13 Witchy and Bewitching Halloween Reads for Your Book Club

As autumn leaves swirl and jack-o'-lanterns grin from porches, it's the perfect time for book clubs to embrace the magical side of Halloween. This season, we're focusing on enchanting tales of witches. Gather your coven of book lovers, brew some tea, and prepare for a spellbinding literary journey!  Now updated with 6 new picks for 2025!

New Witchy Book Club Picks for 2025

1. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (published March 2025)
   • Set during the Spanish Spanish Inquisition, this new novel by the bestselling author (Ninth House, Shadow and Bone) follows a Jewish scullery maid as she uses her magical abilities to try to gain favor, power, and safety.  
2. The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (published July 2025)
   • Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the author of Mexican Gothic.
3. A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney (published Oct 2024)
   • A warm and spellbinding book that combines romance with cottage witch vibes and just enough dark and spooky magic.
4. The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano (published Sept 2025)
   • An intimate novel inspired by the true story of Margaret Jones, the first woman to be found guilty of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts.

 

13 Magical Halloween Book Club Picks

Contemporary / Romance

For those who like their spells with a side of swoon-worthy romance:

1. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
   • A delightful and uplifting story of found family, magical mishaps, and unexpected romance.
   • Already read this one? Try Mandanna's new romance, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping (published July 2025).
2. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
   • A cozy fantasy romance set in a charming witchy town.
   • Already read this one? Durst is back with a new stand-alone novel set in the same world, The Enchanted Greenhouse (published July 2025). 
3. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
   • This beloved classic -- a blend of love, family and the supernatural -- follows the two Owens sisters as they grapple with their magical legacy.
4. Truly Madly Magically by Hazel Beck
   • The third book in Beck's Witchlore series follows a witch cursed to tell the truth as she deals with her past love and fights against the witching world's evil rulers. Sponsored recommendation.

 

Historical Fiction

For readers who enjoy their magic with a dash of history:

5. Weyward by Emilia Hart
   • An intergenerational tale of women, witchcraft, and nature, weaving together three women's stories from 2019, 1619, and 1942.
6. The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
   • A feminist tale of witchcraft and suffrage in 1890s America
7. Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese
   • Set in Salem, this novel reimagines the origin of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," exploring themes of art, desire, and the lingering effects of the witch trials.
8. What We Sacrifice for Magic by Andrea Jo DeWerd
   • A coming of age story set in 1968 follows an eldest daughter in a small Minnesota town who grapples with what she's willing to sacrifice for family, secrets and magic.

 

Fantasy / Dark Academia

For those seeking immersive, magical worlds:

9. Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
   • A dark historical fantasy set in colonial New England. Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, turns to an ancient spirit for help and together they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan.
10. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
    • A young scholar and descendent of witches discovers a long-lost alchemical manuscript deep in an Oxford library and summons a fantastical underworld.
11. Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs
    • A contemporary fantasy about magical twins whose family guards a collection of rare and ancient books. 
12. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
    • A young adult romantic fantasy featuring witches and witch hunters.

 

Nonfiction

For those interested in the real-world history and cultural impact of witchcraft:​​

13. In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet
    • A feminist reexamination of the witch archetype that explores how the concept of the witch has been used to control and punish women throughout history.

 

More Spooky Halloween Book Club Reads

If witches and magic aren't your club's thing, but you're still looking for a Halloween-themed read, may we suggest something creepy, spooky, gory, or thrilling?  Check out our list of spooky reads for book clubs, with tons of suggestions for thrillers and horror novels that will get your spine tingling!  All of the books in that post also include ready-made book club discussion questions, and we've also included some fun ideas to make your Halloween book club meeting truly spooktacular!