what are the best occult books for a beginner to read?
At some time in every kid's life, the occult makes its mark. Nothing truly Exorcist level, just scary all the same. Retrieve all those ghost stories, and getting a footling too excited about beingness freaked out on Halloween? I personally never did a Ouija board—too chicken! Even though I ever doubted the truth of these things, they still chilled me. Growing upwardly in Baltimore, kids would tell various stories about the legendary Black Aggie. In my neighborhood version, if you switched the bath lights on and off, twirled effectually, and chanted "Blackness Aggie, I love you!" seven times, she'd testify up in your mirror actualization dead and drowned. It was over a year before I'd go into a night bathroom alone.
Writing Opium and Absinthe deliciously tapped into that fearfulness and fascination. The book is a trip dorsum in time where mystery and the occult intertwine until truth sheds lite on a family unit disaster. My main graphic symbol, Tillie Pembroke, is driven to solve the murder of her sister, whose torso is found drained of blood in the shadow of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's 1899, the aforementioned year that Bram Stoker'southward Dracula is released in the United States.
I'm a fan of Stoker's book, but the modern cinematic version past Francis Ford Coppola left an enduring mark in my retentiveness as well. Opium and Absinthe is a tribute to Dracula, and to those who love to exist scared while reading and wondering what'due south real and what isn't—in the safety of their very non-occult dwelling.
The Rules of Magic past Alice Hoffman
I've been a fan of the picture Practical Magic since it released in 1998, but didn't read the volume until much later. When the prequel came out, I knew I'd gobble upwards the back story to this family of witches. The book brings you into the charmed (and non so charmed) lives of Franny, Jet, and Vincent. The story is more than of a slow unfolding of truths and revelations, rather than a truthful mystery. Just no uncertainty you'll be reading it every bit if secrets hide on every page.
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
Cat Winters is a friend and a favorite author of mine. She does historical fiction then well that I asked her to read A Beautiful Toxicant for accuracy. Her historical fiction is immersive, and this volume not simply has a supernatural element to information technology (seances and spiritual photography) but also covers the fearfulness and panic of the 1918 influenza epidemic.
The Golem and The Jinni by Helene Wecker
This book also takes place at the turn of the concluding century (I tin't help it! I love that fourth dimension period!). Chava is a golem, a creature made of dirt, and Ahmed is a jinni, a beast of fire born in the Syrian desert. They see in the dirty, difficult, noisy world of New York City. Every bit their creation stories and present stories intertwine, I was absolutely transported into their globe. Information technology's ane of my favorite books, ever.
Affinity past Sarah Waters
If y'all're not already a fan of Sarah Waters, this book volition brand you one. In Victorian-era England, Margaret Prior begins to visit Millbank Prison for women and becomes enamored with 1 of the inmates. The story evolves wondrously with its medium and spiritualism, twists, and forbidden loves.
The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, translated by Sonia Soto
The main character is a book detective. How can you not dear that? Lucas Corso is trying to authenticate a portion of the original manuscript of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, but is pulled into a whirlwind mystery involving devil worship and a cast of characters every bit memorable as those in The Three Musketeers. Entertaining from start to finish.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Body of water by Apr Genevieve Tucholke
This volume—a gothic tale with a delicious romance that seems both otherworldly and timeless—is steeped in atmosphere and creepiness. Apr's writing is gorgeous, and it'due south easy to get lost in this fictional sleeper town where odd things get-go happening, and you lot're not quite sure if you're awake or dreaming.
The Diviners by Libba Bray
This is a young adult novel, only don't permit that stop you lot from reading it. In the roaring 1920s, its heroine tries to solve a set of murders, perchance past an awakened spirit named Naughty John. The opening chapter has a Ouija board which well-nigh made me scream out loud. I couldn't put this novel down. The Diviners was nominated for the Bram Stoker award, for good reason.
A Phoenix First Must Burn: Xvi Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Promise edited by Patrice Caldwell
How can I say no to xvi stories of the supernatural from some of my favorite authors? You'll find witches and lord's day beings, a wizard'due south apprentice, a girl who can plow hearts to ash, charms, and curses. You'll detect forcefulness and resiliency, sadness and heartbreak. Yes, you volition get goosebumps, and no, yous won't be able to put it downwardly. Some of my favorites are by Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Potent, and Dhonielle Clayton. Brilliant.
Source: https://electricliterature.com/7-spine-chilling-books-about-occult-mysteries/
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