goth gothic books bookstore

Books for the Shadowkin
In association with amazon.com

I'll tell you right now, things turn up here as I find them. My favorites are out in plain view - but if there's something specific you want, why don't you let Emily here look for it? Just tell her what you're interested in. No, she doesn't talk, hasn't for a while. But she'll point you in the right direction.

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Is there a book that I should stock, but haven't? Send me the title, author (if you know), and a brief description, and I'll stock it, and credit you with a link to your home page. I reserve the right to spellcheck descriptions and trim them to the size of the ones shown below.

Children's Fiction Gardening/Herbs Poetry Witchcraft Defying Categorization Search
Children's
Briggs, Raymond, Fungus the Bogeyman. A scintillating exposé of the subterranean existence of those reticent yet sesquipedalian people, the Bogeys. How they raise boils, their architecture and amusements, even their difficulties with an increasingly rebellious youth population who have lately been known, on occasion, to bathe. Profusely and meticulously illustrated.	Order from
Cannon, Janell, Stellaluna. Separated from her mother in an owl attack before she's even strong enough to fly, baby bat Stellaluna finds shelter with a family of birds. Her new family are kindly and helpful, but it's hard to be a good bird when you're a bat! Stellaluna's mother finds her baby again, and Stellaluna herself finds friendship, despite all of the awkward differences.	Order from
Cushman, Karen, Catherine, Called Birdy. Fourteen years old and prime bait for every rich slob that arouses her father's greed, Birdy employs her considerable wits to escape being wedded off to one disgusting twit after another. Cheered by the antics of her friend Perkin, exasperated by the ennui of embroidery, and utterly confounded by her feelings for her crusader uncle George, Birdy pulls through on sheer determination and desperate cleverness until her fate is abruptly sealed. Can she escape?	Order from
Van Allsburg, Chris, The Widow's Broom. Sometimes it takes a lot of courage, and a clever mind, to stick up for a friend. But it's always worth it. A kindly widow and her unlikely houseguest thwart the violent intentions of superstitious and bigoted townsfolk.	Order from
White, E.B., Charlotte's Web. Forget Disney. Charlotte's Web is a perpetual favorite precisely because it's a realistic, yet affectionate, tale of growing up in a world that makes no sense to the open heart of a child. Life, death, friendship, betrayal, and the delicate dance of creating miracles amid the shadows of those who stopped believing long ago are all made unforgettable adventures in the fleeting light of a rural summer.	Order from
Yolen, Jane and Shannon, David, The Ballad of the Pirate Queens. A true story, told by a true storyteller, and illustrated evocatively. Yolen chronicles, in the bardic cadences of a proper fireside suspense tale, the exploits of pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Reade.	Order from
Yolen, Jane and Stemple, Heidi E. Y. (Illustrated by Patricia Ludlow), Meet the Monsters. Monsters! They're dangerous, disgusting, and scary. Of course they're not real. But it's still good to know what they look like, what makes them tick, and how to get rid of them... just in case. Ogres, zombies, even the Windigo has a weakness if you know where to look.	Order from
Children's Fiction Gardening/Herbs Poetry Witchcraft Defying Categorization Search
Fiction
Bradley, Marion Zimmer, The Firebrand. A lively speculative account of the Trojan War based on the life of prophetess Kassandra. Bradley draws heavily on Greek mythology to explain the attitudes and actions of her characters, creating a seamless and believable cultural scenario.	Order from
Bradley, Marion Zimmer, The Mists of Avalon. Once again Bradley brings a myth cycle (in this case the Arthurian) to life by colorfully portraying its characters in the context of an alien, yet recognizable culture. Without ever reducing the plot's motivations to pure chance or human frailty, she paints an evocative picture of how it all could have happened.	Order from
Brust, Steven; Lindholm, Megan, The Gypsy. What starts out as a murder mystery and cop thriller spirals deeper and deeper into the Romany mythic underworld, as three long-separated brothers are rejoined to restrain the encroachment of darkness through the power of their music and traditional Gypsy magic. Tortuous, edgy, scary.
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Brust, Steven, Agyar. Steven Brust has written yet another novel in which I can't stand any of the characters as people (well, maybe Jim) but find them all the more convincing because of it. Agyar Janos, a sarcastic and ill-mannered academic saddled with an addiction that earns him mortal enemies and a debt to an ex-lover that he cannot repay and remain alive, maintains to the end a sartorial panache that I was disgusted to find myself admiring.	Order from
Bull, Emma, Bone Dance. Sparrow, a sharp and streetwise dealer in rare videotapes, embarks upon a search for both an extremely profitable tape and terrifying personal origins. Set in a postapocalyptic urban Darwintopia, to which Sparrow is actually quite well-suited, Bone Dance is loaded with fascinating plot twists and entertaining surprises without ever faltering in its steady breakneck pace.	Order from
Bull, Emma, War for the Oaks. A Minneapolis musician learns that her unacknowledged talents are in greater demand than her known ones when her hometown becomes a battleground between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Bull makes this unlikely scenario come alive with completely believable characters, realistic dialogue, and a matter-of-fact Midwestern distaste for pretense.	Order from
Gaiman, Neil, Neverwhere. Trust Gaiman to produce a myth that speaks to those of us who are a bit too grimy for Star Wars. Disbelief, hanged by its suspenders, twists helplessly over a nightmarescape that gibbers with sinister urgency; as Everyman Richard Mayhew is dragged kicking and screaming into a world where the only laws are those of magic - and he doesn't turn out to be a prophesied hero or even particularly adaptable.	Order from
