78 books like The Dybbuk

By S. Ansky, Henry G. Alsberg (translator), Winifred Katzin (translator)

Here are 78 books that The Dybbuk fans have personally recommended if you like The Dybbuk. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The World That We Knew

Maureen McQuerry Author Of Between Before and After

From my list on family secrets with a literary voice and a touch of wonder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always believed in magic, the kind that’s just around the corner, out of view. I loved books and libraries. So, it was no surprise that I became a teacher, and later, a poet and novelist. Now, as the author of four novels, I want my books to capture what I love best from poetry and teaching: beautiful, unexpected language, a touch of wonder, and themes that probe the big questions of life. A library shows up in most of my novels along with a bit of the fantastic.

Maureen's book list on family secrets with a literary voice and a touch of wonder

Maureen McQuerry Why did Maureen love this book?

What’s a better family secret than a golem tasked with protecting the main character?

Set against World War II in France, remarkable characters that I rooted for faced unspeakable odds. The book is a testament to what makes us human: The power of love and redemption. The golem, Ava, is a fully fleshed character with her own character arc. 

By Alice Hoffman,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The World That We Knew as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

* LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL *

'Oh, what a book this is! Hoffman's exploration of the world of good and evil, and the constant contest between them, is unflinching; and the humanity she brings to us - it is a glorious experience. The book builds and builds, as she weaves together, seamlessly, the stories of people in the most desperate of circumstances - and then it delivers with a tremendous punch. It opens up the world ... in a way that is absolutely unique. By the end you may be weeping' Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Olive…


Book cover of The Warsaw Anagrams

Lenny Cavallaro Author Of The Ibbur's Tale

From my list on Jewish paranormal literature.

Why am I passionate about this?

I come from a rather strange background: southern Italian and Eastern European Jewish. As a child, I heard both Italian (Neapolitan dialect) and Yiddish. I later learned that my maternal grandmother’s brother was the well-known Yiddish poet and playwright, Jacob Adler, creator of Yente (who wrote under the name B. Kovner to avoid confusion with the great actor by that name). I have been involved with what some call the “occult,” “paranormal,” or “supernatural” for many years, and these appear in much of my recent writing. Moreover, The Ibbur’s Tale draws on various elements drawn from the history of my mother’s family, including the fate of some during the Holocaust. 

Lenny's book list on Jewish paranormal literature

Lenny Cavallaro Why did Lenny love this book?

Zimler’s earlier novel, The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, presented masterful prose in the genres of historical fiction, mystery, and thriller.

The Warsaw Anagrams continued in this vein: a murder mystery set amidst the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto. For me, it was a “can’t-put-it-down” novel, and I was absolutely captivated by the author’s design. He has the ibbur – in this case, the late Dr. Erik Cohen – tell the story to Heniek Corben, and what a profound tale it is! 

 To the best of my knowledge, The Warsaw Anagrams was the first novel to present an ibbur, and it prompted my own efforts. I hope that my novella will in turn encourage other authors to consider using this material from the Jewish shtetlach of a lost era. 

By Richard Zimler,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Autumn 1940. The Nazis seal 400,000 Jews inside a small area of the Polish capital, creating an urban island cut off from the outside world. Erik Cohen, an elderly psychiatrist, is forced to move into a tiny apartment with his niece and his beloved nine-year-old nephew, Adam.

One bitterly cold winter's day, Adam goes missing. The next morning, his body is discovered in the barbed wire surrounding the ghetto. The boy's leg has been cut off, and a tiny piece of string has been left in his mouth.

Soon, another body turns up - this time a girl's, and one…


Book cover of Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural

Lenny Cavallaro Author Of The Ibbur's Tale

From my list on Jewish paranormal literature.

Why am I passionate about this?

I come from a rather strange background: southern Italian and Eastern European Jewish. As a child, I heard both Italian (Neapolitan dialect) and Yiddish. I later learned that my maternal grandmother’s brother was the well-known Yiddish poet and playwright, Jacob Adler, creator of Yente (who wrote under the name B. Kovner to avoid confusion with the great actor by that name). I have been involved with what some call the “occult,” “paranormal,” or “supernatural” for many years, and these appear in much of my recent writing. Moreover, The Ibbur’s Tale draws on various elements drawn from the history of my mother’s family, including the fate of some during the Holocaust. 

