The most recommended supernatural books

Who picked these books? Meet our 479 experts.

479 authors created a book list connected to the supernatural, and here are their favorite supernatural books.
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Book cover of Cursed

Sarah Jules Author Of You Invited It In

From my list on supernatural horror written by indie authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an indie horror author from Yorkshire, England. I grew up on a steady diet of Stephen King and horror films and developed a love of all things spooky and/or creepy. Supernatural horror has always been my favorite genre. When it’s done well, it has the capacity to be absolutely terrifying. It took me writing a couple of books before I finally jumped headfirst into writing supernatural horror. To me, there’s nothing scarier than the unknown, and that’s what I want to explore in my writing, and also my reading. I am also a huge advocate of indie authors, and I am thrilled to share these recommendations with you. 

Sarah's book list on supernatural horror written by indie authors

Sarah Jules Why did Sarah love this book?

This is Leigh Kenny’s debut novel. I absolutely devoured it and read it in one sitting. I grew up on horror movies, and this is a new take on J-Horror. As somebody who loves The Grudge, I felt an affinity with this book. It was almost nostalgic in a way, reminiscent of 90s/00s horror movies. 

By Leigh Kenny,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Have you ever agreed to something without understanding the consequences?
What would you do if a cursed object came into your possession?

Burn it?

Seek spiritual help?

Pass it on?

This is the impossible choice Curtis must face as a sinister entity is thrust upon him. As the walls close in and the evil takes hold, he must act before his life is forever altered.

Curtis is haunted.

Curtis is afraid.

Curtis is... Cursed

The ideal read for fans of horror, mystery thrillers, possessions and supernatural beings.
The Grudge meets Drag Me To Hell, Cursed is the story of one…


Book cover of A Rumour of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural

Joseph A. Scimecca Author Of The Not So Outrageous Idea of a Christian Sociology

From my list on scholarship on sociology and the Christian religion.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am currently a Professor of Sociology at George Mason University, a Research I Institution, and have now published 9 books. Until I wrote the book Christianity and Sociological Theory, I was a traditional sociologist, one who abided by the tenet of the discipline to profess neutrality in one’s scholarly work. My book, The Not So Outrageous Idea of a Christian Sociology, is not only my most controversial book, given its criticism of contemporary sociology, but also my most personal book.

Joseph's book list on scholarship on sociology and the Christian religion

Joseph A. Scimecca Why did Joseph love this book?

When I first read this book, even though I hold a Ph. D in sociology, it changed my whole view of the discipline. 

I was very disappointed in graduate school at first. Then I read some of Peter Berger’s works, who until his recent death, was the most well-known sociologist of religion. He wrote about making the case for a supernatural reality. This was something that was, and, still is, considered heretical in sociology. 

I met Peter a few years ago and told him how he changed my view of sociology. He smiled.

By Peter L. Berger,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

With unparalleled creativity & impeccable scholarship, this path-breaking classic confronts head-on the thesis that "God is dead." The new essays include discussions on religious politicization & the dilemmas of hardline morality.
Preface
The alleged demise of the supernatural
The perspective of relativizing the relativizers
Theological starting with man
Theological confronting the traditions
Concluding a rumor of angels
Notes


Book cover of Oath Sworn

JS Kennedy Author Of Green Gryphon

From my list on where females stay strong in the face of men.

Why am I passionate about this?

I got hooked on authors like Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, and Nalini Singh. Where females are tough, men are alphas, and love is a complicated process that takes time and effort. When I tried to branch out, and find new authors, I was constantly disappointed by the puddles of goo. You know, those female characters who talk tough and kick ass, until the man comes into the picture and her ovaries start running the show. Suddenly staying hidden isn’t as important as spilling your deepest secrets to a stranger. Tired of not finding the books for me, I decided to try writing them.

JS's book list on where females stay strong in the face of men

JS Kennedy Why did JS love this book?

Jacky is a relatable character who’s gone through a major upheaval.

She’s become a werecat. Not raised in werecat society, she doesn’t let their views against other supernatural species stop her from doing what is right. Despite a surrogate father who thinks he’s always right, and siblings who want her to conform, Jacky very much marches to the beat of her own drum. Life is never dull when you’re a werecat with honor. 

