Book Review No. 53 - Arthurian Magic by Virginia Chandler, John Matthews, Caitlin Matthews and Gareth Knight

Welcome 2018! The ending of a year and the beginning of a new always has a special quality about it, like things get refreshed.
I finished this magical book "Arthurian Magic" by Virginia Chandler, John Matthews, Caitlin Matthews and Gareth Knight. Now, I know little about King Arthur other than the basic mythology, but this book goes way deeper into ancient magics and mythos of the fabled king and Merlin.

Book Review No. 48 - Ghosts of the Civil War by Rich Newman

With Halloween so close, I've been enjoying some spooky shows and creepy reads. I had the luck of going on a haunted train ride over the weekend. That was a lot of fun. I also got to visit My Old Kentucky Home State Park where the tour consisted of Victorian Funerary rituals and rites. That was extremely fascinating, plus I feel like everyone that lives in KY should visit their state song's namesake at least once.    In the spirit of the season, I read Rich Newman's "Ghosts of the Civil War". Newman does a great job of exploring the grounds of haunted battlefields and houses of some of the civil war's greatest battles.

Book Review No. 47 - Queens of Conquest by Alison Weir

Hello autumn! Welcome to the cooler weather and the longer nights. It has been a little rough here this week, as I got my wisdom teeth out. I know, most people have this done in there late teens/early twenties. But I guess I just like doing things the hard way. I did get to enjoy an amazing book this week, so I can't complain too much. 
If you enjoy non-fiction books about English history, this is a must. Alison Weir's "Queens of Conquest" is so well done, I really had a hard time putting it down. Now, that is hard to say about non-fiction, especially ones filled with so much detail, but this book is a treasure of information.

Book Review No. 46 - A Dangerous Woman from Nowhere by Kris Radish

Hello there again, welcome back. I haven't been into much lately, except spending way too much time looking at all the Halloween goodies online and in stores. As this is my favorite time of year, I tend to go a bit nutty.
If you like westerns, especially ones with a strong female main character, I think you will enjoy "A Dangerous Woman from Nowhere" by Kris Radish. This is technically a love story, but not in a smutty, naughty romance sort of way, this book isn't in that genre (not there is anything wrong with a nice trashy romance set in the American west).  

Book Review No. 39 - The Evolution of Beauty by Richard O. Prum

On the road again, we are on the road again! In my head, I am singing that to myself. This week, we are spending time in Akron, Ohio. While the hubby works, I am taking full advantage of our suite at Holiday Inn Express. The weather is glorious gloomy NE Ohio weather, so I'm also enjoying that. My husband isn't such a fan of the gloom, but I actually miss it now that we live in Central KY. 
I finished this really well-written science book by Richard O. Prum, "The Evolution of Beauty". The book, obvious by the title, is about the evolution of beautiful (or costly) traits in organisms. Prum is a professor of ornithology at Yale University, and also head curator of vertebrate zoology at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. So, this man knows what he is talking about.

Book Review No. 37 - The Witch's Cauldron by Laura Tempest Zakroff

Welcome back! I've another great book to review. I know I call these "Book Review Tuesdays" and most of these are no longer posted on Tuesdays. Maybe I will get back to being more consistent soon...but until then...I hope you enjoy! Have you ever wanted to know more about the witch's cauldron, that symbol so deeply associated with witchery? I highly recommend Laura Tempest Zakroff's book "The Witch's Cauldron". She did a masterful job covering so many aspects of the magical vessel, this is a great reference book as well as enjoyable to read.  

 

Book Review No. 36 - The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown

Hello again, welcome! Still hanging out in beautiful Texas. The weather has been a bit strange, big spring storms and then hot days have kept me inside the hotel room reading away.      I love a good historical fiction book, its probably my favorite genre of stories. I finished Beth Underdown's "The Witchfinder's Sister" in about three days; it was hard to put down.   

Old Fort Harrod in Harrodsburg Kentucky

A few weeks ago, while my older sister was in town, we took a little jaunt down to Harrodsburg KY to visit Old Fort Harrod. The love of history runs deep in our family, and when we get together we usually find some historical explorations to do.

We went on a Monday, so unfortunately we could not take a tour of the recreated fort or the museum (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays) but we took a lovely tour of the grounds.  

  This isn't a large state park, but an important one for Kentucky. In June 1774, James Harrod and his band of 37 men built cabins in this area, becoming the first permanent settlement in KY. This new fledgling community went a long way to secure safety for the pioneers, and Harrodstown was founded. Overtime the fort grew, more people arrived and Harrodstown became Harrodsburg.

