Blog about magic in both literature and life. Book recommendations, short stories, and reflections on publishing and pop culture.
What makes a novel a fairy tale retelling? Some faithfully recast characters that we know well in modern-day settings, like the characters in Helen Oyeyemi's Gingerbread, who live in present-day England and use toxic gingerbread to travel to a distant, mystical land. Other retellings are set in the past and use the fairy tale as […]
At the start of this tale, one Smoky Barnable sets off to marry Daily Alice—but first, he has to find her. Edgewood is off the beaten path, much like Little, Big itself—no ordinary dwelling place. The upstate New York mansion has three hundred and sixty-five stairs, seven chimneys, fifty-two doors, twelve (“twelve what? There must […]
Why are we so afraid of witches? What does it mean to be a witch? How does one get started with witchcraft? This list is geared towards answering these questions. If you’re ready to look deeper into witchcraft--it's history, society's relationship with it, practical tips--take a look at these fascinating nonfiction musings from a few […]
Do you love epic stories about gods and goddesses, but want a contemporary twist to the telling? One glance at this lineup of modern mythological fiction, and you'll notice that most of them have a couple things in common: they're written by women, about women. Maybe that's because mythology needs a female-centric recasting, a feminine […]
The word "witch" conjures a plethora of images: trick-or-treating children in pointy hats, a woman with a green face riding a broom, a trio of hags chanting over a cauldron. There are many interpretations of witches, and many many hundreds of books about witches in the world. Typically, this topic is owned by the fantasy […]
Need that perfect gift for the reader or writer in your life? Here's our lineup for 2023's best gift ideas, from classics to recent releases. Fiction For the Bibliophile Reading Once Upon a Tome by Oliver Darkshire is like stepping into an episode of Fawlty Towers or the British version of The Office, except in […]
Do you love magic, but don’t typically read fantasy? Literature-lovers rejoice: there’s enchantment to be found in the everyday world (of fiction). Supernatural and mythic abilities, creatures, beasts, and fairies, and even magic portals. You’ll recognize the worlds the characters of these novels inhabit, but be charmed and enchanted out of your own. Here are […]
Well, maybe that wasn't the Association of Writers & Writing Program's exact claim in their recent virtual panel discussion, but they did explore the connections between writing and divination (i.e. Tarot and other practices that seek to reveal the future. So...magic, essentially.) Magic and writing have a lot in common. They’re both acts of manifestation. […]
A teenage boy tosses and turns in bed. He can’t stop his racing thoughts, and it feels like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. A dark force looms over him, threatening everything he loves, but he feels isolated and afraid. No one believes his concerns, even as it’s plain to see the […]
The cursor on the blank page blinks off and on, taunting the fingers sitting still against the keyboard. The phone beeps a cheery tone from across the room, reminding you, yet again, that your first draft is overdue by a week. To distract yourself from the words that just won't come, you click into your […]
Inglenook is a community resource for magic in both literature and life.