Gaiman, Neil and Pratchett, Terry, Good Omens. Without a doubt the funniest book ever written. The master of dark oneiromorphia meets the champion of eloquent silliness for a side-splitting dance on the remains of Revelations. Buy two copies - you'll want to loan it to all of your friends, and you know how that goes...	Order from
Gedge, Pauline, The Eagle and the Raven. An ambitious historical novel that attempts to chronicle the last days of free Gaulish civilization, this tale accomplishes its goal by taking the reader deep into the Gaulish culture and mindset. Depressing as all hell.	Order from
Lautreamont, Comte de, Maldoror. Whence evil? Look no further - this excellent translation of the legendary masterpiece of misanthropy distills hatred to its poisonous essence.	Order from
LeGuin, Ursula K., The Dispossessed. What happens when a philosophically-defined community actually gets the chance to establish the civilization they choose? And what happens when the need for scientific interaction brings them back in contact with the shunned parent culture? This book is the most eloquent exploration of complete communication breakdown I've seen yet.	Order from
Lindholm, Megan, Wizard of the Pigeons. A street-dwelling Vietnam vet who has long since come to terms with the fact that he is a wizard still has a lot to learn about working magic - and from someone "sane," at that. Deeply unsettling, especially to a city-dweller.	Order from
Rofheart, Martha, Fortune Made His Sword. A must for Henry V and British history buffs, this fast-paced historical novel offers rare insight into the factors that actually decided both the battles and the court machinations behind the Norman conquests.	Order from
Sabatini, Rafael, Scaramouche. Told in an adorably florid manner by a master of the adventure story, Scaramouche follows an almost painfully familiar youth, too clever for his own or anyone else's good, through his masterful dodges of outrageous Fortune's best shots.	Order from
Stephenson, Neal, The Diamond Age. A speculative author with no illusions about technology's ability to reshape human attitudes puts a new spin on the Hero's Journey.	Order from
Stephenson, Neal, Snow Crash. Worth all the hype! A techno-adventure that everyone can enjoy - drugs, cults, Sumerian mythology, and cool weapons. Who could ask for more?	Order from
Stephenson, Neal, Zodiac. Set in Boston and featuring Stephenson's most appealing character, Zodiac is MacGyver with a punk attitude and the best vehicle-theft scene ever written.	Order from
Sturgeon, Theodore, Godbody. Sturgeon restores meaning to a tired and trite myth through the best use of multiple first-person viewpoints I've ever seen. Anyone who's lived in a small town will love this one!	Order from
Children's Fiction Gardening/Herbs Poetry Witchcraft Defying Categorization Search
Gardening/Herbs
Grieve, Maude, A Modern Herbal. This is the definitive reference on herbs both wild and cultivated. Identification, habitat, cultivation, folklore, chemical constituents, and preservation are covered exhaustively, along with uses culinary, medicinal, cosmetic, decorative, ritual, and symbolic. Poisonous herbs are identified as such along with symptoms, antidotes, and pharmaceutical activity. Indexed by both common and Latin names, with extensive listings of alternate folk names, A Modern Herbal is sold in two volumes, split alphabetically.	Order Volume I from Order Volume II from
Children's Fiction Gardening/Herbs Poetry Witchcraft Defying Categorization Search
Poetry
Baudelaire, Charles P., Flowers of Evil (Translated by Jackson Mathews). A thorough introduction to Baudelaire's formidable body of work. Savor his gift for emotive imagery and read his poems aloud - even in translation, they maintain much of their power.	Order from
Children's Fiction Gardening/Herbs Poetry Witchcraft Defying Categorization Search
Witchcraft
Adler, Margot, Drawing Down the Moon : Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. The author traveled extensively to interview adherents of numerous Pagan paths and participate in their rituals and workings, and the result is a thorough and well-researched treatise. The best selection for those who have heard Mom calling, but can't quite sort out the language yet.	Order from
Smith, Steven R, Wylundt's Book of Incense. Clearly-written recipes and instructions, exhaustively cross-referenced tables of correspondence, and even descriptions of each herb's scent. Extremely handy.	Order from
Starhawk, The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess. Extremely well-organized and structured as a textbook, The Spiral Dance is the clearest explanation for readers of all experience levels of precisely how magic works, who the Goddess is, and why Witches choose their particular spiritual path. Just bleep over the political correctitude - consider it a Californian accent - and sink your teeth into a useful, informative, and lively read.	Order from
Children's Fiction Gardening/Herbs Poetry Witchcraft Defying Categorization Search
Category? We Don't Need No Steenkeeng Category!
LaVey, Anton, The Satanic Bible. They name their church after a guy who doesn't exist, hate dogma with a passion, and admit they're a business (it costs money to join the Church). You have to admit, they've got style. And once you slog through the inevitable awkwardness that results from a cult of individuation in a culture of conformity, they've got plenty of substance too.	Order from
Wendell, Leilah, Our Name Is Melancholy: The Complete Books of Azrael. Addressing the question, not "what is death?" but "Who is Death?" Wendell reintroduces us to an old friend, whose gentle touch and unfailing understanding can make the difference between self-honesty and despair in these apocalyptic times. In an age when everyone is trying to become immortal, Our Name is Melancholy reminds us that Death's universal gift is the seed necessary for each of us to blossom into our own personal greatness.	Order from
Armstrong, Karen, A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What could turn an egalitarian spirituality into a hate-mongering war cult? Armstrong guides the reader through a colorful and fascinating tale of misunderstanding and mixed motivations with the diligence of Jane Marple, proffering illustrative quotes and anecdotes on the inexorable trail of the culprit: idolatry.	Order from