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Witchy reads for autumn

Covens, curses, spellbooks and small towns full of magic for the season of falling leaves.

20 books

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  1. 1Practical Magic

    Practical Magic

    Alice Hoffman

    A magical family novel about generations of witchy women in New England, with a warm, atmospheric feel perfect for fall.

    Buy on Amazon
  2. 2A Discovery of Witches

    A Discovery of Witches

    Deborah Harkness

    A witch and a vampire fall in love in Oxford, blending romance, academic mystery and old magic in the first book of its trilogy.

    Buy on Amazon
  3. 3Circe

    Circe

    Madeline Miller

    A literary retelling of the Greek witch Circe's exile and self-discovery, lyrical and mythic in a way that suits autumn reading.

    Buy on Amazon
  4. 4The Witches of Eastwick

    The Witches of Eastwick

    John Updike

    Three women in a small New England town summon a devilish stranger, a darkly comic and seductive take on modern witchcraft.

    Buy on Amazon
  5. 5The Witch of Blackbird Pond

    The Witch of Blackbird Pond

    Elizabeth George Speare

    A Puritan-era novel about a young woman accused of witchcraft in colonial Connecticut, a cozy yet tense historical pick for autumn.

    Buy on Amazon
  6. 6Lolly Willowes

    Lolly Willowes

    Sylvia Townsend Warner

    A quietly subversive literary classic about a woman who finds freedom by joining the Devil's coven in the English countryside.

    Buy on Amazon
  7. 7Howl's Moving Castle

    Howl's Moving Castle

    Diana Wynne Jones

    A cozy, witty fantasy in which a young woman under a witch's curse finds her way into a magical household.

    Buy on Amazon
  8. 8The Witching Hour

    The Witching Hour

    Anne Rice

    The first Mayfair Witches novel, a sweeping tale of a powerful witch family whose gifts pass through generations.

    Buy on Amazon
  9. 9The Mists of Avalon

    The Mists of Avalon

    Marion Zimmer Bradley

    A retelling of the Arthurian legend from the perspective of the priestesses and women of magic, including Morgaine.

    Buy on Amazon
  10. 10The Ballad of Black Tom

    The Ballad of Black Tom

    Victor D. LaValle

    A dark, eerie horror novella that reworks Lovecraftian witchcraft through a Harlem musician's bargain with a sorcerer.

    Buy on Amazon
  11. 11The Night Circus

    The Night Circus

    Erin Morgenstern

    A magical, atmospheric tale of a wandering circus that feels perfect for autumn evenings, with subtle witchy intrigue.

    Buy on Amazon
  12. 12The Witchfinder's Sister

    The Witchfinder's Sister

    Beth Underdown

    A gripping historical novel about the English witch hunts, blending family drama with dark supernatural hints.

    Buy on Amazon
  13. 13The Bear and the Nightingale

    The Bear and the Nightingale

    Katherine Arden

    Set in frost‑bitten Russia, this lyrical fantasy features a young woman confronting ancient spirits and folk witchcraft.

    Buy on Amazon
  14. 14Witch's Heart

    Witch's Heart

    Genevieve Gornichec

    A retelling of Norse myth from the perspective of a witch, mixing romance and melancholy suited to autumn.

    Buy on Amazon
  15. 15The Bone Season

    The Bone Season

    Samantha Shannon

    A dystopian fantasy where clairvoyant witches fight oppressive forces, with a moody, fog‑laden setting.

    Buy on Amazon
  16. 16Something Wicked This Way Comes

    Something Wicked This Way Comes

    Ray Bradbury

    A dark October carnival story whose sinister witch-like Dust Witch makes it a classic autumn read for witchy horror fans.

    Buy on Amazon
  17. 17Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

    Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

    Susanna Clarke

    A richly written, gothic historical fantasy about English magicians and their rivalry, fitting a moody autumn reading list.

    Buy on Amazon
  18. 18The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

    The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

    Katherine Howe

    A literary historical mystery tracing a modern student's link to a 1692 Salem witch-trial ancestor, with an autumnal, old-New-England atmosphere.

    Buy on Amazon
  19. 19Serpent and Dove

    Serpent and Dove

    Shelby Mahurin

    A romantic fantasy about witches and witch hunters in a dark, gothic world, covering the romance strand the list calls for.

    Buy on Amazon
  20. 20The Lace Reader

    The Lace Reader

    Brunonia Barry

    A Salem family of women with intuitive gifts, a mystery and a shadow of old witch-trial history, suited to a cozy-yet-eerie autumn read.

    Buy on Amazon

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