“Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep Rosemary by your garden gate. Plant roses and lavender for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
This quote from Alice Hoffman’s “Practical Magic” series imbues the reader into the novels’ enchanting world of life, love and magical realism.
And now it’s official, “Practical Magic” fans are getting a movie sequel. The original “Practical Magic” movie, starring Nichole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, debuted in 1998 just three years after the publication of the book.
I grew up watching the movie with my mom and my aunts, spellbound by the earthy-gothic aesthetic set in a seaside village in the late 1900s. For me this movie is about more than a midnight murder and resurrection. It’s about love, sisterhood and the power of working together. My favorite book, “Magic Lessons,” is the first book in the four book series. In my humble opinion, the first two books are the best in the series yet the last two have their own movies, so it goes.
The Owens women have been cursed in love by their ancestor Maria Owens. The click, click, click of the deathwatch beetle preceded each of their lovers’ demise for hundreds of years. Until, in “The Book of Magic,” an Owens woman turns to dark magic to save the one she loves. “What you send out comes back to you threefold. What you give to the world returns in kind. Blood begets blood.”
In its entirety there are four books in the series that are listed in chronological order below with their publication year and we have each book available at the library in several formats.
Series in the Story’s Chronological Order:
“Magic Lessons” (2020)
Maria is the ultimate Owens family matriarch and Magic Lessons is her origin story. This is where readers learn about how the entire Owens bloodline will become cursed in love. As an infant, Maria is found by Hannah Owens in a snowy field where a black crow has been watching over the young girl. As Maria grows so does her intellect of the natural world. Hannah teaches her to read and write, attributes not often found in women at the time and judged harshly as a sign of the devil. As a young girl Maria takes off on a journey of self discovery where love imparts some of the most important and dangerous lessons. This is also where readers get to meet the dashing and loving Samuel Dias. 
“Rules of Magic” (2017)
Set in New York City, three siblings have been orphaned and must learn how to survive on their own. This book weaves a dark tale wrought with hardship and heartbreak as the siblings navigate 1960s New York City with the Stonewall Riots as a pivotal backdrop.
“Practical Magic” (1995)
Sally and Gilly want nothing more than to be normal. The magic that runs through their lineage seems to bring up nothing but trouble. But in this book we see the practicality of what a little magic can create. The magic of friendship and sisterhood can save you when it seems there is no other cure for your broken heart.
“The Book of Magic” (2021)
Three sets of siblings now vie for a curse-breaker. This is the fourth and final novel in the series and the book that the new movie that comes out in September 2026 will be based on.
“Practical Magic” (1998, DVD)
If you want to catch up on the Practical Magic movie before number two comes out, check out the DVD copy.
“When you fall in love like that, time doesn’t matter. This was the secret he told Maria, the last words he ever said. What belonged to you once, will always belong to you. Be grateful if you have walked through the world with another’s heart in your hand.” ― Alice Hoffman, “Magic Lessons”
