Recs if you like The Little Mermaid...

Before they became beloved films, they were stories on the page. Here are the books that inspired the Studio Ghibli movies! Some are direct adaptations and others were used as inspiration. Note: not all of them have been translated to English (yet).

Books where someone has their whole entire tongue completely cut out 😣

Yes I know “whole entire … completely” is redundant but like,,, THEIR WHOLE ENTIRE TONGUE WAS COMPLETELY CUT OUT—

For the majority of these books, it’s not actually a significant plot point to the main character(s), but in general, the tongue removal symbolizes something important about the story or setting.

All fiction books that appear in the Tiny Bookshop catalogue! Would sort them by genre as I read along.

Books featuring mermaids for MerMay! Anything from Ariel to the merperson in The Cabin the Woods - open to additions!

inspired by me watching youtube videos about literary analysis of villains, here is a list full of books in which i believe their villains to be absolutely ghastly and horrifying; bloody and abusive, terrorizing and killing. if you have any to recommend, please put them in the comments! i'd love to make this list large!

Much like books to movies but solely focused on animated movies/series! Suggestions welcome!

Delve into the deep sea with these sensational salt-wave reads…

hans christian andersen, brothers grimm and more :)

i have not read all of these, mainly based on other lists ive seen elsewhere

There are a few lists that are about the books and manga that Ghibli films are based on but none were quite what I wanted, so I made my own. I wanted a list of the source material that the Studio Ghibli movies are inspired by and including any sequels they may have. Untranslated works or books I can't find. If anyone happens to how to find them or if I missed something please let me know.

Kiki's books 4 through 9, The Age of the Flying Boat, My Neighbors the Yamadas, and From Coquelicot Hill.

They are beautiful, and that is their sharpest tooth. These are the sirens of the coral reefs and the silk-skinned selkies of the northern rocks. They promise a life without breath, a kingdom of pearls and moonlight. But the sea never gives without taking, and their songs are simply the dinner bell for the deep. We call them... the Lure.

pov: you’re nine years old and unboxing your mother’s old, dusty books and vintage toys, which will soon become a core memory of your girlhood. ༺❀♡❀༻ coming-of-age feminine stories that are old-fashioned, wondrous and romantic.

Books that made musicals

a collection of four of the most popular books from each of the last twenty decades. I used the goodreads “most popular books of x decade” lists to find these. I tried to incorporate a mix of genres, so these aren’t strictly The most popular books in each decade, but a selection from the most popular the list may have removed the chronological order from these, but I have a shelf where everything is in order if you’d like to see it that way!

books that are the basis for adaptations and other book-related films and TV shows being released in the U.S. in July 2026

abandoned at sea

As comprehensive a guide as possible on all the books found in the indie game, “Tiny Bookshop”. Any additions are welcomed! I will be adding as I play <3