Status? : Finished
My overall rating of the book : 6/10
How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I’ve got a thing going (and have for awhile) with Scotland. I haven’t quite pieced it all together yet, but I am so drawn to this country I’ve never been to and their culture. I don’t even have any Scottish ancestry, but the pull is very much there! I found this book when it just popped up on an audible ad and thought… .well, why not! It’s a work of fiction, but I thought maybe it would be fun!
My personal thoughts/opinions: It was fun, sort of. The writing, in my opinion, is a bit juvenile and sometimes felt forced. As a reader, I really lean towards sophisticated narration and writers, and this was not that. However, the story was fun. It is a series, but I don’t really feel drawn to read the rest.
All in all, would I recommend this book?: Sure, if you just want something light to occupy a cold rainy day! You might enjoy it!
Status: Finished
Overall Rating: 8/10
Thoughts and Opinions: When I found the first Scottish Witchcraft book, I found this one too! Maybe the draw of the first title was supposed to help me find this title. This is a non fiction account of some of the very real Scottish witches, their charges, their court appearances, and their sentences. It’s pretty intense, but I felt very called to read it. I started it around Samhain and went through it slowly, really thinking about and trying to honor each of these people (mostly women, but some accounts of men). This year I have felt very called to honor the witches who have come before me and paved the way for me to practice my own craft.
Would I recommend it to the coven: Yes. though it is dark and shadowy and might take a lot of energy.
Status: Finished. This was a seasonal reread for me!
Overall rating: 9/10
Thoughts and Opinions: I love how so many traditions weave together to create winter magick! This book goes through many of the northern european winter celebrations and explains for bits and pieces work into what we know as Christmas. There are Christmas ghosts, witches like La Befana, elves, trolls, goddesses and winter queens… they all play a part! The book also has recipes and crafts that tie in with the stories.
My favorite part is when it talks about bells. When people went walking through the woods, they would often take bells to ring to keep dangerous animals (and spirits away). This morphed into sleigh bells on Santa’s sleigh.
Would I recommend? 100%. It is a really fun read. I have the audio book and the narrator is lovely (it might be the author, I have too look!). Her research is solid and it is so much fun!