Queer Witchy Reads for Your October TBR

Start here. This is a YA anthology with lots of different takes on witches. Not every story is queer, but 5 of them are. I loved how different each of these version of witches are, from the classic Halloween version to modern wiccans to a new take on soulmate marks. This makes for a perfect October read.

Another anthology, this one is a collection of different comics about queer witches of color. There is a mix of art styles as well as variations on the idea of witches/witchcraft. Some stories are horror, some humor, as well as drama and romance (mostly F/F).

If you like seasonal reads, but you don’t want anything too creepy, this is an adorable graphic novel starring a sapphic witch and a nonbinary werewolf. Both main characters are Chinese American, and Nova is hard of hearing. Also, Nova has two grandmas who own a magical bookstore together! So cute!

This is an eerie, atmospheric read about a group of queer witches looking for their lost friend — except their friend is there in front of them, with nothing behind her eyes. This is an unsettling book that is told from many different points of view, including from the trees’ perspective! The setting in the redwoods is so evocative and memorable. There is also a ton of different queer identities represented, including nonbinary characters, and there is queer sexuality on the page in a way that is still rare in YA.

If you want to get punched in the face by Halloween, this is the read for you. It’s also got a revenge plot against a gross dude, a spellcasting tournament, and a F/F romance with a ton of sexual tension. This is set in a town populated by 4 magical families, but it also doubles as a Halloween tourist trap, so the whole book is dripping Halloween vibes.

While, unsurprisingly, most queer witch books are sapphic, there are some exceptions, including this one and The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag. Cemetery Boys is about a trans brujo who wants to prove his identity to his family, and so attempts to summon the ghost of his cousin to help solve his murder — magic only brujos can do. Except he accidentally summons Julian instead, who refuses to leave — and soon Yadriel doesn’t want him to. I mean, cemetery is right there in the title, and there’s a romance with a ghost: this is a great October read.

Ved Mehra is heir to a successful Mumbai business empire and he’s newly engaged. There’s just one problem with his perfect life: he’s closeted and has no interest in the woman he’s been arranged to marry. Then he meets Carlos, and suddenly he can envision a new future for himself, one that’s worth the risk. His engagement party is days away, though, and he’ll have to make some big steps to change his life and get a chance at genuine happiness.

If you’re a fan of Elatsoe, you’ll have been eagerly anticipating Darcie Little Badger’s second YA fantasy. This one follows two main characters: Nina, a Lipan girl who believes in the stories of worlds beyond our own; and Oli, an outcast cottonmouth from a world of gods and monsters. Soon, their worlds collide, and they have to work together to save both worlds. This is based on Lipan Apache storytelling, and it has an asexual main character.

This is an experimental memoir that explores Wilkinson’s family roots in Uruguay and Rhode Island through the metaphor of plants. The author is a poet and a horticulturalist, and this work blends together the genres of memoir and poetry. Set aside some time to fall into this story, which — like poetry — benefits with some time to sit with it and untangle some of the language and ideas presented.