Explore These Grown-Up Reads with a Studio Ghibli Vibe
If you're captivated by the whimsical yet profound essence of Studio Ghibli, dive into these books that echo that magic for adults. Each story offers a blend of fantasy and introspection, perfect for those who appreciate the artistry of life. Discover narratives that will transport you to enchanting worlds while exploring deeper themes.
Howl's Moving Castle
336 pages
Even though it may not be specifically written for adults, I found it incredibly enjoyable as an adult.
Neverwhere
402 pages
It's a fantastic book that evokes a Ghibli vibe, making it a unique read, though it does explore some adult themes.
Tales from Earthsea
417 pages
The book series is definitely intended for adults, offering a rich and immersive experience that inspired the Ghibli-esque movie 'Earthsea'.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
824 pages
*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW* Toru Okada's cat has disappeared. His wife is growing more distant every day. Then there are the increasingly explicit telephone calls he has recently been receiving. As this compelling story unfolds, the tidy suburban realities of Okada's vague and blameless life, spent cooking, reading, listening to jazz and opera and drinking beer at the kitchen table, are turned inside out, and he embarks on a bizarre journey, guided (however obscurely) by a succession of characters, each with a tale to tell. 'Visionary...a bold and generous book' New York Times 'Murakami weaves textured layers of reality into a shot-silk garment of deceptive beauty' Independent on Sunday 'Deeply philosophical and teasingly perplexing, it is impossible to put down' Daily Telegraph 'Mesmerising, surreal, this really is the work of a true original' The Times
Norwegian Wood
390 pages
*PRE-ORDER HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NEW NOVEL, THE CITY AND ITS UNCERTAIN WALLS, NOW* 'A masterly novel' New York Times 'Such is the exquisite, gossamer construction of Murakami's writing that everything he chooses to describe trembles with symbolic possibility' Guardian Read the haunting love story that turned Murakami into a literary superstar. When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire - to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past. 'Evocative, entertaining, sexy and funny; but then Murakami is one of the best writers around' Time Out 'Poignant, romantic and hopeless, it beautifully encapsulates the heartbreak and loss of faith' Sunday Times 'This book is undeniably hip, full of student uprisings, free love, booze and 1960s pop, it's also genuinely emotionally engaging, and describes the highs of adolescence as well as the lows' Independent on Sunday
The Starless Sea
524 pages
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world—a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
Der Schatten des Windes
754 pages
It gives you that same magical vibe that draws you into its enchanting world.
The Graveyard Book
338 pages
Neil Gaiman's perennial favorite, The Graveyard Book, has sold more than one million copies and is the only novel to win both the Newbery Medal and the Carnegie Medal. Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place—he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? The Graveyard Book is the winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Hugo Award for best novel, the Locus Award for Young Adult novel, the American Bookseller Association’s “Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book,” a Horn Book Honor, and Audio Book of the Year. Don't miss this modern classic—whether shared as a read-aloud or read independently, it's sure to appeal to readers ages 8 and up.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
431 pages
ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BOOKS AND WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE _______________________________ 'Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice' Gabriel García Márquez's great masterpiece is the story of seven generations of the Buendía family and of Macondo, the town they built. Though little more than a settlement surrounded by mountains, Macondo has its wars and disasters, even its wonders and its miracles. A microcosm of Columbian life, its secrets lie hidden, encoded in a book, and only Aureliano Buendía can fathom its mysteries and reveal its shrouded destiny. Blending political reality with magic realism, fantasy and comic invention, One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the most daringly original works of the twentieth century. _______________________________ 'Should be required reading for the entire human race' The New York Times 'The book that sort of saved my life' Emma Thompson 'No lover of fiction can fail to respond to the grace of Márquez's writing' Sunday Telegraph
Un Lun Dun
528 pages
This book gives off strong Ghibli vibes with its young female protagonist, making it an intriguing read that transcends typical YA themes.
Sophie's World
604 pages
This book offers a mysterious journey through the history of philosophical thinking, reminiscent of Ghibli's enchanting storytelling.
The Magicians
433 pages
Lev Grossman’s new novel THE BRIGHT SWORD is out now! The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on SYFY “The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea. . . . Hogwarts was never like this.” —George R.R. Martin “Sad, hilarious, beautiful, and essential to anyone who cares about modern fantasy.” —Joe Hill “A very knowing and wonderful take on the wizard school genre.” —John Green “The Magicians may just be the most subversive, gripping and enchanting fantasy novel I’ve read this century.” —Cory Doctorow “This gripping novel draws on the conventions of contemporary and classic fantasy novels in order to upend them . . . an unexpectedly moving coming-of-age story.” —The New Yorker “The best urban fantasy in years.” —A.V. Club Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A high school math genius, he’s secretly fascinated with a series of children’s fantasy novels set in a magical land called Fillory, and real life is disappointing by comparison. When Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to an elite, secret college of magic, it looks like his wildest dreams have come true. But his newfound powers lead him down a rabbit hole of hedonism and disillusionment, and ultimately to the dark secret behind the story of Fillory. The land of his childhood fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. . . . The prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, The Magicians is one of the most daring and inventive works of literary fantasy in years. No one who has escaped into the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter should miss this breathtaking return to the landscape of the imagination.
