my favourite magical realism books! ☁️📖

Hello everyone! In today's video, I'm bringing you my favourite magical realism books~
This is a genre I really quite love--full of books set in our own realistic world, but with fantastical / magical elements. This is a really good video if you're into specifically Japanese magical realism, bc there's a few of those on here hahah. I hope you enjoy the video! Please let me know your favourite magical realism books are and what magical realism books you tend to recommend 💛
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0:00 what is magical realism?
2:02 magical realism recommendations~
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[@AlineAimee]

Magical realism is a great tradition for us here in latin america, usually exploring folk elements and political questions. What you call magical realism we use to call fantastic literature, specially due to the Todorov essay about that matter. In magical realism I just love One hundred years of solitude, The house of the spirits and Pedro Paramo. I definetly recommend them. :-)

[@christy-anne-jones]

Thank you for the recommendations! 💛💛

[@thursoberwick1948]

The phrase "magic(al) realism" is a bit of an oxymoron.

[@lyne3783]

@@thursoberwick1948 💤

[@MissMahaxo]

Agree, when I think of Magical Realism, the Latin American authors define the genre.

[@paulcollins5586]

No they dont.

[@chrissmarie455]

@@paulcollins5586 they do 😊

[@user-xg1tq7ye7d]

@@paulcollins5586Hope you've already grown up kid

[@thefallstrokes]

Really good recommendations! Christy I really encourage you to read magical realism from latin america, it is really good, there are authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Julio Cortázar And Jorge Luis Borges that have written some of the best magical realism books out there.

[@inesalegria1112]

Yessss! When I think about magical realism I immediately think about latin american authors. I have actually just finished my third book by Gabriel García Márquez and I already have the forth on hold ahahah :)

[@christy-anne-jones]

Thank you so much for the recommendation! I've heard great things about Gabriel Garcia Marquez especially but haven't gotten around to reading his work yet. I'll definitely look into those authors 💛😀

[@secretlifeofeve]

@@inesalegria1112 what book did you like the most from him?

[@inesalegria1112]

@@secretlifeofeve Definitely either One Hundred Years Of Solitude (basic i know, but it is truly a masterpiece) and a very short one called Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

[@chrissmarie455]

Just added these to my list, I love finding books that I can read in Spanish

[@inesalegria1112]

When I think about magical realism all I can think about is the amazing Gabriel García Márquez. Please go and read it!!!

[@christy-anne-jones]

I very much need to ! 💛

[@buttapecan421]

Isabel Allende has some wonderful magical realism books (House of the Spirits) as well! Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Allende are 2 of my favorites.

[@gabriel55446]

I do believe García Marquez works for everyone, but 100 Years of Solitude was to me, a South American man - a teenager when I read it - a sort of quintessential history of all latin American families represented by one. All the elements of beauty, ugliness, pain and hope are there. When it becomes magical, even when absurd, it just makes sense. Imagine - fake example here - that a woman is so repressed by all people in her life that she suddenly shrinks until she disappears… and you, as a reader, thinks “yeah, makes sense, what else would happen?”

[@Johanna_reads]

I just read Before the Coffee Gets Cold based on your recommendation, and it made me more emotional than I was expecting! Great list! 💕

[@abrilvonbunny6205]

I found your channel yesterday and I'm so happy, you read the same things I like, and every video is so calming and lovely,thank you so much

[@Samreen0987]

Christy you are such a blessingt o this youtube community🌼...people like you are rare!🌸😊

[@christy-anne-jones]

Awwwwh thank you so incredibly much 💛

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

Could not agree more with what you said

[@YourTrueShelf]

Loved this list. I've had the ocean at the end of the lane on my tbr for so many years!! I loved before the coffee gets cold. Great recommendations.

[@Jay-od7if]

Is really cool seeing so many latinos here recommending our wonderful literature 🖤🖤🖤

[@EmilyJeanBlatt]

Thank you for taking the time to explain!! So helpful 💗🙌

[@twimkie]

100 years of solitude need to be in this list!

[@louisev.8870]

I would love if you could include the books you mention in your videos in the description! It makes it easier for those of us who are interested and want to check them out later.

