And, just like friendships in real life, some of those relationships last a lifetime and others fade away as you pursue your own destinies. In this series, I’ll be spotlighting some of the side characters who have been left by the wayside.

Trigger warnings for WAY more discussion of the Holocaust, Nazism, and antisemitism than I anticipated.

Anna Kapplebaum (sometimes spelled Kappelbaum) grew up in a very happy German Jewish family until she was about 12. That’s when the Nazis took power and imprisoned her family in a concentration camp, where everyone but Anna was killed. Anna herself only survived thanks to a timely rescue by Captain America.

We know all this because Anna infodumps her life story on new neighbor Steve Rogers after inviting him over for dinner. That’s, uh, quite the way to introduce yourself. In her defense, Steve set her off by staring at her tattoo. And he was staring because he recognized her from when he liberated Diebenwald, the (fictional) camp where she was imprisoned.

Steve had just moved to Brooklyn Heights, hoping for a fresh start after his girlfriend’s death. Anna, whom we later find out is the building’s landlord (so you’d think she’d recognize him rather than needing to be introduced as in the panels above), always put effort into making all the tenants feel at home. A later issue describes her as a “self-appointed ‘house-mother'” to the other tenants.

Anna’s big character moment came in Captain America #245, when she encountered the “Butcher of Diebenwald,” the man who killed her family and tormented her in the camp. Obviously, she is extremely angry and even tries to shoot him. Captain America tries to stop her in the most un-Caplike way possible: by saying that killing Nazis is bad.

If he was making this argument based on what he knows of Anna personally — say, that she isn’t a killer and that she’ll be haunted by her actions, however justified — it could make sense. But for Captain America, who spent the war years punching every Nazi he came across and not taking particular care to make sure they lived through the experience, to make a blanket statement that murdering Nazis “will not solve anything” is weird. To put it mildly.

In the end, Anna can’t do it — not because of Cap’s pleading, but because the Butcher remembers her name after claiming he didn’t. It’s implied throughout the issue that he deeply regrets his actions during the war (which doesn’t make it better, obviously), but he is still murdered by a Nazi hunter’s daughter. Whether Cap arrests her or tries to give her a fancy speech, we don’t know.

Another notable moment came in Issue 269, when Anna gets upset over the rise of Neo-Nazis and Steve…scolds her about it?

First, the idea that the Holocaust was a learning experience that should have made the victims better people is abhorrent. It wasn’t homework or a therapy session. It was genocide. It was antisemitism enacted on a wide and violent scale, and quite frankly, anyone who survived it should be allowed to feel however they want about it without some self-righteous gentile getting in their face.

(For a much better, though less explicit, portrayal of this concept, please read Art Spiegelman’s Maus, particularly Part II: And Here My Troubles Began.)

Second, again, that’s a real funny position from a soldier who spent the entire war violently confronting Nazis — and who, in 2021’s Captain America: Infinity Comic #1, told a man in a bar to keep his racist mouth shut or else Captain America would come for him. I’m glad he got over the idea that we should “be unafraid of ideas — however noxious,” at least.

Third, we later learn that Mike (that’s Mr. Mustache in the green jacket) is a member of the Watchdogs, a group of right-wing bigots dedicated to defending America’s “morals.” Clearly, Anna has more reason to be concerned than anyone in that room currently realizes.

We get more Nazi stuff in Captain America #275, when a synagogue is vandalized. Steve is so ignorant he doesn’t know what a Torah is and tries to claim the vandalism is the work of street gangs, not actual Nazis. This doesn’t go down well with Anna. And when Steve’s girlfriend Bernie (also Jewish) announces she’s going to an anti-Nazi rally, Steve begs off, claiming he’s too busy.

This is a man who personally liberated concentration camps and saw the Nazi menace up close, yet he continually dismisses Jewish people’s anger and fear as irrational and overblown. It’s not until his boss makes a bigoted remark that he realizes, oh yeah, antisemitism still exists and he should maybe do something about that.

Aaaand then he quickly decides they shouldn’t have held the rally at all because it gives “free publicity” to “only a handful” of Neo-Nazis. When the rally devolves into violence, he lectures both sides as if they’re equally to blame, even calling the Nazi speaker and a Jewish rock-thrower “two of a kind.”

I know I’m supposed to be talking about Anna Kapplebaum here, but good grief, Cap’s behavior is baffling. He brings up his personal experiences at Diebenwald to try to shame the Nazi speaker, but he somehow can’t understand why Jewish people, including actual Holocaust survivors, would be so upset about the popularity of Neo-Nazis and want to do something about it.

I can see how Cap’s ignorance would make a decent story. No one understands antisemitism and the Holocaust better than Jewish people. This could have been an opportunity for Cap to realize the limits of his experiences and learn how to be a better ally to Anna and Bernie as they cope with and fight back against the antisemitism that has affected and continues to influence their lives.

This is not that story. Also, if you need a refresher on why comparing Jewish people to Nazis is bad, here’s what the World Jewish Congress has to say on that.

Steve moved out of Anna’s building in Captain America #317, but she’d basically already disappeared by then.

Beyond the Holocaust discussions, Anna doesn’t have much to do aside from serving meals and engaging in some light matchmaking between Steve and Bernie. It’s sad, because Anna did manage to move on after the Holocaust: she married, relocated to New York, and even made a kind of peace with her experiences. But the comic takes no interest in any of that. All we learn about her life post-Holocaust is that she got married (but we never learn anything about her husband — is he dead?) and that she is a terrible singer (but we never see her sing).

The more of Anna’s appearances I read, the more I became convinced that she was introduced solely so the creators could talk about Nazi stuff. That’s why I went off on so many tangents about Steve: Anna exists as a receptacle for Captain America’s insensitive speeches, not as a person. And that stinks.

To sum up this very long rant:

1. Marvel should bring back Anna Kapplebaum and let her be a real character this time.
2. Cap and his fluffy ’80s hair can get wrecked.

Come meet our previous absent friends: Eddie “Iron Man” March, Terry Berg, Harris Hobbs, Bridget Clancy, Willie Lincoln, Ed Indelicato, Roger Willis, Chanda Madan, Glenda Sandoval, and Mason Trollbridge!