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Struggling With Lingering Daydreams About The Lost Apothecary? Here Are 15 Books to Read Next

05/05/2021 - 11:15 PM

Historical fiction, magical realism [1], and feminist literature all in one novel make The Lost Apothecary [2] by Sarah Penner easy to devour — I read it in one day! For newcomers, The Lost Apothecary is set in 18th-century London, where a secret apothecary shop hidden behind a trick bookshelf helps women with all of life's woes — including taking care of the men who make their lives miserable. Nella knows how to disguise poisons in discreet vials for oppressed women, and her business is going well (if not lonely) when a precocious 12-year-old fascinated by "magick" wants to get involved. Fast-forward to present day, when wannabe historian Caroline Parcewell is spending her anniversary in London alone, having just discovered her husband was cheating on her. When she stumbles on a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders from the past, she becomes obsessed with finding out more. But this suspenseful tale may not have a happy ending for everyone — from 200 years ago or today.

If you haven't read this addicting book, with one of the most beautiful book covers I've ever seen, then pick it up today! Afterward, when you are inevitably crushed to see it end, keep this list handy for what to read next.

Arsenic and Adobo

Things are not going well for Lila Macapagal, who moves home after a horrible breakup and is asked to help save her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant. In fact, her life is just like the start of a rom-com, with aunties playing matchmaker at every turn. But when a nasty food critic (and her ex-boyfriend) is found dead just moments after confronting Lila, she finds herself the number one suspect in a murder case! She decides to investigate on her own before she ends up in jail and her family loses their home. She only has her nosy aunties, her barista friend, and her dachshund, Longanisa, to help her solve the case. Arsenic and Adobo [3] by Mia P. Manansala is a cosy must-read filled with mysteries even hotter than the food!

Libertie

Kaitlyn Greenridge's latest novel, Libertie [4], is a beautiful tale of self-discovery and exploration for a Black girl growing up in the Reconstruction era in Brooklyn. Libertie Sampson's mother, a practicing physician, has a vision for the future: Libertie will go to medical school, and they will practice together. But Libertie is more interested in music, so she takes a chance and follows a young man from Haiti who promises a better life for her. When she arrives, she discovers she is still subordinate to him — and all men. It's a deep, thoughtful, and beautiful story of discovering what freedom means for a Black woman for herself and generations to come. It is based on the life of one of the first Black women doctors in the US.

Of Women and Salt

Difficult family history, struggles of addiction, the trauma of immigration, and the tenacity of women are explored in Of Women and Salt [5] by Gabriela Garcia. In present-day Miami, Jeanette is battling addiction and trying to learn more about her family history and makes a snap decision to take in the daughter of a neighbour detained by ICE. Her mother, Carmen, is a Cuban immigrant, still wrestling with her own pain and processing her difficult relationship with her mother. Jeanette travels to Cuba to meet her grandmother and finally uncover the secrets from the past. This haunting book showcases the choices of mothers, the legacy of their memories, the power of betrayals, and the strength of women who persist despite the world's efforts to silence them.

The Once and Future Witches

Witches don't exist in 1893 — modern women have to find their power through voting. But when the Eastwood sisters, James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, join the suffragists of New Salem, they try to transform the women's movement into the witch's movement. The sisters are stalked by shadows, sickness, and forces who don't want a witch to vote (or live), but they must work together to uncover old magic, create new alliances, and heal the bond between them. Alix E. Harrow's novel The Once and Future Witches [6] combines fantasy with feminism in a beautiful way.

Recipe For a Perfect Wife

Alice Hale leaves her publicity career to become a writer, moving to the New York suburbs with her husband in Recipe For a Perfect Wife [7] by Karma Brown. But as she wanders restlessly throughout the house, she discovers a vintage cookbook with notes from the home's previous owner, a 1950s housewife named Nellie Murdoch. She discovers parallels between this Nellie's life and her own, causing her to rethink her relationship with her husband and reflect on what it means to be a woman in a patriarchal society. As she uncovers a sinister side to Nellie's marriage, Alice is drawn into the story even more and must decide what to do to protect herself.

Outlawed

Outlawed [8] by Anna North is not your typical Western. This historical fiction/fantasy/feminist novel follows the story of Ada, who must leave the town where barren women are hanged as witches when she can't get pregnant. She joins the Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by the Kid, where she learns how to steal and kill to survive with the other outcast women. But one treacherous, grandiose plan just might be the downfall of them all. This edge-of-your-seat thrilling story will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about the Wild West.