[@sandrastk]

Omg, honestly every single book you just recommended is already on my tbr :D

[@Laf631]

Seconding the recommendation for Ocean at the End of the Lane! This makes me want to re-read it. My own recommendation is The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore; it's about two traveling circuses that have been locked into competition for generations. One of the circuses is themed around mermaids and the other around birds. Really lovely visual flair.

[@RajdeepDhareed]

Like Water for Chocolate - Laura Esquivel is a very good book

[@christy-anne-jones]

This one is on my list already, but I haven't gotten there yet! I really want read it 💛

[@RajdeepDhareed]

@@christy-anne-jones Happy reading !

[@jennymesas4699]

I didnt know magical realism existed outside latinoamerican literature, it's different here though, because the magic aspects to the story are not like the focus of the story, there's usually no magic system building, there's no rules, because magic just exists, and it can obviously have a lot of impact in the story, but it's not the main focus, that's why the books you recommend (maybe excluding Murakami) would be fantastic literature for me, because there's magic building, there's rules, and the focus is the fantastic aspect to the story. I used to hate magical realism in school tho, not gonna lie lol

[@thursoberwick1948]

It's inevitable that it would spill over into English language literature since so many people are reading it. The phrase "magic realism" is an oxymoron, especially since "realism" was intended to be a reaction against Romantic culture.

[@wanderjas]

There's No Such Thing As An Easy Job is on my tbr for months! I didn't know it's has magical realism content, I'm excited!

[@morganinwanderland]

I recommend The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Maybe more portal fantasy but whatever it is, it was good!

[@Reymei]

Really intriguing recommendations, I would definitely add some of them on my reading list. I understand One Hundred Years of Solitude not being here because it'll be an obvious recommendation when it comes to this genre, after all, is the piece of work that defines what magical realism is. Juan Rulfo's "Pedro Páramo" is probably the second most defining and important novel in the genre so I would recommend that one which is not as well known as Márquez masterpiece. On the other hand, I find really interesting how common this genre is in Latin America and Japan, which are very (very!) different cultures. But one thing those parts of the world have in common are a very rich folklore, and magical realism was born in part I think from the mixing of that folklore with our modern world. My grandmother for example (A venezuelan woman born in a rural area of the country in the early 40s) talked to me about spirits, witches that turned into lobsters and crosses in the sky, as mundane, day to day occurrences. Never questioned, just facts of her world, of nature, like any other thing. I imagine in Japan something similar happens.

[@feicai3901]

The color of your video is always so lovely

[@christy-anne-jones]

Thank you! 💛

[@Kelli.Hicks.5]

I recommend any of the books by Sarah Addison Allen. The magical realism in them involve "powers" that the main characters have. The stories themselves tend to be a bit more lighthearted and breezy, so they're quick reads as well.

[@zszam]

Absolutely one of my favorite authors. My favorite is Sugar Queen

[@greeneyedmimibostian3013]

Enjoyed

[@donnasoriano5110]

I love magical realism!! I love your videos. I miss these kind of videos of yours.😘❤️❤️❤️

[@christy-anne-jones]

Thank you so much! 💛

[@jaybe1804]

These are some great recommendations! I actually just picked up a physical copy of Ocean at the end of the Lane after starting to read it digitally. Been wanting to read more Murakami after picking up Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the end of the World which is also great so definetly will have to give the two you suggested a read.

[@Undetected437]

Magical realism is my favorite genre. I cant wait to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane

[@RajdeepDhareed]

One Hundred Years of Solitude, Midnight's Children are great books.

[@henne8890]

I love the first one 😍

[@RajdeepDhareed]

@@henne8890 Yes, it is a masterpiece.

[@Wallisimo]

This is my favorite genre of all time, ever since reading Chronicle of a Death foretold. I'm going to buy each of these! Thank you!

