Season of the Cosy Witch

In this episode of Season of the Cosy Witch, we’re chatting about the sequel to the classic witchy sister film, Practical Magic. We’re big fans of the original film, and we have quite a lot of thoughts and feelings about Practical Magic 2. We promise we did really enjoy the film, but that didn’t stop us from having a frank discussion about the sequel’s (many) foibles 

So grab your cup of (self-stirring) tea and your black umbrella, and let’s get into it!

In This Episode we…

• Critique the film’s move away from ‘practical magic’ to ‘Marvel-style’ magic

• Spend way too much time hating on custard

• Discuss the romance and the bewildering role of Lee Pace

• Question the egregious product placements

• Argue how the film centres men and heteronormativity 

Episode Reading List 

• Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

• The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

We're twin sisters who love cosy books and since we're always talking about them with each other, we thought we'd share those conversations with other likeminded readers who want to understand why they love these kinds of stories, what they can teach us about our real world, how they can be catalysts for change, and how they are shaping the landscape of publishing and reading. Angie Spoto is a fantasy novelist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s currently working on her third novel, a cosy romantasy inspired by Scottish folklore. Sarah Spoto is a podcaster and entrepreneur living in New England in the USA.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, join us every month for a new cosy conversation. 

This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge.

Season of the Cosy Witch has a Substack! Join us for deep-dives into the cosy genre, tropes, our favourite cosy books and fascinating topics.

Instagram: @seasonofthecosywitch

cosy fantasy, cozy fantasy, cozy sci-fi, cozy fantasy books, what is cozy fantasy, what is cozy fantasy, cozy fantasy tropes, cozy fantasy reading list, fantasy book podcast, book review podcast, Legends and Lattes, low stakes fantasy, found family fantasy, queernorm fantasy

Welcome, cosy witches, to episode three of the Season of the Cosy Witch Podcast. We sat down with literature scholar Shannon Young to talk about everyone's favourite sexy hockey show (and books!), Heated Rivalry. 

In this episode, we chat about what we love about this story, the heated discourse around the show, how misogyny absolutely is in play in its criticisms, how Rachel Reid’s books are shaping the publishing industry and the place that joy and sex have in the ever-popular Romance genre.

So grab a hot cup of tea, settle into a cosy armchair, and let’s chat hockey romance!

In this episode we discuss…

• The misogyny at play in criticisms of the show and books – and romance fiction in general

• Why women love stories about two male hockey players falling in love

• Why sex and pleasure in storytelling is more important than ever

• Heated Rivalry’s influence on culture and the publishing industry at large

  
  

Episode Reading List 

• Game Changer by Rachel Reid

• Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Where to Find Shannon:

Website: https://www.shannon-young.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannon.l.young/ 

We're twin sisters who love cosy books and since we're always talking about them with each other, we thought we'd share those conversations with other likeminded readers who want to understand why they love these kinds of stories, what they can teach us about our real world, how they can be catalysts for change, and how they are shaping the landscape of publishing and reading. Angie Spoto is a fantasy novelist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s currently working on her third novel, a cosy romantasy inspired by Scottish folklore. Sarah Spoto is a podcaster and entrepreneur living in New England in the USA.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, join us every month for a new cosy conversation. 

This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge.

Season of the Cosy Witch has a Substack! Join us for deep-dives into the cosy genre, tropes, our favourite cosy books and fascinating topics.

Instagram: @seasonofthecosywitch

cosy fantasy, cozy fantasy, cozy sci-fi, cozy fantasy books, what is cozy fantasy, what is cozy fantasy, cozy fantasy tropes, cozy fantasy reading list, fantasy book podcast, book review podcast, Legends and Lattes, low stakes fantasy, found family fantasy, queernorm fantasy

Welcome, cosy witches, to the Season of the Cosy Witch Podcast! This is the place for folks who love cosy books of all genres - fantasy, sci fi, romance, books specifically about cats in libraries... stories that make us feel like settling into a soft armchair, sipping a cup of tea and getting lost in another world.

In our second episode, we're talking about tropes. Tropes we love and tropes we hate!

We define tropes and how they’re used in cosy fiction, share our favourite and least favourite tropes, and discuss how tropes can be used effectively versus in a reductive way.

