Cozy Reading Challenge Check-In: 8 Down, 4 to Go!

My 2025 Cozy Reading Challenge progress (and a tea-inspired sci-fi teaser for next week)

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Dear Cozy Reader,

I started out today writing about tea-inspired charming science fiction. I scoured the internet and found three novellas that seemed to fit the Sleuth Hero Alien vibe perfectly.

As I was drafting the post, I had a thought: These books are really short. What if I just read them all this week? That way, I could share the full list with you next week—complete with my thoughts, favorites, and any tea-worthy moments.

So that’s the plan. Tea-inspired sci-fi is brewing for next week.

In the meantime, I thought it would be the perfect moment to check in on The 2025 Cozy Reading Challenge.

I’ve never hosted a reading challenge before, so I’m curious:

• Were you interested in joining back in January?

• If so, have you been keeping up with it? Did it slip off your radar—or have you been steadily making progress?

For me, the challenge fell by the wayside during all the packing and moving I did this year, but I’ve recently picked it back up. I was pleasantly surprised to realize I’ve already finished 8 prompts—which means I only have four left!

If you need the original post with resources, you can find it right here.

Here’s my updated checklist with the books I’ve read or am planning on trying.

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2025 Cozy Reading Challenge

• Read a cozy mystery set in a country you’ve never visited.
  This one has been tricky. I’ve found books that fit the critera, but I haven’t loved them. I’ll probably end up reading one from the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith —they’re so cozy!

• ✅ Read a charming sci-fi novella that features a hopeful or heartwarming story.
  ✔Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis
  ✔First three Murderbot books by Martha Wells (loved these best!)

• ✅Read a cozy fantasy with an LGBTQIA+ main character.
  ✔A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne – loved it!

• ✅Read a cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, or charming sci-fi with a focus on food or baking.
  ✔The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong – a slice-of-life delight set in a restaurant for magical creatures in Toronto.

• Read a cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, or charming sci-fi that takes place at a hotel.
  I’m eagerly waiting for A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping to come in from the library—only six more weeks!

• ✅Read a cozy fantasy, cozy mystery, or charming sci-fi by a disabled author.
  ✔Poisoned Primrose by Dahlia Donovan – loved the realistic, everyday representation of her autistic main character, Motts.

• ✅Read a cozy mystery written for middle-grade readers.
  ✔Sisterhood of Sleuths by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman – a sweet Nancy Drew-inspired read.

• Read a cozy fantasy, cozy mystery, or charming sci-fi set in a library, bookshop, or featuring a bibliophile protagonist.
  This should be the easiest one, but somehow I’ve skipped over it. A little research and a booklist are in order. I honestly just want to reread Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. I LOVE that book.

• ✅Read the first book in a cozy series or an author’s debut cozy or charming novel.
  ✔Frontier by Grace Curtis – possibly my favorite book of the year so far!

• ✅Read a cozy fantasy, cozy mystery, or charming sci-fi by a Black, Indigenous, or person of color author.
  ✔Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord – a captivating retelling of a Senegalese folktale.

• Read a cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, or charming sci-fi that’s been languishing on your TBR list for far too long.
  I tried Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills but DNF’d. Next up: Murder Past Due by Miranda James.

• ✅Read a cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, or charming sci-fi that features tea.
  ✔Tea & Treachery by Vicki Delaney – so fun, and I can’t wait to read more in the series.

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What about you? How’s your challenge going? I’d love to hear what prompts you’ve finished—or which ones you’re still hunting down.

—Emma

Hi there! I’m Emma Veritas, your cozy reading enthusiast. I delight in escaping to small towns filled with endearing characters—and just a touch of mystery, dragons, or aliens. When I’m not sharing bookish musings here, you’ll find me reading at the beach, wandering the tiled alleys of my new hometown in Portugal, or sipping a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

🔮You might also enjoy my other newsletter, Mystics Reading Society—a welcoming space where books, personal growth, and magic intertwine, nurturing your soul one chapter at a time. Read the most recent post: It’s Never Too Late

🌊Curious about life abroad? Check out Reading in Portugal to follow my adventures—starting with My First Week in Portugal!