Love Dime Store Magic? Readers share 74 books like Dime Store Magic...

By Kelley Armstrong,

Here are 74 books that Dime Store Magic fans have personally recommended if you like Dime Store Magic. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of The Book of Jhereg

Andy Peloquin Author Of Assassin

From my list on dark assassins and bloody action.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always loved the darker side of fantasy. While heroes, knights, and handsome kings can occasionally be enjoyable, I want to know the other characters who have suffered, hurt, lost, grieved, and been hardened by grim circumstances and cruel fate. Those characters demonstrate the resilience of human nature and how goodness truly can exist even in the harshest environment. I love using this darkness in my own novels to show that even the tiniest spark can shine immensely brightā€”a true testament to the indefatigability of our spirits.  

Andy's book list on dark assassins and bloody action

Andy Peloquin Why did Andy love this book?

I love the cunning, wit, and charm of the one-and-only Vlad Taltos. Though heā€™s an assassin, heā€™s never cruel or wicked; he merely does what he needs to appease the ā€œmafia-feelingā€ organization he works for. Heā€™s almost more a swashbuckling rogue than a killer.

In his interactions with his familiar, Loiosh, you see his more nuanced side, the morality beneath the magic and swordplay. And few fantasy worlds Iā€™ve ever visited have been as rich and colorful as those created in the Vlad Taltos series. 

By Steven Brust,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Book of Jhereg as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first three fantastical adventures of assassin Vlad Taltosā€”now in one volume.

A welcome addition to any fantasy fan's library, The Book of Jhereg follows the antics of the wise-cracking Vlad Taltos and his dragon-like companion through their first three adventuresā€”Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla.

There are many ways for a young man with quick wits and a quick sword to advance in the world. Vlad Taltos chose the route of assassin. From his rookie days to his selfless feats of heroism, the dauntless Vlad will hold readers spellboundā€”and The Book of Jhereg will take its place among the classic compilationsā€¦


Book cover of A Wrinkle in Time

T. Alan Horne Author Of Secret Sky: The Young Universe

From my list on middle grade books that adults can appreciate.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an author of experimental and genre-bending books, I evangelize people not only to read more books but to read books outside of their comfort zone. And while it doesnā€™t take much work to get adult readers to consider Young Adult titles, getting them to read Middle-Grade books has been a much greater challenge, which is a shame because middle school has a lot to offer. Some of the best and most life-changing books exist within the Middle-Grade category. My own Middle-Grade books were written with readers of many age ranges in mind. 

T.'s book list on middle grade books that adults can appreciate

T. Alan Horne Why did T. love this book?

I canā€™t find a more deeply philosophical book, among all adult literature, to compare with the works of Madeleine Lā€™Engle.

The protagonists of these stories may be children, but they live in a world of scientific supernature that blurs the lines between measurable, observable reality and mystic philosophy. Even before researching Madeleine Lā€™Engleā€™s life, I could tell that she was a serious thinker.

Few books have had such a profound impact on the way I approach living in the ā€œrealā€ world of adults. Einstein would have loved this book.

By Madeleine L'Engle,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked A Wrinkle in Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child.

We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.

When Charles and Meg Murry go searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for their lost father, they find themselves on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'.

Meg, Charles and their friend Calvin embark on a cosmic journey helped by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels, Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. Together they must find the weapon that will defeat It.ā€¦


Book cover of Hour of the Witch

Ellen Baker Author Of The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

From my list on books with quirky, strong women at their heart.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve loved reading novels about strong, quirky women since childhood (Nancy Drew, Ramona Quimby, Harriet the Spy, the heroines of Judy Blume novels, just for starting examples!). As I grew into writing my own stories, I also started studying womenā€™s history. I merged these two interests to begin writing historical novels with strong women protagonists. I love the challenge of researching to figure out the details of womenā€™s day-to-day livesā€“so many unrecorded stories!ā€“and I love to advocate for the idea (fortunately not as revolutionary as it once was) that a woman can be the hero of her own story and that each womanā€™s story is important to tell.  

Ellen's book list on books with quirky, strong women at their heart

Ellen Baker Why did Ellen love this book?

I loved this book for being historical fiction at its finest, and I loved the main character, Mary Deerfield, for being a woman who did not fit within her own time.

Itā€™s 1660s Boston, and Mary is married to an abusive man. Determined not to die at his hand, she must fight against everything in her society to free herself from her marriage.

I loved how this book so insightfully explored the dynamics of an abusive relationship while also bringing to vivid life a distant time and place. 

By Chris Bohjalian,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Hour of the Witch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER ā€¢ From the acclaimed author of The Flight Attendant: ā€œHistorical fiction at its bestā€¦. The book is a thriller in structure, and a real page-turner, the ending both unexpected and satisfyingā€ (Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the Outlander series, The Washington Post).

