Household Lore by Liza Frank

If you’ve ever wondered which windowsill herbs repel the supernatural, which way you should hang up a horseshoe, or whether your dog can talk, crack open this book and take a tour around the beliefs and traditions that lurk under the stairs, inside the cracks and behind every cobweb of your home.

In every culture, folklore is passed down the generations, helping us to protect and maintain our sacred spaces and giving us advice should we accidentally knock a fork off the table or want to dabble in some doorway divination. With each chapter dedicated to a different room in the house, you’ll learn how to navigate your home harmoniously.

• Discover how your roof can predict the future and what to do should a witch decide to land on it.
• Tiptoe into the bedroom and uncover what the ancients had to say about aphrodisiacs and how to escape supernatural interference while asleep.
• Sit down in the dining room and lift the lid on unsavoury indigestion remedies and what the old wives recommended for a hangover.
• From the rafters to the cellar steps, from the garden path to the kitchen cupboard – your home is chock-full of secrets waiting to be revealed

The folklore of home, told with charm, wit, and a healthy dose of “please don’t actually try this.”

Pre-Reading Thoughts

Folklore plus interior spaces? Yes, please. I was instantly intrigued by the idea of exploring old superstitions and traditions room by room — and with a book this gorgeous (gilded edges! full-page illustrations!), it practically demanded a place of honour on the coffee table.

Post-Reading

As I thought...
This is an absolute treat — part folkloric field guide, part domestic history, and all presented with Liza Frank’s dry, delightful humour. Every page uncovers some fascinating, often bizarre belief about what lurks in our cupboards, corners, and cracks. It’s the perfect mix of academic curiosity and fireside storytelling.

It surprised me by...
How genuinely funny it is. Frank never mocks the traditions, but she’s not afraid to add a cheerful “Please do not do this” after particularly wild advice. The result feels like learning from a very well-read friend who can’t resist an occasional deadpan aside. I also loved how wide-ranging it is — every culture, every superstition, all under one (possibly witch-haunted) roof.

Vibe Check

• Colour palette: Candlelight gold and shadowy corners

• Soundtrack: Crackling fire and quiet laughter over teacups

• Season: Late autumn, when the nights stretch long and the wind has opinions

• Mood: Inquisitive, cozy, a little superstitious

• Scent: Beeswax, herbs drying on the rafters, and a hint of old paper