Book Review No. 33 - Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Hallo! I hope you are well and taking care of yourself. Yes you, are you taking care of yourself? Most of us forget to check in with ourselves, just to see how we are doing. So take a moment, check in...are you doing OK? I hope so, and if not, why not? Maybe it is time to do a little check list to see why things are really falling into place right now.    Now that you've checked in, here is a little book review for you. Now this book has been out a long time, like 20 years (yikes...I can't believe 1997 was 20 years ago). "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frazier is a romantic, epic story taking place during the American civil war. Set in South Carolina, it follows the lives of two star-crossed lovers Inman and Ada. If you've seen the movie (and really who hasn't at this point), I can say the book (like all books adapted for movies) is so much more.  

Book Review No. 32 - Spirit Conjuring for Witches by Frater Barrabbas

Salaam friends, I hope you have all been well. I've been struggling a little. Some pesky health issues have cropped up, setting me back. But, I am trying to not let it get me down.

So in the honor of Book Review Tuesdays, I've finally got to finish a book I started several weeks ago.

This week, I want to write a little bit about "Spirit Conjuring for Witches" by Frater Barrabbas. This is a heft book on spirit conjuring, if this is something you wish to incorporate in your practice I highly recommend. 

Book Review No. 30 - The Magic of Trees by Tess Whitehurst

Welcome! As it is a new year, I have a whole bunch new books that I want to get too. Yes, my husband has spoiled me and took me book shopping and then I order some more online. I have an addiction. I've also "committed" myself to reading 25 books this year, well that' the goal at least. I didn't read nearly as many books as I wanted last year, so I hope to remedy that in the next solar cycle.    I finished this book awhile ago and took some time to digest its contents. This is such a lovely book, full of a lot of great information. Tess Whitehurst's The Magic of Trees: A Guide to Their Sacred Wisdom & Metaphysical Properties is such a great resource into tree magic. Without a doubt, you can tell Whitehurst put a lot of work and energy into this collection.  

 

Tarot Review - The DruidCraft Tarot

Welcome back. I've got another lovely tarot deck to show you today. The DruidCraft Tarot by Will Worthington, Philip Carr-Gomm and Stephanie Carr-Gomm is a well thought-out and executed Celtic, druid, pagan deck.  As druids, Philip and Stephanie provide an authentic perspective to the deck that gives depth to the imagery and book. It first come out in 2005, and although that was some time ago this is an easy to find deck.  

Box set art   I'm partial to Celtic traditions, so this deck felt right at home. If you don't really care for Celtic imagery or history, or heavily nature inspired art, this may not be a deck you enjoy working with. The cards are nice stock, not too shiny but not too matte. They are larger than most other decks, which makes the images really pop but can be hard to shuffle for some people.  

Tarot Review - Victoria Regina Tarot

Hello! Have you ever just looked at a deck and knew you had to have it? Well that was the case with this deck. I was watching a lovely YouTube video by Tarot by Arwen, and she used the Victoria Regina deck. I knew I needed it.    And then she said the dreaded words...Out of Print - Hard to Find. My heart sank. I pined after this deck, coming back to it over and over again. I searched high and low for about a year until I found (and won!) and Ebay listing that wasn't ridiculous. Still pricey...but not ridiculous for an OOP deck. This deck came out by Llewellyn in 2002 in a boxed set. I've found the book isn't hard to find, but the deck itself is rare (unless you want to pay upwards of $200, and I did not).   Now about this deck. Just look at it! The black and white images are stunning. The authors George Patterson and Sarah Ovenall did a masterful job. Ovenall used mixed media collage work from vintage Victorian engravings to create the card's images. Knowing that these images are period works of art elevates this deck for me. If you enjoy the Victorian (and even Edwardian era) this deck will speak to you. This has a really interesting steampunk quality, as each suite has an interesting theme.    Swords = Guns, Cups = Mason Jars, Pentacles = Watches (or Clocks),  Wands = Fountain Pens  

 Minor Arcana

Book Review No. 29 - The Private Lives of the Tudors by Tracy Borman

Come on in, sit and stay awhile. Grab some tea or coffee, I'm going to talk about a spectacular book about Tudor England. Tracy Borman's well researched book "The Private Lives of the Tudors" starts with Henry VII and goes through the Tudor monarchs until Elizabeth I.   

  If you are new to the blog, or if you haven't figured it out yet I adore everything British. This book is also about one my favorite time-periods. If you have ever read a a Phillipa Gregory novel, you know what I am talking about.  