Lenny's book list on Jewish paranormal literature

Lenny Cavallaro Why did Lenny love this book?

This 1988 anthology provides fifty stories, dating from the medieval period to the last century: from central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and across northern Africa.

Although we find "possession" in several of the narratives, we do not find the ibburNevertheless, some of the demons who take possession of the living are truly evil, and perhaps thus similar to the dybbuk in that regard. Many of the selections read almost like fairy tales, although not all have a "happy ending."

This is by no means a source for the ibbur, but it is a nice introduction to the Jewish supernatural. A few tales are actually rather profound, though most are quite simple. Those unfamiliar with this aspect of Jewish culture might find Schwartz’s anthology a nice place to begin.

By Howard Schwartz,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Once upon a time in the city of Tunis, a flirtatious young girl was drawn into Lilith's dangerous web by glancing repeatedly at herself in the mirror. It seems that a demon daughter of the legendary Lilith had made her home in the mirror and would soon completely possess the unsuspecting girl. Such tales of terror and the supernatural occupy an honored position in the Jewish folkloric tradition.

Howard Schwartz has superbly translated and retold fifty of the best of these folktales, now collected into one volume for the first time. Gathered from countless sources ranging from the ancient Middle…


Book cover of Dybbuk

Lenny Cavallaro Author Of The Ibbur's Tale

From my list on Jewish paranormal literature.

Why am I passionate about this?

I come from a rather strange background: southern Italian and Eastern European Jewish. As a child, I heard both Italian (Neapolitan dialect) and Yiddish. I later learned that my maternal grandmother’s brother was the well-known Yiddish poet and playwright, Jacob Adler, creator of Yente (who wrote under the name B. Kovner to avoid confusion with the great actor by that name). I have been involved with what some call the “occult,” “paranormal,” or “supernatural” for many years, and these appear in much of my recent writing. Moreover, The Ibbur’s Tale draws on various elements drawn from the history of my mother’s family, including the fate of some during the Holocaust. 

Lenny's book list on Jewish paranormal literature

Lenny Cavallaro Why did Lenny love this book?

This study offers a thorough presentation of the traditional (and non-traditional) Jewish thoughts about various topics, including ghosts and apparitions, magic and superstition, and even reincarnation. However, the main thrust is the analysis of six (presumably) documented accounts of possession by spirits and subsequent exorcisms. 

I have listed this work for two reasons. First, it underscores the significance of possession within a community not known for performing exorcisms. Then, more personally, I found the presentation challenging, intriguing, and perhaps even provocative. If such malevolent possession has been documented, why not a benevolent ibbur?

By Gershon Winkler,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

An astonishing book chronicling and dramatizing six documented reports of possession and exorcism in the Jewish experience. Also features a fascinating historical look at the traditional Jewish perspective on reincarnation, ghosts, apparitions, magic and superstition.


Book cover of A Mad Desire to Dance

Heinz Kohler Author Of My Name Was Five: A Novel of the Second World War

From my list on WW2 through the eyes of children.

Why am I passionate about this?

Heinz Kohler was born in Berlin, Germany, where he grew up before and during World War II. By the war's end, he found himself in rural East Germany and spent years watching the Nazi tyranny give way to a Communist one. Since 1961, he taught economics at Amherst College, while also logging thousands of flight hours as a commercial pilot. These numerous experiences come to life in a powerful tale of war and its aftermath. As David R. Mayhew, Yale University Sterling Professor of Political Science, put it “In novelistic form, this is a riveting child’s-eye account of growing up in Germany under the Nazis and then the Russians. Laced with extraordinary photos and posters from these times, it combines memory with testimony.”

Heinz's book list on WW2 through the eyes of children

Heinz Kohler Why did Heinz love this book?