[@christy-anne-jones]

I hope you like them!! 💛

[@ViewMyChannelPls]

I honestly didnt know what magical realism is until now. Thank you ❤️

[@RajdeepDhareed]

thanks a lot for this genre recommendation

[@annejia5382]

Before the coffee gets cold sounds like a great book. 😍💙

[@msguinevere3702]

I've not read much of this genre, but I really love "Little, Big" by John Crowley - it's from the 80s and I think I read it because the cover was cool! But the story ended up being really lovely!

[@medearoxas7819]

I've always wanted to read a Japanese magical realism book, so excited !

[@christy-anne-jones]

Hope you enjoy it 💛

[@JuliaFerreira-zr7pq]

After reading "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavander" and "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" this year and falling head over heels in love with both, this might just be the perfect recommendation video, thank you!

[@mariaangel815]

such a beautiful recommendations 🤩🤩

[@siobhanshaw3573]

I enjoy making up magical realism picture books, I've only read The Ocean at the End of the Lake, which is my favourite Gaiman book, so I defientley need to get on this list!!

[@christy-anne-jones]

💛💛

[@ameraibrahim9535]

I'm currently reading before the coffee gets cold and I'm really intrigued by the plot.

[@manoeksbooknook]

Last year I discover that magical realism is one of, if not, my favourite genre!!! So I'm always looking for more recommendations so adding all the ones I haven't read yet/heard about before. Some other recommendations: - Summer of Salt & Horrid by Katrina Leno - All the Bad Apples - Moïra Fowley-Doyle - Watch Over Me - Nina Lacour - Everything by Anne-Marie McLemore - the Watchmaker of Filligree Street

[@curiouslanguage2032]

One of my favorite magical realism books that I will forever recommend is The Icarus Girl, which is about a magical little girl who becomes the friend of another girl who is Nigerian-British and struggling to deal with the clash of cultures, but soon takes a more sinister turn. It's so good!

[@isabel.Cc7]

If you're interested in Istanbul during the late 1500s Ottoman Empire period I really recommend The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak! I just read it recently and it was so beautiful and really pulled me into that world/time.

[@callmekateee]

I love your recommendations ❤️

[@rylie2403]

I love your videos! I think you would really love the book “watch over me” by Nina LaCour. It was beautiful and had a lot of magical realism vibes.

[@christy-anne-jones]

Ooh yay! thank you for the recommendation 💛

[@vintagesquare111]

Would you consider maybe doing a video about the list of books that have art as the central theme? something about museums/pieces of art etc like attribution or the goldfinch... Love all your videos so so much! Thank you for adding joy to my life :)

[@saajidahfirdausi3794]

I love the Chocolat series by Joanne Harris, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstein and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. Food seems to be a recurring theme in magical realism books…

[@Buddanutslol]

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is absolutely wonderful.

[@mars7612]

Her name is Erin Morgenstern btw, not Morgenstein

[@bookishly.introverted]

Thanks to you I now know that I love magical realism set in Japan.

[@mars7612]

Speaking of circus books, Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is AMAZING! It's a beautiful emotional mix of magical realism, mystery, romance, and tragedy ❤️

[@intrepidabsurdist]

Nights at the Circus is one of my absolute favorite books.

[@wendyfairfull8967]

I love magical realism, so I particularly enjoyed this video. If I may, I would like to suggest The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. ❤️

[@christy-anne-jones]

Ah, thank you for the commendation!! 💛

[@luisecastro6915]

This book is one of my favorite books of all times! ❤️

[@C_Beaty]

I suspect you would enjoy Charles de Lint's books. He does a lot of magical realism/urban fantasy type of novels, and I quite enjoy them.

[@andresmora5192]

Pedro Páramo by the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo is one of the masterpieces of Latin American literature, it is considered the novel that inaugurated the literary subgenre of "Magical Realism in Latin America". Juan Rulfo's work finally gave me the path I was looking for to continue with my books,” Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez confessed in an interview.

[@ClockworkWriter]

I read the Ocean at the end of the Lane not too long ago and it was pretty interesting. Definitely want to read more of Neil’s work.

[@suzys735]

Read Stardust!! I loved it 🥰

[@yazhinienterprises9970]

Christy you are the sweetest person in the KZbin.

