Fans pick 97 books like Bohemian Gospel

By Dana Chamblee Carpenter,

Here are 97 books that Bohemian Gospel fans have personally recommended if you like Bohemian Gospel. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Mexican Gothic

Paula Cappa Author Of Draakensky: A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance

From my list on Horror for the supernatural mystery magick lover.

Why am I passionate about this?

An avid reader, I began a project in 2012 to read one short story a week in supernatural mysteries, ghost stories, and quiet horror genres. I began with the classic authors: Poe, MR James, Lovecraft, Shelley, Stoker, du Maurier, etc. I began a blog, Reading Fiction Blog, and posted these free stories with my reviews (Iā€™m still posting today). Over the years, it turned into a compendium of fiction. Today, I have nearly 400 short stories by over 150 classic and now contemporary authors in the blog Index. I did this because I wanted to learn more about writing dark fiction and who better to learn from than the masters?

Paula's book list on Horror for the supernatural mystery magick lover

Paula Cappa Why did Paula love this book?

I adore reading atmospheric adventures of mystery, supernatural, and ghostly powers; this book has these values in abundance. Noemiā€™s alluring character is smart, savvy, and admirably vulnerable. Loved her. At High House in the Mexican countryside, Noemi discovers ghostly entities repeatedly forming blisters across the walls. How mysterious and threatening; I was fascinated.

The best part of the novel for me was the emotional intelligence of the characters because their behavior is both suspiciously rational and heart-stopping clever. Gripping as all heck. This family was obsessed with a relentless desire to rule and control their destiny at all costs via Otherworld powers. Absolutely compelling. I was breathless along with Noemi at every step as she was drawn into the dangers and treacherous family secrets that threatened to kill her.

By Silvia Moreno-Garcia,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked Mexican Gothic as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The award-winning author of Gods of Jade and Shadow (one of the 100 best fantasy novels of all time, TIME magazine) returns with a mesmerising feminist Gothic fantasy, in which a glamorous young socialite discovers the haunting secrets of a beautiful old mansion in 1950s Mexico.

He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemi. You have to save me.

When glamorous socialite Noemi Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging to be rescued from a mysterious doom, it's clear something is desperately amiss. Catalina has always had a flair for the dramatic, butā€¦


Book cover of Within These Wicked Walls

Lyssa Mia Smith Author Of Revelle

From my list on young adult fantasy with high-stakes romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

Long before I was an author of romantic fantasies, I was an avid reader of all things romance. Genre romance. Fantasy Romance. Romantic Fantasy. Romantic suspense. An adventure where the characters smile at each other for a heartbeat longer than usual. Give me even a hint of attraction between two characters, and Iā€™m hooked. Give me life-or-death stakes and a first kiss that takes hundreds of pages, and Iā€™m addicted. As a psychologist, helping young adults sort through real-life romance dilemmas is one of my favorite parts of the job. Now that I get to write these stories, Iā€™ve made it my mission to devour all the best high-stakes YA romances I can findā€”or write.

Lyssa's book list on young adult fantasy with high-stakes romance

Lyssa Mia Smith Why did Lyssa love this book?

Jane Eyre retelling in Ethiopa with magicā€”need I say more? Rich, quirky Magnus lives in a seriously haunted house, and the only exorcist willing to help him is broke, blunt Andromeda. I could not love these two more. Magnus is a beautiful weirdo who has been haunted and spoiled for far too long, and Andromeda puts him in his place. The banter, the creepiness of the house that is literally trying to kill themā€”no wonder Reese Witherspoon picked this one for her book club! 

By Lauren Blackwood,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Within These Wicked Walls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
REESE'S BOOK CLUB FALL 2021 YA PICK

"Lauren Blackwoodā€™s canā€™t-miss debut is a magical, Ethiopian-inspired remix of Jane Eyre." - Harper's Bazaar

What the heart desires, the house destroys...

Andromeda is a debteraā€•an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She would be hired, that is, if her mentor hadnā€™t thrown her out before she could earn her license. Now her only hope of steady work is to find a Patronā€•a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities.

