The Bout of Books Read-a-thon encourages goal-setting and sponsors several challenges as part of a week long celebration of reading. (Check back on Thursday as yours truly is hosting one!) One of my goals was to participate in two challenges. This one, hosted by Doing Dewey, is my second.

The instructions are to introduce a reader to a favorite genre. Today I’d like to introduce you to a sub-genre, paranormal women’s fiction.

Paranormal women’s fiction is not Paranormal Romance although the two are sometimes confused. (I found this out after I wrote what I thought was a paranormal romance that pushed the boundaries Turns out my boundary stretching pushed the book all the way out of the sphere.) The genre of paranormal romance comes with many restrictions—the romance must be at all times paramount, the hero must be rough but gentle, hero and heroine cannot be separated for more than x pages… I can’t remember all the rules. After much stuffing of a square peg through a round hole, I finally realized Moonlight Dancer was not a romance but was women’s fiction.

Women’s fiction is an exciting genre. I think of it as book club reading for women who really like to think about and discuss books. For me, the best women’s fiction marries the plot and love (romantic or family) of commercial fiction with literary style and something extra. Paranormal women’s fiction will include elements of time travel or ghosts, for instance.

Here are three books of paranormal women’s fiction I hope will intrigue you. (Of course, I had to choose three as three is a magical number.)

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. This is a lovely coming-of-age story told by Suzie who has just been murdered. In her confusing afterlife, she must come to terms with her new circumstances, including the loss of a budding love, and find a way to keep her sister safe from the neighborhood murderer.

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. This book is different from other Picoult books you may have read. I believe it is her only ghost story. As she does in many of her other books, however, Picoult tackles her topic from multiple viewpoints–a despondent ghosthunter who feels love has passed him by, the mother of a precocious child who suffers from XP, and an elderly Abenaki man examining his lost past. When I read this novel I discovered a bonus: I learned something new about U.S. history. (Hint: Eugenics did not start with Hitler.)

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I had a tough time deciding which book to use as I love so many of this author’s novels–The Third Angel, Red Garden, The Story Sisters. But Practical Magic is an early work that stands the test of time and is a wonderful introduction to Hoffman’s work. Hoffman plays out sister relationships, romantic relationships–both good and bad, supportive and obsessive–and the extent to which we protect those we love. The added bonus here is humor sprinkled throughout rich, imagistic prose.

So, here are three examples of Paranormal Women’s Fiction. I hope I have piqued your interest in this genre. Have you read any of these? What did you think? Drop me a line anytime. I LOVE to recommend books.

Now I’m off to check out what everyone else has recommended. Yum, more books!