5 Of The Best Books By Alice Hoffman That Aren't Practical Magic

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It's as reliable as trick-or-treaters on Halloween: The first autumn leaf falls, and some people who center on thrifted sweaters and tarot cards as key parts of their identities break out the time-worn paperback copy of "Practical Magic." Alice Hoffman's 1995 supernatural rom-com has everything — pointy hats, sisterhood, a dose of history, family curses — that makes it a cozy book perfect for spooky season. The eminently rewatchable film adaptation helps, serving as the perfect punctuation to an annual tradition.

But maybe, this year, you're looking for something a little different. Not too different — you want all the magical realism, historical fiction, and autumnal New England vibes Hoffman is known for, but you're open to exploring her bibliography beyond the story of Sally and Gillian Owens. There's no need to plow through the dozens of novels Hoffman has written until you find the right fit — as always, we've got you covered.

"The Probable Future" has it all for the "Practical Magic" fan: a cozy New England small town, intergenerational bonds between a family of supernaturally gifted women whose powers complicate their relationships with the men in their lives, and even a murder. It starts with 13-year-old Stella's startling discovery of her ability to see the future, which results in her father's arrest for a murder he didn't commit (always a risk when you have suspicious advance knowledge of a crime). Stella flees with her mother to her grandmother's house, where all three must untangle their relationships to their powers and each other while protecting Stella from the real murderer.

What sets Hoffman's 2004 novel apart from her most famous is its expanded cast of characters. While "Practical Magic" focused on the Owens women and a few of their love interests, "The Probable Future" is packed with friends, lovers, in-laws, ancestors, doctors, and occasional combinations of two or more. It's the perfect book for "Practical Magic" fans interested in transitioning into Hoffman's wider body of work.

If your favorite "Practical Magic" character is Gillian, the soulful but troubled Owens sister who constantly runs toward and away from her problems, you'll love Shelby Richmond. Shelby holds herself responsible for a car accident that left her best friend in a year-long coma and flees from her guilt to a new city, where she throws herself into a variety of distractions and ultimately finds healing in unexpected places. There may not be any legitimate curses in "Faithful," but there's plenty of destiny.

But don't worry: Hoffman's 2016 release isn't totally lacking in magic. Shelby's friend, in her comatose state, seems to exhibit healing powers, and an entity Shelby believes to be a guardian angel has been sending her messages of encouragement and guiding her toward salvation since the night of the accident. They may not be what she expected, but if anything, the way the story ends only proves the power of interconnection.

If the historical fiction aspect — that is, the witch hunt of Maria, the Owens family ancestor who cast the spell that cursed their future, in the 17th century — is your favorite part of "Practical Magic," then 2011's "The Dovekeepers" is the transitional read for you. It's about the Roman siege of Masada that took place in 70 C.E. during the First Jewish–Roman War, which legend/iffy historical documentation has it was survived by only a handful of women and children. "The Dovekeepers" is Hoffman's imagining of those women and children.

They include a baker's wife caring for four traumatized grandchildren, an assassin's daughter blamed for her mother's death in childbirth, and the two daughters, one of whom has been raised as a boy to fight, of the "Witch of Moab." You didn't think Hoffman was going to let a historical event get in the way of a good dose of magic, did you? Through their work tending to Masada's bird shelters (hence, "dovekeepers"), they forge a bond that proves invaluable in the dangers to come.

Hoffman continued her exploration of Jewish history with 2019's "The World That We Knew," about a 12-year-old girl named Lea fleeing Nazi Germany in 1941. Before she leaves, her mother visits a rabbi, hoping he will produce a golem, a humanoid creature of Jewish mythology made out of mud and magic that is bound to serve its master, to protect Lea on her journey to Paris. He refuses, but his daughter obliges, determined to secure the safety of her own sister, Marta, as well as Lea.

As the girls and their bodyguard sculpture make their way around France, Nazi forces are never far behind. Neither is the Angel of Death, spotted repeatedly by Ava but unable to perceive her in return. Ava becomes increasingly human as she comes to appreciate the mortal world, a complication matched only by the appearance of a pair of cute resistance fighters in the group's lives. In the end, the girls' fates are inextricably tied to each other's as well as the lives created from their love.

Did you know that "Practical Magic" is actually a series? In 2021, Hoffman published a sequel to her 1995 novel called "The Book of Magic," which was adapted for the screen as the upcoming "Practical Magic 2." Before that was the 2017 prequel "The Rules of Magic," about Sally and Gillian's aunts, Franny and Jet, in the '60s. The most acclaimed, however, is 2020's "Magic Lessons." It takes us all the way back to Salem in the 1600s to tell the story of Maria Owens, the woman who started it all.

In "Practical Magic," not much is known about Maria except that she arrived mysteriously in Massachusetts with no husband but somehow enough money to build the home where Sally and Gillian grew up and a baby who turned out to have been fathered by a married man who was an important figure in Salem society. "Magic Lessons" tells us how she got there, what happened to her, and the fate of her daughter, Faith. If you're looking for a cozy book from the 2020s to get you in the mood for fall, you can hardly do better.

We pored over Alice Hoffman's bibliography searching for titles with elements similar to "Practical Magic." Specifically, we looked for themes of magic, destiny, curses, and bonds between women, especially family. We also noted the inclusion of historical fiction, New England settings, and cozy vibes. Hoffman has written in a variety of genres, including children's and YA fiction, short story collections, and nonfiction, but we included only novel-length fiction for the widest appeal. We also included only the highest-rated volume of the "Practical Magic" series to maintain variety. We sorted the resulting list of titles in order of average Goodreads review score.