My wife and I have almost always listened to Harry Potter to fall asleep, but would like to find some other options. I'd love to find a book series that is cozy and magical, with great re-readability. Bonus points for any queer characters! Thank you <3
Some books we've tried:
– Ender's Game (good book, some nostalgia, not as cozy as would like)
– Twilight (similar nostalgia, but keeps us awake because we're so irritated at their toxic relationships lol)
– Legends & Lattes (pretty solid, but very short series – only lasts us a couple days)
– A Wrinkle in Time (also a good vibe, but too short and never got into the other Madeleine L'Engle books)
– The Hunger Games (good length, familiar, not at all cozy)
by HopesTeaHobbies
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The Dark is Rising series
The Wheel of Time series
His Dark Materials series
* *Frostheart* by Jamie Littler – it has a similar general vibe to HP in my opinion (adventurous, emotional and funny with a focus on friendship) – and it’s a great audiobook! The reading age is slightly younger – like the first two HP books maybe.
* *The Hatmakers* by Tamzin Merchant – great magic vibes and lovely characters, whimsical, inventive and funny. It is also for younger readers (in the first book, the “twist” can be spotted from a mile away by an adult reader) but they gradually get darker.
* *His Dark Materials* – It’s not cozy all the time – but neither is HP, I think they are on a similar level in this respect. It’s a great series that has stood the test of time.
* *Howl’s Moving Castle* – very cozy and funny (although the sequels are not as good)
Lord of the Rings and/or The Hobbit. I recommend Rob Inglis as a reader, but there are a lot of great audiobook versions out there.
*The Starless Sea* and *The Night Circus*, both by Erin Morgenstern, are my go-to sleepy time audiobooks.
*The Starless Sea* in particular just feels like a bedtime story and has a male-male romance, but it isn’t a strong focus in the book.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers makes a perfect bedtime story!! It’s short, will probably only last a couple bedtime sessions, but I have reread it probably a dozen times.
Queer/nonbinary representation, happy ending, encouraging message, and just generally a joyful and heartwarming reading experience. There’s no big drama or bad guys, just a light and enjoyable story that will stick with you long after you finish it.
It is the epitome of “cozy and magical”, in my opinion.
Claribel Ortega’s Witchlings series!
The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Guards! Guards! or Wyrd Sisters or Mort are all good places to start.
Narnia is a great option.
I’d also recommend some Japanese light novels that are fantasy, but I’m not sure which ones are on audio.
Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World is a great book series.