A young Puritan womanā€”faithful, resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soulā€”plots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive novel of historical suspense.

Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors. Butā€¦


If you love Dime Store Magic...

Ad

Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: ā€œAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?ā€ Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itā€¦

Book cover of The Witch's Daughter

K K Weakley Author Of Sekhet

From my list on the world of magic and realms beyond our own.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a magical realism/horror author, born and reared in Irelandā€”I love stories that scream strange and unusual. By adding an extra dimension to a story, you can open the mind to the most wonderful places. I love to write for everyone with no exceptions, and while there are many worlds to lose yourself in while reading, I am drawn to the what ifs of magic. The worlds of witches, the dead, the unimaginable and realms beyond our own. This is why I love to write, and the reason I share my mind with those who enjoy a tale outside the norm of daily life.

K K's book list on the world of magic and realms beyond our own

K K Weakley Why did K K love this book?

A compelling story on the magical, yet dangerous world of Witches, Bess Hawksmith watches her mother swing from the Hanging Tree during 17th Century England. Turning to Warlock; Gideon Masters, who introduces her to the darker parts of the craft. This is where the story will take a turn for the worst, when Bess discovers the real price of accepting his help. It is a battle of good vs bad, love and hate.

By Paula Brackston,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Witch's Daughter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the spring of 1628, young Bess Hawksmith watches her mother's body swing limp from the Hanging Tree. She knows that only one man can save her from the same fate - Gideon Masters, the Warlock. She knows, too, that his help comes at a steep price. In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life for herself. She has spent the centuries in solitude, moving from place to place, surviving plagues, wars and the heartbreak that comes with immortality. Her loneliness comes to an abrupt end when she is befriended by a teenage girl called Tegan. Against her betterā€¦


Book cover of The Eyre Affair

A.C. Huntley Author Of The Galactic Zookeeper's Guide to Heists and Husbandry

From my list on humorous sci-fi books with female protagonists.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a child, the thing that plagued me most about my favorite genre, sci-fi, was that none of the protagonists were women! As a daughter to doctors and research scientists, it felt strange that the only female characters in sci-fi were these buxom, mystical healers or seamstresses who meekly repaired their crewmatesā€™ uniforms. While that problem has been remedied over the last two decades of excellence in mainstream sci-fi with some truly unforgettable female heroines, theyā€™re not as plentiful in the niche market of humorous sci-fi. I am thrilled to share this list of my favorite lighthearted, humorous sci-fi reads with female protagonists. 

A.C.'s book list on humorous sci-fi books with female protagonists

A.C. Huntley Why did A.C. love this book?

I enjoyed the silly and irreverent humor in this book and was happy to hitch a ride along with protagonist Thursday Next, a literary detective for an English government agency that safeguards literary masterpieces against time travelers.

Having majored in English literature myself, I was delighted by the charactersā€™ discussions on literature, including the evergreen debate on the true author of Shakespearean plays. I also relished the settingā€“an alternative England in the 1980ā€™s. All in all, this novel is a classic and well worth the read.

By Jasper Fforde,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Eyre Affair as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Meet Thursday Next, literary detective without equal, fear or boyfriend

Jasper Fforde's beloved New York Times bestselling novel introduces literary detective Thursday Next and her alternate reality of literature-obsessed England-from the author of The Constant Rabbit

Fans of Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse will love visiting Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, when time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously: it's a bibliophile's dream. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronicā€¦


Book cover of Sister Witch

K K Weakley Author Of Sekhet

From my list on the world of magic and realms beyond our own.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a magical realism/horror author, born and reared in Irelandā€”I love stories that scream strange and unusual. By adding an extra dimension to a story, you can open the mind to the most wonderful places. I love to write for everyone with no exceptions, and while there are many worlds to lose yourself in while reading, I am drawn to the what ifs of magic. The worlds of witches, the dead, the unimaginable and realms beyond our own. This is why I love to write, and the reason I share my mind with those who enjoy a tale outside the norm of daily life.

K K's book list on the world of magic and realms beyond our own

K K Weakley Why did K K love this book?

The story of Moll Dyer caught my attention from the first page, the second my homeland was mentioned. Like so many in Ireland during this timeline in history when work was scarce and mouths needed to be fed, moving across the pond to England where her father still struggled to find work was the only choice she had. Violated, shunned, shipped off to the Colonies with her uncle, making an enemy in the process.  

While this can be deemed historical fiction, it is a paranormal, supernatural story, of a witch-hunt that just keeps giving.

By David W. Thompson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Moll Dyer prays she can leave her troubles behind when she immigrates to the new world, but a paranormal threat grows, and soon follows her across the ocean to Maryland.

