[GUIDE] Book Reviews

[doistu]

Hi MM all,

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in starting a book review thread.
I always like to hear how other people might have found a book before I buy it because I know I've made some boo-boos in my purchasing choices...simply because I hadn't got a clue smile .

So I was hoping we could give a brief over-view of a book we've read, mark it out of five...explain the mark out of five and then recommend it to particular people like newbies or those interested in particular aspects of Wicca etc.

Just an idea.. smile  

[doistu]

I'm going to review the Principles of Wicca by Vivianne Crowley.

I bought this book on amazon after a bit of a speed shop hehe and the second it landed on my door mat I've had my nose in it.
I found it to be quite a refreshing read because it seemed to be on a similar level to me...slightly more advanced. Most books I own are for those starting out in the Craft.

I found the exercises she provided to be really useful and, though sometimes the book got very wordy, I was able to connect with what she was saying.
She offers a lot of info on Magical energies and the elements which I found to be very useful.

I'd give this book a 4 out of 5 because it really spoke to me and I'm really pleased with how easily I was able to follow it. However, her piece on the "Origins of Wicca" did confuse me somewhat.

I recommend this book to...not advanced but I'd say intermediate witches and wiccans hehe.
I really enjoyed it...very good read  

[too2sweet]

Sounds like a good idea to me!

Out of curiosity...what was it about the "origins" that confused you?  

[doistu]

I think it was a mixture of conflicts with other info I've been given and the wording.

I'm sur if I revisit it it'll become clearer  

[razielarcha]

Living Asatru -by- Greg (Dux) Shetler

This (extremely short, with introduction and bibliography, the book is only 88 pages.) book is like a snapshot into some of the main points of the faith. It won't give one any belief altering information, but it would make a good book to hand to someone who is interested in what one believes. Even if some of the details are not exactly what one believes/practices, it still gives a better indication of the faith than other books.

A Practical Guide to the Runes -by- Lisa Peschel

Don't even think about this book. The first indication of how off this book is would be the inclusion of the "wyrd' rune. It also gives ways in which to 'spread' the runes so as to read them like tarot cards. This book is a Llewellyn publication.

The Nature of Asatru -by- Mark Puryear

This book is nothing but thinly veiled racism. Avoid it.

Jakob Grimm's Teutonic Mythology

This book is a good resource for non-beginners, but does have it's faults. In the time Grimm was writing, it was thought that the world was only a few thousand years old and the notion of Divine Rights of Kings was still practised. In an attempt to prove some points, Grimm takes to comparative religion in some spots and makes some connections that left me chanting "cr*p, cr*p, cr*p" while reading it. There are a few spots where he cites something as being in the Teutonic faith because there is something similar in Slavic, Roman, Greek, and even Biblical traditions. This work should be taken with a grain of salt, and a bit of caution.

Eddas, Poetic and Prose

These (well, the Poetic at the very least) should be the very first book one ever reads if going towards a Teutonic/Nordic/Germanic path. There are different translations, but the general gist is the same. The translation of the Poetic I have is Bellows and for the Prose I have the Brodeur translation. One should take a little caution with the Prose Edda. Snorri Sturluson is believed to have changed details so that it fit his own ideas.

Other books that I have queued: Myths and Symbls in Pagan Europe by Ellis Davidson, The Danish History -by- Saxo Grammaticus (I think it's the Elton translation), The Agricola and The Germania -by- Cornelius Tacitus (not sure of the translator, the intro is by Edward Brooks Jr though), and finally Essential Asatru -by- Paxson (nope, haven't read this one yet redface ) if anyone else has reviews of these, please post! Also, if you have other books to recommend, tell me!