#book master post

[midwestbramble]

Book Reviews and Recommendations

This will be a running list of books I’ve reviewed and which ones I recommend according to topic. This way when people ask I have an easy place to point them.

Right now I’m posting one review a week of a book that’s already on my shelf. Eventually all the books I’ve recommended will have a review linked as well; for now if you have questions about one feel free to ask. This post will continue to be updated.

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Content:

Book Reviews

Book Recommendations

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Book Reviews

Alive with Spirits

America Bewitched

American Brujeria

Aradia

Astral Dynamics

Awakening the Witch Blood

Backwoods Witchcraft

Besom, Stang, and Sword

Betwixt and Between

Black Dog Folklore

The Black Toad

The Book of Celtic Magic

A Broom at Midnight

By Rust of Nail and Prick of Thorn

The Craft of Tubal Cain (coming soon)

The Crooked Path

Deeper Into the Underworld

Demons and Spirits of the Land

The Devils Dozen

The Devils Plantation

Doctoring the Devil

Dollcraft

Doreen Valiente: Witch

The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology

Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk

Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone

Folkloric American Witchcraft and the Multicultural Experience

Folk Witchcraft

Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft

The Forge of Tubal Cain

The Four Elements of the Wise

The Green Witch’s Garden

The Green Witch’s Grimoire

The Green Witch

A Grimoire for Modern Cunning Folk

The Hearth Witch’s Compendium

The Hearth Witch’s Path

The Hearth Witch's Year

Hex Twisting

The History of Magic and Witchcraft

Honoring Your Ancestors

The House Witch (coming soon)

Llewellyn's Complete Guide to North American Folk Magic

Mastering Witchcraft

The Old Ways

Queens of the Wild (coming soon)

Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

Under the Witching Tree

Witch Blood Rising

Witches Among Us

A Witch’s Ally

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Book Recommendations

For Beginners:

*Look at the history recommendations as well and the cultural literacy section

Natural Magic by Doreen Valiente

Psychic Witch by Mat Auryn <- start here

Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff

The Witch’s Path by Thorn Mooney

Ancestor Work:

Honoring Your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

Animal Spirits:

Black Dog Folklore by Mark Norman

Astrology:

The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology by April Elliott Kent

Crafts:

The Green Witch’s Grimoire by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Potions, Elixirs, and Brews by Anaïs Alexandre

Cultural Literacy in Modern Witchcraft:

Aradia by Charles Godfrey Leland

The Craft of Tubal Cain by Kenneth Johnson

Doreen Valiente: Witch by Philip Heselton

Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot

The Rebirth of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente

Spiral Dance by Starhawk

Transcendental Magic by Éliphas Lévi

Witches Among Us by Thorn Mooney <- good for outsiders

Death Work:

Morbid Magic by Tomás Prower

Druidry:

The Book of Celtic Magic by Kristoffer Hughes

Elements:

The Four Elements of the Wise by Ivo Dominguez Jr.

The Little Work by Durgadas Allon Duriel

Faeries:

Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler

Feri (not to be confused with faeries):

Betwixt and Between by Storm Faerywolf

Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft by Storm Faerywolf

Folklore:

Black Dog Folklore by Mark Norman

The Devils Plantation by Nigel Pearson

Folk Magic:

American Brujeria by J. Allen Cross

Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards

Doctoring the Devil by Jake Richards

Llewellyn's Complete Book of North American Folk Magic

Ozark Folk Magic by Brandon Weston

Ozark Mountain Spell Book by Brandon Weston

The Powwow Grimoire by Robert Phoenix

Trolldom by Johannes Björn Gårdbäck

Working Conjure by Hoodoo Sen Moise

Green Witchcraft:

The Green Witch’s Garden by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Plants of the Devil by Corrine Boyer

The Poison Path Herbal by Coby Michael

Under the Bramble Arch by Corrine Boyer

Under the Witching Tree by Corrine Boyer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Wortcunning by Nigel Pearson

Hedge Riding/Spirit Flight:

Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce

A Broom at Midnight by Roger J. Horne

History:

America Bewitched by Owen Davies

Demons and Spirits of the Land by Claude Lecouteux

A History of Magic and Witchcraft by Frances Timbers

The Return of the Dead by Claude Lecouteux

The Tradition of Household Spirits by Claude Lecouteux

The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton

The Witch by Ronald Hutton

Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies by Claude Lecouteux

Holidays:

The Hearth Witch’s Year by Anna Franklin

Samhain by Diana Rajchel

Yule by Susan Pesznecker

Protection:

By Rust of Nail and Prick of Thorn by Althaea Sebastiani

The Reclaiming Tradition:

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

Scientific Studies on Magic:

Real Magic by Dean Radin, PhD

Spirit Work:

Alive with Spirits by Althaea Sebastiani

Honoring Your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

A Witch’s Guide to the Paranormal by J. Allen Cross

Traditional Witchcraft:

