6 Reasons To Read Books That Feature The #Paranormal

Let’s jump straight in…

What does paranormal mean?

The Cambridge Dictionary says it is: ‘all the things that are impossible to explain by known natural forces or by science.’

From angels to wizards, the paranormal can feature in a huge range of genres and sub-genres.

1 ) It takes you back to your childhood: ‘You’re a wizard, Harry….’ (Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling):

Those words still send a thrill of delight through me even though I’ve read the series a number of times. Witches, wizards, ghosts, spells, pixies and unicorns are just a few of the elements which can be found between the pages.  Remember reading those tales of magic and wonder beneath the bed covers when you were a child?  Paranormal books can give you that same feeling―that maybe, just maybe, it really is possible….

2 ) It’s not all about the love triangle

The young adult paranormal market is huge, but in the past it has been overpowered by the love triangle. If you remember Team Edward, Team Jake, or Team Not At ALL , then you might agree that Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series torpedoed vampires and werewolves into the young adult romance market with a capital L for love triangle. But it’s now been overdone and although it is still popular, lots of authors have moved on.

3) A ghost isn’t just for Christmas or Hallowe’en

Charles Dickens’ ghosts in A Christmas Carol have become classical figures over time. I quite fancy meeting a ghost, but I’d like to be picky and meet a good one, not one filled with malevolence.

In 2017 Hari Kunzru released White Tears, which was a ghost mystery set in New York and featured Blues music. I’ve not read it yet, but it’s on my wish list.

A couple of other books with ghosts that I enjoyed were The Ghost Files by Apryl Baker and Yesterday’s News by Sam Cheever.

4) You shall go to the ball, meet a prince, kiss a frog…. but it won’t be like when you were 10 years old!

I love fairy tale retellings; as with Harry Potter, they bring back childhood stories and give them a whole new meaning.

Marissa Meyer’s Cinder was a cyborg in her science fiction twist on Cinderella.  While Sarah J Maas re-told Beauty And The Beast in her A Court Of Thorns And Roses books.

Indie authors such as Sarah E Boucher, who wrote The Midnight Sisters (based on the Twelve Dancing Princesses), have featured on my blog.

Or how about a darker twist on Alice In Wonderland? Sarah J. Pepper’s Death Of The Mad Hatter had me absolutely engrossed:

‘no matter how badly I tried to hate him, I couldn’t. That made what I was about to do so delightfully horrible that even the wicked Queen of Hearts would be impressed–Alice Mae.’

5) You’ll discover changelings….

From garden fairies to brownies and imps, the fae are notoriously secretive and slippery.

Until recently I had never heard of changelings— ‘a child believed to have been secretly substituted by fairies for the parents’ real child in infancy.’

However, I’ve since come across several books where they have featured.

Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield delighted me with its storytelling,

‘On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic?’

Two more books which feature changelings:

The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan is set in Ireland.

‘When Harold Krauss, an Oxford scholar, arrives in the small village of Thornwood, he finds a land full of myth, folklore and superstition. He hires a local farm girl, Anna, to help him collect stories and first-hand accounts from the locals who believe in the fairy faith.’

Also The Changeling by Victor Lavalle which I discovered when writing this article and is another book that has now made it to my wish list.

6) They stretch boundaries

Egyptian gods, travelling across the universe and Atlantis all mix in one of my favourite TV shows which can also be read as fan-fiction. Although the Stargate series is primarily marketed as science fiction, it also contains lots of elements of myth and legend. Just where do the lines of fact and fiction end? I love the characters from Stargate and was delighted to discover authors such as Sally Malcolm and Jo Graham who write extra episodes in book format.

I’ve discovered paranormal in mystery, fairy tale re-tellings, horror, romance and young adult books, what are your favourite paranormal stories?

#6Degrees Of Separation Book Challenge From Where The Wild Things Are To The Heretic Heir

My July #6 Degrees Challenge

Hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite And Best The idea is to start at the same book as other readers, then find themes that link six books, and see where you end up!

The starting point for July is Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

A classic children’s book.

One night Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief of one kind and another, so his mother calls him ‘Wild Thing’ and sends him to bed without his supper. 

That night a forest begins to grow in Max’s room and an ocean rushes by with a boat to take Max to the place where the wild things are.

Max tames the wild things and crowns himself as their king, and then the wild rumpus begins!

