Book Title and Author: Reasonable Doubt by Peter Manso
Status? : Finished
My overall rating of the book : 8/10
How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: It doesnāt except that itās recent history of my area
My personal thoughts/opinions: I liked the book & reading about the criminal justice system in my state, or how it was operating at the time.
All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes
The book is about the murder of Christa Worthington & the investigation into it. They had the mentality that someone is responsible & went for the easiest target regardless of the evidence they had on the case. The DA was chasing skirts & the man that wound up having to prosecute the case was getting tripped up by the evidence presented in the courtroom that pointed away from the defendant. Or just didnāt make any sense at all. There was family interference because Christaās family was so prominent in the area. Itās an awful thing to have to happen & my heart breaks for her daughter that was 2 at the time of the murder.
Iāll have to join the next book club . Iām ordering some books soon. I need to add to my book collection. Badly!! In the meantime, I enjoy reading everyoneās input so I can use that to choose some books to buy.
This gave me a laugh This made me think of a quote I saw recently (maybe even on this forum? I canāt remember where I saw it ): āIn wine there is truth.ā Cheers!
Book Title and Author: The Ultimate Book of Spells by Pamela J. Ball.
Status: Finished
My Overall Rating of the Book: 7/10
How does this book relate to my magical practice?: I wanted to get some spell ideas from the book and spell techniques.
My personal thoughts/opinions: This is a big book and it got a bit confusing. Lots of different systems and beliefs all mixed into one. Everything from Hoodoo to Norse Paganism to the Kabbalah. Unfortunately that means there was a lot of little bits of information instead of a good bit of one kind of spell casting. Still, it had many interesting spells, incenses and oils. All in all Iām glad I read it. But unless Iām looking for a particular spell I probably wonāt read it again.
An interesting quote from the book: āThere are three important aspects when reciting a spell. This first is that words spoken with intensity and passion do have a power all of their own. The next is that the speaker also has a power and an energy which, with practice, he or she may learn to use effectively. The third component, the forces and powers belonging to that which is ābeyond the human beingā also have a tremendous power and are called upon, used or directed for a specific purpose. The use of all three of these aspects give a very powerful spell indeed.ā
Book Title and Author: The Modern Guide to Crystal Healing: by Philip Permutt
Status : Finished
My overall rating of the book : 9/10
How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: Working with crystals/gems/minerals through healing, meditation, spells, that I do.
My personal thoughts/opinions: I think this is a great book for crystal enthusiasts and anyone getting into crystals! It lists properties of the crystal along with a photo for each crystal. Its organized by color of the crystal (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white/clear, black, grey, brown). Towards the end of the book is a section called ācrystal remediesā for physical aliments, emotional issues, and spiritual enhancement. The beginning of the book gives info on how to cleanse them, how to choose them, working with a pendulum, how to program a crystal, and the chakras.
Good review thank you! I sweat pretty hard every day for my hard earned money. I was thinking of getting this book too.
I feel the same way, I cant wait till I can do magic without having to be in a book. So I depend on a book to be on point and I see the disconnect.
PS The front of the book looked really good and the title too! I would have bought it too. I can understand why you were frustrated reading it because she said
I know when I first came to witchcraft, I could not believe how so many traditions were the same. For example prayer is a prime example, only I think that when Christians pray, they pray as if they are crying out and pleading for help. I feel our pagan prayers are more empowering. I feel as though they are very much the same. Like they were stolen, Catholics they basically have all the elements in ritual. And the fact that they look down on the pagans. As if we are the outcast from society. That upsets me too! You have so much heart for what you believe inn. Which I really respect that nature cause I feel the same exact way! How they stole so much from us and turn around like we are the black sheep or something. Like you said the āoppressed groupā it really makes me mad when my own family doesnāt see through the dogma! At least you have the eyes to see through the dogma. More reason to be proud of who you are and your beliefs !
Yeah, Iād recommend saving your money and not necessarily getting this book, unfortunately I really wish I could advocate supporting Temperanceās ventures in sharing her thoughts with the world, but I just donāt feel like it would be ethical for me to do for the multitude of reasons I and others mentioned in their reviews You could see if maybe you could check it out from your local library, either in print form or e-book form, that way you can still read it and you donāt have to spend your hard-earned money on it!