By K N Banet,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Jacky Leon isn’t someone who goes looking for trouble. She owns a bar, pays her taxes, and serves her drinks cold outside a small town in Texas. The fact that she’s a werecat is just something she’s had to live with. Alone in her territory, she’s lived a secretive life for six under the radar, avoiding her past and the baggage that comes with it.

Trouble finds Jacky, though, in the form of an eleven year old girl and a werewolf turf war just outside her borders. Forced to honor an ancient treaty and the Laws of the supernatural world,…


Curiosity and the Cat

By Martin Treanor,

Book cover of Curiosity and the Cat

Martin Treanor Author Of The Logos Prophecy

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Illustrator Reader Jester Quantum physics buff

Martin's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Curiosity is certain she saw fairies at the bottom of the garden. Little does she know . . . they saw her first.

Emotionally abandoned by her mother and infatuated by a figurine of a fairy ballerina she discovers in an old toy shop, eight-year-old Curiosity Portland steals the figurine, unleashing strange and frightening happenings around her home, which, in turn, reveals a disturbing family history. 

An ominous tale of faerie folk.

Curiosity and the Cat

By Martin Treanor,

What is this book about?

Curiosity is certain she saw fairies at the bottom of the garden. Little does she know . . . they saw her first.

Emotionally abandoned by her mother and infatuated by a figurine of a fairy ballerina she discovers in an old toy shop, eight-year-old Curiosity Portland steals the figurine, unleashing strange and frightening happenings around her home, which, in turn, reveals a disturbing family history.

An ominous tale of faerie folk.



Book cover of Broken

Katarina Vance Author Of Dead Heat

From my list on zombie apocalypse romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved zombie movies since I was a kid and first saw Return of the Living Dead during a slumber party. Since then I’ve watched as many as I could, along with shows like The Walking Dead and Z Nation. The changes in the publishing industry over the past few years have given me something even better – hundreds of amazing books about romance and survival in the zombie apocalypse to read. The five books on my list are the very best of those that eventually inspired me to write my own books. I hope you like them!

Katarina's book list on zombie apocalypse romance

Katarina Vance Why did Katarina love this book?

These are short, but the author crams so much into each book it feels like they’re twice as long. Frankie and Yorke are seriously flawed as characters, but their flaws tend to complement one another’s. It’s those flaws that drive most of their actions in the book, so even when they do something stupid you know exactly why they did them, and it’s not just a random TSTL thing thrown in to move the story along. The chemistry is hot but the romance is a slow burn because they’ve got so many issues to work out. There’s gripping action to keep things moving, plenty of zombie fighting, and psycho survivors trying to ruin the apocalypse for everyone.

By Imogen Keeper,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A deadly flu raging across the planet. A woman with zero intention of surviving the apocalypse. A man who will never let her die.

When 99% of the population dies of an ungodly flu, those who survived are desperate, capable of anything, plunged into a world without laws, and no one to enforce them anyway.

Frankie has zero survival skills, but with the world burning around her, she discovers an untapped well of hope inside herself, and the strength to find other survivors. For good or bad, they must now rebuild.

Yorke, a lone soldier, never needed anyone ... until…


Book cover of Creatus

Tina Wainscott Author Of Until I Die Again (Love and Light)

From my list on to escape into another world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by things paranormal and supernatural. There is so much in the “real” world that we don’t understand and can’t prove their existence, but there is enough video and photos, as well as stories, that I don’t see how we can say there’s not more beyond our five senses. Many of my own books center on paranormal abilities and events, and I do love reading about them as well!

Tina's book list on to escape into another world

Tina Wainscott Why did Tina love this book?

Carmen has created a more “ordinary world” in which extraordinary people exist in the shadows. There is romance and danger and suspense, but I like that there’s no graphic violence here. Each book in this series focuses on a different couple.

By Carmen DeSousa,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Derrick's desire to save one human girl will ignite a war...

For four thousand years, creatus have concealed themselves from the humans who hunted them almost to extinction. Unwittingly, one creatus will endanger them all...

As with most of his family, Derrick Ashton knows his future and what position he's destined to fill within his unique society. Everything changes, however, when he breaks one of his family's strictest laws and falls in love -- with a human.