Book Review No. 27 - The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts

Welcome, come on in! Stay awhile, see that is new on the blog.  In another installment of my book reviews, I want to discuss this fantastic book "The Perfect Horse" by Elizabeth Letts. This book is a non-fiction account of how several warring groups came together to save a collection of pure blood horses right in the midst of WWII. This is a real-life story of heroes and villains on both sides of the battlefield. 

Letts does a great job giving the back story of the main characters of the plot (man and horse alike). She provides enough information about their histories to show how they got caught up in the war, their struggles and triumphs trying to survive, and their roles in the daring plans to move these horses over dangerous miles, sometimes right war-strewn lands. The main breeds in the book are the beautiful Lippanzzer, Arabians and sturdy Russian breeds. These horses not only were important to their handlers and keepers, but also provided strong national pride.

Book Review No. 26 - Seven Skeletons by Lydia Pyne

Hey there! Last week was a rough one at our house, but things are slowly getting back to normal. Our lovely boxer, Indy, had a couple of seizures and they really took a lot out of her. Now that she is on medication, she is doing well but really tired.   I've been spending a lot of time just sitting by her side on the couch. To pass the time, I finished reading this book called "Seven Skeletons" by Lydia Pyne.   

 

Book Review No. 22 - The Norse Shaman by Evelyn C. Rysdyk

Welcome and hello! This week I finished a well-researched book called "The Norse Shaman" by Evelyn C. Rysdyk. Before reading this book, I knew very little--to nothing--about actual shamanic practices of the Norse tradition. I do have a strong anthropological background, so I thoroughly enjoyed the historic data snippets in this book. Rysdyk backs up the Norse shamanic traditions with archeological evidence, which is refreshing. Several books I've read in this genre sort of forgo the archaeological record and jump right into the traditions without giving perspective about the landscape these people survived in.   

  After a brief introduction to shamanism and its role in many cultures across the globe, Rysdyk's focus of the book is on Norse shaman practices (obvious by the name of the book). Each chapter delves into different aspects of this tradition, and Rysdyk provides a meditation prompts to explore shamanistic trances on your own. This is also called "a seiðr ceremony". Warning, this is not a beginners guide to shamanism, and if you are not familiar with meditation or trancework you may want to skip this part of the book until you are more familiar with what to expect. Since I am a novice myself, I read through the meditations but did not perform them. I am looking forward to actually picking up her other book called "Spirit Walking: A Course in Shamanic Power."   Well researched and well written, if you have interest in Norse spiritual practices or just there culture in general, I recommend adding this book to your reading list. I really enjoyed this book, and found I had a hard time putting it down. Rysdyk's book has whet my interested in shamanism and Norse culture (not that I don't already have a strong interest in this region), something I hope to further explore.   Until next time, go out and enjoy the sunshine, Jenny

Book Review No. 19 - Stars at Dawn by Wendy Garling

Hello Hello! Welcome back! This week's book review Tuesday was something a bit new for me. I just finished reading this amazing book by Wendy Garling called "Stars at Dawn: Forgotten Stories of Women in the Buddha's Life" Just look at the book cover, I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I really like artwork.  

Now, before cracking this book open (or turning on my e-reader) I  knew very little--to nothing about the life of the Buddha. My only real encounter with Gautama Buddha was with his beautiful and serene figurines and statues. This book is a feminist view of  Buddha, the author on several occasions points out how in some variations of his life the roles of women are significantly downplayed  and how some Buddhist monastic orders deny women, although Buddha respected women just as men. I read the book I realized the Buddha had many women impact all stages of his life, and he was very keen to include women into the religious practice.   

Book Review No. 17 - The Magical Year by Danu Forest

Welcome dears! Today, I'm writing a review of  book called "The Magical Year" by Danu Forest. This book is a Celtic-centered experience of the Wheel of the Year. Now, if you don't know, the Wheel of the Year is one of the pagan (or neopagan) methods of marking the seasons of the year with a collection of eight celebrations.  

Business Trip across the Pond!

I can't believe how neglectful I've been on this blog. Truly, it's a shame. In trying to get back to this, and other things that make me happy, I'll try to get a few new posts up a month.   Anyways....   Last November, my husband got a message from his boss saying he may have an opportunity to get to do some training in England. Needless to say, I was so thrilled and we started making tentative plans just in case he got to go.  Well jump forward a few months, and he gets the green light for the training!    I have to say I've wanted to visit the UK since I was a little girl, and I will admit I am a huge anglophile.