Witty Books True Ravenclaws Will Appreciate (Hogwarts House Reading Lists)

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Ravenclaws will love this Hogwarts House reading list! Known for their cleverness and love of knowledge, Ravenclaw personality types are often bookish types, too. If you love intelligent books that are full of wit and whimsy, these 10 reads won’t disappoint. Find suggestions below for YA books for Ravenclaws, classic novels, and contemporary fiction.

Girl in preppy outfit reading a book under a tree with a picnic basket nearby

Books for Ravenclaws: What to Read Based on Your Hogwarts House

When J. K. Rowling gave us the Harry Potter series, she also gave us a new way of sorting our personalities. For those of us already obsessed with our Myers-Briggs types, the Enneagram, and all the various animal personality tests, the Hogwarts house sorting system is more butter for our bread.

In the books, all of the students who attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are sorted into four distinct “houses” when they enter their first year. Students room, eat, and attend classes with their houses. Each house is known for certain characteristics shared by the students in them.

Here are the four Hogwarts Houses and their definitive traits:

  • Gryffindor – courage, chivalry, and daring
  • Hufflepuff – loyalty, hard work, and justice
  • Slytherin – cunning, intelligence, and ambition
  • Ravenclaw – creativity, wit, and learning

You probably already have an inkling of which house you belong in, but if you’re not sure you can get sorted on Rowling’s Pottermore website (scroll to the bottom where it says “Join Your Hogwarts House”). You can also take the longer version of the sorting test here.

For my own part, I’m proud to be a Ravenclaw. We value knowledge and we’re generally a bookish bunch (so my house shouldn’t really come as a surprise!). That’s not to say that the other houses don’t appreciate a good book, too. In fact, we know there are avid bookworms in all the houses, and that’s why I thought it would be fun to create reading lists based on each Hogwarts house.

But we’ll start with the Ravenclaw reading list, just because(: We’ll get to the other houses in future posts, so stay tuned!

Woman in a purple shirt with red nail polish reading a red book

What kinds of books do Ravenclaws like to read?

Ravenclaws are brainy and creative types, so we like cerebral books that make us think. We also like books with a dash of quirkiness–our house does turn out a few oddballs, after all! (Ahem, Sybill Trelawney!) You’ll often find a Ravenclaw reading a detective novel, an imaginative Sci-Fi, or a thick classic with archaic words and complicated plots. Books with mystery, a touch of insanity, and plenty of wit and intelligence are sure to suit most true Ravenclaws.

Here are 10 books every smart Ravenclaw should read:

Cover of The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl - open book with Victorian characters jumping through the pages

1. The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl

This novel is a booklover’s book. The Last Bookaneer is about the literary pirates (i.e. people who steal manuscripts) of the late 19th century. In this historical adventure novel, the most famous “bookaneers” of the trade go head to head in a final attempt to etch their names in history–by heisting Robert Louis Stevenson’s last manuscript! It’s a clever, twisting adventure steeped in the romance of paper and ink.

Book cover of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Regency woman painting at a table

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

There are many great classic books for Ravenclaws. With novels full of wit and nuance, anything by Jane Austen is a good pick. However, Pride and Prejudice is a particularly apt choice, as Lizzie Bennett would very likely be sorted into Ravenclaw herself! She’s quick witted and sharp tongued, and apparently likes to improve her mind by extensive reading.

Signet Classics book cover of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - ghostly woman standing in petticoats

3. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

This is a haunting ghost story that Ravenclaws will relish for its subtle wordplay, hidden meanings, and intricate prose. It may have been written over a hundred years ago, but it will still send a chill along your spine if you read it on a lonely night.

Dover Thrift cover of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle - Sherlock and Watson talking on a train

4. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The short stories in this collection make good just-before-bed reading for Ravenclaws to keep on their nightstand. Ravenclaws don’t mind matching wits with the world’s most famous detective! We might not come close to achieving his brilliance, but we’re certainly well beyond “elementary, my dear Watson.”

Alice and Wonderland book cover - Alice dodging playing cards as they swarm around her

5. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Let’s be honest: Ravenclaws sometimes have a tendency to be pretty eccentric (hat tip to Luna Lovegood and Gilderoy Lockhart!). Alice will satisfy the quirky streak in all of us. It delivers plenty of other things Ravenclaws enjoy, too, like logic puzzles, dream imagery, and lots of nonsense that’s actually quite clever. And I’m certain Charles Lutwidge Dodgson would’ve been sorted into Ravenclaw himself, wouldn’t you agree?