Colonial life in the Old Line state was tough on both man and woman. Hunger, disease, Indian attacks, and drought tested the resolve of the settlers daily, but troubles for the Dyers included the threat of a succubus on a mission! Will the demonic call initiated by her family prove too much to resist as she labors to rebuild her life in a distant land?

The legend of Moll Dyerā€¦


If you love Kelley Armstrong...

Ad

Book cover of Beneath the Veil

Beneath the Veil by Martin Kearns,

The Valor of Valhalla series by Martin Kearns is a pulse-pounding dark urban fantasy trilogy that fuses the raw power of Norse mythology with the grit of modern warfare. Set in a world where ancient gods and mythical creatures clash with secret military organizations and rogue heroes, the series followsā€¦

Book cover of The Witch's Tree

K K Weakley Author Of Sekhet

From my list on the world of magic and realms beyond our own.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a magical realism/horror author, born and reared in Irelandā€”I love stories that scream strange and unusual. By adding an extra dimension to a story, you can open the mind to the most wonderful places. I love to write for everyone with no exceptions, and while there are many worlds to lose yourself in while reading, I am drawn to the what ifs of magic. The worlds of witches, the dead, the unimaginable and realms beyond our own. This is why I love to write, and the reason I share my mind with those who enjoy a tale outside the norm of daily life.

K K's book list on the world of magic and realms beyond our own

K K Weakley Why did K K love this book?

A time slip novel around two somewhat unlucky-in-love women living in the same Somerset cottage 300-plus years apart. A tale of the connection through time brings Selena and Grace together. One with a spirit fighting to rest and one dealing with pain that only the other can aid in finding peace.

A solid character build, multiple storylines, unresolved love stories, and a look into witch trials from the ages.

If you are in the mood for a story that moves from the past to present seamlessly; then this book is for you.

By Elena Collins,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'A wonderful book by a fabulous author, very highly recommended.' Louise DouglasA tale as old as time. A spirit that has never rested.

Present day

As a love affair comes to an end, and with it her dreams for her future, artist Selena needs a retreat. The picture-postcard Sloe Cottage in the Somerset village of Ashcombe promises to be the perfect place to forget her problems, and Selena settles into her new home as spring arrives. But it isn't long before Selena hears the past whispering to her. Sloe Cottage is keeping secrets which refuse to stay hidden.

1682

Graceā€¦


Book cover of Judgment Daze

Krista Wallace Author Of Griffin and the Spurious Correlations

From my list on fantasy with protagonists to be friends with.

Why am I passionate about this?

Every time I read book I imagine being part of the world of the story. I like to open my mind to the experiences of the characters, which is helpful in my work as an actor, as well as my writing. I mean, studying and interpreting character is literally an actor's job! It's a huge part of a writer's job, too, and I have tried to create characters my own readers would like to be friends with! These are all some of my favourite books/series. A couple are serious, the others are funny, but they all have wonderful characters I hope you feel as drawn to as I do.

Krista's book list on fantasy with protagonists to be friends with

Krista Wallace Why did Krista love this book?

The main reason I'd like to be friends with Seth Brown is, well, he's a Messiah. He can heal me if I cut myself, he can resurrect me in the event of my untimely deathā€”though by all accounts the afterlife is rather, ahem, pleasant, so I might fight him on thatā€”and he can turn tap water into a perfect cup of coffee. His resurrected arctic fox friend is an excellent ally, but Seth could use another human to help track down the vile bishop who's killing off his half-brothers in an effort to eliminate all but the one-and-only True Messiah. Or, on second thought, maybe I'd stay out of the line of fire by getting a job at the local Ducky Mar....

By Jonathan Sean Lyster,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR "ARMAGEDDON BOYS, BOOK ONE: JUDGMENT DAZE"!

"A brilliant launch to a hilarious new series!"
~ Some guy

"Wonderful!"
~ The author's mom

"Burn in hell, a**hole!"~ The Westboro Baptist Church

FROM BOOKSTORE CLERK TO BADASS
Someone is killing off Seth Brown's half-brothers and he's not going to put up with it. Even when he forgets to load his gun, he has something going for him: he is the Messiah. One of them, anyway.
Seth has all the talents you'd expect in a Son of God: he can turn water into a cup of coffee to die forā€¦


Book cover of The Otherworld

Lisa M. Bitel Author Of Otherworld: Nine Tales of Wonder and Romance from Medieval Ireland

From my list on lead to the otherworld.

Why am I passionate about this?

Who doesnā€™t love fairies and their tales? As a kid, I devoured every collection I could find in the library. It was only when I learned Irish at university, though, that I stumbled into the sĆ­dā€“the ancient Irish Otherworld of medieval literatureā€”and discovered the race of ever-living, perfectly beautiful creatures who dwell there. These Irish stories inspired some of the earliest fairy romances of France and England, but they are sexier, funnier, and bloodier than better-known tales. Never mind the winged warriors of YA fiction or the twee Tinkerbells of Fairy Coreā€”these five books led me into the hollow hills of the original fairies.

