Lessons in Magic and Disaster

By Charlie Jane Anders

Book Overview

In the vein of Alice Hoffman and Charlie Jane Anders's own All the Birds in the Sky comes a novel full of family, discovery, and witchcraft.

A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic--with very unexpected results--in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love.

Jamie is the average New England academic in-training--she has a strong queer relationship, a handful of generational trauma to work through in therapy, and an esoteric dissertation proposal.

But she has one extraordinary secret: Jamie is also a powerful witch.

Though Jamie is busy researching a three-hundred-year-old anonymous (possibly magical) book and keeping afloat in the gauntlet of academia, she tries to make time to see her mother Serena, who has closed herself off completely after the death of her beloved wife (Jamie's other mother) Mae.

Now, Jamie has been hoping to bring the grieving Serena back to life again by teaching her mother how to also use magic. But she doesn't know the true story of what happened to her mom ten years ago---and casting spells together leads to another terrible loss.

It's up to Jamie now to uncover the secrets behind that mysterious 18th century novel. She needs it, both to finish her dissertation as well as to use its hidden message from the past to smooth the magical chaos Serena has wrought in the present....before their future can get any worse.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250867339
• ISBN13: 9781250867339
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 320 Pages