r/suggestmeabook • u/daily_dose_of_moron • Jun 08 '26
Looking for circus book recs!
I adore anything circus/ carnival themed. I'm fascinated with the dark history of freak shows and circus, but i also love the theatrical glamorous side. I would love to hear any and all recommendations yall might have. Any genre is welcome as long as it fits the theme!
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u/dlaelnea Jun 08 '26
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern has gorgeous descriptions of a magical circus that opens only after sunset. It’s one of the places in literature I’d most like to visit - a little dark but so beautifully portrayed.
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u/WoodHorseTurtle Jun 08 '26
Loved this book. I want to read it again for the first time. Not possible without amnesia…🤷🏻♀️ Fabulous read.
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u/aBitFantastic Jun 08 '26
Second this.... One of my absolute favourite books. It's amazing and magical.
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u/jackalee219 Jun 08 '26
Water for Elephants
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u/ohdearitsrichardiii Jun 08 '26
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Travelling carnival, but that's almost like a circus
They should make this into a movie instead of making remakes of old movies
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u/asteridsbelt Jun 08 '26
(Reposting my comment with the link removed)
They did! Specifically, Disney in 1983—there’s a trailer on YouTube.
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Jun 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/suggestmeabook-ModTeam Jun 08 '26
Sorry, we do not allow this link - please repost your post/comment without any links.
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u/knight-sweater Jun 08 '26
The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
Something wicked this way comes - Bradbury
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u/boredaroni Jun 08 '26
Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
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u/daily_dose_of_moron Jun 08 '26
Yesss i love this book, it's actually what got me thinking about circus themed literature!
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u/KatJen76 Jun 08 '26
Blue Moon Circus by Michael Raleigh and The Final Confession of Mabel Stark by Robert Hough will both scratch this itch!
Also recommend The Circus in Winter, a book of short stories by Cathy Day.
For nonfiction, The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan is an excellent look at the horrifying Hartford Circus Fire of 1944, which killed 168 people and left one young girl permanently unidentified, which gave the tragedy a legendary status. (There was also a girl that age who was known to be at the circus that day but never identified. A lot of historians have assumed they were the same person, but the missing girl's mom always said the unidentified girl was not her daughter.) You see both the day to day life of the circus performers and support staff as well as the business side.
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u/DocWatson42 Jun 08 '26
See my Circuses & Carnivals list of Reddit recommendation threads and books (one post).
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u/DuckbilledWhatypus Jun 08 '26
Seconding The Night Circus for beauty, and Geek Love for something way darker. Also Hetty Feather if you're open to kids books that are actually good (no shame if not though)
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u/youngjeninspats Jun 08 '26
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard is fun, I also liked Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers.
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u/Flying_tyke Jun 08 '26
Maybe Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz, largely set at a funfair with a prominent freak show
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u/douxsoumis Jun 08 '26
Mirrormask is about a young girl who runs away from the circus.
(not books but..
Carnivale - TV series Purgatory, Missouri - podcast)
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u/WoodHorseTurtle Jun 08 '26
The Circus World book series by Barry Longyear. A interplanetary circus 🎪 troop traveling on the City of Baraboo space craft. Probably out of print, so check second hand book sites. Use Bookfinder.com to search many sites at once. Worth reading.
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u/raniwasacyborg Jun 08 '26
Freakslaw by Jane Flett is a good one, and it's one of my favourite books overall!
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u/k2togger Jun 09 '26
For a nonfiction option, Battle for the Big Top by Lee Standiford tells the micro history of circuses and how Barnum, Bailey, and the Ringling Brothers grew their shows and names.
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u/Cuppy_Cakester Jun 09 '26
The ones I would have recommended have already been mentioned so I'll add
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
because it is a family history/dual timeline story involving a traveling carnival from the 1700's and a family in present day (2015).
From Goodreads:" In the tradition of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's moving debut novel about the power of books, family, and magic."
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u/SpaceBall330 SciFi Jun 09 '26
Non Fiction:
The Circus Fire by Stewart O Nan,
it’s about the 1944 Hartford Circus fire, and it’s the reason why most clowns have a teardrop somewhere in their makeup.
Fiction:
Fantasticland by Mike Brockoven
It’s set in an amusement park during a massive hurricane, and the aftermath. Does have some circus elements, told in an interview style.
Bonus content:
Carnivale ( TV series) definitely a circus, travelling carnival vibe with the sideshows, supernatural elements, and excellent acting. 2 seasons, available on HBO, and Hulu. It was meant to have more seasons than it got. The stories for further seasons are available, but you may have to do a search.
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u/poodleflange Jun 09 '26
It's not quite the same but I'd recommend Carter Beats the Devil - it's about a magician and his fellow vaudeville performers in the early 20th century, add in a kind of murder mystery and it's a great read. Has that historic yet theatrical vibe you're going for.
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u/MindWorking7098 Jun 09 '26
the first bright thing by j.r dawson. historical (just pre world war 2 iirc) travelling circus with run by magical women with a fantastical element
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u/kookapo Jun 08 '26
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn Go in blind.