The Good Neighbors, in a variety of guises, appear in our ballads and songs, poems and children’s picture books, fantasy novels, fairy tale collections, and romances. Below are a small — emphasis on small — selection of recommendations, all made by the readers of Eternal Haunted Summer. Individual tastes and desires will vary, but there is something here for everyone.

Did we miss your favorite? Disagree with one of the recommendations? Heartily agree? Please post in the comments below.

And, as always, enjoy!

The Banshee by Karen Ackerman and David Ray — a children’s picture book about a banshee looking for a lonely soul to keep her company.
The Book of Faeries by Michael Hague — sadly out of print, this children’s book features full color and black-and-white illustrations of fairies ranging from the elegant to the creepy.
Child of Fairy, Child of Earth by Jane Yolen and Jane Dyer — in this picture book, a human child and a fairy child meet on Halloween and are given the opportunity to explore each other’s world.
Cinder Ella by S.T. Lynn — a sweet and romantic retelling of the classic tale featuring a black trans protagonist and a cunning fairy godmother.
Crown Tourney: Ten Tales of Deadly Damsels, Cursed Castles, and Edged Weapons by Tansy Rayner Roberts — a delightful collection of fantasy short stories and retold fairy tales, all with a feminist twist and a happily ever after.
Darby O’Gill and the Good People by Herminie Templeton Kavanagh — a collection of short stories inspired by the lore of the author’s homeland. Originally published in book format in 1903, the collection inspired the Disney film of similar name, and is readily available in numerous print, digital, and audio editions.
A Dictionary of Fairies by Katherine Briggs — a popular resource that has gone through multiple editions, the most recent having been released in September 2025.
Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen: A Prose Rendering by Rebecca Reynolds — a three volume, hardcover, boxed set edition featuring numerous monochrome and full-color illustrations. A scholar and teacher of Spenser’s works, Reynolds created this prose rendition to make the text more accessible to lay audiences, while remaining as true as possible to the original text. And there are so many footnotes!
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads aka The Child Ballads by Francis James Child — readily available in free digital and public domain print formats, these ballads include some of the most well-known fae tales such as “Allison Gross,” “The Elfin Knight,” “Tamlin,” and “Thomas Rhymer.”
Faerie Fruit by Charlotte E. English — a spooky-cozy and sweetly romantic adventure set in something like turn of the century Britain. When the dead orchard suddenly starts producing fruit again, and a strange bard wanders into town, people are left changed … but not necessarily for the better ….
The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser — an epic poem that was left incomplete at Spenser’s death, The Faerie Queene follows the adventures of various knights, noble ladies, witches, and sorcerers through a landscape filled with satyrs, nymphs, Gods, Goddesses, and more. Take note that Spenser wrote the poem as an allegory for various Christian virtues, but the prominence of so many pagan and witchy elements makes this one poem that will appeal to many such readers. (Given the density of the writing, find an edition with plenty of footnotes.)
The Faerie Queens: A Collection of Essays Exploring the Myths, Magic, and Mythology of the Faerie Queens edited by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine — by turns scholarly and deeply personal, the essays in this collection cover everything from fairy mounds to Greek mythology to Renaissance poetry to the Ice Age and everything in between. This is a sizeable anthology, so be prepared to digest it an essay at a time over several weeks.
Faeries: A History in Art, Verse, and Lore by Nikki Van De Car — a lushly illustrated examination of fairies across world history, literature, and mythology. Be prepared to be entranced and spend hours slowly paging through this book.
Faery: A Guide to the Lore, Magic, and World of the Good Folk and Beyond Faery: Exploring the World of Mermaids, Kelpies, Goblins, and Other Faery Beasts by John T. Kruse — written by a respected scholar of fairy lore, these two volumes together are a must of writers and witches alike. Kruse’s books treat their subject respectfully, but are written in an engaging and whimsical style.
Faery Tale: One Woman’s Search for Enchantment by Signe Pike — part travel memoir, part mythography, part spiritual awakening, Faery Tale takes us along as Pike journeys through the old Celtic lands in search of something to believe in. (Notably, Pike eventually penned the folklore-inspired historical fantasy The Lost Queen trilogy.)
Fairy: The Otherworld by Many Names by Morgan Daimler — noted polytheist, fairy witch, and scholar Daimler tackles the complicated subject of fairyland itself in this short but intriguing volume. Of use to anyone with an interest in the Otherworld and the history of human interaction with that land, or writers hoping to spice up their stories with real-world fairy lore.
Flower Fairies of the Wayside: Poems and Pictures by Cicely Mary Barker — while Barker’s flower fairies are immediately recognizable and well-known around the world, this particular volume is sadly out of print. Used first and second editions are readily available online, as are other books that make use of Barker’s illustrations.
