At the beginning of 2025, I made a resolution to not purchase any new books for the rest of the year. I wanted to work my way through some of my personal library before I added to it. Plus, I was rapidly running out of shelf space.

I lasted six months.

Since then, I have purchased A LOT of books. I had to clear off the top of my dresser and turn that into my TBR pile, so many new books were coming in. They ranged in topic and genre from Pagan religious studies to epic fantasy to murder mystery to espionage thrillers. Here are ten that I am particularly looking forward to reading, and that I think will be of special interest to the readers of Eternal Haunted Summer.

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn is a tale of magic, murder, and outlaw justice. Our heroine is not just a witch: she’s a poison witch. When she eats poison, someone else dies. What a premise! Like Rogue Myths below, I downloaded a digital sample, fell in love, and immediately ordered a physical copy. [Fair warning: the book deals with difficult topics such as sexual assault, domestic abuse, and murder.]

Baphomet: History, Ritual, and Magic of the World’s Most Famous Occult Icon by Michael Osiris Snuffin looks to be a fascinating examination of a deeply misunderstood figure. I know almost nothing about Baphomet beyond his modern association with Satanism, but, based just on the synopsis of this book, that association might be inaccurate. One of the true pleasures of reading is satisfying my curiosity, and I have the feeling this book will answer a lot of questions.

Hellebore 12: The Storytelling Issue comes out of the United Kingdom. I was fortunate to pick up a copy through Fiddler’s Green Peculiar Parish, a US zine publisher that makes a point of carrying small batches of esoteric and mythological titles from Europe. While I have many issues of Hellebore, I am particularly keen to read this one which examines “the power of myths that keep returning to us in one guise or another.”

The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth, and Drama by Lord Raglan was originally published in 1936, and the Baron was definitely a man of his day; just reading the introduction proved that. However, I found Raglan’s discussion of the nature of history, human memory, and mythology to be fascinating. If nothing else, I figure the book will inform my own future writing, especially my myth-based fantasy stories. [Historical side note: Julia Somerset, Lady Raglan, was also a scholar of anthropology and history, and was reportedly the first person to apply the term “Green Man” to foliate heads found on churches, though she did not invent the term itself.]

I Am Hexed by Kirsten Thompson, Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau, Amagoia Agirre, and Taylor Esposito. This is a graphic novel that reimagines a United States where witches came out of the broom closet in the 1960s and have been fighting for their civil rights ever since. Unfortunately, a dark conspiracy is unfolding to shove witches back in the closet — maybe even eradicate them entirely. Magic, friendship, sisterhood, and fighting an oppressive government. Very timely.

Mary Bennet and the Haunting of Longbourn by Joyce Harmon is the fifth book in the Regency Mage series. I have a soft spot for magical Jane Austen variants, and Harmon’s series is one of my favorites; how could I resist a story about a mousey middle sister whose love of books leads her to discover that magic is real? Plus, the underground mage society is egalitarian and queer-friendly, unlike the Christian-based secular society that surrounds them. Note: yes, the series has to be read in order, and they are only available in digital format.

Rogue Myths by Layla Lawlor is a contemporary urban fantasy and the first in her Gatekeeper series. I downloaded the digital sample, thoroughly enjoyed it, and decided I wanted a physical copy for my shelves. Hidden monsters, a grouchy fairy godmother, a magic sword that likes to eat people (or at least their life force), and one very confused college student who had no idea that magic even existed. Lawlor wrote one my favorite fantasy short stories (“Her Majesty’s Unicorn”) so I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do with a full novel.

Thick Witch Travels by Lizzy Ives is the second book in The Thirteen States series. A combination alternate history, urban fantasy, and coming-of-age fable, the series follows the adventures of teenage Thrash and her unexpected friends/coven. In the first book, Fat Witch Summer, the girls run off on a madcap cross-country adventure that challenges the norms of what it means to be recognized as a witch. This time around, they are on a madcap adventure through Europa involving romance, mystery, and the Fae.

The Winding Road: The Rhymer of Ash Grove Book One by T. Thorn Coyle is a contemporary re-telling/re-imagining of the classic ballad, Thomas the Rhymer. I backed the kickstarter and was delighted to receive the special edition paperback in the mail several weeks later. A college professor, a witch, a faerie, missing students, lights in the forest, and so much more.

Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories They Spun by Jane Harrington is simultaneously a collection of short biographies, a literary history, a discussion of gender norms and their deliberate subversion, and a fairy tale anthology. The illustrations by Khoa Le are gorgeous. I’ve read a number of fairy tale histories and I’m curious to see how Harrington’s book fills in any gaps, particularly in the case of some of the lesser-known women and their work (like the new-to-me Catherine Durand and her tale “Brillante”).