Between the Covers - Book Review #12

Well, another hospital visit for continued health issues has led to more bed rest, pain meds, and me falling further behind in my blogging. I have Godzilla size stack of books to review and while my eyes are half-open tonight, I think I'll get one of these installments out for you, my constant demon hunter/reader.  These three selections are all good, so choose and enjoy!

1) Herb Magic for Beginners: Down-to-Earth-Enchantment by Ellen Dugan was not as good as her other books I've read, but still one for the witchy library. I wish the book had gone into a little more detail on a few topics, but it did broadly cover herbs for beginner magical purposes. And what I really liked -- the herbs she discussed are very common and easy to grow or find at your local health store/metaphysical shop. She uses her by now familiar humorous and conversational tone to discuss herb growing, proper tools and gathering times, and a slew of herbal spells for any practical situation. If you're looking for an in depth read, though, skip this one. But if you're looking for a non stuffy beginner primer, than this one's for you!

2) Naked City is one of Ellen Datlow's latest urban fantasy short story collections. As usual, an entertaining read with lots of my faves in the business, including Holly Black, Patricia Briggs, and Kit Reed. This collection breathes new life into the Fair Folk and I discovered some new authors. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good fairy story, the urban fantasy genre, or is looking for something new.

3) Hedgewitch: Spells, Crafts, & Rituals for Natural Magick by Silver Ravenwolf is written in the same style as her classic To Ride a Silver Broomstick. However, I found this one more conversational and approachable -- basically, less stuffy. The book is intended to be used as a course over two short weeks, but you can pace yourself and take as long as you need. I just read the book. I haven't actually participated, yet, but all the materials needed are easily attainable and not too expensive. This book is also in my opinion, less about ceremony and more about getting in touch with your own witchy self and the earth around you, which I liked. You could easily adapt this for a coven or a grove as well, if you are not a solitary practitioner. It also makes great research for any fantasy writer.

4) The Fairy Godmother, the first Five Hundred Kingdoms fantasy novel, by Mercedes Lackey does not disappoint. I will be reading every single book in the series. The great thing about is this series is that the books stand alone; you can read them out of order and you don't really miss integral plot points. This first one explains how all the fairy godmothers in the kingdoms are selected and trained. There's romance and intrigue and everything a great fantasy novel should have. I recommend it for a good escape. Better yet, it sets gender stereotypes on their head and gives feminine power more oomph!

As always, happy reading and happy writing!

Between the Covers - Book Review #10

Two new picks for you, Lena Coakley's Witchlanders and Ellen Dugan's Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick.
1) Lena Coakley's Witchlanders is a great YA novel that kept my interest. Set in a wonderful fantasy where witches and Baen live in a divided land seeded with hatred after the last war, in which the witches won and forced the Baen to the wastelands and poverty, one young man, Ryder, must face his mother's coven heritage and set out to save his family and their way of life from destruction. The characters are wonderfully developed and the plot has a few twists and turns you won't expect. I will be reading more from this author.

2) Ellen Dugan's Natural Witchery fell a little flat for me, compared to her other books on witchcraft. This book focuses on honing in on your psychic gifts in coordination with the practice of magic. It is written in her pleasant, conversational tone and includes information such as how to incorporate your personal power into your own spells and enchantments, the psychic phases of the moon, and how to identify what psychic powers you possess. This book just didn't hold my interest as much. She included her usual amount of spellwork and background information, which was useful, but I felt this topic didn't really warrant an entire book. Though, I am still a fan of her work and recommend her other titles.

Between the Covers - Book Review #9

It's time for another installment of Between the Covers! I've still been recovering from a foot injury, so my reading is off the charts. Here goes!

1) The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff is a devilishly delightful Young Adult urban fantasy suitable for adults. Daphne, the daughter of a demon and a fallen angel, is determined to find her missing brother Obie. She'll need the help of the only human who knew him, Truman, a suicide survivor with a severe drinking problem and a death wish. Daphne falls in love with Truman, though she is unfamiliar with human emotions and extremely worried about controlling her hellish desires. I loved this book.Yovanoff's version of Hell is wonderful and her characters are charming. Beelzebub is a favorite of mine in this one. I recommend this book to anyone who's burned out on hell stories or paranormal romance. This is a unique book.

2) The Everything Wicca & Witchcraft Book  by Marian Singer is a skip. The information included is useful, but the format is annoying. All the little green blurb boxes distract from the main dialogue. The facts don't add much to the book. And I found the order of the information presented to be a little backwards and the style of writing felt rushed. This book isn't very useful.

3) 7 Days of Magic by Ellen Dugan is a must-have for any witchy collection. This book explains in plain terms the correspondences between the days of the week, deities, herbs, colors, and other witchy knowledge to give your spells, charms, and rituals the most bang for your broom. I highly recommend it. It's a quick read and a reference keeper. Another plus, her spell supply lists are simple, affordable items. Whether you are a witch or just looking for some great writing research, this is the book for you.

