Household Lore by Liza Frank is one of those books that immediately makes you look around your own home differently. The premise is simple but clever — exploring the folklore, traditions, and old remedies attached to every corner of the house — and it’s executed with a sense of wonder that feels both nostalgic and fresh. Each room becomes its own little world of superstition and story. You start in familiar places like the kitchen or bedroom, but before long you’re wandering into the attic, the garden path, even the bathroom, uncovering bits of domestic magic and history that most of us never think about anymore.

What I loved most about this book is how readable it is. Frank has a warm, inviting voice, the kind that feels like she’s sitting across from you over a cup of tea, sharing the kind of half-remembered customs your grandmother might have mentioned once. It’s clearly well-researched, but it never feels academic or heavy. There’s a real affection for the material that makes even the strangest traditions feel approachable. The structure — moving room by room — gives the book a sense of discovery and progression, so you’re not just flipping through trivia but taking a kind of folkloric tour of your own home.

That said, this is definitely a book that leans toward charm and atmosphere rather than depth. Each entry is brief, more like a fascinating tidbit or an anecdote than a deep dive, and sometimes I wanted a little more context. It isn’t the kind of folklore book that gets bogged down in footnotes or analysis, and while that makes it easy to read, it also means some sections feel like they skim the surface. I love deep history and the study of changing practices, so I know this is a personal preference. I'd read this if it was twice as long! (And it's so well sourced at the end, I have plenty to go study from.) Still, there’s such a variety of material here — old wives’ remedies, bits of superstition, seasonal customs, small rituals — that even if one story doesn’t grab you, the next one will.

The tone also manages to avoid being overly mystical or gimmicky. This isn’t a “witchcraft” book in the spellbook sense, though it will absolutely appeal to anyone with an interest in folk magic or the way beliefs live in everyday domestic life. It’s more about cultural memory — the strange little things humans have always done to feel safer, luckier, or more in control of their surroundings. There’s a tenderness in how Frank treats these fragments of tradition, as though she’s gently dusting them off and setting them back on the shelf where they belong.

If you go into Household Lore expecting an encyclopedic reference, you might find it too light, but as a beautifully written and whimsically organized collection, it’s a delight. It’s the sort of book you can dip in and out of, read aloud, or leave on your coffee table to spark conversation. I found myself tabbing pages and thinking, “Oh, I’ve heard that one before,” or “I didn’t know that’s where that custom came from.” It made me want to tend my home a little more intentionally — to treat the ordinary spaces as places full of old ghosts and quiet stories.

In short, Household Lore is a cozy, intelligent celebration of the folklore that hides in plain sight. It’s not trying to be definitive; it’s trying to remind you that your house has a history, that even the humblest traditions have roots worth remembering. For me, it succeeded completely.

This book was SO interesting! Obviously most of the things in it can’t be used in real life these days but it was very interesting to read all of the history behind keeping our homes safe and curse free! I really enjoyed it! The cover is gorgeous, and the inside is as well. This would much a lovely coffee table book and conversation piece.

Household Lore by Liza Frank

I adore this book! It is wonderful to learn where the traditions that have been passed down came from and why, in some cases, we still do the things we do. This book is easy to navigate by being broken down room by room and filled with rituals and remedies for all sorts of afflictions…… but maybe it’s best to leave some of them between the pages. It really is a fun and informative read. Definitely added to my Christmas list for a few superstitious family members!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Watkins Publishing and Liza Frank for the joy of reading this one.

This was such a fun and beautiful read, and VERY comprehensive. It was fun to learn new things and see things I recognize. Thank you for the arc!