When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her,ā€¦


Book cover of The Ivy Tree

Muna Shehadi Author Of The First Wife

From my list on knocking you off your ass-umptions.

Why am I passionate about this?

People either love or hate surprises, but in a book, done well, theyā€™re always welcomeā€”whether we race to the last page to find them or they hip-check us along the way. I started my career writing comedy romanceā€”comfort reads but with few surprises. Now in my novels, I make sure to give readers plenty they donā€™t expect, whether itā€™s a character who isnā€™t what s/he seems, a contradictory situation gradually made clear, or a jaw-dropping twist. Pulling off a successful surprise is one of my favorite parts of writingā€”therefore my love of books that take me somewhere I didn't expect.

Muna's book list on knocking you off your ass-umptions

Muna Shehadi Why did Muna love this book?

This is the only book I reread regularly (life is short, so many titles!) because it is gobsmackingly brilliant. The story is about a woman visiting an English country town whoā€™s mistaken for a former resident and convinced to take that personā€™s place. Itā€™s beautifully written, with great characters, typically compelling plot, but the twist! I gasped out loud the first time and have never failed to get chills on every reread. You donā€™t see the surprise coming, and yet it is absolutely logical and perfect. I keep trying to find someplace where Stewart trips up or gives it away, and thereā€™s nothing. I bow down.

By Mary Stewart,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Ivy Tree as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Mary Stewart, one of the great British storytellers of the 20th century, transports her readers to rural Northumberland for this tale of romance, ambition, and deceit - a perfect fit for fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym.

'There are few to equal Mary Stewart' Daily Telegraph

'Mary Stewart is magic.' New York Times

Whitescar is a beautiful old house and farm situated in Roman Wall country. It will make a rich inheritance for its heirs, but in order to secure it, they enlist the help of a young woman named Mary who bears remarkable resemblance to missing Whitescar heiress,ā€¦


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Book cover of The Last Whaler

The Last Whaler by Cynthia Reeves,

This book is an elegiac meditation on the will to survive. Tor, a beluga whaler, and his wife, Astrid, a botanist specializing in Arctic flora, are stranded during the dark season of 1937-38 at his remote whaling station in the Svalbard archipelago when they misjudge ice conditions and fail toā€¦

Book cover of John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow

Clarissa Harwood Author Of The Curse of Morton Abbey

From my list on gothic with strong female protagonists.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve loved the gothic genre ever since I first read Jane Eyre as a student of Victorian Literature. My PhD thesis focused on Dracula, another Victorian gothic novel, and The Curse of Morton Abbey pays homage to classics like these. What I love most about the genre is its symbolism: like vivid dreams, gothic novels express our deepest fears and longings. Itā€™s no accident that Jungian archetypes show up in gothic novels as often as they do in dreams, and Iā€™ve enjoyed analyzing these texts in my work as an English professor. Also, I just really like stories that send chills up my spine and give my lifelong insomnia a purpose!

Clarissa's book list on gothic with strong female protagonists

Clarissa Harwood Why did Clarissa love this book?

Like Blackwood, Matthews retells Jane Eyre (and another classic gothic novel I wonā€™t name to avoid spoiling the story). This is a gender-swapped version of Jane Eyre: John Eyre is a humble schoolmaster who accepts a position as tutor to two boys at the home of Bertha Rochester, a wealthy, eccentric, and beautiful woman with many secrets. Bertha is a refreshingly powerful heroine, and the supernatural spin Matthews puts on the original story takes the sinister atmosphere up several notches.

By Mimi Matthews,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked John Eyre as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A mesmerizing story." ā€”Library Journal

One of BookBub's Best Books Arriving in 2021
One of Book Riot's Best Recent Vampire Reads
One of Barnes & Noble's Favorite Indie Books of 2021

From USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews comes a supernatural Victorian gothic retelling of Charlotte Brontƫ's timeless classic.

Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he's ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silverā€¦


Book cover of The Ghosts of Rose Hill

Meg Eden Kuyatt Author Of Good Different

From my list on childrenā€™s stories in verse.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always straddled between the worlds of fiction and poetry. I received my MFA in poetry in 2016, but during my time in the program, I was often told my poems were too narrative. Sometimes in my fiction workshops in undergrad, I was told my stories were too poetic. So when I finally jumped into the world of verse, I really fell in love with the intersection of poetry and story. Finally, there was a medium that felt ā€œjust right!ā€ There are so many fantastic novels in verse out thereā€”with so many more to comeā€”but I hope youā€™ll enjoy these five favorites of mine!

Meg's book list on childrenā€™s stories in verse

Meg Eden Kuyatt Why did Meg love this book?

The book uses verse to create a modern-day fairy tale, mixing magic with contemporary Prague. This makes magic feel so close and tangible for us as readers.

Because of this, we believe our protagonist Ilana and sympathise with her as she makes friends with the ghost of a Jewish boy from decades ago, and fights the hold of the strange and charismatic Wasserman, who has the ability to make the memory of children disappear.

Despite its magical appearance, this story still tackles compelling real-world issues of racism, war, and diaspora in a compelling way.

By R. M. Romero,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ghosts of Rose Hill as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

A brilliantly original tale for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale and The Hazel Wood about embracing your power, facing your monsters, and loving deeply enough to transcend a century.

Inspired by the author's experiences restoring Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe.

"A must-read for lost souls everywhere." ā€”Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Magic will burn you up.

Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopezā€”a biracial Jewish girlā€”finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parentsā€™ desire for her to pursue a more stable career.ā€¦


Book cover of Prague Panoramas: National Memory and Sacred Space in the Twentieth Century

Chad Bryant Author Of Prague: Belonging in the Modern City

From my list on Prague and its hidden histories.

Why am I passionate about this?

Prague has fascinated me my whole life. I first explored the city while an English teacher in the Czech Republic in 1993, shortly after the end of Communist rule there. Iā€™ve been wandering Pragueā€™s streets ever since, always seeing something new and intriguing, always stumbling upon stories about the city and its people. Below are some of my favorite books about a city that continues to surprise me. The author or co-editor of four books, I teach European history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Chad's book list on Prague and its hidden histories

Chad Bryant Why did Chad love this book?

For years, I used to walk past the statues of St. Wenceslaus, FrantiÅ”ek PalackĆ½, and other Czech national heroes without giving them much thought. After reading this book, I came to appreciate how much Pragueā€™s monuments can tell us about the cityā€™s history. Their creators offered a variety of interpretations over the meaning of ā€œCzechnessā€, and these monuments have inspired passionate debates about nationhood and religion ever since. The book also made me think about ways that monuments can exclude others and inspire hatred, and not just in Prague. Consider, for example, statues celebrating the Confederacy erected by white supremacists decades after the end of the Civil War. Many still dot my part of the country.

By Cynthia Paces,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Prague Panoramas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Prague Panoramas examines the creation of Czech nationalism through monuments, buildings, festivals, and protests in the public spaces of the city during the twentieth century. These \u201csites of memory\u201d were attempts by civic, religious, cultural, and political forces to create a cohesive sense of self for a country and a people torn by war, foreign occupation, and internal strife.

The Czechs struggled to define their national identity throughout the modern era. Prague, the capital of a diverse area comprising Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, Poles, Ruthenians, and Romany as well as various religious groups including Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, became central toā€¦


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Book cover of The Blade in the Angel's Shadow

The Blade in the Angel's Shadow by Andy Darby,

Dr Dee has designs for a British Empire that will dominate the world for ages to come ushering in Revelation, and with the aegis of the Angels, he has the power to make it a reality.

