"Like a hell-broth boil & bubble…" - Witchy Reads

#ReadlingList: literary fiction, historical fiction & fantasy, urban romantasy, YA/middle-grade, short stories collections, poetry, & nonfiction…

Oct 30, 2024

“Mama Yaya taught me the sea, the mountains, and the hills. She taught me that everything lives, has a soul, and breathes. That everything must be respected. That man is not the master riding through his kingdom on horseback. . .
. . . What is a witch? I noticed that when he said the word, it was marked with disapproval. Why should that be? Why? Isn’t the ability to communicate with the invisible world, to keep constant links with the dead, to care for others and heal, a superior gift of nature that inspires respect, admiration, and gratitude? Consequently, shouldn’t the witch (if that’s what the person who has this gift is to be called) be cherished and reverted rather than feared?”
— from I, TITUBA: Black Witch of Salem, by Maryse Condé

Ooooh the Witches trope! I know this is a lot of folks’ favorite subgenre of fantasy, horror, literary, & historical fiction & I have read a ton of books that would fit on this list but let me tell you something. This is not my favorite genre. And that’s for a few big reasons:

1) this genre tends to feature an embarrassingly large amount of white feminism that is neither intersectional nor does it acknowledge, let alone accommodate for, crucial perspectives such as Indigenous, Black, disabled, & queer relationships with the idea of witchcraft / identity of “witch” to the point where I’m just like, “what are we even doing here?”

2) this subgenre tends to include a lot of books (particularly historical fiction & fantasy) that tell the same story over & over (& over & over) again without adding anything original or creative to the trope. I’m talking about the kinds of books that make me want to yell “Ok I get it she’s a witch she lives alone in the woods she is a healer she’s an outcast from her community the villagers don’t like how independent she is & it scares them & the bad guy is a priest & the imprisonment & torture & trial scenes go on foreverrrr—but like what else have you got?? Anything new??? or is it just the same 400 pages as that last witch book I read?” You get the idea.

& 3) I hate one-dimensional witchfinder general überreligious zealot type villain characters—especially when we are made to suffer through entire chapters from their POV. It’s just not interesting. At all.

However, that being said, I have come across quite a few witchy books that are favorites for me, even a fair few five-star ones! Plus there are a couple on my TBR that I am very excited to get to soon.

So without further ado, here is my list of recommendations to satisfy that witchy reads craving we so often find ourselves in! I hope you find something you like.

Xx ceallaigh

“You tell me that magic is just desire made real. Maybe spells are nothing more than words that you believe with all your heart.” — from Shadow of Night, by Deborah Harkness

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Click on the star ratings beside the titles I’ve read to read my reviews/thoughts about the book.

—On my TBR—

Novels:

THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF WITCHES by Sangu Mandanna (2022) Read more here.

contemporary romantasy— “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is a perfect fit for readers who crave heartwarming stories of found family, magic, and self-discovery, and are looking for a lighthearted, humorous, and uplifting tale that will leave them feeling hopeful and cozy.” Sold!

THE WITCH AND THE TSAR by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore (2022) Read more here.

historical fantasy—I have a particular interest in Baba Yaga stories & when Goldsboro released an exclusive edition of this one with stenciled edges I decided worst case scenario it looks incredible on my shelves. I’m feeling a winter read for this one so maybe next year, Jan/Feb 2025! (Actually there are a couple different covers for this book & they’re all gorgeous.)

SORROWLAND by Rivers Solomon (2021) Read more here.

literary speculative fiction—This one is not explicitly witchy but the vibes sound very witchy-adjacent & this is a book I’ve been edging for agesss so the more I talk about it maybe the more likely I am to finally get over the intimidation factor & just pick it up.

EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR MOTHER IS A WITCH by Rivka Galchen (2021) Read more here.

literary historical fiction—I have heard mixed things about this one & as one of those dreaded historical fiction witch stories I have avoided it since it came out, but last year I read Joanne Limburg’s Letters to My Weird Sisters which includes a letter to Katharina Kepler & finding out that Katharina was probably autistic has made me more interested in reading this story. Apparently this book is also funny which would be an incredibly refreshing thing to find in one of these stories so now I’m very excited to check it out.

