the bookshelf

a much needed resource for new witches!

[witchbookshelf]

Everyday Witchcraft: Making Time for Spirit in a Too-Busy World

Author: Deborah Blake - 240 pages - Read by: Rebecca Mitchell - 6 hrs 44 mins - audible / amazon / barnes & noble

This one was an audible purchase for me. Going into it, I wanted to like this book so much but it was just not meant to be. I listened to an hour of it and I remember thinking “if she says the words God and Goddess one more time…” (soft laugh) and then shortly after that I stopped it and returned the book. 

Now to be fair, the description for the book includes the sentence “Make your home into a magickal place, work with the God and Goddess on a regular basis, and discover the magickal power of animals.” So I should have known that it would feature Wiccan beliefs, however, in my defense there are actually quite a few books that boldly state Wicca in the title and yet the book is written so as to be accessible to witches of any religious (or non-religious) path.

This was not one of those books. So I am really counting on other people replying to this post to give their thoughts because I did not even finish this book! Let me be clear- I’m not saying this is a bad book. That being said, I know there are a lot of witches out there that struggle in looking for non-Wiccan books because they generally dominate the witchcraft book market. So to those witches I would say, you may want to sit this one out. Maybe others have a different opinion and didn’t find the God and Goddess talk too overt, but I did, and to be on the safe side that is my opinion on this one.

If you are Wiccan, you might love it! And I would encourage you to reblog or reply with your thoughts so that other young Wiccans who might see this post will be informed on whether or not this is a book they should invest money in.

[witchbookshelf]

I love your idea for this account! Do you have any book suggestions for new witches who are soon going to be dorming?

Unfortunately, I only just started in witchcraft a year ago so I do not have a vast knowledge of books yet (sadly!) I intend to post about the books that I have read and will be reading in the future as time goes on, but at this point I am just starting out, sorry!

Having said that I did a google search and the only book I could find is one called Rocking The Goddess: Campus Wicca for the Student Practitioner. I am not sure if that will jive with your perspective as a witch and I have not read it so FYI I am not sure how good it is.

I did find this article and after reading it - it seemed practical and helpful so perhaps it might help you if you haven’t seen it yet?

https://www.thoughtco.com/surviving-campus-life-as-a-pagan-2561525

I wish you all the best!

[witchbookshelf]

The Witch’s Cauldron : The Craft, Lore & Magick of Ritual Vessels

Author: Laura Tempest Zakroff - 259 pages - amazon / barnes & noble

I loved this book - plain and simple. If you are going to search for it in a store, fair warning it is smaller than normal at 5″x 7″, but it certainly packs in a lot of information. The first third of the book is all about the history of cauldrons: as in ones that have been physically uncovered and are now in museums (with illustrations) and also goes through all the myths that have included cauldrons in world history.

The middle section is all about choosing your cauldron. The variety of what they are made of, how they can be shaped and all of the practical aspects of maintaining one (such as cleansing, welcoming, blessing and/or consecrating it). I really enjoyed the practical nature of this section, she gives many tips and warnings regarding safety etc.

The final section is about what ritual and spellcraft that can be done with the cauldron as well as different types of divination.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book (besides the sheer amount of info!) is that I just really liked the author, her tone, and what I could gather of her perspective as a witch. Here is an excerpt from the beginning-

“I am a Modern Traditional Witch - a path that blends the folklore, myths, and practices of my complex and diverse heritage with the acknowledgement that I am a modern person living in the United States. I have studied a multitude of paths, mostly from an academic standpoint, but have found that a blend of old-world and new-world witchery is the best personal approach for me. That means sometimes an old practice can find new meaning with new information, tools and interpretation. ‘Because that’s how it’s always been done’ is not an acceptable mode of thinking, especially if our ancestors made use of technology as it advanced through the centuries.”

Although there weren’t many mentions in the book, concepts of gender and symbolism did come up as well as the notion of white/black magic and I thought she had a respectful, enlightened perspective on both. She does not ignore non-binary folks nor thinks that any one spell is inherently good or evil. (so there was no preaching about doing good to others) It seemed as though she treated the reader like an adult and basically advised that we should consider the ramifications of any spellwork we decide to do. I think that new and long-time witches alike would enjoy this book.

Please feel free to add your thoughts if you’ve read this!

[witchbookshelf]

The Book of Kitchen Witchery: Spells, recipes and rituals for magical meals, an enchanted garden, and a happy home

Author: Cerridwen Greenleaf - 144 pages - amazon / barnes & noble

First of all, this book is beautiful. I have shown a couple example pages, but the illustrations are just lovely. It was a quick, enjoyable read for me and I know I will be using plenty of these recipes and spells in the future. Books are obviously more about the written content than the pictures, but this book is so dang pretty that it honestly adds extra enjoyment. 

I am an atheist witch and I feel as though this author attempts to present this from a general witch perspective and mostly succeeds, but there were definitely aspects to some of the items in here where I could tell the author was Wiccan. Overall, I would say this book is for any witch, regardless of belief.

Please feel free to add your thoughts if you’ve read this!

[witchbookshelf]

I (@fondwitch) decided to make this blog because I’m fairly new to witchcraft and I often struggle when it comes to finding recommendations for books on witchcraft. There are posts here and there on tumblr but I felt it would be especially helpful to newer witches (and perhaps not-so-new witches as well!) to have a centralized blog where you can browse witchcraft books.

My goal here is to post a picture of a book I have purchased, maybe give a short opinion on it, but what I’m really looking for is to have others reblog it or reply to that post with their opinion on the book. That way someone could click on the notes and find a list of opinions on the book and hopefully it will help inform them on whether or not they want to purchase it. Getting varying perspectives is so important, so I really really hope that people will pop into the replies and let their thoughts out!