Sabriel: The Old Kingdom 2
315 pages
This book has a dreamy quality reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films, featuring a young necromancer on a quest to save her father, a snarky cat companion, and a whimsical flying machine. It's seriously good and definitely worth checking out!
Inkspell
538 pages
Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of the extraordinary events of Inkheart, and the story whose characters strode out of the pages, and changed her life forever. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater, torn from his world of words, the need to return has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the magical ability to read him back, he sets in motion a dangerous reversal that sees the characters of Inkheart transported to a charmed Inkworld, about to be fought over by rival rebels and princes. But can Meggie, Farid and Fenoglio 'write' the wrongs of a charmed world about to be fought over by rival princes and rebels?
Inkheart
436 pages
Meggie loves books. So does her father, Mo, a bookbinder, although he has never read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared. They live quietly until the night a stranger knocks at their door. He has come with a warning that forces Mo to reveal an extraordinary secret - a storytelling secret that will change their lives for ever.
Invisible Cities
184 pages
This book reads like an imagined travel diary of Marco Polo, sharing captivating stories of cities and places he has encountered, making it a must-read for anyone interested in architecture.
The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear
477 pages
This book may seem like a children's story, but it unfolds into a complex and enjoyable fantasy adventure about a human-sized bear with blue fur, exploring various fascinating lives.
Deathless
230 pages
Catherynne M. Valente's *Deathless* features beautiful prose and a whimsical, surreal, and magical quality that evokes the charm of Ghibli films.
Radiance
423 pages
*Radiance* by Catherynne M. Valente is another enchanting read that showcases her beautiful prose and magical storytelling.
The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden
498 pages
Though I haven't read it yet, *In the Night Garden* sounds like it captures the Ghibli essence, making it a promising read.
Uprooted
449 pages
A dark enchantment blights the land in the award-winning Uprooted – a captivating fantasy inspired by fairy tales and steeped in Slavic folklore from Naomi Novik, author of the Scholomance trilogy and the Temeraire series. 'A great heroine, new takes on old myths and legends, and surprising twists and turns. A delight' – Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments Agnieszka loves her village, set deep in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest casts a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest's dark magic. However, his help comes at a terrible price. One young village woman must serve him for ten years, leaving all they love and value behind. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka fears her dearest friend Kasia will be picked next, for she's everything Agnieszka is not – beautiful, graceful and brave. Yet when the Dragon comes, it's not Kasia he takes . . . Uprooted is a stunning romantic fantasy filled with unexpected twists, beautiful friendships and fierce battles against dark forces. Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel Winner of the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel Winner of the British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel Shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel Shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Novel
The Book of Lost Things
486 pages
This book is a unique blend of fairytale elements with a brutal twist, exploring themes of growing up and the confrontation between childhood and the adult world, reminiscent of Ghibli movies.
Never Let Me Go
274 pages
This book has an intriguing 'otherworldly' vibe with secrets lurking just beneath the surface, making it a captivating read.
A Wizard of Earthsea
267 pages
Originally published in 1968, Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea marks the first of the six now beloved Earthsea titles. Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tumultuous tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
When Marnie Was There (Essential Modern Classics)
234 pages
This book is enjoyable for readers of all ages, making it a delightful read regardless of your stage in life.
The House in the Cerulean Sea
338 pages
This book is a heartwarming and cozy read that features found family vibes, a charming minor romance, and a cast of weird and wonderful characters.
The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
The Nausicaä manga is a must-read as it offers a much deeper and longer story than the movie, making it a rich and rewarding experience.
The Goblin Emperor
388 pages
This book gives off Ghibli vibes with its strong theme of kindness, showing how being kind can enhance one's ability to rule. It's a more adult take on the slice of life and fantasy of manners genre, focusing on the protagonist's life over a few months with minimal action.
A Song for Summer
433 pages
Eva Ibbotson's 'Songs for Summer' is a delightful escape into a charming world filled with romance and idyllic supporting characters.
Tales from Watership Down
290 pages
It's a great adventure with vividly beautiful descriptions that make it feel like a Ghibli film.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
226 pages
This excellent children's book gains even more depth when you explore the context of its creation, especially considering Rushdie's circumstances at the time.
A Countess Below Stairs
'The Countess Below Upstairs' offers a captivating blend of romance and enchanting storytelling, making it a must-read for those who enjoy charming narratives.