A beautiful novel about Doriel, a European expatriate living in New York, who was a hidden child during the war, while his mother was a member of the Resistance, and who is still haunted by his parents' secrets. A psychoanalyst finally helps him deal with his own ghosts, which reminds me of decades of PTSD I myself inherited from that war and the associated sufferings of family and friends I had to witness.

By Elie Wiesel,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Mad Desire to Dance as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now in paperback, Wiesel’s newest novel “reminds us, with force, that his writing is alive and strong. The master has once again found a startling freshness.”—Le Monde des Livres
 
A European expatriate living in New York, Doriel suffers from a profound sense of desperation and loss. His mother, a member of the Resistance, survived World War II only to die soon after in France in an accident, together with his father. Doriel was a hidden child during the war, and his knowledge of the Holocaust is largely limited to what he finds in movies, newsreels, and books. Doriel’s parents and…


Book cover of Dark Lover

T.L. Sturgis Author Of Flirting with Darkness

From my list on paranormal stories that takes a new a fresh approach.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Tyeshia Sturgis, aka T. L. Sturgis. I’m an American author of horror, thriller, and fantasy. In the fantasy genre, I wanted to write something that I enjoyed reading about, and who doesn't like vampires right? My passion came from both newer and older authors and I wanted to write my vampire series but with a new world. Through hard work and dedication, I believe that I've accomplished just that. I knew it would be a challenge… but it helped me become a better writer. I write/read 6-8 hours a day and love what I do and also help mentor other authors and try to motivate people to read and write more. 

T.L.'s book list on paranormal stories that takes a new a fresh approach

T.L. Sturgis Why did T.L. love this book?

Jr Ward is an amazing author. She was one of the reasons why I decided to start my vampire series. You got to read this series it will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

Why? Vampires of course! I was looking for a series that wasn't the same traditional story and I found it in this series.

I felt passion when reading this book. You could tell the author put a lot of hard work into this series and it helped me by showing me it’s okay to switch up the rules on a story told a hundred times over.

By J. R. Ward,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Dark Lover as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There also exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Among them, none relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only pure-bred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage…


Book cover of Enemy Among Us

CJ Vermote Author Of Do I Know You

From my list on suspense with a splash of paranormal.

Why am I passionate about this?

My love for reading suspense helped me develop the desire to write novels. It is as if I always have a movie in my head, so why not write them out. I have dyslexia, and reading along with learning is a challenge, but both have become my escape. I’ve always been fascinated by how a good suspense plays out and the relief that comes with the resolution. I added the paranormal world because I had a NDE (near death experience) in the 80s and became open to the paranormal. I became unafraid and see the paranormal as good. 

CJ's book list on suspense with a splash of paranormal

CJ Vermote Why did CJ love this book?

I related to the bonds the young people have in this book because children have secrets, but sometimes secrets come back to haunt us that only friends understand.  

Natalie K. French brings to life the innocence of youth. They needed each other as they gained their footing in the world. Even though these friends drifted apart, something from their past that they had unleashed, is back and has taken a life of a friend with it.

Chloe thought she was safe. She had hoped it was buried for good, but soon finds herself gathering her friends together to bring an end to the evil they unleashed as children. This book is full of emotions, terror, and the need to survive what had been innocently brought into their reality. 

Anytime I am reading a book with supernatural elements my attention is at full alert. I love a book that keeps me…

By Natalie K French,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Enemy Among Us as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The summer Chloe Moore turned fourteen, she was for once, actually happy. She’d finally outgrown her training bras. She was in love. And, for the first time in her life, she was surrounded by true and honest friends. Back then, they were The Seven, so close they wore their affection like an old pair of jeans. Back then, they were just kids who couldn’t begin to grasp the consequences of the thing they unleashed. Back then, innocence was their salvation. Even so, the horror of what they had done nearly broke them. They fled from it. From each other. For…


Book cover of The Ghost of Marlow House

Terry Segan Author Of Spirit in Tow

From my list on mystery with a paranormal twist.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been intrigued with books containing paranormal twists—I’m talking ghosts, mysticism, time travel. I also have, what I like to call, a healthy curiosity about spirits. Having gone on ghost tours in York (England), Salem (MA), and New Orleans, I’ve yet to spot one. But I know what some of you may be saying—be careful what you wish for! My writing career began later in life, when I realized the stories in my head demanded to be released into the world. From the start I attempted writing a straight-up mystery, but paranormal aspects crept into my chapters, and I decided to let them stay.

