43. A book with elements of magic

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Yer a wizard, Harry.

Magical books have captured readers' attention since the beginning of time. This week, you are picking a book with elements of magic. Maybe it's a book with just a hit of magical realism, like Sarah Addison Allen's novels, or maybe you're taking a trip to Hogwarts for a fully immersive magical experience. Let yourself get carried away by hints of the impossible this week.

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Suggestions:

100 Must-Reads of Magical Realism
Books Shelved as Magical Realism
19 Best Magical Realism Books You Haven't Read Yet
29 Books with Magic and Mythology
60 Best Fantasy Novels of All Time

ATY Group Listopia

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Optional Questions:
1. What are you reading for this category?
2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?

[Chrissy]

I just finished We Ride Upon Sticks and highly recommend it, especially if you are in the 40-50 age bracket and/or played field hockey. Hilarious and also kind of touching, more realism than magical.

I might read Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, The Mercies, Woven in Moonlight, or The Kingdom of Back. I have a bunch of other fantasy stuff on the listopia as well.

[Viktoria]

I'm going to read Once Upon a River.
I read The Thirteenth Tale this year and loved it, so I can't wait to read another book by Diane Setterfield!

I can recommend The Color of Magic, Wyrd Sisters, Rivers of London, The Witches

[Sam]

I'm going to read The Witch's Heart for this to help get more 2021 pubs in. I was going to use A Master of Djinn but my ARC expires at the end of December, so I'll have to read that in 2020 unfortunately.

From recent reads I recommend The Once and Future Witches, Black Sun, and Piranesi.

[Ann]

Someone told me The Immortalists had a touch of magic in it. Otherwise I will read Garden Spells. Its kind of light reading.

[Nancy]

I'm thinking either The Witches of New York or Practical Magic.

I love magical realism, Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorites, especially Garden Spells, The Sugar Queen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Yes totally agree on Sarah Addison Allen! She's my favorite when I'm in a reading rut and need something light.

[Thomas]

i have shuffled this a lot so I am just going to list all the ones I am reading that fit. One of them will be this prompt the rest will go on other categories.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Quidditch Through the Ages
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
The Enchanted Wood
The Magic Faraway Tree
The Folk of the Faraway Tree

[dalex]

<--- insert fantasy book here. So many options!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

For anyone who wants children's books, ever since the Harry Potter phenomenon I have been recommending its ancestors:

Five Children and It / The Phoenix and the Carpet / The Story of the Amulet and others by E. Nesbit
(early 1900's)
Half Magic and others by Edward Eager (mid 20th century)

For those who don't want wizards or witches, I have read a few books recently with what I call Midwestern magical realism, including This Tender Land, Virgil Wander and Driftless. There is no actual magic but things happen that can't easily be explained by logic.

[Ellie]

Robin P wrote: "For anyone who wants children's books, ever since the Harry Potter phenomenon I have been recommending its ancestors..."

I found the Psammead in the 90s TV show creepy, I think because the wishes always went wrong, I thought it was bad. I was a big fan of The Worst Witch books as a kid, and I am sure they must have been an influence on Harry Potter.

[SadieReadsAgain]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
It's magical realism, where the main character can taste emotions in food.
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
I love magical realism - The Murmur of Bees, The House of the Spirits, The Butterfly Lampshade, Chocolat

[Jette]

I've read the first two books of The Fellowship of the Ring this year. I'll use The Return of the King for this category.

[Elaine]

1. What did you read for this category?

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Yes, it is very much front and center as the plot revolves around Light and Dark mages who are battling over control of an ancient magical relic.
3. What book(s) would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
(and of course, the above Fated)

[NancyJ]

I'd like to read something by Isabel Allende (I also want to read a book from Chile), or Murmur of Bees, or I'll look for extra books on the women in translation list, or the World Literature list (1000 books).

I really enjoyed Alice Hoffman's new book Magic Lessons, which is a prequel to Practical Magic.

[star_fire13]

1. What are you reading for this category?
Battle Ground

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Yes, more so than some of the others.

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
This book was mostly combat magic. If you want more stylized or intricate magic, I'd suggest one of the earlier books in the series.

