What to Read Based on Your Favorite AL Episodes: Vol. 2
At the beginning of the year, I started a 2022 Astonishing Legends Reading Challenge and kicked off the first month with plenty of book suggestions. You can check that blog out here. So, I was delighted when someone requested for Blogstonishing a volume 2 of books to read based on your favorite AL episode. Without further ado, let’s jump into the books. And thanks, Becky for the Blogstonishing suggestion!
IF YOU LIKED…YOKAI HORRORS OF JAPAN READ ↓
I want to start out this list with something accessible and easy to read: Nothing But Blackened Teeth, this thin volume clocks in at under 150 pages but packs in a whole lot of story in that time.
Shaw weaves a taunt tale filled with folklore, Japanese ghost stories, and, of course, the idea that fear doesn’t always subside…it multiples.
IF YOU LIKED…THE AX MURDER HOUSE IN VILLISCA SERIES READ ↓
I’ll start out by admitting my bias (because that’s something we like to do here on Astonishing Legends): I love Sarah Gailey. I’ve read most of her books, and while all completely different I’ve fallen in love with each of them.
That being said, Just like Home weaves in something more special than all the rest. Notably, I think fans of true crime and horror will love this book that covers so much from both genres and will leave you hungering for more.
I don’t want to give too much away, but the idea is simple: Forlorn daughter returns to her home where a crime was committed, and the house, since her leaving, has become a paranormal location complete with tours. What happens when she returns is a story you won’t want to put down.
IF YOU LIKED…THE SKINWALKER RANCH SERIES READ ↓
While, on the surface, this has little to do with Skinwalker Ranch, many of the topics covered in Old Country remind me of these from that series. For example, the difficulty of life on a ranch, the importance of community, reverence for Native American lore, the unrelenting pull of physical places, and magic that has been around long before we even dreamed up things like electricity and Target.
IF YOU LIKED…THE COUNT OF ST. GERMAIN SERIES READ ↓
What would you do with a life that lasted forever? Go to California. That’s something our main characters of Reluctant Immortals, and the Count of St. Germain have in common.
In this twisting tale full of literary tropes, vampires, and, of course, immortal life one question rises to the surface: what does it really mean to be alive?
If you are a fan of Victorian literature, California in the 70s, and a good revenge story…pick this one up.
IF YOU LIKED…THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT SERIES READ ↓
Okay, this one may be considered a bit of a stretch because The Death of Jane Lawerence focuses on Victorian traditions, women’s independence, and, of course, the paranormal. But what if the Voynich Manuscript was discovered to be a book-of-the-death of sorts that taught the user how to perform strange rituals?
Enter The Death of Jane Lawerence. Just like we have struggled to unravel the mystery of the Voynich Manuscript, you’ll be pull at the threads of this complicated story of love, magic, and mistrust.
IF YOU WANT US TO DO AN EPISODE ON WITCHES… READ ↓
This is a special recommendation because, well, in the seven years I have been working for AL I haven’t convinced them YET to do an episode on traditional witchery. So, I have to read a lot about it instead.
The Year of the Witching has some of my favorite things a book about witches has to offer…
Strong, well-developed characters
A magic system intertwined with folklore and tradition
Fear of the unknown
The unraveling of a close-knit community
So, if you are waiting for that AL episode on witches and want something to hang onto in the meantime, check this out.