But, two elements are missing, and through blackmail and occult ritual, infamous swordswoman Captainā€¦

Book cover of The Deceptions

Robin de Crespigny Author Of The People Smuggler: The true story of Ali Al Jenabi the Oskar Schindler of Asia

From my list on refugee odysseys to freedom.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began writing Aliā€™s incredible international odyssey as a film, but once I discovered the epic breadth of his journey, I decided on a book first. For 3 years I worked intensely with Ali. Not only was it a passionate and personal epic tale about love and loss, overcoming insurmountable odds, endurance and survival, but it hit a chord with readers from all walks of life, bringing understand to why people fled their countries, and help to change attitudes on refugees from fear to compassion. After three years on the road with the book I have now completed the screenplay.

Robin's book list on refugee odysseys to freedom

Robin de Crespigny Why did Robin love this book?

With its roots in truth, this powerful novel brings us face to face with the insanity of war and how humans deal with the heartbreak of being torn from their homes, horrific deprivation, and betrayal. 

Cleverly structured and beautifully written with tenderly articulated characters, it presents a fresh eye on the Holocaust and its consequences, and had me continually asking myself how I would have endured, and what choices I would have found myself making, in that situation.

By Suzanne Leal,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Deceptions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Moving from wartime Europe to modern day Australia, The Deceptions is a powerful story of old transgressions, unexpected revelations and the legacy of lives built on lies and deceit.

Prague, 1943. Taken from her home in Prague, Hana Lederova finds herself imprisoned in the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, where she is forced to endure appalling deprivation and the imminent threat of transportation to the east. When she attracts the attention of the Czech gendarme who becomes her guard, Hana reluctantly accepts his advances, hoping for the protection she so desperately needs.

Sydney, 2010. Manipulated into a liaison with her marriedā€¦


Book cover of The Three Golden Keys

Maxine Rose Schur Author Of Finley Finds His Fortune

From my list on childrenā€™s stories with the magic of three.

Why am I passionate about this?

I teach writing for children and Iā€™ve analyzed the elements that make a winning story. One of these elements is the magic of three. My idea for Finley Finds his Fortune, was sparked by a desire to write a folk tale with the magic of three and also by my visit to Whitechurch, the last working watermill in England. I was awed by the power and beauty of its water wheel so I wove a water mill into my story. To do this, I had to first study how a mill works. Thatā€™s what I love about writing childrenā€™s booksā€•that I can explore my own personal interests and passions.

Maxine's book list on childrenā€™s stories with the magic of three

Maxine Rose Schur Why did Maxine love this book?

Peter Sis is an acclaimed international writer, artist, and filmmaker. Heā€™s created several award-winning childrenā€™s books. In The Three Golden Keys, Sis recaptures his lost childhood in Prague and takes the reader on a dark, mysterious adventure through Prague to find the three keys that will unlock the three rusty padlocks of his childhood home and of his own childhood memories.

I like his art more than his storytelling which is often so personal as to be cryptic. So why am I recommending this book? Because his illustrations of Prague are so beautifully detailed, surreal, and mysterious. Itā€™s a work of art thatā€™s personal, poignant, and poetic. Itā€™s a gorgeous book but perhaps enjoyed by adults more than children.

By Peter Sis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Three Golden Keys as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ā€œThe Three Golden Keysā€ is professional contortionist Samuel Palmerā€™s method of correcting and maintaining perfect body alignment, which enables him to continue to perform at top physical condition. It is a technique for reconfiguring the bodyā€™s neuromuscular patterns to enable one to achieve the greatest precision and efficiency in both posture and movement. These principles of alignment are based in geometry and are demonstrated mathematically to show the definition of correct alignment. This information serves as the ideal foundation for all forms of physical training, as well as basic health care.


Book cover of Women of Prague: Ethnic Diversity and Social Change from the Eighteenth Century to the Present

Chad Bryant Author Of Prague: Belonging in the Modern City

From my list on Prague and its hidden histories.

Why am I passionate about this?

Prague has fascinated me my whole life. I first explored the city while an English teacher in the Czech Republic in 1993, shortly after the end of Communist rule there. Iā€™ve been wandering Pragueā€™s streets ever since, always seeing something new and intriguing, always stumbling upon stories about the city and its people. Below are some of my favorite books about a city that continues to surprise me. The author or co-editor of four books, I teach European history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Chad's book list on Prague and its hidden histories

Chad Bryant Why did Chad love this book?

