I’m especially excited about this month’s prompts. Folklore has long been a personal fascination of mine—I even wrote a term paper on Appalachian folklore and superstitions years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since. With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner and all the rich folklore tied to it, this feels like the perfect moment to dive in. Whether you’re drawn to old legends, modern retellings, or a bit of magic in between, these recommendations are a great place to start—and yes, I’ll absolutely be wearing green.
Over the past few years, we’ve read and loved several books rooted in fairytales and folklore—stories like Coraline, Banyon Moon, and When You Trap a Tiger that reminded us just how powerful these timeless tales can be. Here’s a few of the top books added to our StoryGraph challenges so far for the categories:
- The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden
- The Deathly Grimm, Kathryn Purdie
- Elektra, Jennifer Saint
- Girls Who Slay Monsters: Daring tales of Ireland’s forgotten goddesses, Ellen Rya
- Never Whistle at Night, Shane Hawk & Theodore C Van Alst Jr
- The Poet Empress, Shen Tao
- The Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon
- Twisted, Emily McIntire
- Where the Dark Stands Still, AB Poranek
What would you add to the list? Folklore is rich with subgenres, and I’m especially drawn to stories rooted in superstitions and rituals—the kind where one small misstep invites dire consequences. You know the ones: follow the rule exactly, or the goblins come calling. Do you have a favorite tale or tradition that still lingers in your imagination?
This month’s prompt immediately brought to mind the animated fairytales many of us grew up with, alongside the Irish shanties and lively jigs I’ve always loved. I had so much fun putting this playlist together—something you can probably tell from its longer‑than‑usual runtime. Just under two hours long, it’s the perfect soundtrack for a bookish weekend adventure, and I know it’ll keep me company during plenty of uninterrupted reading time when the pages—and the silence—stretch on.
Grab the March reading playlist here.
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Revenge Prey, John Sandford
- Current audio book: Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Pretty Dead Things, Kelsey Cox
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