But when Max has sent the monsters to bed, and everything is quiet, he starts to feel lonely and realises it is time to sail home to the place where someone loves him best of all.

My first link is to another book where a child visits another world to escape reality.

Children’s fiction The Greying by Dallas Sutherland

Landland cries out for a saviour… 

Upon the death of her mother, Meah is pulled across the boundary that separates this world and another time and place where the dog-like Firbog have brought the mists of the greying. Under the evil Queen Berilbog they threaten to claim all the lands.

With her Mother dead and her Father missing – she is on her own! Can Meah learn how to use the power of the thinking? Will there be enough time to save both Landland and herself? Will Meah ever find her way home again?

My next link is from the thinking and I chose,

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, because one of my favourite parts was the ‘eat me, drink me food and drink that Alice had to really think about.

After a tumble down the rabbit hole, Alice finds herself far away from home in the absurd world of Wonderland. As mind-bending as it is delightful, Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel is pure magic for young and old alike.

Which leads me to my third book and a twist on the classic and a young adult fantasy

Death Of The Mad Hatter by Sarah J. Pepper

Never in my wildest dreams did I consider the possibility that I could fall for the boy with the girl’s name. Why couldn’t Ryley have bacne, chronic case of nose bleeds, genetic baldness, or uncontrollable gingivitis? Oh no, he had to be perfect in every way. And, that body… Nuff said. It was all I could do to convince my knees not to weaken at the sight of him. Forming coherent words when he spoke my name was dang near impossible.

Perhaps if his frontal lobe was a teensy weensy smaller, I might have been able to convince myself that he wasn’t so intellectually stimulating. But, he was stimulating,in more ways than one; there was no denying that; no matter how badly I tried to hate him, I couldn’t. That made what I was about to do so delightfully horrible that even the wicked Queen of Hearts would be impressed–Alice Mae.

My next link is to a wicked queen and an urban fantasy series.

Grave Destiny by Kalayna Price is book #6 of the Alex Craft series and if they interest you I would recommend reading he books in order. However, for this challenge book six fits well. Alex is a grave witch, she speaks to the dead. In this book she must endure the wrath of the Winter Queen of the fae courts while she investigates a politically sensitive murder.

My fifth book link is to sensitive politics and a genre leap to historical drama.

Kings and Queens by Terry Tyler is a modern take on the life of Henry VIII

Spanning the years 1971 – 2007, with an unusual echo from history …

“KINGS AND QUEENS” tells of the life and loves of charismatic Harry Lanchester, which just happen to mirror the story of Henry VIII and his six wives. All the passion and suspense of the Tudor court, but set in modern times.

Harry’s realm is his South of England property developing company, Lanchester Estates, while his ‘wives’ are the twentieth century sisters of their historic counterparts: Anne Boleyn is reincarnated as the equally intriguing Annette Hever, and Henry VIII’s fifth wife with the risqué past, Catherine Howard, lives again in 1999 as Keira Howard, a former lap dancer.

The saga is narrated by each of the six women, in turn, interspersed with short chapters from the point of view of Harry’s lifelong friend, Will Brandon.

Don’t worry if you know nothing of this period in history – “Kings and Queens” can be enjoyed as a contemporary family drama, very much in the vein of Ms Tyler’s previous novels. Readers with an interest in the Tudors, though, will pick up on many similarities, references and metaphors, some quite amusing.

My final link stays with historical fiction and the Tudors and is for The Heritic Heir by G. Lawrence

February 1603, the last of the Tudor monarchs is dying, but Death must wait for Elizabeth of England to finish her tale…

As The Bastard Princess, Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, has fought through a childhood of intrigue and peril to her place as the heir to the English throne. But as her sister, Mary I, the first anointed and sole Queen of England takes the crown, Elizabeth must face her most dangerous challenges yet… for Mary I is determined to return England to the Catholic faith, and will have none stand in her way.

Protestant Elizabeth knows that she must survive the suspicions and distrust of her sister, in a reign where rebellion and war freely stalked the lands of England.
To survive, this heretic heir must hone her skills in survival, wit and wile, in order that she may one day… become Queen.

If you’d like to join this challenge the starting book for August 3rd is a wild card – start with the book you’ve ended your July chain with (for those playing for the first time, start with the last book you finished reading).