Good Fairies/Bad Fairies by Brian Froud — one of the best selling fairy books ever. The images are iconic and form the basis for a companion oracle deck.
Greenteeth by Molly O’Neil — in this cozy-ish fantasy, a lake monster and a witch must work together to save their respective homes from an insidious and cunning evil.
Her Majesty’s Unicorn by Layla Lawlor — this is an urban fantasy/mysytery set in a small Canadian town which is experiencing an absurdly high death rate. And no one seems to notice or care. The fae Queen notices, however, and sends her most trusted investigator (the unicorn of the title). Magical adventures ensue. By the end, we are reminded that the fae have an agenda all their own, and the safety and well-being of humans are not their priority.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke — a massive tome, this historical fantasy took the publishing world by surprise at the turn of the millennium. The book explores the nature of magic and friendship, rivalry and mentorship, the rational and irrational, and wonders just what cost we are willing to pay in the pursuit of knowledge and power.
Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book by Terry Jones and Brian Froud — this fictional diary is simultaneously an art book and a parody of Victorian era obsession of fairies. Said artwork is weirdly adorable and gruesome.
A New Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Related Western European Fairies by Morgan Daimler — an excellent resource for witches and writers alike. Deeply researched, well-organized, and written in clear prose that will keep you flipping the pages.
New England Fairies: A History of the Little People of the Hills and Forests by Andrew Warburton –tracing stories of the Fair Folk across the centuries, Warburton’s book draws on native lore and practices, early colonial tales, and reports of fairy encounters right up through the twentieth century. Includes a helpful glossary. An excellent resource for anyone interested in the mingling and transmission of fairy lore across cultures and centuries.
Out of the Shadows by Sarah Singleton — in this historical fantasy set in Elizabethan England, young Elizabeth Dyer is confronted with multiple threats and mysteries: a priest in hiding, a clever priest-hunter, and a strange green girl who has been living in the Otherworld for three hundred years. Addresses matters of religious persecution, faith, and magic in a way that will appeal to tween and teen audiences.
Pagan Portals: Fairy Queens, Pagan Portals: Celtic Fairies in North America, Pagan Portals: Fairy Witchcraft, and Pagan Portals: 21st Century Fairy by Morgan Daimler — these short primers on big subjects are filled with useful information, personal insights, mythology, and rituals.
Queens of the Wild: Pagan Goddesses in Christian Europe by Ronald Hutton — covering several centuries and multiple countries, Hutton’s book examines the origins of and changes to the figures of Mother Earth, the Fairy Queen, the Mistress of the Night, and the Old Woman. Are they survivals of ancient Goddesses or something else?
A Ride Through Faerie and Other Poems by Clay Franklin Johnson — written in the tradition of Keats, these poems are haunting, haunted, weird, strange, and wonderfully beautiful. The lush language will inspire readers to return again and again.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar — in this haunting tale of love, devotion, and murder, two sisters tend to the enchanted willow trees that grow on the border between their town and the land of Faerie. To say more would be to spoil it.
Some Gathered Magic by T. Thorn Coyle — well-known witch and activist Coyle collects many of their short fairy tales and fantasies in this three volume set (the books can be purchased individually or together). By turns whimsical, tragic, wondrous, and just plain fun, these stories are the perfect length of reading before bed or first thing in the morning.
Studies in the Fairy Mythology of Arthurian Romance by Lucy Allen Paton — originally published in 1903 and still available in various public domain reprints, this thoroughly-researched work looks at the place of fairies — especially Morgan le Fay — in traditional Arthuriana. My copy is heavily underlined.
A Witch’s Guide to Faery Folk: How to Work With the Elemental World by Edain McCoy — a how-to manual for contacting the fae and working with them in magical endeavors.
Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance: The Forgotten Founding Mothers of the Fairy Tale and the Stories That They Spun by Jane Harrington and Khoa Le — this beautifully-illustrated volume is simultaneously a collection of classic fairy tales, an examination of the women who created the genre, a dive into the society that compelled them to write these stories, and a call to arms for the literary resistance of today. A must for every armchair scholar.

[Compiled by Rebecca Buchanan, editor of Eternal Haunted Summer; and author of The Adventure of the Faerie Coffin, a paranormal Gaslamp mystery available in digital and print formats; as well as the poetry collections Not a Princess, But (Yes) There Was a Pea and Other Faerie Tales to Foment Revolution and Dame Evergreen and Other Poems of Myth, Magic, and Madness.]