The reason I got it was because I was hoping it would give me lots of information on how to come up with my own wheel of the year, but I can sum up that portion of the book for you in one sentence: Think about the holidays and events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) and natural events (such as when trees start to bud or strawberries start coming into season), and write them down and celebrate those dates.
If you do end up getting and reading it, Iād love to hear your thoughts on it too Iām hoping that if I hear someone say one positive thing about it, Iāll come around to it because I really wanted to like the book haha
Book Title and Author: Green Witchcraft By Paige VanderBeck
Status?: Finished/Still Reading (both)
My overall rating of the book: 10/10
How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I chose this book to help accompany the lesson with Spells8 with Green Witchcraft. To gain more insight and knowledge into that facet of my craft.
My personal thoughts/opinions: I enjoyed this book, it is like a personal handbook as in the Candle Magic by Mystic Dylan book I did for my last book review. Though you finish it, it stays close to reference later, due to all the great information it holds.
An interesting quote from the book: āMagic is the art of creating change in ourselves and in our lives through acts of intention and a spiritual connection with all things natural and supernaturalā(Vanderbeck, pg.7)
A huge thanks to @Jewitch, @Rowan, @Liisa, @IrisW for sharing their heartfelt feelings about Year of the Witch! Yikes- it looked like such a promising book at first, Iām surprised that it didnāt live up to its reputation. Thank you for all breaking down the book so well so that future readers know exactly what they are getting into- your reviews are all very helpful!
Congrats on finishing Rsonable Doubt, @Susurrus! As someone who spent a lot of time on the Cape, it sounds like the book is a fun read reminiscing about the local area It does look a bit dark, though- thanks for sharing your thoughts on it!
Sorry to hear The Ultimate Book of Spells was a bit confusing @Amethyst- but Iām glad you were able to find some good content hiding inside! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it- it sounds like itās value depends on what the reader is looking for.
Looks like you found a great book on crystals, @Missa! Congrats on the good find- it sounds very organized and helpful. A wonderful crystal reference book with a bonus section about crystal remedies- sounds like its worth a read!
Iām glad Green Witchcraft was a more enjoyable read for you, @Rowan! It sounds like it gave you a lot of helpful advice and worked well as an accompaniment to your Green Witch studies. Congrats to you!
How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: This book is a fantasy novel that does not directly relate to witchcraft or casting. It does, however, touch on spirituality, religion, philosophy, astrology, and psychology. It is a wonderfully explorative book with strong feminist and LGBT+ characters.
My personal thoughts/opinions: Oh boy oh boy did I love this one. I ordered a physical copy in the mail and was surprised to find it was actually a tiny book- finally, a book I could actually finish!
The story is beautifully written- it reads like poetry, with complex and mysterious characters slowly being revealed piece by piece until the overall mystery fit into place. There are twists at the end that caught me pleasantly by surprise and some very creative writing.
One character in the story actually uses horoscopes and fortune tellers to manipulate an underground network of spies . Itās a deep, insightful, and emotional story that I will probably read again in a few years!
All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes! Itās not a go-to book for learning magick spells, but I highly recommend it to anyone who loves spiritual/philosophical books and/or a good fantasy story with magic elements.
It is a little bit dark because of the crime & then as you find out more through the court proceedings itās a little surprising. It was a good read though. I have another book about Falmouth, MA & the history there. Iām not in it & neither is anyone in my family, but my father knew the people that are involved in that book. So that one is kind of intriguing to me also.
I have finished the Reiki for Beginners and it had a ton of history on the practice as well as what each symbol name is and what they are used for. It had both Reiki level 1 and 2. I am now ready to get my attunements for both which my husband will do as soon as I tell him I am ready.
. Iām ordering some books soon. I need to add to my book collection. Badly!! In the meantime, I enjoy reading everyoneās input so I can use that to choose some books to buy. 
This made me think of a quote I saw recently (maybe even on this forum? I canāt remember where I saw it 
): āIn wine there is truth.ā 
Hereās another one: āLife is too short to drink bad wine.ā
I really wish I could advocate supporting Temperanceās ventures in sharing her thoughts with the world, but I just donāt feel like it would be ethical for me to do for the multitude of reasons I and others mentioned in their reviews 
haha
It does look a bit dark, though- thanks for sharing your thoughts on it! 
. Itās a deep, insightful, and emotional story that I will probably read again in a few years!