Book Reviews

I have not read a new book in ages, nor am I expecting to unless I return to a few half-read books on my shelf.  Unfortunately, I’ve not seen a worthy book on the store shelves in a long time.  That doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  I just haven’t found them.  Also, my criteria is probably higher than a decade ago.

Contrary to the views of some, I don’t actually read a book in the hopes of it being awful and needing of debunking.  I’d rather recommend good rather than warning readers away from the bad, but when I find the bad I totally give them the reviews they deserve.

My book lists are some of the most popular pages of the old site, which is one of the reasons I continue to include them.  The recommended books continue to be very relevant works, and people are still reading the awful stuff (although I think many of them are losing their popularity as time passes).

Recommendations for Beginners:  I always send people here first when they ask for introductory material.  I also send people here if they have become the victim of bad source material.  Finally, it might be a good resource for parents and others who have concerns about Wicca but would like to better understand it before condemning it.

History of Wicca:  There’s not a lot of works on the history of Wicca.  Here are the three of which I am familiar.

Spiritual and Magical Ritual:  Approaches to both spiritual and magical ritual from a Wiccan point of view.
Non-Wicca-Specific Magical Practices:  I normally keep the topics of Wicca and magic separate.  However, the fact is many Wiccans are also interested in magic, some books do discuss both, and there certainly are things you can study in one that helps with understanding in the other.
Neopaganism:  Wicca is part of the much larger neopagan movement.  Too often, Wicca is overemphasized to the point that many think “pagan” and “Wiccan” are synonymous.
Books to Avoid: While I generally recommend that everyone to read as many views as possible in order to form their own opinions, I personally consider the following books and authors to be a waste of time, not to mention dangerously misleading for newcomers as they are full of inaccuracies.

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