In his quest to protect the woman he can never have, a twist of fate propels him into a new role that will…


Book cover of Figgs & Phantoms

Jude Atwood Author Of Maybe There Are Witches

From my list on treating the supernatural with a clever sense of humor.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'd like to claim that my expertise in these matters stems from the fact that I am a supernatural entity—and a funny one at that. But my origin’s more mundane; when I was growing up on a corn & soybean farm miles outside of a rural village, I became a voracious reader. I was always intrigued by writers who could explore a world outside the bounds of reality and do it with style. Over the years, I’ve been a short-order cook, a corn detasseler, a summer camp counselor, a college professor, and a middle-grade author, and I’ve learned that you can find a little magic anywhere if you look hard enough.

Jude's book list on treating the supernatural with a clever sense of humor

Jude Atwood Why did Jude love this book?

I loved Ellen Raskin’s much-lauded The Westing Game when I was nine years old, but I never got around to reading her 1974 middle-grade book Figgs & Phantoms, until recently. It’s a weird and whimsical story about family and grief with a magical realist touch.

Once a month, Mona Lisa Newton stands on the shoulders of her diminutive Uncle Florence Figg and dons a cloak to form the “Figg-Newton giant” so they can reach the rare not-for-sale books on the top shelf of a local bookstore. Their family has its own private mythology, including a version of heaven called Capri, and when a death occurs, Mona is determined to follow the clues and find it.

The text and illustrations manifest Raskin’s wry sense of humor, though some of the book’s mature themes might be too much for younger readers.

By Ellen Raskin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Figgs & Phantoms 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?

From the Newbery Award-winning author of THE WESTING GAME, more clever riddles and wordplay, clues to be found, and mysteries to be solved!

A Newbery Honor book

The Amazing Dancing Figgs!
While Mona hates all the attention her eccentric relatives bring to her in town, there is one Figg family member she likes: her Uncle Florence, the book dealer. But Uncle Florence keeps hinting that he's going to find his way to Capri, the Figg family heaven. And that means leaving Mona behind. Can Mona find Capri before it's too late, or will she learn that things are seldom what…


Book cover of Wakenhyrst

Joe Talon Author Of Counting Crows

From my list on spooky minds and old soldiers who never give up.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve written about war for years. To be honest, it all began in school when we studied the terrible events of The Great War. Hearing the hearts shatter of men on the frontline never left me. I wanted to understand. I needed to understand. PTSD is something I’m familiar with, even if I’ve never been on the front line in battle. I’m also obsessed with myths, legends, ghost stories, and mysteries. My Lorne Turner series combines my passions and the books shine a light, in fiction, on what happens to old soldiers when they come home.

Joe's book list on spooky minds and old soldiers who never give up

Joe Talon Why did Joe love this book?

Another spooky one, but this is more historical. It’s unusual because the protagonist is a child for a huge portion of the book, but you never feel like that’s a problem. It adds to the supernatural element beautifully. It’s an odd story, one of those where you are not quite sure if it’s supernatural or the characters are slowly going mad. Superstition, murder, conspiracy, it’s all there in a potent mix. And the ending is brilliant, it brings everything together with real skill.

By Michelle Paver,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A Times Best Book of 2019. 'Paver is one of Britain's modern greats. This sinister, gothic chiller shows why' BIG ISSUE, Books of the Year 2019.

"Something has been let loose..."

In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father.

When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened.

Maud's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old…


Book cover of The Light

Alister Dray Penborn Author Of A Theory in Shadejacktresy Case 0: Manor of Reunion

From my list on action suspense paranormal in the mystery.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Alister Dray Penborn. I am a lifelong mystery lover, all the way back to my favorite childhood cartoon, Scooby-Doo, and my favorite anime, Detective Conan, or Case Closed as it was called in the US at the time of airing. It's a passion that grew over the years as I was exposed to even more great mysteries. One of the most appealing aspects is the investigation process, where a character sees the inconsistencies of crime scenes, analyzes and makes sense of events, and collects and relies on the slightest clues to act as puzzle pieces to the full picture.

Alister's book list on action suspense paranormal in the mystery

Alister Dray Penborn Why did Alister love this book?

I feel there's an art to incorporating the paranormal into a mystery without its presence dismissing the practical aspect of the characters’ investigation. D.J. Machale reached the perfect application of this in this book and its sequel.