Women rarely feature as central figures in most works about Prague. In this book, Iggers introduces us to an array of fascinating female writers, activists, powerful ladies of society, and survivors who have lived in Prague and its environs over the past two hundred years. Each chapter includes a brief introduction and excerpts from these womenā€™s writings, such as diaries, letters, and newspaper articles. The reader can thus hear these womenā€™s voices and feel transported to a different moment in history. Some entries are hard to read, such as Milada HorĆ”kovĆ”ā€™s farewell letter to her teenage daughter, written on June 23, 1950. The lead defendant in Communist Czechoslovakiaā€™s first public show trial, HorĆ”kovĆ” was executed three days later. Wilma Iggers is a Czechoslovak native who escaped to Canada after the Nazis invaded her country in 1938, which only enhances the perspectives that she brings to these womenā€™s lives. 

By Wilma Abeles Iggers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Women of Prague as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For many centuries Prague has exerted a particular fascination because of its beauty and therichness of its culture and history. Its famous group of German and Czech writers of mostly Jewish extraction in the earlier part of this century has deeply influenced Western culture.However, little attention has so far been paid to the roles of women in the history of thisethnically diverse area in around Prague. Based on largely autobiographical writings and letters by women and enhanced by extensive historical introduction, this book redresses a serious imbalance. The vivid and often moving portraits, which emerge from the varied material usedā€¦


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Book cover of Call Me Stan: A Tragedy in Three Millennia

Call Me Stan by K.R. Wilson,

When King Priam's pregnant daughter was fleeing the sack of Troy, Stan was there. When Jesus of Nazareth was beaten and crucified, Stan was there - one crossover. Heā€™s been a Hittite warrior, a Silk Road mercenary, a reluctant rebel in the Peasantā€™s Revolt of 1381, and an information peddlerā€¦

Book cover of Gypsy Hearts

Andrew Pearson Author Of The Dead Chip Syndicate

From my list on that should be adapted into movies.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the MD of a Hong Kong-based software and AI consulting company, keeping me on top of all the latest AI technological developments. Previously, I worked in Hollywood, writing scripts, adapting novels, and working in production. My scripts have won awards at several prestigious screenwriting festivals throughout the world. However, wanting to expand my creative horizon, I wrote my first novel, The Dead Chip Syndicate, and quickly found a traditional publisher for it in 2022. Release is set for July 2023. It's the first in my Exotics series, which follows the exploits of an ex-pat navigating the Asian gambling world as he gets embroiled in one scandal and scam after another.

Andrew's book list on that should be adapted into movies

Andrew Pearson Why did Andrew love this book?

A laugh-out-loud funny book about an American scam artist looking for marks on the streets of Prague.

Posing as a successful Hollywood screenwriter, Nix swindles female tourists, but ends up stealing from the wrong woman as it attracts the attention of the womanā€™s fiancĆ©, a local detective, whose soon sets his sight on Nix. When Nix spots a sultry young woman at the train station, he thinks heā€™s found his next victim, but she leads him on, then cleans him out. 

Thinking the two could be an unbeatable pair together, Nix tracks Monika down, but accidentally kills her pimp. The two team up, and Monika draws Nix deep into her web of lies. The book is filled with clever dialogue and two nihilistic characters, who will shock, fascinate, and entertain.

By Robert Eversz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Gypsy Hearts as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A darkly comic thriller tells the story of Richard Milhous Miller, a twenty-five-year-old American scam artist posing as a Hollywood screenwriter in Prague, who meets his match in the amoral half-gypsy Monika.


Book cover of Mexican Gothic
Book cover of Within These Wicked Walls
Book cover of The Ivy Tree

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Interested in Prague, witchcraft, and angels?

Prague 34 books
Witchcraft 345 books
Angels 59 books