Hapgood Pond, VT via U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Autumn is coming!

One of the most frequent recommendation requests I've been getting during #AskaLibrarian on Twitter (12-1pm every Thursday) is for novels with "autumnal witchy vibes". Since we could all probably use a little hocus pocus in our lives, here are the books filled with witches, romance, magic and autumn leaves that I've been recommending.

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

A prequel to the beloved novel of sisterhood and witchcraft Practical Magic, this is the story of the indomitable, revered Aunts that will raise Gillian and Sally Owens. It starts in 1620 with the curse that is put on the family and fast forwards hundreds of years later to New York City and New England of the 1960s, as Susanna Owens worries about the fate of her three children Franny, Jet and Vincent.

Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman

A novel of interconnected tales about the people who live on a small farm on the outer reaches Cape Cod. The stories span 200 years of history, from the time of British Occupation through modern times. Bewitching, evocative tales of love, life and the power of home. 

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Freya, her mother and sister, are all witches living on the east end of Long Island. Freya lives a quiet existence as a bartender who occasionally slips a potion or two, just to cure heartaches, into the cocktails she makes. When dark forces invade the town and a girl goes missing, Freya and her family must band together to discover who is working against them. The sequels are Serpents Kiss and Winds of Salem.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

While studying at Oxford University, witch and Yale historian Diana Bishop , discovers an enchanted manuscript that attracts the attention of a 1,500 year old vampire named Matthew Clairmont and other assorted magical and demonic creatures. An epic, romantic adventure that spans centuries and the world. Sequels are Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. 

Witches of Cambridge by Menna van Praag

High above the streets of Cambridge, England, university professors  (and witches) Amandine, Kat and George meet in secret in the turret of Magdalene College. Into their insular world come Noa, Amandine's troubled student who can reads people's minds, Amandine's mother Heloise who is still grieving the death of her husband and Cosima, Kat's sister, heartbroken and wishing for a love she can count on. 

The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike

A picturesque Rhode Island town is turned upside down when three newly, single women: Alexandria, Jane and Suki begin having bewitching powers. They generally use their powers for good but darker forces come into play when the handsome, mysterious stranger Darryl Van Horne arrives in town and invites them over to his house "to play". Trouble and scandal collide in this modern classic. 

The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick

Sorrel, Nettle and Patience Sparrow are integral parts of their small New England town, using their individual gifts to heal the hurts and hearts of their friends and neighbors. When a tincture of Patience's is implicated in a tragedy, 300 years of suspicion and jealousy rear it's ugly head  threatening a witch hunt. As the town begins fail, will the sisters and the women of the town be able to band together to save them all? Sorrel's story is told in the sequel The Forbidden Garden.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

When her grandmother passes away, Connie, a graduate student, spends a summer settling the family estate and fixing up her grandmother's old house. Among the items she finds in the walls is a mysterious key with an old bible and only a piece of yellowing parchment that says "Deliverance Dane" for a clue. It will lead her on a quest into the dark days of the Salem Witch Trials and the nature of her family's enduring legacy. 

Once a Witch/ Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin is considered the least talented of her family. Unlike her beautiful older sister, Tamsin's magic has never shown up. When she is mistaken for her sister by a handsome stranger, she agrees to help him find a lost family heirloom. Never realizing just how nefarious her quest could become, Tamsin sets out across time to discover her true worth, uncover family secrets and fix the balance of magical power in the universe. 

Witches of New York by Ami McKay

It's New York in spring 1880 and the ad reads, "Respectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply." For young newcomer Beatrice, Tea & Sympathy seems like a perfect fit. Run by Adelaide and Eleanor the establishment is a place of seances, whispered confessions, secret cures and spiritual assignations for select society ladies. Beatrice is about to learn this is no ordinary tea shop and she is no ordinary shop girl. 

A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

In Brittany, France 1821, after Grandmere Ursule gives her life to save her family their magic seems to die with her. The Orchires fight to keep their old ways alive with arcane rights and half-remembered spells but it is only with the youngest daughter coming of age that magic begins to flow anew. Soon a new generation is struggling to control their new found power while also keep it hidden away. With the growing threat of World War II looming over them, they will need their magic more than ever.

The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe

After her mother and sister die on the Titanic, Sibyl is living a quiet life in Boston  with her father and brother.  She finds solace by attempting to make contact with her lost family through a medium and a crystal ball. When her brother is suddenly kicked out of Harvard under mysterious circumstances and falls under the sway of a mysterious young woman, Sibyl teams up with a former flame to save her brother and discovers that there may be more between them than meets the eye.