📝 58th Spells8 Book Club - Readers' Reviews!

[BryWisteria]

Feel free to share your finished thoughts and reviews from the book you read for the most recent session of book club or any other books you’ve read and would like to share about here.

A warm welcome to all of the Witchy Readers!

The latest reading period for Spells8 58th Book Club has now ended - thank you to everyone who joined in!

Members & Their Books This Reading Period:

• Witch Blood Rising: Awaken Your Magic in a Modern World by Asa West @Amethyst
• Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D
  @Eira_of_the_Living_Hearth
• Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson - translated to English
  @Dan3
• Poetic Edda translation by Crawford
  @dan3
• Conceive, Believe, Achieve, Receive: Manifestation with Aphantasia by Colleen Soper @Amethyst

Even if you are not listed above but you read a book during this reading period or you decided to read a different book than listed, you are very welcome to share and discuss here too!

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Time to share your thoughts with your coven!

This discussion post will serve as a place to share your thoughts and opinions on the book you chose.

• If you loved your book and think everyone should read it - awesome! Talk about your favorite points or something you learned.
• If you didn’t connect with the book - consider explaining why it wasn’t for you.
• Absolutely hated your book of choice? Warn others to stay away!

This is a great place to share your love for books and find recommendations for new books to read

Your book review can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like

If you’re not sure what to talk about, here is a suggested format you can use. Feel free to write as little or as much as you’d like!

Book Title and Author:

Status? : Finished / Still Reading

My overall rating of the book : ???/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:

My personal thoughts/opinions:

An interesting quote from the book: " "

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes / No

Remember that your review is uniquely yours - this is a chance to let your opinions and voice be heard

Please keep in mind that others may have opinions that differ from yours - when responding to the thoughts of others, please always show respect! Remember that 100 people will read 1 book and have 100 different experiences. That’s what makes sharing interesting

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What if I didn’t finish my book / joined late?

No worries!

You are welcome to share your thoughts about the part you have read so far. If you joined the session late and have just started, feel free to talk about your expectations for your book. You can continue reading it into the next reading period.

And whether you read a book or not, you are very welcome to jump in and discuss what others share about their books!

Deadlines and Dates

While book club is going onto hiatus for the time being, please know that this space will remain open until the next session of book club. Feel free to use it to share about your books.

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It can be hard to find the time and motivation to read on your own – hopefully book club helped provide a bit of motivation and that it led to some wonderful new knowledge and discoveries in your Craft

I hope you enjoyed your books this session and that your next book will be a wonderful read!

Happy reading and blessed be!

[Amethyst]

Yay! I finished. This was much easier to read and fun too!

Book Title and Author: Witch Blood Rising: Awaken Your Magic in a Modern World by Asa West

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book : 9/10, a great book!

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I want to get more into magic and less into spells and rituals. This looked like a good book, plus it has a bit of information about pop culture witchcraft, which I’m interested in.

My personal thoughts/opinions: This was a fun book, with a few interesting rituals, but mostly it’s a way of thinking. Of looking at the world and seeing the magic within it.

An interesting quote from the book: "You, reading this book: You are an ark. The gods are whispering to you through the reeds. What are you carrying that’s worth saving? What are you holding that must be protected and sheltered until conditions are right? Your devotion to forgotten gods and dying folkways? Your knowledge of endangered languages and stories? Your friendship with the spirits of the land you live on? Your gateways through the hedge?

Witchcraft lives in your blood, crackling in the synapses of your mind and shaping itself through the pulses of your voice. Witchcraft burns inside you, and your job is to keep its embers glowing.”

West, Asa. Witch Blood Rising: Awaken Your Magic in a Modern World (p. 171). Red Wheel Weiser. Kindle Edition.

[Amethyst]

Book Title and Author: Conceive, Believe, Achieve, Receive: Manifestation with Aphantasia by Colleen Soper

My overall rating of the book : 2/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I have problems with visualization and aphantasia and I was looking for tips to help my spellwork.

My personal thoughts/opinions: This is a terrible book. I could have gotten more information from an AI. It tells you what you need to do, but doesn’t really tell you the HOW, which is really important. Yes, journaling, vision boards, I’ve done that sort of thing already. And you’re only skimming the issues.

I had been hoping for something concrete that could help me. This is less than what I could get from a Dr. Phil episode! This is one rare book that I feel like my money was totally wasted. I’m glad I didn’t spend more on it.

An interesting quote from the book: "To practice the Five Why’s Method, start with a challenge or goal you want to address. Ask yourself why this issue exists or why this goal is important. With each answer, ask “why” again, delving deeper into the reasoning, until you’ve asked “why” five times. This process helps peel back layers of superficial answers to reveal the core reason or desire driving your actions or obstacles.”

All in all, would I recommend this book?: NO!

Yeah, this book was not worth the four dollars I paid for it. If I thought it would help, I’d leave a review.

[Eira_of_the_Living_Hearth]

I’m sorry it was so bad, beautiful! I hate when books don’t live up to their expectations lol!

[Amethyst]

Thanks, hon. I just hate that I wasted four bucks on it when I could have bought something better!

[BryWisteria]

@Amethyst

It tells you what you need to do, but doesn’t really tell you the HOW, which is really important.