SLEWFOOT: A Tale of Bewitchery, by Brom (2021) Read more here.

historical fantasy horror—I read & loved Brom’s KRAMPUS THE YULE LORD a few Christmases ago & when I heard SLEWFOOT described as “very satisfying” I knew it was a go for me. I am actually planning on finally reading it next month (Nov 2024) so keep an eye out for that!

WITCHES by Brenda Lozano, translated from Spanish by Heather Cleary (2020) Read more here.

translated literary fiction—“The beguiling story of a young journalist whose investigation of a murder leads her to the most legendary healer in all of Mexico. . . Weaving together two parallel narratives that mirror and refract one another, this extraordinary novel envisions the healer as storyteller and the writer as healer, and offers a generous and nuanced understanding of a world that can be at turns violent and exultant, cruel and full of hope.”

WICKED: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire (1995) Read more here.

& its sequels in The Wicked Years series: SON OF A WITCH, A LION AMONG MEN, & OUT OF OZ, plus the prequel: ELPHIE (out 2025) & the Another Day series: THE BRIDES OF MARACOOR, THE ORACLE OF MARACOOR, & THE WITCH OF MARACOOR) are loose retellings/re-imaginings of the world & characters in L Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz.
Gregory Maguire is one of my top favorite authors, second only to Helen Oyeyemi & I have read all of his other fairy tale retelling stories for adults before diving into this series. Am actually currently (Oct 2024) reading The Wizard of Oz for the first time & will then finally be picking up Wicked. It’s an 8 book series (so far) so I’m excited for this adventure. <3

YA / middle-grade:

EQUAL RITES (1987), WYRD SISTERS (1988), and THE WEE FREE MEN (2003), by Terry Pratchet

I’ve actually never read any Terry Pratchet yet & I know I really need to. These are three of the ones that I have on my list & they all sound delightfully & wholesomely witchy.

Short stories:

THE BOOK OF WITCHES edited by Jonathan Strahan (2023) Read more here.

fantasy; multi-author collection— “. . . a captivating collection that will enchant readers who crave feminist, fantasy, and science fiction, particularly those who appreciate stories that celebrate the complexities and power of witches, witchcraft, and the LGBTQ+ community, making it a must-read for fans of inclusive and intriguing tales.” 😙👌🏻
Also just look at this author list: P Djèlí Clark, Kathleen Jennings, Ken Liu, Darcie Little Badger, Cassandra Khaw, CL Clark, Garth Nix, Premee Mohamed, Amal El-Mohtar, Fonda Lee, Tochi Onyebuchi! & that’s less than half of the authors in this collection. The easiest auto-buy for me.

THE VIRAGO BOOK OF WITCHES by Shahrukh Husain (1993) Read more here.

collected stories from world mythology—“A collection of more than fifty stories about witches from around the world. There are tales of banshees, crones and beauties in disguise from China, Siberia, the Caribbean, Armenia, Portugal and Australia. The characters featured include Italy's Witch Bea-Witch, Lilith, Kali, and Twitti Glyn Hec. Alluring women, enchantresses, wise old ladies and bewitching women: they are all here and ready to haunt, entice, possess, transform, challenge - and sometimes even to help.”

Nonfiction:

SOUTHERN CUNNING: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South, by Aaron Oberon (2019) Read more here.

“. . . a journey through the folklore of the American South and a look at the power these stories hold for modern witches. Through the lens of folklore, animism, and bioregionalism the book shows how to bring rituals in folklore into the modern day and presents a uniquely American approach to witchcraft born out of the land and practical application.”

DRAWING DOWN THE MOON: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America, by Margot Adler (1979) Read more here.

I found this book at a library booksale & decided to buy it after reading this about it on wikipedia: “. . . considered by some a watershed in American Neopagan circles, as it provided the first comprehensive look at modern nature-based religions in the US. For many years it was the only introductory work about American Neopagan communities. She was also drawn to paganism as the spiritual side of her feminism which rejected the hierarchy of monotheism. She agreed with the historian James Breasted's characterization of monotheism as ‘imperialism in religion.’” Ok, I’ll bite.

“The women are largely the ones who carried stories. And stories are the collective remembering of the people. In a time when the state wanted people to change and leave behind their old ways, stories were poison. Every witch burned at the stake meant hundreds of stories in the smoke.” — from VenCo by Cherie Dimaline