# Spells8 56th Book Club 📚 January 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** Activities\ **Tags:** book-club, books\ **Created:** [January 1, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138 "2026-01-01T13:00:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MeganB](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/meganb/32/42726_2.png) [@MeganB](https://forum.spells8.com/u/MeganB)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/1 "2026-01-01T13:00:44Z")
Welcome to all of the witchy book-lovers here in the forum! 📚 🧙 ❤ ✨ **Book Club 56** ✨ → **Reading Session:** January 1st - January 31st ← → **Review Session:** February 1st - February 28th ← Thank you again to everyone who joined in for last month’s reading session! For those who haven’t yet shared their thoughts about their book (or anyone who enjoys reading book reviews!) you still have time to do so in [~~📝 55th Spells8 Book Club - Readers’ Reviews!~~](https://forum.spells8.com/t/55th-spells8-book-club-readers-reviews/66137) As of today, the **56th book club reading session has now begun**! ![spells8 book club](https://spells8s3.b-cdn.net/original/3X/a/1/a1e1bf965cd5598fc1f6ec6bf69710a59bf96b28.png) ## **On Your Mark, Get Set, READ!** 📚 1. **Begin by announcing your book** The first post below is an editable wiki post- add your book title and name to the list! (instructions below) 2. **Know that you have [[the whole month]] in this reading session** While it is great if you can finish your book during this time, it is okay if you break it into chapters or sections- do as much as you can and know that doing your best is always good enough! 3. **As you’re reading, feel free to share your thoughts!** You are very welcome to share any thoughts or tidbits while you read in the comments below or in a new post in the forums. Just save the best parts for the final discussion at the end of the reading period! 4. **Join the final discussion** When the month is over, a discussion post will open encouraging all readers to share a review of their book and any personal thoughts they have about it. A mini-review is perfectly fine, and there will be a suggested format for anyone who would like to write a longer review. ![book gif 1](https://spells8s3.b-cdn.net/original/3X/f/4/f4db3a86982ba821cf9263c7a5fb064c8df8f846.gif) ## A note about sharing books: While everyone is free to choose their own book, you may consider _reading along with someone else_ ! It is fun to share thoughts and insights about different books and even more exciting to do in-depth about a book with fellow readers 🤝 If the book you plan to read is already on the list below, add your name to the list of others reading that book! Please keep in mind that everyone will reconvene and chat together in the Reader’s Reviews discussion, regardless of which book you read 📚 ## Not sure what to read? You can find book recommendations in: - [All Book Reviews from the Spells8 Book Club](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uITavq7tyVEm3b-LTrAAGQ8E8XlCIMcsTlZKqOch8EM/edit?usp=sharing) And also: - This [List of Recommended Books for Wiccans](https://spells8.com/topic/recommended-books-wicca/) - The [Recommendations Category](https://forum.spells8.com/c/recommendations/10)of the Forum - The [“Books” tag](https://forum.spells8.com/tag/books)in the Forum **Reading on a budget?** **Free** online books can be found in: - A past book challenge with a list of [free online witchy ebooks](https://forum.spells8.com/t/weekly-witchy-challenge-books-tomes-and-tales/4176) and other reading resources - Freely available books about religion, mythology, and the esoteric at [Sacred-Texts](https://sacred-texts.com/) - Books about mysticism from the [Rosicrucian Library](https://www.rosicrucian.org/rosicrucian-books) - CafeAstrology’s [free books on Astrology](https://cafeastrology.com/freeastrologybooks.html) - Project Gutenberg’s open-access [eBook Library](https://www.gutenberg.org/)has 60,000 free eBooks - These [Free Books for Green and Kitchen Witches](https://forum.spells8.com/t/more-free-books-for-green-and-kitchen-witches/4249) - The non-profit online library [Open Library](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-book-club-xxxii-oct-6-nov-3/42374/27) - Use your [Library Card for Free Digital Books](https://forum.spells8.com/t/read-all-your-books-for-free/29926) ![book gif 2](https://spells8s3.b-cdn.net/original/3X/3/e/3ef7c2f063d37c3a133a5d44cd28d5fb6959b1cc.gif) If you have any questions about Book Club, please feel free to check the [Book Club FAQ](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-book-club-an-introduction/4490)and/or ask in the comments. Blessed be and happy reading! ✨ 📖 ✨ ---
**Author:** ![MeganB](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/meganb/32/42726_2.png) [@MeganB](https://forum.spells8.com/u/MeganB)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/2 "2026-01-01T13:00:44Z")
~~~~ ~~**This post is a WIKI POST- it is editable by everyone!**~~ ~~~~ _for help editing a wiki post, see the [tutorial here](https://forum.spells8.com/t/how-to-use-and-edit-a-wiki-post-forum-tutorial/61023)_ Please announce your books here 😊 _Example:_ - **Angel Numbers - The Message and Meaning Behind** by Kyle Gray @Moonbeam I have been asked on a few posts about Angel Numbers. You can get this book on Amazon for a reasonable price _Out of respect to others, please only add/edit your own entry_ * * * - **The Cailleach** by Rachel Patterson @Amethyst - **Your Imbolc Kit: Rituals, Reflections, and Renewal by a Mental Health Therapist** by Sonia Rompoti @Amethyst - **The Graveyard** by Ed & Lorraine Warren @TricksterShaman - **Vikings Myths & Sagas** by Rosalind Kerven @TricksterShaman - **Wild Magic** by Danu Forest @Eira_of_the_Living_Hearth - **The Witching Year** by Diana Helmuth. @MeganB - **Witchcraft for Healing** by Avery Woods @crystal57 - **Serviceberry** by Robin Wall Kimmerer @Artemisia ---
