Entertainment
9 Readers Share Their Cozy Corners
“Our dog, Ruby, lies on the kitchen table because it’s the one spot where she can see my car pulling into the driveway,” says Elizabeth from Charlottesville, Virginia. “Our neighbors say they always look for her in the window when they walk by. This act of devotion brings me so much joy.” Below, eight more Cup of Jo readers share their cozy corners…
“We are an art-loving family and have always struggled with how to display as much as possible. These IKEA shelves have been a game changer! And the couch was in my family room growing up — it’s more than 40 years old and saw my mom through all three of her pregnancies. It was so special to take my own pregnancy naps here before we welcomed our son last October.” — Meredith, Tampa, Florida
“We live in a 150-year-old home, and the guest room on our top floor has become a favorite retreat. The ceilings are low, everything is bathed in white and pale blue, and the furniture is from my childhood bedroom. Being wrapped in that nostalgia makes an afternoon there feel like coming home. My kids love having sleepovers or rainy reading days in the nook, and they’ve named it the ‘tippy top B&B.’” — Heather, Macon, Georgia
“All three of my pups nap on this couch, and I love cozying up with them with a good book after a long day of work.” — Shay, Nashville, Tennessee
“I put lots of thought into making my home feel inviting, and I’ve added window seats, books, artwork, blankets, pillows, and even a disco ball (thanks to CoJ for many of these ideas and sources!). Nothing makes me happier than when my friends tell me how cozy it feels.” — Megan, Portland, Oregon
“I always dreamed of a dining nook with a built-in bench, and last year I made it happen! Now it’s where my two kids have breakfast after rolling out of bed, where we talk about the best and worst bits of our days over dinner, and where a surprising number of people smoosh in for dinner parties.” — Tess, Perth, Australia
“My favorite spot is our sunroom. There’s something magical about watching the seasons change, especially our giant old tree that breathes with the weather. Nothing beats sipping my morning coffee there, watching the world wake up.” — Kimberly, Portland, Oregon
“I bought this postcard rack from the flea market and filled it with old postcards from my parents, friends, and other family members. All the messages are happy, since people are traveling or exploring museums. Whenever I feel down, I spin the rack and read the postcards. I’m reminded that in that moment, someone was thinking about me. It cheers me to no end.” — Nina, Fort Collins, Colorado
“I’ve moved once a year since 2018, but this past winter I landed somewhere that’s safe and mine for as long as I want. One afternoon, I caught my eight-year-old dog, Twyla, enjoying the sunshine on thrifted furniture that’s been remixed so many times in so many apartments. I think in that moment, we both shared the same thought, ‘Yeaaaah, buddy, we’re home.’” — Kelsey, Providence, Rhode Island
Thank you, everyone! We love you so much.
P.S. More readers share favorite corners and one reader’s husband built her an introvert nook.
(Photo of Meredith by Katelyn Rose Photography.)
Entertainment
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Entertainment
BookCon 2026: Authors Rachel Reid, Stephanie Archer talk hockey romance and how it could change the sport for the better
With the fervor of Heated Rivalry, there’s a fierce desire among book readers for even more hockey. On Sunday, April 19, at BookCon, the “You Had Me at Hockey: A Look at One of Sports Romance’s Hottest Genres”, authors Rachel Reid (Heated Rivalry, Game Changer), Emily Rath (Pucking Around), Ngozi Ukazu (Check Please), Stephanie Archer (The Wild Card), and Kate Cochrane (Wake Up, Nat & Darcy) were joined by moderator and fellow author Bal Khabra (Collide) to discuss the rise and continued success of hockey romance.
Khabra kicked off the panel, asking just how hockey became so popular. Ukazu joked that it was as if the genre “escaped containment,” like when the Omegaverse went mainstream, while Reid described the mystery around hockey, saying, “what [the players] are doing seems impossible.” Archer also added that the sport itself is exceptionally hard on the body, and the celebrity around players, especially in Canada, is fun to play with.
But there’s more to the genre’s success than the tropes. “It has to be said,” Rath argued, “that the cornerstone of why this is so popular in publishing is racism.” She went on to say that straight, white women’s voices dominated the romance genre for so long, pointing out that hockey is also the whitest sport. Among major league sports, the NHL is the most predominantly white. In 2022, ESPN reported that 83.6% of league players and staff were white, compared to the NFL, where 25-27% of players are white, or the NBA, where white players make up 17.5% of the league.
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Zooming into the genre, the authors also spoke about the writing process. They dove into the deeper aspects of their work, even the smut. Rath said, “I think the least sexy thing you can ever do is write a sex scene.” A similar sentiment came up during Reid’s Saturday panel, where she described using the sex scenes to further the emotional arc. When readers ask authors if they can skip the spice, Archer says of her own books, “No, you can’t skip the sex scenes. You’re missing so much character development if you don’t go on the journey with them.”
The panel turned to the future, too. Many of the authors write BIPOC and queer representation into their novels, in a genre that often centers on whiteness and homophobia. “We’re writing the world as we want it to be,” Rath said.
Reid has found that there is progress toward a future that these authors and their readers want to see, saying that the NHL is interested in working with them. “People on the inside, they really want to work toward change and want to make this happen.”
With the hockey fandom at an all-time high, there’s a whole team behind these authors ready to drive change.
Entertainment
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