[@jemimaravenclaw6215]

Thanks for explaining this bi was really confused about speculative fiction and what was magical realism. From your description I think the book I just read ‘Broken Wish’ by Julie C. Dao is magical realism. It is written for a teen/YA audience and absolutely brilliant. I recommend it. It ripped my heart out but in the best possible way.

[@joeskade6601]

The Master and Margarita. Highly recommended.

[@BearReadsBooks]

Great video. Angela Carter is divine. I have the physical book and it is the most dog eared and reread book on my shelves.

[@EmmaAppleBerry]

I LOVE the jacky leon series by kristen banet its honestly *chefs kiss* honestly find myself counting down the days til the next book in the series is out. Like i need a like break after reading each book to just not read and like enjoy and breathe and absorb it - i never so this i read a book a day average and i never reread books but ive come back to this series which is indepth high quality so not like super easy to go through like rereading a kids story book or a more shallow easy read smut rom com type haha but yeah its amazing like theres so many series i love but theres really a dolid handful that i find myself like being reminded of randomly remembering them and being like wow that was fucking awesome and just day dreaming on it and finding myself wanting to reread and soak it up again honestly just i love books haha and the really amazing ones are soul evolving like you feel cloud nine enlightment before and after this book sort of milestone.

[@robinbirb]

Magical realism is probably my favorite genre. I feel like it helps re-enchant our view of the world, y'know? Especially in the midst of adult life that so easily becomes monotonous and disenchanted. If you haven't read it yet, I think you'd enjoy Diving Belles by Lucy Wood. It's a collection of short stories-all magical realism-and each one is so very good. I particularly love the one titled "Notes from the House Spirits," which has lived rent-free in my brain for nearly a decade now.

[@yositoosecre6073]

Nice recomendations!! Hey, what are your thoughs on The Witcher Saga?? I loved them.. much better than the netflix's show..

[@Sifirela]

Ooh. Thank you so much for the book suggestions! I've been looking for more books in this genre. I'm going to have to check out these as soon as I can.

[@richrosebay]

Which books or series would you recommend for a Harry Potter fan?

[@anushkabhattacharya8964]

If ur into magical realism pls check " The strange and beautiful sorrows of ava lavender"by Leslie Walton it's one of the most beautiful book i have ever read and it's very magical and whimsical. Love your videos as always ❤❤

[@cinnamonteeth]

Agreed, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is like an uncensored dark fairytale

[@christy-anne-jones]

Ooh thank you so much for the recommendation 💛

[@ohohnenyeoo2654]

Thank you :)

[@paulaquilina1103]

Astonishing the Gods by Ben Okri,Midnights Children/Rushdi,Kafka on the shore,and 1Q84/Murakami,love him eh! ;Invisable cities/ITALO CALVINO;The Grand Meaulnes,The lost estate/Henry Alain Fournier;The Time Travellers wife/Audrey Niefenegger;Cloud Atlas/David Mitchell?The Magus/John Fowles;The life of Pi/Yann Martel;The Third Policeman/Flann Obrien;The Infernal Desire Machines of Dr.Hoffman/Angela Carter also The Magic Toyshop]love her too!

[@cloudyjean4785]

This is my fave genre :)

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

I really really love you and your amazing channel please stay safe and enjoy your reading love your Australia fan John ❤️❤️❤️

[@kaceyodonoghue6684]

Enjoyed this video. Wish books were listed below

[@somemorebooks1159]

Any of Sarah Addison Allen’s Books.❤️

[@amfactz0]

I love lonely castle in the mirror

[@MissMahaxo]

Anything by Isabel Allende!

[@nur-e-diphamuttaqi]

Midnight's Children

[@themule8625]

I always think of the satanic verses by Salman Rushdie when I think of magical realism. Also you should read Spring Snow by Mishima if you like specifically Japanese magical realism.

[@fallenangelz291]

No Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

[@yazhinienterprises9970]

Christy pls recommend books for teenage girls

[@user-gu7wy3qj9x]

the argentinian author, cesar aira is a great author in this vein.

[@ScullyPopASMR]

This is a great show today.

[@paulcollins5586]

Great video. Lilith by George Macdonald is a must.