**Author:** ![Amethyst](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/amethyst/32/1750_2.png) [@Amethyst](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Amethyst)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/3 "2026-01-01T13:37:58Z")
I’m trying for two books this month, because they are both short and I couldn’t decide. LOL! ---
**Author:** ![TricksterShaman](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/trickstershaman/32/76914_2.png) [@TricksterShaman](https://forum.spells8.com/u/TricksterShaman)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/4 "2026-01-01T13:54:44Z")
I’m also reading two books, the Viking one for my spiritual development, but the Ed Warren book simply because I love ghost and paranormal stories so I thought I’d give this a try. 👻👻👻👻 Skal 🍻 💚 ---
**Author:** ![MeganB](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/meganb/32/42726_2.png) [@MeganB](https://forum.spells8.com/u/MeganB)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/5 "2026-01-03T20:16:55Z")
Good luck to you both (@Amethyst & @TricksterShaman) with reading two books! 👏 I’ll be lucky if I get any reading done before Summer 😅 😭 ---
**Author:** ![TricksterShaman](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/trickstershaman/32/76914_2.png) [@TricksterShaman](https://forum.spells8.com/u/TricksterShaman)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/6 "2026-01-03T20:28:32Z")
Aah but you are reading, I’m sure you’re reading lots of books with your studies, that counts 😁 ---
**Author:** ![MeganB](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/meganb/32/42726_2.png) [@MeganB](https://forum.spells8.com/u/MeganB)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/7 "2026-01-03T20:39:01Z")
> [@TricksterShaman](#): > > I’m sure you’re reading lots of books with your studies haha that’s very true! 😂 Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Amethyst](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/amethyst/32/1750_2.png) [@Amethyst](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Amethyst)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/8 "2026-01-04T00:14:47Z")
> [@MeganB](#): > > I’ll be lucky if I get any reading done before Summer 😅 😭 Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a free audiobook of it and can listen on the way to work or something. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![MeganB](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/meganb/32/42726_2.png) [@MeganB](https://forum.spells8.com/u/MeganB)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 4:29pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/9 "2026-01-04T16:29:49Z")
> [@Amethyst](#): > > Good luck! Thank you! :pink_heart: We’ll see what happens lol I did find my Kindle, and I have some books on there I can read. It’s just a matter of actually reading them 🤷‍♀️ I think I’m going to try reading **The Witching Year** by Diana Helmuth. > **Book Blurb Here** > > > **A skeptic spends a year trying to find spiritual fulfillment by practicing modern Witchcraft in this fascinating memoir that’s perfect for fans of A.J. Jacobs and Mary Roach.** > > > > Diana Helmuth, thirty-three, is skeptical of organized religion. She is also skeptical of disorganized religion. But, more than anything, she is tired of God being dead. So, she decides to try on the fastest-growing, self-directed faith in America: Witchcraft. > > > > The result is 366 days of observation, trial, error, wit, and back spasms. Witches today are often presented as confident and finished, proud and powerful. Diana is eager to join them. She wants to follow all the rules, memorize all the incantations, and read all the liturgy. But there’s one glaring problem: no Witch can agree on what the right rules, liturgy, and incantations are. > > > > As with life, Diana must define the craft for herself, looking past the fashionable and figuring out how to define the real. Along the way, she travels to Salem and Edinburgh (two very Crafty hubs) and attends a week-long (clothing optional) Witch camp in Northern California. Whether she’s trying to perform a full moon ritual on a cardboard box, summon an ancient demon with scotch tape and a kitchen trivet, or just trying to become a calmer, happier person, her biggest question remains: Will any of this really work? > > > > _The Witching Year_ is a “compelling memoir” (Frances Denny, author of _Major Arcana_ ) that follows in the footsteps of celebrated memoirs by journalists like A.J. Jacobs, Mary Roach, and Caitlin Doughty, who knit humor and reportage together in search of something worth believing. > > > > – [Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Witching-Year/Diana-Helmuth/9781668002995) I got this book from the publisher a while ago but I’ve never actually tried to read it 😆 since it’s an eBook, it’ll be easier for me to manage! ---
**Author:** ![Amethyst](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/amethyst/32/1750_2.png) [@Amethyst](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Amethyst)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/10 "2026-01-04T23:27:52Z")
That looks interesting! Has it been published yet? ---