Book cover of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco - medieval painting of a monastery with monks

6. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose isn’t an easy read by any means–a fact which will instantly endear it to every self-respecting Ravenclaw. This novel is laced with literal and metaphorical mazes. You may very well lose yourself in the minutiae of Medieval religious debate or monastic politics. But keep your wits about you: bodies are going to drop and a labyrinthine library holds the clue–if you can decipher it!

Book cover of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - collage of characters and scenes described in the book

7. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Brainy–and, once again, quirky–this fantasy sci-fi is a book Ravenclaws will love to re-read on an appropriately dark and stormy night.

The Merchant of Venice book cover from Folger Shakespeare Library - dark green and yellow background with white script font

8. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare is always good reading for a Ravenclaw, but The Merchant of Venice is an especially good pick for a number of reasons. First, there’s Portia, a fantastic heroine who shines with wittiness, tact, and wisdom. Then, there’s the fun conundrums of the caskets and the deal between Shylock and Antonio. Add to those the fact that Merchant is a “problem play” and invites controversy and discussion…and we Ravenclaws relish a nice literary debate now and then!

Book cover of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg - children walking up red-carpeted stairs into the Metropolitan Museum of Art

9. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

This is the story of how Claudia Kincaid and her brother Jamie run away from home to hide out in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love this book because you can tell that Claudia is every inch a Ravenclaw. She also exemplifies some of the faults that Ravenclaws are prone to, like perfectionism, detachment, and certain blind spots. For all her careful planning and thinking, she needs Jamie’s non-intellectual approach on more than one occasion.

Sidenote: From the Mixed-Up Files won a Book Oscar in my awards ceremony earlier this year!

Book cover of Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - train with red smoke billowing out behind

10. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Pick up this classic mystery for a quick weekend puzzler. With Hercule Poirot presiding, Murder on the Orient Express feels classically Christie. But it also goes against the detective novel norm because, well…go read it and find out(: Also, methinks M. Poriot is yet another literary Ravenclaw?

For more Agatha Christie books sure to please a Ravenclaw, check out this list of every Agatha Christie book in order.https://teaandinksociety.com/agatha-christie-books-in-order/

 What other books do you think Ravenclaws would appreciate? Do you know your Hogwarts house?

More Hogwarts House reading recommendations:

Colorful stack of Harry Potter paperback books

Witty Books True Ravenclaws Will Appreciate (Hogwarts House Reading Lists)Witty Books True Ravenclaws Will Appreciate (Hogwarts House Reading Lists)
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29 Comments

  1. I love this list! Portia is my favorite Shakespeare character. I think she’d make a great Ravenclaw, although she shares some similarities with Hermione too, so maybe a Gryffindor? I haven’t read Turn of the Screw, but there’s a beautiful ghost in Ravenclaw Tower…I’d like to see a story written about her!

  2. Love this post! Such a good idea. I believe the sorting hat gave me Hufflepuff when I took the quiz on Halloween last year. Excited to see my reading list in an upcoming post!

    1. Thank you, Jen! I think Rowling did such a fantastic job coming up with the houses…it’s really fun to think about how some books seem to resonate with those 4 character/personality types.

  3. Two other books series I love: the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde, starting with The Eyre Affair; and the Chronicles of St. Mary’s

  4. I know I’m really late to this article, but I recently read a Ravenclaw book if there ever was one: Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore. I mean, it’s about a bookstore, first of all, but there’s also a secret literary society with members solving increasingly complex cryptographic puzzles to discover a centuries old secret.

  5. I am also desparately late to this post. The fiction I have most emjoyed recently are the series starting with Graceling by Kristin Cashore, the Throne of Glass series by Sarah Maas, the Grisha Trilogy (starting with Shadow and Bone) by Leigh Bardugo, and The Queen of the Tearling series by Erika Johansen. There’s a great buzzfeed article for HP lovers from which I shamelessly stole this list. The Stand by Stephen King (unabridged – it’s worth it) is a personal fav, as is The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Enjoy!

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