📝 Spells8 Book Club XXXVII - Readers' Reviews!

[BryWisteria]

Feel free to share your finished thoughts and reviews from your book last session (Mar 29 - Apr 26) here! For the current book club post, please visit the new session post: Spells8 Book Club XXXVIII (May 3 - 31)

A warm welcome to all of the Witchy Readers!

The latest reading period for Book Club [Mar 29 - Apr 26] has now ended - thank you to everyone who joined in!

Members & Their Books This Reading Period:

• Ambrosia’s Book of Witch Flight by Jasmyne Ambrosia
  @MeganB

• Drawing Down The Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler
  @BlueAngelite

• Crystal Ball Reading by Silvia Hill
  @Amethyst

• Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft by Madame Patima
  @celineelise

• Who are the Norse Gods by Shane Lint
  @tracyS

• The lives of ancient and modern Alchemists Mages Kabalists of occult philosophy by
  Author Frances Barrett
  @AIRAM

• Of Blood and Bones by Kate Freuler
  @Mystique

Even if you are not listed above but you read a book during this reading period/ 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

Picture from Canva

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!

Picture from Canva

Deadlines and Dates

You have 5 weeks to share your thoughts and discuss (until the next Readers’ Review Post appears in the forum!)

Deadline for Reviews for this Session: Friday, May 31

While you have plenty of time for reviews, know that the next reading period will begin in one week:

The Next Reading Session will Begin: Friday, May 3

On this day a post will appear where you can announce your next book (or continue with your current reading!).

Until then, you can find more info about the club in the Book Club FAQ.

Picture from Canva

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

Thanks again for joining in and being a part of Book Club! I am so excited to read your thoughts and learn more about the book you spent time with

Blessed be!

[tracyS]

Who are the Norse Gods Shane Lint.

I didn’t get on with mine so stopped. It’s not that it’s a bad book, it’s good if you’re a beginner in Norse, but for me it didn’t bring anything new, not authors fault, mine. I should’ve picked a different book. For those starting out on the Norse path, its a good starting point.

[BryWisteria]

@tracyS

for me it didn’t bring anything new

Sorry it wasn’t what you were hoping for, but it’s also worth a congrats too because you’ve mastered the Norse basics and are ready for more! I hope you can find some more advanced books to help you on the next stage of your journey, Tracy!

[Mystique]

Book Title and Author: Of Blood and Bones by Kate Freuler

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book : 10/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I’ve been working with shadow magick and this book has lots of insights to that

My personal thoughts/opinions:. This is an amazing book with a lot of good advice and spells. I couldn’t put it down! Great read!!

An interesting quote from the book: " Here’s the blunt truth: we all have a dark side. It’s part of who we are. "

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes, very much so!

[BryWisteria]

@Mystique

This is an amazing book with a lot of good advice and spells. I couldn’t put it down! Great read!!

That’s awesome, Mystique - sounds like you found a winner! I’m so glad you enjoyed Of Blood and Bones. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[MeganB]

Mod Note: This was originally posted by @AIRAM

@AIRAM
rating 9 out of 10
refer to the greatest Alchemists and Magicians who lived
excerpt by Israel Regardie
Magic is the accumulated record of mental and spiritual experiences that we have inherited from the past from past generations of the human species.

Israel Regardie

occultist, ceremonial magician

Israel Regardie

[BryWisteria]

@AIRAM

rating 9 out of 10

Sounds like a great read, @AIRAM - I’m happy you enjoyed it!

[AIRAM]

so many people who dived into the mysteries of Magic…

[celineelise]

Book Title and Author:
Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft by Madame Patima

Status? : Finished! It took me two months but so worth it!

My overall rating of the book : 10/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:
I bought this book to learn more about working with Baba Yaga and developing a relationship with her. I recived that ans so much rich knowledge of working with the forest, water, fire and new crafting magical projects i want to try out!!!

My personal thoughts/opinions:
This book is awesome! It is written from the literature perspective of telling you the story of Baba yaga and Vasilisa and her trying to get fire for her stepmother and is sent on a fools errand to the woods. This book is a delight. Madame Patima tells the original Baba yaga tale, then has Baba yaga tell her version and then Madam Patima shares hers.
The book teaches you crafts, rituals and folklore from the Ukraine and eastern Europe. With each part of the forest that Vasaila travels to she meets a different part of Baba yaga’s forest. With each part of the forest, you are taught a new craft, ritual, prayer or amazing knowledge.