The Lamplighters

Inspired by a true story, The Lamplighters [9] by Emma Stonex is a chilling tale guaranteed to keep you up at night. It's set on New Year's Eve 1972, when a boat pulls up to the Maiden Rock Lighthouse to offer relief to the keepers. But when rescuers batter down the locked door, they find an empty table that is laid for a meal, but not eaten, and an empty tower. The weather log describes a storm, but the skies have been clear, and all the clocks stopped at 8:45. Two decades later, the wives who were left behind are visited by a writer determined to discover the truth about the men's disappearance. It's a twisting story that blends reality with illusion that you will not be able to put down.

The Lost Village

If you like history with a side of horror, The Lost Village [10] by Camilla Sten is for you. This is about documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt, who has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of an old mining town since she was little. In 1959, Alice's grandmother's entire family disappeared in a mysterious tragedy, and unanswered questions surrounding the only two people left have plagued her. She sets up camp with friends to figure it out, but mysterious things keep happening. The truth just may be even more horrifying than they imagined.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin is planning on spending the summer researching from her grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, MA, as she helps her mother handle the sale. But the more she learns about the family house, the more obsessed she becomes with unraveling its many mysteries. She finds an ancient key hidden in a 17th-century Bible, which contains a yellowing parchment with the name "Deliverance Dane" scawled on it. As she investigates who this woman is, she discovers a physick book and learns more about Salem's dark past during the witch trials of the 1690s. Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane [11] is a gripping tale that combines past and present in a unique way.

Dark Witch

Bestselling author Nora Roberts captivates readers with Dark Witch [12], a story about Iona Sheehan, who travels to Ireland under her nan's directions to learn about the place where her ancestors' blood and magic have flowed through generations. Iona meets her cousins, Branna and Connor O'Dwyer, who invite her into their home. To further integrate herself into their world, she accepts a job at a local stable and falls in love with cowboy Boyle McGrath. But despite her optimism, an ancient evil is working its way around her family's tree, and the cousins have to work together to stop it.

Sing Me Forgotten

After Isda was born, she was cast into a well for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing in Sing Me Forgotten [13] by Jessica S. Olson. One day, the opera house's owner, Cyril, saves her and gives her a sanctuary as long as she can use her power to keep the ticket sales up. Everything is going fine until she meets the charming Emeric Rodin, whose voice is unlike any she's ever heard. In his memories, she sees hints of ways to escape her prison. But the more time she spends with him looking for answers, the more she realises the only way to free herself is to become the monster the world has always feared.

The Library of Legends

The Library of Legends [14] takes place in China in 1937, when Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, forcing 19-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University to flee. Lian and more than a hundred others from the university walk a thousand miles to the safety of China's western provinces, fighting to protect the Library of Legends, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore passed down through the generations. After some of her classmates are murdered and arrested, Lian decides to escape the convoy. But as she learns more about her companions and the stories in the Library of Legends, the ancient books cause immortals and guardian spirits to awaken and change the country's fate. Janie Chang's book is based on true events.

Lost in Paris

Hannah Bond loves books, which is why she escapes her alcoholic mother in Florida to take Jane Austen-themed tours through the British countryside. But on New Year's Eve, Hannah returns to her London flat to find her mother, Marla, with a black eye and an envelope containing the deed to an apartment in Paris, an old key, and newspaper clippings about the death of a famous writer named Andres Armand. They go to Paris to discover her great-grandma Ivy's apartment frozen in 1940, which reveals secrets about her glamorous life dancing with Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and others. Once there, they set out on a journey to figure out why she would hide her Paris identity from her family. Lost in Paris [15] by Elizabeth Thompson is a heartwarming story that mixes history and mother-daughter bonds in a wonderful way.

The Witch's Daughter

Paula Brackston's The Witch's Daughter [16] follows the story of modern witch Elizabeth Hawksmith, who is 384 years old. This book flashes to 1628, when the Witchfinder of Wessex finds a true witch and Elizabeth has to watch her mother swing from the Hanging Tree. She seeks the help of Warlock Gideon Masters, who helps her — but centuries later, he is still hunting her, demanding payment for saving her life long ago. Now in present-day England, Elizabeth has a quiet life until a teenage girl named Tegan wants to learn about becoming a witch. But friendship means the stakes are even higher when she has to confront Gideon, and fight for her soul.

Lost in the Never Woods

Lost in the Never Woods [17] by Aiden Thomas is a YA retelling of Peter Pan that is filled with fantasy and mystery. It's been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when more of the town's children start to disappear, everyone looks to Wendy for help. Although she wants to flee her past, Wendy happens upon an unconscious boy lying in the road. His name is Peter, and he wants Wendy's help rescuing the missing kids. But this is something she can only do if she confronts what's waiting for her from her past.


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