**Author:** ![crystal57](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@crystal57](https://forum.spells8.com/u/crystal57)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 1:48am UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/11 "2026-01-05T01:48:07Z")
I have all three of the Witchcraft for Healing books but I am aiming to read just the first one this month. ---
**Author:** ![Eira\_of\_the\_Living\_Hearth](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/eira_of_the_living_hearth/32/17196_2.png) [@Eira\_of\_the\_Living\_Hearth](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Eira_of_the_Living_Hearth)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 1:55am UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/12 "2026-01-05T01:55:12Z")
Merry Meet and welcome, @crystal57! Your books sound interesting? Can I ask who the author is? ---
**Author:** ![Amethyst](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/amethyst/32/1750_2.png) [@Amethyst](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Amethyst)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 11:37am UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/13 "2026-01-05T11:37:28Z")
Hi there! Welcome, @crystal57! We’re always glad to welcome a new Book Witch! ---
**Author:** ![MeganB](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/meganb/32/42726_2.png) [@MeganB](https://forum.spells8.com/u/MeganB)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/14 "2026-01-06T18:19:51Z")
> [@Amethyst](#): > > Has it been published yet? Yup! It was published on September 17, 2024 :pink_heart: I haven’t started it yet, but I’m hoping to start sometime this week. > [@crystal57](#): > > I am aiming to read just the first one Good luck! ✨ I look forward to hearing about the book when you read it! ---
**Author:** ![Artemisia](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/artemisia/32/78846_2.png) [@Artemisia](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Artemisia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/15 "2026-01-06T19:29:08Z")
Ok I’ve failed more than a few times to get through the book I said I would, but I think I can do this one. Currently, I’m starting an audiobook by the same author - “Braiding Sweetgrass” but I had to have this lovely in hardback once my friend glowingly suggested it to me. It might not be traditionally witchy, but I think my book **Serviceberry** by _Robin Wall Kimmerer_ fits my practice perfectly - a blend of science and spirituality. It’s such a perfect size to bring along with me to read anywhere. ![PXL_20260106_205637839](https://spells8s3.b-cdn.net/original/3X/3/6/364629e7fdee15979480e2ec8de367055c6eab07.jpeg) If it’s too off topic for the club, let me know! ---
**Author:** ![Amethyst](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/amethyst/32/1750_2.png) [@Amethyst](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Amethyst)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/16 "2026-01-06T22:27:58Z")
> [@MeganB](#): > > Yup! It was published on September 17, 2024 :pink_heart: I haven’t started it yet, but I’m hoping to start sometime this week. Ooh! I’ll have to go look for it! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![crystal57](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@crystal57](https://forum.spells8.com/u/crystal57)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/17 "2026-01-07T00:19:08Z")
> [@Eira\_of\_the\_Living\_Hearth](#): > > Merry Meet and welcome, @crystal57! Your books sound interesting? Can I ask who the author is? Avery Woods. There is 3 books in the set. I received it from the author/publisher last year, I believe. Now’s a good a time as any to get them read. ---
**Author:** ![crystal57](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@crystal57](https://forum.spells8.com/u/crystal57)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/18 "2026-01-07T00:31:34Z")
> [@MeganB](#): > > I think I’m going to try reading **The Witching Year** by Diana Helmuth. I just picked this up from the library. It sounded so interesting I immediately requested it. ---
**Author:** ![MeganB](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/meganb/32/42726_2.png) [@MeganB](https://forum.spells8.com/u/MeganB)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/19 "2026-01-07T16:05:45Z")
> [@Artemisia](#): > > my book **Serviceberry** by _Robin Wall Kimmerer_ fits my practice perfectly I agree 100% 💕 **Braiding Sweetgrass** is also not traditionally witchy, but it fit my practice perfectly, too. I don’t think I heard of **Serviceberry** , but it sounds right up my alley, too. Thanks for another book to add to my ever-growing TBR list 😂 that hardback is gorgeous, too! I listened to the audiobook of **Braiding Sweetgrass** and it’s one I want a physical copy of. I look forward to hearing about **The Serviceberry**! > [@Amethyst](#): > > Thanks! You’re welcome! > [@crystal57](#): > > It sounded so interesting It does sound super interesting! I’m looking forward to reading about her experiences, for sure! ---
**Author:** ![Artemisia](https://spells8.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.spells8.com/artemisia/32/78846_2.png) [@Artemisia](https://forum.spells8.com/u/Artemisia)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138/20 "2026-01-08T21:16:35Z")
> [@MeganB](#): > > **Braiding Sweetgrass** and it’s one I want a physical copy of I finished the previous audiobook series that I was listening to while I drove or ran, so I started Braiding Sweetgrass. There were things she said that just stunned me with how much it resonated, so I ordered my hardcopy today. ☺ [Next page](https://forum.spells8.com/t/spells8-56th-book-club-january-2026/66138.md?page=2)