In This Episode we…

• Define trope and its relationship to genre

• Discuss the ‘There’s Only One Bed’ and ‘Sunny/Grumpy’ tropes

• Explore how tropes can be used effectively… and how they can be reductive

• Suggest cosy books to read based on tropes

  
  

This Episode’s Cosy Books Reading List 

• The Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

• Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis

• God & the Gumiho by Sophie Kim

• Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada

• Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 

  
  

We're twin sisters who love cosy books and since we're always talking about them with each other, we thought we'd share those conversations with other likeminded readers who want to understand why they love these kinds of stories, what they can teach us about our real world, how they can be catalysts for change, and how they are shaping the landscape of publishing and reading. Angie Spoto is a fantasy novelist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s currently working on her third novel, a cosy romantasy inspired by Scottish folklore. Sarah Spoto is a podcaster and entrepreneur living in New England in the USA.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, join us every month for a new cosy conversation. 

This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge.

Season of the Cosy Witch has a Substack! Join us for deep-dives into the cosy genre, tropes, our favourite cosy books and fascinating topics.

Instagram: @seasonofthecosywitch

cosy fantasy, cozy fantasy, cozy sci-fi, cozy fantasy books, what is cozy fantasy, what is cozy fantasy, cozy fantasy tropes, cozy fantasy reading list, fantasy book podcast, book review podcast, Legends and Lattes, low stakes fantasy, found family fantasy, queernorm fantasy

Welcome, cosy witches, to the Season of the Cosy Witch Podcast! This is the place for folks who love cosy books of all genres - fantasy, sci fi, romance, books specifically about cats in libraries... stories that make us feel like settling into a soft armchair, sipping a cup of tea and getting lost in another world.

In our very first episode, we're answering the question everyone's asking: what exactly is cosy fantasy?

We break down the tropes, trace the genre's roots, and share our reading list so you can explore the full spectrum of what cosy fantasy has to offer.

In This Episode we…

• Define cosy fantasy and discuss its origins

• Share tropes that exemplify the genre

• Explore the diverse spectrum of cosy fantasy novels

• Suggest subgenres to explore

  
  

Where to Start: Our Cosy Fantasy Reading List 

• Legends & Lattes  by Travis Baldree

• Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

• Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

• Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

• Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix

• Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

• The Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

  
  

We're twin sisters who love cosy books and since we're always talking about them with each other, we thought we'd share those conversations with other likeminded readers who want to understand why they love these kinds of stories, what they can teach us about our real world, how they can be catalysts for change, and how they are shaping the landscape of publishing and reading. Angie Spoto is a fantasy novelist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s currently working on her third novel, a cosy romantasy inspired by Scottish folklore. Sarah Spoto is a podcaster and entrepreneur living in New England in the USA.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, join us every month for a new cosy conversation. 

This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge.

Season of the Cosy Witch has a Substack! Join us for deep-dives into the cosy genre, tropes, our favourite cosy books and fascinating topics.

Instagram: @seasonofthecosywitch

cosy fantasy, cozy fantasy, cozy sci-fi, cozy fantasy books, what is cozy fantasy, what is cozy fantasy, cozy fantasy tropes, cozy fantasy reading list, fantasy book podcast, book review podcast, Legends and Lattes, low stakes fantasy, found family fantasy, queernorm fantasy

Welcome, cosy witches, to the Season of the Cosy Witch Podcast! This is the place for folks who love cosy books of all genres - fantasy, sci fi, romance, books specifically about cats in libraries... stories that make us feel like settling into a soft armchair, sipping a cup of tea and getting lost in another world.

We're twin sisters who love cosy books and since we're always talking about them with each other, we thought we'd share those conversations with other likeminded readers who want to understand why they love these kinds of stories, what they can teach us about our real world, how they can be catalysts for change, and how they are shaping the landscape of publishing and reading. Angie Spoto is a fantasy novelist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s currently working on her third novel, a cosy romantasy inspired by Scottish folklore. Sarah Spoto is a podcaster and entrepreneur living in New England in the USA.

Between the two of us and special guest experts, we're going to chat about…

• Tropes

• Zeitgiest-y stories that are shaping the genre

• The pitfalls and foibles of the cosy genre and so much more

Future topics include:

• Deep dives into our favourite cosy books (The Last Unicorn, Emily Wilde, T. Kingfisher to name a few)

• Conversations about subgenres (horromance, romantasy, folklore and fairy tales)

• Explorations on themes that fascinate us (queernorm worlds, cats, and witches).

If that sounds like your cup of tea, join us every month for a new cosy conversation. 

This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge.

Season of the Cosy Witch has a Substack! Join us for deep-dives into the cosy genre, tropes, our favourite cosy books and fascinating topics.

Instagram: @seasonofthecosywitch