Besom, Stang, and Sword by Christopher Orapello and Tara-Love Maguire

The Black Toad by Gemma Gary

A Broom at Midnight by Roger J. Horne

The Crooked Path by Kelden <- great for beginners

The Devils Dozen by Gemma Gary

Folkloric American Witchcraft and the Multicultural Experience by Via Hedera

New World Witchery by Corey Hutcheson

Plants of the Devil by Corrine Boyer

The Poison Path Herbal by Coby Michael

Southern Cunning by Aaron Oberon

Traditional Witchcraft by Gemma Gary

Treading the Mill by Nigel G Pearson

Tubelos Green Fire by Shani Oates

Under the Bramble Arch by Corrine Boyer

Under the Witching Tree by Corrine Boyer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

The Witch Compass by Ian Chambers

The Witches’ Devil by Roger J Horne

The Witches’ Sabbath by Kelden

Wortcunning by Nigel Pearson

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[katiesclassicbooks]

Favorite Books of 2018 📚Part 1: Classics

I know its really late and I had originally wanted to make a video, but I really want to share my favorite books of last year. Maybe you will all still get a video at some point, but for now you get this master post! 

I’m  making this post in order of publication date, the oldest to the most recent. I have written reviews for each of these books which are linked. 

Daphnis and Chloe by Longus  ~ (150 AD) 

This is an Ancient Greek piece of writing about young love. It is a lovely and amusing story of the innocence of young love complete with gods and goddesses and the enchanting pastoral setting of the island of Lesbos. I found this to be a world of the past to get lost in and an enjoyable sweet story.

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/173363848356/review-daphnis-and-chloe-by-longus

Middlemarch by George Eliot ~ (1871) 

This is a Victorian novel about a town called Middlemarch, it’s inhabitants and the complex web of their relationships. This is an epic novel about everyday life filled with fantastic characters and their aspirations, familial drama and romantic relationships. I found this to be one of the most relatable classics I’ve read in a long while with such perceptive insight into relationships. 

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/169794990606/review-middlemarch-by-george-eliot

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu ~ (1872)

This Victorian novella was written by an Irish author and is a vampire story that predates Dracula. This story however is about a female lesbian vampire. It was wonderfully atmospheric, it’s two female characters were great and the theme of suppressed female sexuality was very interesting. 

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/179124167841/review-carmilla-by-j-sheridan-le-fanu

Kusamakura by Natsume Soseki ~ (1906)

This Japanese classic is written from the perspective of an artist who goes on a journey to have the ultimate artist’s experience and only experience things from a detached artist’s standpoint. This book was like a word painting and was utterly beautiful. This was a book about art, beauty, nature and the old Japan coming to terms with the new. This was such an introspective and refreshing book and there were so many great quotes that I wrote down as I was reading.

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/175279046096/review-kusamakura-by-natsume-soseki

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham ~ (1925)

This novel follows a beautiful and shallow woman named Kitty Fane living in Hong Kong with her husband Walter. When her husband finds out she was having an affair, her punishment is unusual and severe. She must accompany him to mainland China to help out in a Cholera epidemic. What follows is a story of Kitty’s spiritual awakening.She starts to appreciate real beauty, she gains compassion for and insight into other people’s feelings, she opens up to a more spiritual dimension of life, she realizes why she acted the way she did and she tries to make amends and ultimately find peace. This novel had great character development and I didn’t expect it to be as profound as it was. 

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/175657280916/review-the-painted-veil-by-w-somerset-maugham

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn ~ (1939)

This novel is set in a Welsh mining community and follows a man named Huw Morgan as he looks back at his life. This is a story filled with memories of love and family. Quite simply this was one of the best family stories I have read and the Morgans will always stick out in my mind as one of the best literary families

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/172079242116/review-how-green-was-my-valley-by-richard

Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh ~ (1945)

This novel is about a man named Charles Ryder looking back at his youth when he became friends with a young man named Sebastian and became involved with his family and their estate Brideshead. This was a nostalgic novel about the loss of innocence and youth, complicated and disappointing love, charm and ultimately religion and how it can save you and haunt you with guilt. This was a book filled with rich writing that impacted me emotionally. I became so attached to these characters. I didn’t even agree with everything in this book especially on matters of religion, but I loved it regardless which is unusual for me

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/174952967816/review-brideshead-revisited-by-evelyn-waugh

The Once and Future King by T. H. White ~ (1938-1958)

This is a retelling of the legend of King Arthur starting when he was a boy and ending right before his death. After having read the very classic Le Morte D’Arthur in 2017 I very much appreciated this retelling. It really brought the legends to life. At times it made me think deeply and at others it had me laughing out loud. White made Arthur’s ambitions for the round table seem noble. To use the might that was so popular at the time for right, yet to question the ways of the world and why wars were even fought in the first place. I love how the legends of King Arthur can be used to explore different issues and this version I found really aligned with me and I tremendously enjoyed it. 

http://katiesclassicbooks.tumblr.com/post/170067974316/review-the-once-and-future-king-by-th-white

~Katie