[Pam]

I listened to Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. There were elements of magic in the Oasis virtual reality universe.

[Severina]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I read Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Yes, the main male character is completely bound by an act of magic.

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
Oh, I would highly recommend Barbara Hambly, particularly her Darwath Trilogy (The Time of the Dark, The Walls of Air, and The Armies of Daylight.) The series is about two people from our time (a young female scholar and a male mechanic/artist) who are trapped in another time (a medieval-esque realm of kings and queens and mages) that is being harried by a deadly force called The Dark. It's exciting, intelligent, and contains an interesting mystery as Gil, the scholar, attempts to figure out how to defeat The Dark.

[Jaid]

1. What are you reading for this category?
A Court of Thorns and Roses - this book had been recommended to me so many times, and I haven't read YA fantasy in about a decade.
2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
A world of fairies, so yes!
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
I have not read much in the magical world aside from Harry Potter and Practical Magic, but I can say Neil Gaiman's stuff is great.

[Nikki]

For this prompt, I have read The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson. It's a middle grade chapter book, probably best suited to 9-10 year olds. Highly recommend - very well written.

[Marie]

1. What are you reading for this category?
Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston
2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Yes, very much so.
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
Everybody needs more magic in their lives....

[Misty]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
This book was given to me by my daughter for Christmas. I only know is on the back cover - "In Garner County, girls are banished for their sixteenth year to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage."
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
Of course the Harry Potter books :) or the Nicholas Flamel series.

[Anastasia]

I did not have a plan for this prompt. Magic is in most of the books on my TBR. The plan was to slot one in as the year progressed. C.L. Polk has written some of my favourite magical fantasy books in the last year. They always have something to say. So when Canada Reads included one of them in the short list this year, I had to read it now.


The Midnight Bargain

The following interview is why I so like their books.
https://www.cbc.ca/books/c-l-polk-s-f...

[Laurel]

1. What are you reading for this category? Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
2. Does the magic play a prominent role? Yes - most of the characters have magical powers that are key to the plot
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic? Any by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; A Wild Winter Swan (YA), A Magical Inheritance (historical fiction with magic), and Circe (mythology)

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

I happened to re-read Before Midnight - A Retelling of Cinderella and decided to slot it in here.

Considering how much of my reading is in the fantasy genre, this is a surprisingly low-key magic pick for this prompt, but I really enjoyed how magic is handled in this story. It's a retelling of Cinderella, and a lot of the elements we associate with magic in the original are handled in a more straightforward, prosaic way. And yet, there's this background assumption about wishes, and explanations about which ones are more likely to come true, and some of the events in the novel are very unlikely unless magic is lurking behind them somewhere. A fun read!

Reccs:
Spindle's End
Neverwhere
The Paper Magician
Voice of Power
100 Cupboards

[Stacey]

I read Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore for this category, a whimsical novel that explores contemporary time travel. It's a major plot device that's central to the story, but at times I found it distracting. Other recommendations featuring magic: The Magus, The Witches of Eastwick, The Master and Margarita and Like Water for Chocolate.

[GailW]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Oh, very much so. Living forever can only be done by magic.

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman, anything by Sarah Addison Allen, The Griffin and Sabine Trilogy, The Night Circus among other.

[JenniferAustin]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I am reading Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar. I chose it because she had a story in A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, a really standout anthology from a couple of years ago. It was good enough that I have watched for full-length books by those writers ever since.

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Yes! Our heroine has to deal with being the daughter of a star, which comes with advantages and disadvantages.

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
So many great books come to mind. As a start, I would recommend:
- Jade City by Fonda Lee - muscle cars, martial arts & magic!
- Black and Blue Magic by Zilpha Keatley Snyder - I read this one as a kid and it has stayed with me. It's a book with a great heart.
- War for the Oaks by Emma Bull This is a book I have read more than once. It's excellent.
- Macbeth Of course!
- The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Illustrated by Edward Gorey!)
- The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman (try the audiobook version, which includes music written just for this)
- The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
- The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu This book of stories had me laugh and had me cry.
- The Thread That Binds the Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman Hoffman should be more famous than she is. She writes great stories.
- Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman You could start with The Golden Compass if you have never read him before. I especially love this short piece, #3.5 in the series. The audiobook is excellent.