An interesting quote from the book: " "

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes

Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft

[Amethyst]

Book Title and Author: Crystal Ball Reading by Silvia Hill

*Status? : Finished

*My overall rating of the book: 8 out of 10

*How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I’ve been wanting to add crystal ball scrying to my practice. This book was just one of the ones I’ve picked up.

*My personal thoughts/opinions: This is a great book to learn about scrying and crystal ball basics. It even deals with psychic protections. A good book to read!

*An interesting quote from the book: “Choosing a crystal ball is more of a personal experience. You should choose one you are drawn to and one that has the same vibrational frequency as you. You can by your crystal online or from a store. Either way, you’ll find yourself pulled toward the one that is calling to you. When you find it, tap into that intuition and tune into that crystal.”

*All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes!

[starborn]

I saw this reading journal and thought of @BryWisteria specifically, but also the book club in general.

Reading Journal Wisteria

Maybe Bry because of the name being Wisteria.

There’s also a beautiful red version.

Reading Journal - Crimson

The code ENEMIESTOLOVERS gets 15% off.

[celineelise]

Wow beautiful

[Mystique]

Oh I love these!!! I’m going to have to get one!!

Edited after I clicked the link. The purple one is out of stock but will restock May 2. Also get 10% off your first order!

[Amethyst]

Nice! But the price! I’d love to get this for a friend though. She loves journals and all those type of thing and is an English professor so something like this is right up her alley!

[starborn]

I know, right? They’re pretty expensive. I already have three of their blank journals, so I have to pass on this one. No more until I finish filling them with my ramblings about life and everything. The quality is pretty amazing, though. Just… They’re a lot.

[BlueAngelite]

Book Title and Author:
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler

Status? : [Still Reading]

My overall rating of the book : 9/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:
I wanted to read this book as it is one that is cited often as a “core” book for history and understanding of witchcraft in the U.S. I also was motivated by the semi-recent death of the author (2014) and the author’s connection to Unitarian Universalism (which I also am a part of), her founding of CUUPs, as well as witchcraft as a practicing wiccan herself.

This is a 646 page book - so be forewarned!
For this review, I read Chapters 1-5 (about 140 pages), including

• Paganism and Prejudice

• A Religion Without Converts

• The Pagan World View

• The Wiccan Revival

• The Craft Today

My personal thoughts/opinions:
I did not think I would have such a strong connection to the first several chapters of this book. There were several times where I was reading and I had to stop and talk to myself out loud, “Wow!” “Is she talking about me?” “That’s interesting!”. It’s also a dense read and not a fast read at all, at least for me which is why I only got to chapter 5, about a third of the way through the book. The first three chapters focus on the overall world view and beliefs of pagans and then the next two chapters get into the history of wicca and “current” practices of wicca in the U.S (this updated edition came out in 2006 - but the original was written in 1979). I was surprised by how much nudity was talked about in Wicca ritual, as if it was a very typical thing - and perhaps it was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Or hey, maybe I don’t travel in those circles?!

I am totally hooked on Adler’s writing style. It draws me in and it is clear that she has done her research here as there are almost 200 pages of appendices. The references alone are fascinating. Some of course are now defunct, but as a newer witch I’ve been going through some of the resources and bookmarking some websites that she refers to in the book.

I’m hoping to read this over the period of three Book clubs: Part 1: Chapters 1-5, Part 2: Chapters 6-9, and Part 3: Chapters 10-13 + Epilogue. It’s a dense and long read but well-worth it so far. I know there is content on Spells 8 about the book - but I don’t want to dive into it until I complete the book, in case it gives too much away.

An interesting quote from the book: " "
“Most Neo-Pagans sense an aliveness and “presence” in nature. They are usually polytheists or animists or pantheists, or two or three of these things at once. They share the goal of living in harmony with nature and they tend to view humanity’s “advancement” and separation from nature as the prime source of alienation. They see ritual as a tool to end that alienation.” p. 3-4

Some interesting background on Margot Adler:
Margot Adler

All in all, would I recommend this book?: [Yes, definitely]

[Mystique]

This book is in my shelf in my to read stack. Will probably do it for the next book club read.

[BlueAngelite]

Cool! We will be reading it together then, because I’ll be reading the middle chapters of the book next Book Club.

[Amethyst]

I found one on Amazon that nice and has stickers! I know what my friend in Georgia is getting for her birthday next month! LOL!

[BryWisteria]

@starborn

Maybe Bry because of the name being Wisteria.

Awww gosh, thanks for thinking of me! The journal is gorgeous - I love the wisteria-colored one of course, but that crimson one? Oof. They’re both works of art Thanks for sharing!