Awww darn - sorry it wasn’t what you were hoping for, Amethyst! The premise was good, but it sounds like it could have been a lot more thorough with the info given.

I hope the next book you pick up will be so good that it makes up for this one!

[Amethyst]

@BryWisteria

I hope the next book you pick up will be so good that it makes up for this one!

Thanks, darling! I’m reading a book about Ostara that’s good, so that’s made me happy.

[BryWisteria]

@Amethyst

I’m reading a book about Ostara that’s good, so that’s made me happy.

I’m glad it’s a good one! Happy reading, Amethyst

[Amethyst]

Thanks, love! I hope whatever you are reading is a good one!

[BryWisteria]

@Amethyst

I hope whatever you are reading is a good one!

I’m not reading much at all these days, I’m afraid - just flipping through a few tarot books here and there! I hope the reading motivation comes back soon

Still, the thought is appreciated! Thank you

[Amethyst]

@BryWisteria

I’m not reading much at all these days, I’m afraid - just flipping through a few tarot books here and there! I hope the reading motivation comes back soon

I can understand that. But hey, have fun flipping when you can. Never know when you might find something good!

[BryWisteria]

@Amethyst

Never know when you might find something good!

That’s very true! Thank you, Amethyst

[Amethyst]

You’re welcome, love!

[dan3]

Book Title and Author:

The Prose Edda by Snori Scurluson

Status? : Finished / Still Reading

Still reading, using. It is a reference book.

My overall rating of the book : ???/10

Probably 6/10 for readability. 9/10 as a reference - which, since there is only one other reference book that is well recognized it is right at the top

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:

Very well. I am on the Chaos path and learning belief systems is part of it

My personal thoughts/opinions:

The book was written in the 13th century and was translated in 1907 by I. A. Blackwell. The original source is from different stories - many passed by word of mouth. There are contradictions with some stories in the Poetic Eddas.

If you use an AI to research the Norse Pantheon, you may find the AIs tend to use this book for their sources… along with popular web sites. This allows contradictions to multiply at times. For one example, try to find out if Hel used her raised dead as part of the army that participated in Ragnarok. You will get a solid ‘yes’ from some and a solid ‘no’ from others. I’ve come to think it is which source the AI uses first - because they contradict themselves at times.

This and the Poetic Edda are the standards for knowing what was going on with the Norse Myths. We don’t have much else so it is what we have to use.

An interesting quote from the book:

“Evil are the deeds of Loki.”

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes / No

Yes.

If you want to study the Norse Pantheon, then this and the “Poetic Eddas” are important. They are the ‘horse’s mouth’ for all the many areas that debate the Pantheon.

[Eira_of_the_Living_Hearth]

Well, I did get a few pages in but I’m nowhere near done with my book. March went by so fast and was so hectic that I didn’t even think about reading unfortunately.

[dan3]

Book Title and Author:

Poetic Eddas.The Poetic Edda is a collection of poems in the Old Norse language. These poems are the source of almost all the myths of the Norse gods— The translator is Jackson Crawford.

Status? : Finished / Still Reading

Still reading. It is a reference book as well as a book for reading.

My overall rating of the book : ???/10

7/10 as a reading. 10/10 as a reference

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:

It is the earliest reference to the Norse Pantheon. Studying belief systems is part of my path.

My personal thoughts/opinions:

The translator is amazing. His asides and explanations are excellent. This is the first of the Edda collections and should be the one to look at first. Snori (see my earlier review) based a lot of his Prose Edda on this. In many ways it is harder to read but that is mitigated by interludes from the translator who explains what the heck is going on. This book is a LOT darker than the Prose Edda. It shows how people were when the poems were made. Future references dressed up the language and attitudes. BTW: siince they are translated from old Icelandic (and other dialects), the poems rarely rhyme but are written for clarity.

An interesting quote from the book:

“{5}HEED MY WORDS, all holy kindreds, you greater and lesser sons of Heimdall. You summoned me, Odin, to tell what I recall of the oldest deeds of gods and men.”

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes / No

Yes - for any Norse enthusiast.

[Eira_of_the_Living_Hearth]

I already have it on my book wish list!

[Amethyst]

@dan3

I’ve come to think it is which source the AI uses first - because they contradict themselves at times.

And if that AI is watching the MCU. Hel raised an army of the dead in Thor: Ragnarok. I think.

[dan3]

@Amethyst

Hel raised an army of the dead in Thor: Ragnarok. I think.

The Poetic Edda is confusing about the issue. You have to interpret what was said. One way, it was a different type of dead and the other was it had to be Hel. There are websites that say it both ways.

The poems in the Edda are like ballads. They have lots of terms that are thrown in that indirectly refer to tons of things. The translator explains that - a lot - and tries to bring the reader along with alternate interpretations.

[Amethyst]

It sounds interesting. But I dunno, I have issues with some of the Norse gods just accepting Ragnarok. It’s a self-fulfilling thing to me. If they didn’t treat Fenrir so crappily, maybe he wouldn’t snap. But I think that my pop culture roots speaking. So I’d have to get into a few real short stories on the myths first before tackling this book.