30 Best Books About Witches for a Spooky Autumn Read

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As the weather turns cooler and spooky season gets underway, it's not uncommon for readers to gravitate towards a seasonally appropriate cozy autumn read. Maybe they look for a classic murder mystery, or books about vampires, but there's one spooky figure that reigns supreme: The witch. Witches, commonly women, appear throughout pop culture, from Hermione in the Harry Potter series to the three witches in Macbeth. This fall, witches are set to dominate TV and movies, from Agatha All Along airing on Disney+, the streaming premiere of A Discovery of Witches on Netflix, and the forthcoming release of the first Wicked film. They're also a go-to Halloween costume, but more importantly, they're the subject of many great stories. Here, 30 of the best witch books to read this autumn:

Her Majesty's Royal Coven: A Novel (The HMRC Trilogy)

Juno Dawson's inventive and feminist novel (which kicks off a trilogy) imagines a world in which witches operate as part of the British government, and four former childhood friends must navigate a new threat.

Practical Magic

Every autumn is time for a rewatch of Practical Magic, featuring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman drinking midnight margaritas. Add to your reading list the original series the film is based on: It's just as magical as the movie.

More: 25 Best Classic Fall Books

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Series)

Diana Bishop doesn't know she's a descendant of witches until she happens upon an enchanted manuscript in Oxford's library. The discovery sets off an epic fantasy, where she meets vampire Matthew Clairmont, as she races to solve the mysteries in the book's pages.

Read more: The 20 Best Books to Read After Finishing A Discovery of Witches

Macbeth

Sorceresses don't get more classic than the three witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. It's the origin of "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble," and a must-read in the witchy literary canon.

Circe

In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus encounters the magical Circe on the island of Aeaea. Madeline Miller's novel reimagines this character from Greek mythology, giving the sorceress a full story in this epic read.

Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove)

Witch Emma Harlow hasn't been home to Thistle Grove in years, causing her magical powers to wane. But when a spell-casting tournament is held, which requires her family to serve as judge, she returns home, and begins to wonder why she left in the first place.

Conjure Women: A Novel

This historical novel tells the story of enslaved women living on a plantation in the Civil War era-South. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Rue, a young woman who learned healing skills from her mother, May Belle, must navigate what happens when children in the community begin to fall ill.

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch

There are no witches in Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch, an astounding work of historical fiction by Rivka Galchen. Instead, Galchen dramatizes the real witchcraft trial of Katharina Kepler, the mother of scientist Johannes Kepler.

The Witches of Eastwick

Popular culture knows the Witches of Eastwick as the film adaptation starring Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Susan Sarandon, but it's also a novel by John Updike about three women whose coven in Eastwick, Rhode Island is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious man named Darryl.

Witches: A Novel

In Brenda Lozano's Witches (translated by Heather Cleary), Zoe is a journalist sent to report on the murder of Paloma, who used to be a healer named Gaspar. Before she was killed, Paloma taught her cousin Feliciana the secrets of vigils carried out by Mazatec curanderos.

The Once and Future Witches

Witches used to exist, but in 1893, they are just a figment of the past. When the Eastwood sisters join the suffragist movement in New Salem, however, they start to revive the old magic tradition.

The Master and Margarita

This classic work of Russian literature is a "fantastical, funny, and devastating satire of Soviet life," per the publisher of this 50th Anniversary Edition. The second part follows Margarita, the Master's mistress who becomes a witch.

Moon Witch, Spider King (The Dark Star Trilogy)

One of the most innovative modern fantasy series began with Black Leopard, Red Wolf; the sequel, Moon Witch, Spider King, follows Sogolon the Moon Witch, 177 years old, and her feud with Aesi, chancellor to the king.

Witches of America

Journalist Alex Mar spends five years journeying through the occult in America, writing about real-life witches and witchcraft. "Witches are gathering," begins Mar's reported memoir. "Witches are gathering all across California, witches and their apprentices and little children and polyamorous collection of boyfriends and girlfriends..."

Mr. & Mrs. Witch: A Novel

The 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as rival spies assigned to kill each other. Mr. & Mrs. Witch is a similar premise: Savannah is a powerful witch, who is unknowingly marrying a witch hunter Griffin. At their wedding, all hell breaks lose—and they're tasked with killing each other.

The Witches of New York: A Novel

Set in the Gilded Age, a trio of witches (Adelaide, Eleanor, and Beatrice) run a tea shop where they tell fortunes and give secret cures to the women who find them.

The Witching Hour (Lives of Mayfair Witches)

Anne Rice, perhaps best known for her classic Vampire Chronicles series, also wrote about witches—beginning with The Witching Hour, which follows the Mayfair family over centuries.

VenCo: A Novel

Lucky St. James is a Métis millennial, struggling to make ends meet and care for her grandmother, Stella. When she finds a silver spoon etched with the world 'Salem' she soon uncovers a network of witches, VenCo (an anagram of "coven"), and sets off on a road trip to New Orleans.

Secret History Of Witches

Five generations of witches—beginning in 17th-century France, and continuing through 1940s London—feature in Louisa Morgan's sweeping historical novel.

Which Witch?

A classic children's book about witches is Eva Ibbotson's Which Witch?, where handsome wizard Arriman the Awful holds a contest to chose his bride, and powerful witches all join the competition—including Belladonna, who can't conjure up anything sinister.

White is for Witching

This gothic novel by Helen Oyeyemi centers on fraternal Haitian twins raised in Britain, as one twin suffers from a strange disorders and begins hearing voices.

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wicked Years Book 1)

Gregory Maguire's Wicked is the basis for the hit musical, telling the story of Elphaba before Dorothy and her dog ever arrived in Oz.

The Manningtree Witches: A Novel

This historical fiction novel brings to life the Essex witch trials, through the lens of the a young woman, Rebecca, who was accused of witchcraft.

Witches of East End (Witches of East End, 1)

For centuries, the Beauchamp women—Joanna and her daughters, Freya and Ingrid—have had to hide their magic abilities. Upon the wedding of Freya, the three women realize they can no longer hide their powers as dark forces begin to rise against them.

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, 3)

Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass high fantasy series introduces the character of Manon Blackbeak, an immortal witch, in the third book—and she becomes a critical part of the plot moving forward. (Though if you haven't read the series, read them chronologically—start with Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight.)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Wizards and witches populate the pages of the bestselling young adult series, including one of the most famous fictional witches: Hermione Granger.

Enchanted to Meet You: A Witches of West Harbor Novel

Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot ventures into a magical world with a witchy romance, featuring a headstrong witch named Jessica Gold who is told she is the Chosen One to save her small town by a very handsome, mysterious witch named Derrick.

The Weaver and the Witch Queen

Norse mythology comes to life in The Weaver and the Witch Queen, about sisters Oddny and Signy and their friend, Gunnhild. After Signy is kidnapped, Oddny sets out to rescue her, as Gunnhild begins to learn how to be a witch.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

This cozy novel centers on Mika, a young witch in Britain who knows she has to hide her powers—but decides to post videos online pretending to be a witch. Soon, she's teaching witchcraft to three strangers—and gets tied up in their lives.

The Penguin Book of Witches

Per the publisher, The Penguin Book of Witches "is a treasury of historical accounts of accused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends." If you're looking to dive into the history of witchcraft in England and North America, look no further.

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