Witches have a complicated history. On one hand, they’re undisputed icons of Halloween and all things mystical and spooky. On the other hand, “witch” has long been used as a (usually misplaced) label for women who dared to break with societal norms—by doing something absolutely earth-shattering like remaining single or childless, speaking for themselves, or (gasp!) growing old.
As we head into spooky season, there’s no better time to explore the many facets of witchdom, and there’s perhaps no better way to do that than by diving into a good book about magical women (although settling in for a spooky movie night is definitely a close second). There are plenty of options out there, so we’ve made things easy and narrowed down the list to 16 of the best books about witches across all genres, from immersive historical fiction to spicy romances to fascinating non-fiction. Now, go forth and be witchy!