Lisa's book list on lead to the otherworld

Lisa M. Bitel Why did Lisa love this book?

The stories in this annotated selection come from the National Folklore Collection in Dublin. Beginning in the 1920s, the newly independent Irish government sent scholars and volunteers out to transcribe and record accounts of rural customs and local beliefs that were quickly disappearing. Picture these collectors pumping the pedals of a clunky bicycle loaded with recording machinery or lugging accordion cameras down muddy lanes to photograph shanachies (tale-tellers) and fairy trees. Everything went into the Folklore Collection.

This nostalgic selection of stories and songs about the sĆ­ comes with CDs (in Irish and English) that put you in the room with tellers of tales. The shanachies sing of processions on midnight roads, fairy gold buried in a field, and how to ward off the constant menace of the sĆ­. FYI: Never pull down a fairy tree to build a house! And do not call them fairies; they prefer the Goodā€¦

By RĆ­onach uĆ­ ƓgĆ”in (editor), Tom Sherlock (editor),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Belief in the existence of a parallel world and in otherworldly phenomena has long been established in Irish tradition, and facets of such belief continue to be found in contemporary Irish society. This book, with two accompanying compact discs, examines aspects of the enduring fascination the Irish imagination has with supernatural beings, encounters, and occurrences, as represented in song and music. The material contained in this publication, which includes recorded sound, photographs, and manuscript transcriptions, is drawn from National Folklore Collection/Cnuasach Bhealoideas Eireann at University College Dublin. The book addresses a number of illuminating aspects of popular tradition, such as:ā€¦


If you love Dime Store Magic...

Ad

Book cover of The Others

The Others by Evette Davis,

True Blood meets Supernatural in the kickoff of this urban paranormal fantasy series from an acclaimed author. Readers enter a dystopian San Francisco filled with empaths and vampires embroiled in political unrestā€”and Book 1 is just the beginning.

Much as she wishes otherwise, superstar political consultant Olivia Shepherd was bornā€¦

Book cover of The Celtic Twilight

Lisa M. Bitel Author Of Otherworld: Nine Tales of Wonder and Romance from Medieval Ireland

From my list on lead to the otherworld.

Why am I passionate about this?

Who doesnā€™t love fairies and their tales? As a kid, I devoured every collection I could find in the library. It was only when I learned Irish at university, though, that I stumbled into the sĆ­dā€“the ancient Irish Otherworld of medieval literatureā€”and discovered the race of ever-living, perfectly beautiful creatures who dwell there. These Irish stories inspired some of the earliest fairy romances of France and England, but they are sexier, funnier, and bloodier than better-known tales. Never mind the winged warriors of YA fiction or the twee Tinkerbells of Fairy Coreā€”these five books led me into the hollow hills of the original fairies.

Lisa's book list on lead to the otherworld

Lisa M. Bitel Why did Lisa love this book?

William Butler Yeats is one of my favorite poets as well as a playwright, co-founder of the Abbey Theatre, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Early in his career, though, Yeats rewrote many venerable Irish stories in verse and drama.

For a while, he lived in a run-down 15th-century tower in Co. Galway near his friend Lady Gregory, a fellow folklorist. Yeats collected tales of fairies, pĆŗcai, and ghosts from friends and locals, added his own visionary musings on the ancient landscape of caves and mounds, and created Celtic Twilight. Yeatsā€™s fairies lured innocents to midnight feasts, abducted new brides, switched babies with fairy ā€œchangelings,ā€ and caused all sorts of mayhem for mortals.

Yeats was an occultist and theosophist, ready to believe in fairies. He had a knack for inspiring wonder. ā€œThere are doubters even in the western villages,ā€ he admitted, but ā€œwhen all is said and done,ā€¦

By William Butler Yeats,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Best known for his poetry, William Butler Yeats (1865ā€“1939) was also a dedicated exponent of Irish folklore. Yeats took a particular interest in the tales' mythic and magical roots. The Celtic Twilight ventures into the eerie and puckish world of fairies, ghosts, and spirits. "This handful of dreams," as the author referred to it, first appeared in 1893, and its title refers to the pre-dawn hours, when the Druids performed their rituals. It consists of stories recounted to the poet by his friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. Yeats' faithful transcription of their narratives includes his own visionary experiences, appended to theā€¦


Book cover of The Book of Jhereg
Book cover of A Wrinkle in Time
Book cover of Hour of the Witch

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,892

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in witch coven, witchcraft, and witches?

Witch Coven 13 books
Witchcraft 345 books
Witches 146 books