[Samantha]

1. What are you reading for this category? The House in the Cerulean Sea
2. Does the magic play a prominent role? Yes but also kind of subtle.
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Ninth House
The Golem and the Jinni

[LeahS]

1 What are you reading for this category? I read Snape: A Definitive Reading by Lorrie Kim.

2 Does magic play a prominent role? It is a critique of the role of Snape in the Harry Potter series. The author examines different types of magic in the series - Dark Magic, love magic, mind magic.

3 What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?

Harry Potter Series Box Set; The Earthsea Trilogy: A Wizard of Earthsea; The Tombs of Atuan; The Farthest Shore; the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett; The Dark Is Rising; Rivers of London.

[Sherri]

1. What are you reading for this category? Wayward Son (Simon Snow #2) by Rainbow Rowell
2. Does the magic play a prominent role? Yes. It's a major theme. I don't know if you can call it fanfic of Harry Potter but I consider it fanfic from Harry Potter.
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic? The other books in this series. Carry On (Simon Snow #1) & Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow #3).

[Joan]

1. What are you reading for this category? Eragon
2. Does the magic play a prominent role? Not as prominent as Harry Potter but yes.
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic? So I recommend Harry Potter. This book is moving slowly. I don't know if it is because they are traveling place to place or what but it is dragging out for me.

[Pearl]

I read Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

Yes, magic plays a prominent role from the very beginning.

This is a prequel to Practical Magic. I liked them both.

[Suzanne]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Wonder

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
No. There is a slight connection with Irish superstitions. I'm not a fan of fantasy so this was a hard prompt for me.

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
The Magician's Assistant
The Last Illusion
Bitter Greens
Simply Magic
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

[Anne]

I will be reading 'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold. I am not sure how prominent the magic part is. I can recommend 'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman.

[JessicaMHR]

I read The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo.

[Marie (UK)]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Well of Lost Plots

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Yes it is the main part of the plot

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?

I like Jasper fforde and yet hate Terry Pratchett some would say they have similarities so i think it is hard to recommend.
The Night Circus is very good

[Marie]

I read A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab. It mostly takes place in a parallel version of London where magic is real, and the main focus of this book is a tournament of magic.

I'd definitely recommend this series, starting with A Darker Shade of Magic, the Peter Grant series (which starts with Rivers of London), and also Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Night Circus, and The Priory of the Orange Tree.

[Dubhease]

1. What are you reading for this category? I read Playing with Fire

2. Does the magic play a prominent role? Skulduggery Pleasant is a crime fighting skeleton who uses sorcery to fight evil.

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic? I adore Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and the Harry Potter books. I read Charmed & Dangerous this year, although she spends as much time discussing her romantic and sex life as she does doing magic.

[Dana]

1. What are you reading for this category?
I have read Hunters of the Dusk by Darren Shan.

2. Does the magic play a prominent role?
Not really, but we meet a new character, a witch that can do magic and can see in the future.

3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
The Harry Potter series and fantastic Beasts, of course.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Santa Claus by Rod Green

[Evelyn]

1. What are you reading for this category?
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

2. Does the magic play a prominent role? Yes it affects all the characters.
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?

[Joanne]

I read River Marked by Patricia Briggs, #6 in the Mercy Thompson series. The main character shapeshifts from human to coyote, and there are werewolves, vampires, fae and other magical creatures.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

1. What are you reading for this category? The Book of Magic
2. Does the magic play a prominent role? It's in the title! But yes, it does as it's about a family of witched
3. What book would you recommend to others who are looking for a bit more magic?
Any part of the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman (my book was the last installment)
A Discovery of Witches and the rest of the series
The Vampire Knitting Club- another series, esp for us knitters!
So many- this is one of my favorite genres. I also loved We Ride Upon Sticks for a funny 80s story with witchcraft. And always nonfiction The Witches: Salem, 1692

[Andrea]

I read Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke. It was a very dark fantasy tale.