While the series is directed at a younger audience, the mystery is superb without much handholding but with gripping action moments and the allure of something deeper that keeps the reader guessing until it all comes to a satisfying conclusion. Especially when paired with the sequel. Side note: tangent storylines that significantly impact each other without the characters realizing it is one of the top five forms of storytelling to me!

By D. J. Machale,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Light 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?

Marshall Seaver is being haunted.



It begins with mysterious sounds, a fleeting face outside a window, a rogue breeze—all things that can be explained away. That is, until he comes face-to-face with a character who only exists on
the pages of a sketchbook—a character Marshall himself created.



Marshall has no idea why he is being tormented by this forbidding creature, but he is quickly convinced it has something to do with his best friend, Cooper, who has gone missing. Together with Cooper’s beautiful but aloof sister, Sydney, Marshall searches for the truth about his friend while ultimately uncovering a nightmare…


Book cover of Seeking Supernatural Justice

C.A. Verstraete Author Of Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter

From my list on zombies and monsters with alternate realities.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up in Chicago, I’ve always had a fascination for history, (even if it was sometimes a bit gory!), from Capone and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre to reading about monsters and the unique worlds created by favorite author Stephen King. So, it’s probably not too surprising that I combined both interests and offered a new solution to the infamous Lizzie Borden axe murders of 1892 in my own book series. I enjoy reading, and writing, the serious to the not-so-serious, often incorporating touches of humor, or at least the absurd, where and whenever I can. 

C.A.'s book list on zombies and monsters with alternate realities

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

I can’t recommend a more fun and imaginative book than this one where lawyers Thomas Brock and Evelyn Love represent the new (and sometimes newly dead) supernatural residents of San Francisco’s famous Haight-Ashbury district. I love the touches of humor and the unique monsters, from ghouls to zombie-like creatures, ghosts, and even a talking gargoyle! Who’d think the law could be so interesting and even funny? But even the dead (or undead) deserve justice! Love these characters!

By Jean Rabe, Donald J. Bingle,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Supernatural beings are willing to fight for their legal rights!

Since the Summer of Love, the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco has been known for attracting weird and unconventional souls, but things got even stranger when the monsters moved in. 

Magic has returned to the world and with it a host of supernatural creatures—not just vampires and ghosts, but sentient gargoyles, ghouls, sprites, faeries, and more. The frightened citizenry, holier-than-thou bigots, headline-seeking reporters, and harried police refer to them as OTs (Other-Than-Humans), but Thomas Brock and Evelyn Love believe even supernatural creatures have legal rights. 

Delve into their case files…


Book cover of Midnight is a Lonely Place

SC Skillman Author Of A Passionate Spirit

From my list on supernatural with a creepy sense of unease.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been fascinated by the paranormal since I was young: always a lover of ghost stories, I have long felt the spiritual resonance in certain places; the energy and spirits of the past remain trapped within the fabric of certain buildings and the land, waiting for the sensitive to come along. I developed this passion by reading classic and modern-day ghost stories, going on ghost tours, and visiting haunted places. I listen to and record people recounting their experiences of real-life encounters. I write nonfiction books about the paranormal, specifically about Shakespeare’s ghosts and spirits in his county of Warwickshire, and novels that develop this theme. 

SC's book list on supernatural with a creepy sense of unease

SC Skillman Why did SC love this book?

I imagined myself in the desolate place on the Essex coast where the main protagonist had gone, and I felt an invidious sense of dread as the atmosphere built up. The air of supernatural menace seems to breathe out of this story: the threat and the fear crept into me as if I were there myself, knowing something terrifying would happen, willing the main protagonist to get out and save themselves but knowing that I, just like them, would be held fast by those invisible and supernatural tentacles. 

By Barbara Erskine,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Midnight is a Lonely Place as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't miss this stunning novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lady of Hay - a gripping tale of secrets, betrayal and revenge...

After a broken love affair, biographer Kate Kennedy retires to a remote cottage on the wild Essex coast to work on her new book, until her landlord's daughter uncovers a Roman site nearby and long-buried passions are unleashed...

In her lonely cottage, Kate is terrorized by mysterious forces. What do these ghosts want? Should the truth about the violent events of long ago be exposed or remain concealed? Kate must struggle for her life against earthbound…


Book cover of Cursed
Book cover of A Rumour of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural
Book cover of Oath Sworn

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