TAKES of Our Time: What is Cozy Literature?

This month, for our TAKES episode, we're talking with returning guests Cat Trites and Bonnie Yuen about the trend of "Cozy Literature" in Taiwan.   While the "cozy" trend has been building at least since 2020, the market for translated cozy literature in Taiwan has seen a recent uptick-- with English-language sections now populated with colorful displays of calm scenes, bookstores run by cats, and a library which can help you face your fears. We sit down and discuss what defines this genre, as well as the forces that are likely driving it in popular culture today in Taiwan and beyond, and finally end with a few recommendations from two of the coziest readers in Taipei. Books mentioned in this episode in order of appearance: "What You Are Looking For Is in the Library" by Michiko Aoyama, "We'll Perscribe You A Cat" by Syou Ishida, "Before The Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and "The Dallergut Dream Department Store" by Miye Lee. Honorable mention to "The Kamogawa Food Detectives" by Hisashi Kashiwai, which was cut out for time.