It’s a cold and rainy December day in New York, and we’re here to answer the burning question on everyone’s mind: How can I achieve peak coziness today?

It’s not just cocoa or some other hot drink. It’s not just finding a sweet romance or mystery to read. No . . . it’s a great read featuring a warm beverage. That's peak coziness.

So tuck in and celebrate National Cocoa Day by checking out some of our coziest reads, which feature cocoa and its warm compatriots on their covers.

Holiday Romance & Foodie Fiction

Christmas Chocolat by Kate Defrise
A sweet (ha ha) story about a group of siblings observing their Christmas traditions—beginning with hot chocolate and a traditional Belgian bread—while trying to find their way after their mother’s death.

 

 

 

Hot Cocoa Hearts by Suzanne Nelson
A love story for kids! The protagonist of this middle-grade novel, the third installment in Nelson’s Wish series, is working out her feelings for two different boys while working at a Santa photography booth at the mall.

 

 

 

Better than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts
A Hallmark movie in book form! It’s up to Samantha to save her family’s chocolate company, so what could be better than a chocolate festival to raise some funds and get the evil-but-handsome bank manager off her case?

 

 

 

 

 

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith
Detective Precious Ramotswe loves her redbush tea! Another strong installment in Smith's No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cozy Mysteries

Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier  
Eggnog . . . hot or not? This cozy Christmas book of Maine mysteries has not one, not two, but three tales of deathly eggnog—and a grumpy librarian, to top it all off.  

 

 

 

 

Death by Vanilla Latte and Death by Eggnog by Alex Erickson
More murderous beverages feature in this cozy series centered around a small town in Ohio and its community theater and bookstore/café.

 

 

 

 

 

12 Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen
Set in an idyllic English village during the winter of 1933, this cozy mystery leads readers on a Murder-She-Wrote-esque adventure as villagers keep dying in suspicious ways.  








 

Iced Under by Barbara Ross
A mysterious package containing a black diamond necklace complicates Julia Snowden’s life in the fifth installment in Ross’ popular Maine clambake series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to intrepid hot-drink-loving librarians Anne Rouyer, Elizabeth Waters, Melissa Scheurer, and Kate Fais for their suggestions!

Image via MaxPixel.

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!