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Cozy Science Fiction

  • Tara E.
  • Monday, October 13, 2025
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When one hears “science fiction” one probably thinks of Terminator or alien attacks or other distinctly UNcozy things. But even diehard sci-fi fans sometimes need to kick back with a hot beverage, light a candle, and enjoy that cozy feel. So, when you’re jonesing for some science fiction AND some light music and soft socks, look for these titles. 

No list of cozy sci-fi will ever be complete without something by Becky Chambers. So, I’ll start this one with the first books of her (as of now) two series, A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and A Psalm for the Wild-Built. While these are set, respectively, in space and on a recovering but post-apocalyptic earth, what makes them cozy is the focus on heartwarming relationships, overall peace and understanding, and, of course, delicious food/tea.  

Loka by S.B. Divya is the second in a series but easily stands alone. It follows a genetically engineered post-human who is supposed to be the future of the planet Meru. But, desperate to find where she belongs, she embarks on a journey around the historic birthplace of humans, Earth. Along with her best friend, she discovers a beautiful, and sometimes dangerous, world, and what it means to be human. 

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi Ashinano is a beautifully illustrated manga set in a future Japan where the island is disappearing slowly back into the ocean. It’s slice-of-life following the daily life of an android who runs a coffee shop. Everything about it is soft and lovely. 

The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz features another android whose original master is long gone, running a tea shop to try and fulfill that master’s dreams for the shop, and slowly falling apart... until she meets a technician who makes her rethink what moving on could mean for her. Sweet and atmospheric. 

Sourdough by Robin Sloan has bread. Enough said, right? Just kidding. Baking bread, breaking apart those crusty loaves and breathing in the beautiful scent always brings feelings of warmth and relaxation. In this novel, an overworked software engineer falls in love with the bread and food from a hole-in-the-wall shop worked by brothers... until they have visa issues and have to leave the country and leave a piece of their beloved sourdough starter with her. What follows is a weird and sometimes wacky (but always cozy) love story to bread, and to finding your joy. 

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo has a little more adventure than your average cozy story but I stand by this space opera. It’s styled as Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off and I couldn’t agree more. There’s found family, detailed scenes involving food, and just a lot of sweet, loving relationships. The sequel is decidedly not cozy, but this first one left me with the warm fuzzies. 

I hope at least one of these solves your cozy cravings, but for more cozy reading options, check out this Cozy Reads Staff Picks list. 

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Deluxe Edition. Vol. 01

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. Deluxe Edition. Vol. 01

Ashinano, Hitoshi, author, artist.
Published in 2022
"In a future Japan, long after an environmental catastrophe, Alpha the android runs a small café in a seaside town. As she wonders if her absent owner will ever return, she stands witness to the twilight of humanity with coffee, a slice of watermelon, and the sound of her moon guitar. Alpha and her fellow residents enjoy the melancholy beauty of life, even as the end approaches"-- Provided by publisher.
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Chambers, Becky, author.
Published in 2016
Rosemary Harper doesn't expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she's never met anyone remotely like the ship's diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain. Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy--exactly what Rosemary wants. It's also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn't part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary's got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs--an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn't necessarily the worst thing in the universe.
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Book
 
A Psalm for the Wild-built

A Psalm for the Wild-built

Chambers, Becky, author.
Published in 2021
"In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk & Robot series gives us hope for the future. It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it a lot. Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?"-- Provided by publisher.
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Loka

Loka

Divya, S. B., author.
Published in 2024
"Akshaya is the hybrid daughter of a human mother and an alloy, a genetically engineered posthuman--and she's the future of life on the planet Meru. But not if the determined Akshaya can help it. Before choosing where her future lies, she wants to circumnavigate the most historic orb in the universe--the birthplace of humanity: Earth. Akshaya's parents reluctantly agree to her anthropological challenge--one with no assistance from alloy devices, transport, or wary alloys themselves who manage humanity and the regions of Earth called Loka. It's just Akshaya; her equally bold best friend, Somya; and a carefully planned itinerary threading continent by continent across a wondrous terrain of things she's never seen: blue skies, sunrises, snowcapped mountains, and roiling oceans. As the adventure unfolds, the travelers discover love and new friendships, but they also learn the risks of a planet that's not entirely welcoming. On this trek--rapturous, dangerous, and life-changing--Akshaya will discover what human existence really means."--Amazon
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Book
 
The Cybernetic Tea Shop

The Cybernetic Tea Shop

Katz, Meredith
Published in 2016
Clara Gutierrez is an AI repair technician and a wanderer. Her childhood with her migrant worker family has left her uncomfortable with lingering for too long, so she moves from place to place across retro-futuristic America. Sal is a fully autonomous robot. Older than the law declaring her kind illegal due to ethical concerns, she is at best out of place in society and at worst vilified. She continues to run the tea shop previously owned by her long-dead master, lost in memories of the past, struggling to fulfill her master's dream for the shop while slowly breaking down. They meet by chance, but as they begin to spend time together, they both start to wrestle with the concept of moving on... A F/F retro-future sci-fi asexual romance. A story about artificial intelligence and real kindness, about love, and the feeling of watching steam rising softly from a teacup on a bright and quiet morning.
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You Sexy Thing

You Sexy Thing

Rambo, Cat, author.
Published in 2021
"Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off in this fantastic space opera You Sexy Thing from former SFWA President, Cat Rambo. Just when they thought they were out... TwiceFar station is at the edge of the known universe, and that's just how Niko Larson,former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind, likes it. Retired and finally free of the continual war of conquest, Niko and the remnants of her former unit are content to spend the rest of their days working at the restaurant they built together,The Last Chance. But, some wars can't ever be escaped, and unlike the Hive Mind, some enemies aren't content to let old soldiers go. Niko and her crew are forced onto a sentient ship convinced that it is being stolen and must survive the machinations ofa sadistic pirate king if they even hope to keep the dream of The Last Chance alive"-- Provided by publisher.
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Book
 
Sourdough

Sourdough

Or, Lois and Her Adventures in the Underground Market
Sloan, Robin
Published in 2018
"A new novel about an underground food community by the author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore"--
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Author

Tara E.

Reader's Advisory Specialist

Enjoys historical fiction, chill mysteries, soft science fiction, low and middle fantasy, Japanese fiction and non-fiction history.

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