4) The Ancient Art of Faery Magick by D.J. Conway discusses the different types of Fae, including guided meditations and rituals to bring more faery magick into your life. I tried a few of the meditations and rituals out myself. I found them inspiring. This book isn't a dry read and is quite interesting. It would be useful for writing research or for a witch who wants to get in touch with her/his inner Fae. And these rituals won't bust your wallet.

5) Medicine Road by Charles de Lint is another beautiful addition to the Newford series with a mystical look at the world of magick from a Native American perspective. Alice Corn Hair (a shifter jackalope) and Changing Dog (Jim, a shifter red dog) are given one hundred years by Coyote Woman to discover their true love. If after one hundred years the two haven't succeeded, they must return to their animal form forever and leave behind the world of the two-leggeds. Time is running out. Alice has found her true love in Thomas, but Jim is still single. Will he find true love and be able to stay in the human world or will Alice have to say goodbye to her one true love forever? Read and find out. You're guaranteed to fall in love with this cast of whimsical characters.

6) Yarrow by Charles de Lint introduces us to Cat Midhir, a writer with a horrible case of writer's block who soon discovers something or someone is stealing her dreams in dreamtime and cutting her off from her beloved cast of characters, who actually exist in their own world! Will she succeed in fighting the eater of dreams stalking her and her friends or will she lose her writing cast of characters forever? Read and find out. This book will not disappoint.

Between the Covers - Book Review #7

Time for another book installment, folks! I've been reading a bunch on vacation, since I haven't been sleeping well. I have three picks for you.

1) My first pick is The Enchanted Cat by Ellen Dugan. Ms. Dugan has been a practicing hedgewitch for almost twenty years. Her book is user-friendly and written in an entertaining, conversational tone. The Enchanted Cat is specifically tailored to anyone looking to bring a little cat magic into his or her life or to deepen your relationship with your four-footed friends. I found this book practical and enjoyable and look forward to applying some of the spell work in my own home upon returning from vacation. I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't like a stuffy witch read, but wants to gain great knowledge.

2) My second pick is Clive Barker's Mister B. Gone. I don't know how this book slipped past me when it came out in 2007, but it did. This is the published memoir of Jakabok Botch, an unlucky demon with no real skills who is captured by human poachers. Mr. B., as his demon friend affectionately nicknames him, chronicles his adventures in our world above. This book is an entertaining read, but I don't find it to be the complex plot I've come to know and love from Mr. Barker, though I still recommend it. Just don't expect it to be a thick read like Imajica or Coldheart Canyon.

3) My last pick is Christopher Moore's Bite Me: A Love Story, a snarcastic novel of teenage Abby Normal with a quirky and lovable cast of vamps and other assorted characters. Chet, the vampire cat of San Francisco, has unleashed a vampire cat posse on the unknowing citizens of San Francisco bay area and Abby Normal and her friends are in a race against time to stop the feline rascals from spreading and rescue their own vampire friends from being hunted by a group of angry vamps. Just as witty and entertaining as always, this book is a must-read for any Moore fan, though it took a few chapters to get into for me. This is because the book is told from multiple characters' P.O.V. and Abby Normal's is an adjustment, since she is very much a product of teenage webspeak angst. LOL

Between the Covers - Book Review #6

Toshio reminded me I have another book review post to write before I travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the holidays.

I'm not packed, I haven't finished stuff at home, but I am going to check this off my list soon, at least! I have been laid up in bed with a bad back and the vicodin channel has been keeping me awake at night, so I've been a reading fiend again. I have three new books for you. Well, they're new to me at least. Heheh.

1) Cottage Witchery by Ellen Dugan is a nonfiction book about hedgewitchery, which I recently learned is a term for a witch who uses herbs and plants. They're a green witch. This "how-to" book is entertaining, informative, and not at all stuffy. I hate formal Wiccan books that make me snore. Ellen has personality and she's a no-nonsense witch who loves to share her knowledge in an easy to read format. I recommend this book for anyone as an introduction to hedgewitchery.

2) I also recently finished the anthology edited by Paula Guran, Zombies: The Recent Dead. Not my favorite zombie antho, but there were some great highlights. The writing is great; I just wasn't as interested in all the stories this time around. Dating Secrets of the Dead had me roaring in bed, which annoyed my husband late at night. Kudos for David Prill for making me cry with laughter at a zombie tale -- just doesn't happen that often. I also enjoyed Joe R. Lansdale's short, Deadman's Road, which is beautifully written. I recommend this for zombie lovers, but don't try to read it when you're tired. It's a big paperback!

3) My last book is Justine Musk's Uninvited, a young adult paranormal fantasy about a teenage girl and her brother drawn into the world of the devil. Very good. I can't say more for fear of spoilers, but you will love this read. Adults and teens, both. Enjoy!

As always, happy writing and happy reading to all!

And I hope everyone had a good holiday and wish you a happy new year!