A witchy reading list for Halloween

This Halloween season is feeling particularly witchy and we couldn’t be happier! Here is a reading list to help you get into the mood.


For high drama and romance…

….try A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery and so – after a furtive glance and a few notes – she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of supernatural beings soon descends upon the library with Diana unwillingly dragged into the mayhem.


For a satisfying slice of urban fantasy…

…try The Witch Who Courted Death by Maria Lewis

Considering her status as the world’s most powerful medium, Casper von Klitzing and her twin brother Baristan have lived a pretty normal life – until now… After a horrific incident in her home city of Berlin, orchestrated by the mysterious Oct, Casper is consumed with vengeance towards an enemy she doesn’t understand. The only other person ever known to escape Oct was a witch and so Casper is soon on her trail, but this witch does not want to be found. Diving headfirst into the supernaturally secretive world of spells, charms and covens, it’s not long before Casper is crossing more than just the line between the living and the dead.


For bone-chilling history…

…try The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff

It began in 1692 when a minister’s niece started to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before panic had infected the entire colony, 19 men and women had been hanged, and a band of adolescent girls had brought Massachusetts to its knees. Vividly capturing the atmosphere of this time, Stacy Schiff’s magisterial history reveals details and complexity that few other historians have seen. In compulsively readable prose, she demonstrates how quickly the epidemic of accusations, trials, and executions span out of control


For myth and monsters…

…try The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

The Boneless Mercies is a genderbent reimagining of Beowulf that feels wholly immersive. Frey is the leader of a pack of Boneless Mercies – women hired to bring merciful deaths to the sick and elderly across the land. When they hear of a legendary monster capable of destroying entire villages, the young women decide to pursue the beast in search of fortune and glory. This dark fantasy is brutal and bloodthirsty, and redolent with myth, magic and the stirrings of a Witch War.


For real world events mixed with witchcraft…

…try A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

Brittany, 1821: After Grand-mere Ursule gives her life to save her family, their magic seems to die with her. Even so, the Orchires fight to keep the old ways alive, practising half-remembered spells and arcane rites in hopes of a revival. And when their youngest daughter comes of age, magic flows anew. The lineage continues, though new generations struggle not only to master their power, but also to keep it hidden. This historical saga traces five generations of fiercely powerful mothers and daughters.


For lyrical prose and heartbreak…

…try Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan

On remote Rollrock Island, the sea-witch Misskaella discovers she can draw a girl from the heart of a seal. So, for a price, any man might buy himself a bride – an irresistibly enchanting sea-wife. But what cost will be borne by the people of Rollrock – the men, the women, the children – once Misskaella sets her heart on doing such a thing? Award-winning author Margo Lanagan has crafted an extraordinary tale of witchcraft and love.


For fantasy with political undertones…

try All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

After parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school, childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn’t expect to see each other again. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one’s peers and families. But now they’re both adults, living in the hipster mecca San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them, and it just so happens that they might be the only solution.


For a rich exploration of Russian folklore…

…try The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family. These tales of old magic frowned upon by the church, and when the father brings home a devout new wife, they are banned in the household. But for young Vasya, these were never just stories – she alone can sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. And she must act in secret when that darkness threatens her home.


For creepy and disturbing…

…try White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

Helen Oyeyemi chills and delights in this unsettling story of grief, ghosts and a haunted house tucked into the white cliffs of Dover, England. Twins, Miranda and Eliot, and their father, Luc, are reeling from the sudden death of Lily, beloved mother and wife. Miranda, who has an eating disorder called Pica (which causes her to crave non-edible things) and a keen supernatural sense, seems more connected to the spirits than to the living. When she disappears one night, the survivors are left to tell her story.


For fans of The Craft

…try The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

Ever since the extraordinary witch Rona Blackburn landed on Anathema Island centuries ago and was shunned by the eight ‘original’ settlers, the Blackburn women have been cursed – doomed to carry out a brief whirlwind affair with a descendant of the Original Eight. Over the decades, their supernatural powers have been diluted, which is perfectly all right with teenager Nor Blackburn who longs for a quiet, unremarkable life. But when a mysterious book of spells arrives, Nor realises something dark is headed her way.