Quick picks
If you want a short answer, here are well-known adult witch series, grouped by mood:
- Historical and romantic: the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness.
- Family saga: Alice Hoffman’s Owens family books, starting with Practical Magic.
- Urban fantasy: Kim Harrison’s The Hollows, starting with Dead Witch Walking.
- Gothic and sweeping: Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches, starting with The Witching Hour.
- Humor: the witches books of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.
- Reimagined classic: Gregory Maguire’s Wicked Years, starting with Wicked.
Series by mood
All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness
The series begins with A Discovery of Witches and continues with Shadow of Night and The Book of Life. It follows a historian who is also a witch and who becomes entangled with a vampire, mixing academic research, history and romance. A later book, The Black Bird Oracle, extends the world. It suits readers who like atmospheric, slower-paced fantasy with a research flavor.
The Owens family books by Alice Hoffman
Starting with Practical Magic, the books follow a family of women in New England whose lives are shaped by love, loss and a family reputation for witchcraft. Later books, including The Rules of Magic, Magic Lessons and The Book of Magic, go back and forward through the family’s history. They suit readers who want lyrical, character-focused stories over action.
The Hollows by Kim Harrison
This urban fantasy series begins with Dead Witch Walking and follows a witch working as a bounty hunter in a world of supernatural creatures. It runs over a dozen books and is a good fit for readers who like fast plots, mysteries and long-running series.
Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice
Beginning with The Witching Hour, this is a gothic saga about a family tracing back through generations. The books are dense, atmospheric and long, and suit readers who like dark family sagas more than quick plots.
Witches of Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Pratchett’s witches stories, including Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters and Witches Abroad, are comic fantasy with a lot of heart and satire. They can be read as a sub-series within a larger world and are widely recommended for readers who want humor with their magic.
Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire
Wicked retells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from a new angle and begins a series of books set in the same world. It is more political and darker than the better-known stage musical.
How to choose
- Mood: Decide whether you want cozy, gothic, funny or action-packed.
- Pace: Family sagas and historical books are slower; urban fantasy usually moves faster.
- Content: Several of these series include adult themes, so check reviews for violence or sexual content.
- Length: Some series, such as The Hollows, are long commitments.
If you want a romantic fantasy with a magic-school flavor rather than witches, see our Zodiac Academy book summary.
What are five books everyone should read?
There is no objective answer, since this depends on taste. For witch fiction, a balanced starter set might be Practical Magic, A Discovery of Witches, Wyrd Sisters, Wicked and Dead Witch Walking. Treat it as a sampler across moods, not a definitive list.
How many witch books are there?
There is no reliable single number, because the answer depends on whether you count fiction, nonfiction, young adult titles and self-published books. A more useful approach is to choose a genre and read within it.
Good books for beginner witches
This guide is about fiction. If you mean books about practicing witchcraft, that is a different category, with guides on topics such as modern Wicca and paganism. Established titles exist, such as Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, but approaches vary, so look for reviews and pick sources that match your own beliefs.
What is the book that witches use?
In many modern witchcraft traditions, practitioners keep a personal journal sometimes called a Book of Shadows, or a grimoire, which records spells, rituals and notes. It is not one standard book; people create their own. In fiction, a similar idea appears in many series as a family spellbook or magical text.