Books like Everyday Magic — picked by fans

Fairy tale retellings are another favorite of mine and I enjoyed this one as a light, frothy fun read. Part of the reason it worked well was Arnessa. She makes a great Cinderella by working hard and dreaming of more. Yes, there are definitely some family issues and a cute guy too. It doesn’t hurt that you can order a shot of luck at the magical coffee shop! If you need a pick-me-up during darker times, give this sweet read a chance!

I fell in love with this book and series for several reasons. Initially, though the magic system was almost a little confusing, I enjoyed how unusual it was. I love discovering unique magic systems in fantasy that really make me think and capture my curiosity.

The complexity of the characters and how relatable they were also strongly appealed to me. They weren’t perfect, nor were they so completely flawed that I found it hard to connect to them. Nothing makes for a rich story like deep characters who feel like they could still be real outside of the fantasy world.

My favorite thing about this book (and the series), however, is the found family element. The primary protagonist, Kip, is uprooted from his less-than-perfect life in such a dramatic way. The journey we get to go on with him as he finds his place in his world and builds up… show more.

I'm always reluctant to recommend occult books (there's definitely a weirdness factor that will turn some off), but this isn't like any other. Don't worry: you don't have to purchase a wand, crystals, salts, oils, or herbs. Scott Cunningham was a widely respected practitioner that always advocated for age-old tools of natural magic—like water from a spring. For those interested in exploring the Craft, this is the perfect starting point because it reminds us of the fundamentals: nature is magic. It doesn't get more complicated than that.

Some guy in Egypt realized long ago that you can create illusions, fly through the air, change your body into whatever you want, or “demolish buildings and castles,” all by writing out little crossword puzzles.

Like a fool, he recorded his method and handed it to some German dude, who passed the information along, and now it’s just in a book anyone can buy? All those secret crossword puzzles of power? Oh, man, if they catch you with this one, watch out, because people are really fond of their buildings and castles, and they do not have a sense of humor about their unscheduled demolition.

I am awed by the ambition of this book, which really does cover everything suggested by the title. 

The author is a Professor of Archaeology at Oxford and as his bio says he also worked as a curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum there, so his expertise is clear. 

He writes with a very broad sweep, and his arguments that key elements of magic can be traced across wide spans of time and space might be controversial – but this book is a huge and fascinating treasure trove of information. 

For anyone who wants to know about the history of magic I think this is a great place to start. 

I believe you can choose to be kick-ass. Delilah “Lila” Bard eventually chooses to be kick-ass. Eventually, on the surface, this book is about Kell. But Lila has the true character arc. I love that Lila walks the edge: hero or anti-hero?

My own life has been defined by the choices I make. I wasn’t given a lot of opportunities. I didn’t have a lot of luck. I had to make my own luck. Lila makes her own ‘luck’. She turns surviving into an opportunity to thrive because of the choices she makes. She screws up several times, risking her life and others. Even at the end, I’m not sure if she’s a hero. She’s real and attempting to evolve out of a dim past into a bright future in her own unique way. I relate to that. 

This is an American Gothic road novel that takes us across not just multiple state lines, but also multiple generations.

We see the entire life of main protagonist Vic McQueen, and how the trauma of her abuse-ridden childhood causes her to become an abusive parent herself—only to find herself racing across America to save her son from an innocence-sucking vampire.

NOS4A2 may lack bats and crumbling castles, but the villainous Charlie Manx is a perfectly creepy supernatural monster, and the book’s focus on psychological trauma feels right in line with the Gothic tradition. I loved NOS4A2 from the moment I started reading it, and it has stuck with me ever since. Not only is the book a thrilling, spooky, action-packed ride; it’s also full of characters I genuinely cared about.

Hot take, but I think I like Joe Hill’s books even more than his dad’s.

Besides the intriguing adventure and plot, this series is the masterpiece of Sarah Ash (the first books especially – and the last chapter is still being written). You’d soon fall in love with her and her exquisite and rich way of describing her magical worlds.

I listened to the audiobook edition of this story and was completely blown away.

The narration is superb, with the reader performing songs and really making the story come alive, but the prose was just wonderful. Seriously, I would hear lines and think, “Oh my God, I wish I could write like that!”

I haven’t read much fantasy that was written in the past 20 years, but I can see why this is regarded as a modern classic. I loved it and wish he would finally complete the trilogy! 

Lynn Flewelling’s The Bone Doll’s Twin is the opening volume of her Tamir Trilogy, an alternate-world fantasy and quite possibly the best series you’ve never heard of.

The trilogy is part epic fantasy, part ghost story, part romance. It is a gender-bending story that is literally twenty years ahead of its time. The writing is gorgeous (spoiler alert for the rest of my list: I love beautiful prose) and the narrative is haunting and powerful.

The entire series will surprise you again and again, and each book will keep you turning pages long into the night.