[@Dexter-vj2lr]

I started reading 100 years of solitude and there were so many Arcadios and aureliano that it became too heavy

[@chelinciciliactomo]

Is Stardust novel by Neil Gaiman also a magic Realism novel??? Anyone who knows please help me to answer this,,

[@rlynn6658]

Lovely video. You're great.

[@pooranikannan7634]

The Disappearances ❤️ by Emily Bain Murphy

[@ulengrau6357]

I'm surprised to not see a single book from a Latin American author on here. You kind of have to go out of your way to not include one in a list of favourite "magic realism" books. - Alejo Carpentier (originator of the term "marvelous real", which led to the "magic realism" most commonly known through Garcia Marquez's fiction) - Gabriel García Márquez (obvious choice - no Murakami without Marquez, since Murakami has stated he was greatly inspired by Marquez's work in writing his own) - Juan Rulfo (another originator of magic realism; Marquez went on record to say that reading Rulfo helped him write "One Hundred Years of Solitude") - Isabel Allende - Carlos Fuentes - Laura Esquivel Apologies for seeming a little peeved, but I feel for many of the (assuming) Latin American/Hispanic commenters on this video. It's basically as if someone made a list of their favourite Victorian novels and didn't include any of the Brönte sisters, or worse, Dickens. That being said, I do love that you included some Japanese novels of which others may not have heard.

[@rebeccaalley9762]

Thanks for another great video. I was curious what does your tattoo say?

[@Moonlight.Melon.Mounter]

Portal fantasy is portal fantasy pop

[@rayanenoberto6879]

Plsss, read Pedro Paramo, by Juan Rulfo! 💜💜💜

[@natascha12777]

how many times u said "like" in this video 😂🤗 was a bit distracting but thanks a lot for your recommendations, made me want to read almost all of them ;)

[@owly611]

Salman Rushdie!! :D

[@elizabethli8565]

Hi~I like this video very much. Would you mind if I ask your permission to share this video on another website in China and translate the subtitle into Chinese because KZbin is blocked in China. And I will display the website of your video when I share it. Thank you!

[@gaurichauhan7942]

Omg I am so F A S T !

[@christy-anne-jones]

💛💛

[@laranorbertorenzeti4439]

I'm almost done reading 'before the coffee gets cold' and I'm so sad to say that I'm not enjoying this one. Maybe I had too high expectations but I found the book so lighthearted it was flowing away. Like, vanishing in the air with coffee smoke. I got really annoyed by how repetitive the narration is, since the rules are explained multiple times even in the same story. Also the characters seem a little robotic, and I found it hard to form a mental image of them because they were so unremarkable. The general vibe for me was that of a great book idea lost in poor execution, you know? Idk, I really wanted to like this one because the whole premise of the cafe and the idea of going back to the past in those specific conditions sound brilliant and creative. Unfortunately I was just disappointed and frustrated, and just could not connect to any of the plot lines or characters. At least, many other readers have a different opinion and have really enjoyed it, but it's really not my cup of tea (and especially not at all my cup of coffee).

[@mauriciovega6769]

I think the regular anglo reader has a hard time reading Latinamerican Magic Realism authors. Perhaps the political, social, and religious comments make them feel uncomfortable; anyways, if you have the stomach, you'll see that the best works of this genre live in the Latinamerican authors mentioned in the comments below.

[@GrootsieTheDog]

No Native American authors? That’s like creating a list of 60s jazz without Miles Davis.

[@paulaquilina1103]

Be very interested in reading a few Native American magic Realist novels;could you name a few?

[@asilaabdiganiyeva2152]

Mmmm🥰 new boooks💚

[@KcMcclary]

Would Benjamin button be Magical Realism?

[@MelindaNolen]

Quit shaking the book when u show it.

[@thespringmonster7807]

Haruki Murakami is the best magic realist writer after gabriel marquess in my opinion

[@goldenstar7499]

For a simple and helpful magic practice, I have also appreciated a mini e-tutorial written by Regina del Graal. Check on yt: " Easy magic for modern witches, fairies and wizards"