Terry's book list on mystery with a paranormal twist

Terry Segan Why did Terry love this book?

Another series starter which I’m happy to have found. I can’t get enough of characters talking to dead people while trying to resolve the spirit’s issues. It leads to sticky, sometimes awkward, situations relying on the main character’s wit and tenacity to see them through to the end. Of course, the living aren’t always a delightful picnic to deal with either. Sorting out a victim of a ninety-year-old murder requires some interesting digging into the past, and Bobbi Holmes doesn’t disappoint.

By Bobbi Holmes, Anna J McIntyre,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she’s never visited the property, Danielle’s not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn’t expect to find one of the house’s previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost ninety years—shouldn’t he have moved on by now?Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death. Danielle soon discovers her real problems may come from the living—those who have their sights on Marlow…


Book cover of Petal to the Metal

Dannye Williamsen Author Of Second Chances

From my list on helping you step outside the box.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, I witnessed my mother have a number of precognitive episodes. I later realized I was very intuitive at times. As a technical analyst in commodities I recognized that intuition was playing a huge part in my success in calling the markets. Feeling uncomfortable in groups, I became very much an introvert. I feel others’ strong emotions and even their physical pain at times. It’s painful to watch shows where people are fighting or being hurt. Later in life I realized there was a name for my discomfort. Clairsentience. Writing/reading paranormal stories about others is not only comforting to me, but psychologically grounding as well. 

Dannye's book list on helping you step outside the box

Dannye Williamsen Why did Dannye love this book?

Fun paranormal: If you’re new to paranormal books, the first book in the Bloomin’ Psychic series is a great place to start. It’s a fun series. New Yorker Mia Thorne is a hot mess when it comes to relationships and self-esteem after proposing to her boyfriend and being turned down in a viral flash mob and losing her job. Desperate, she discovers her eccentric Aunt Hazel has left her house to her, but she has to live in Newberry at least a year. Here is where her weird experiences become normal and her journey as a psychic begins. As you move through the series with her newfound friends, you get to experience her journey of self-discovery. I love a good ensemble of characters!

By Annabel Chase,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Petal to the Metal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Forty-two-year-old Mia Thorne is not living her best life. After a disastrous career-and-relationship-ending event, she escapes New York City and moves to a sleepy river town in Pennsylvania, courtesy of a dead aunt she never knew. Aunt Hazel was the reclusive family nut, a self-proclaimed psychic. Of course, Mia’s dad always told her that she, too, had the gift, but after his death, her mother made sure to squelch the notion. No square pegs allowed!

Aunt Hazel’s old cottage is only slightly better than the decrepit gardens surrounding it. Mia doesn’t know the first thing about gardening and expects this…


Book cover of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Kurt D. Springs Author Of Price of Vengeance

From my list on sci-fi that meld military and paranormal themes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Kurt D. Springs. If you read my back of the book bio, you’ll find I have advanced degrees in anthropology and archaeology and a focus on European prehistory. However, I’ve always been fascinated by military history. I’ve recently studied how modern warfare has changed many old paradigms. I’ve also studied modern and ancient religions, and many of the fiction works I enjoy have ESP or magic elements, especially Andre Norton’s works. I am also a fan of the HALO game universe. I like to tell people my stories are the children of Andre Norton’s Forerunner series and HALO.

Kurt's book list on sci-fi that meld military and paranormal themes

Kurt D. Springs Why did Kurt love this book?

While I found all the original trilogy stories enjoyable, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back fascinated me with the weaponry and battles at the beginning.

Luke’s Jedi training under Yoda was something that I found inspirational. Yoda’s admonition on focus, control, and belief inspired the scenes of Liam being trained. I enjoyed the final interplay between Luke and Darth Vader, ending with Luke’s realization that experience matters.

By Donald F. Glut,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Empire Strikes Back [Paperback] [Jan 01, 1995] Donald F. Glut …


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