Category Archives: Recommendations

Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland

This is a book at the center of many debates, with some giving it historical significance as a one of the oldest references to the practice of magic and others denouncing its historical importance. It was published 1899, meaning it’s one of the earliest studies of historical witchcraft. There are other debates floating around, such as the writer was used to re-create old traditions of this ancient craft and others saying he was all on his own trying to make up things. I don’t know for sure and never looked into these claims myself. I do know the writer, Charles G. Leland, is considered the founder of the neo-paganism movement and the one who jump started the path called Wicca. No matter your viewpoint, this is not a book for those wishing for a softer look at witchcraft.

When you read, you learn that this is a history written by a folklorist and anthropologist on witchcraft. It is his studies, findings, and what he found on the path. I can easily see how this became such a staple for students of the path. Great source material must be why it’s so often cited in other books. It’s an easy to read in some places.

This is a recommended read to anyone to anyone interested in witchcraft or beginning down the path.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: The Will to Power by Friedrich Nietzsche

I have already reviewed one work by Nietzsche, you can find it here 2020 Book Review: Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche. I also had to read a translation of this one, but I base this review not on the original text, but the translated version I own. This is a work that I understand is his last. It’s an interesting view on politics and why people gain power and what it does to them once they have it, control.

I’ve always found Nietzsche’s work interesting on how he challenges the status quo with his thinking. Most of the greatest minds did this, even if they faced execution over it. It’s intelligently written for the date that it was composed. This book may confirm some view points you’re already have or give you another to consider.I recommend it as I did the other one.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books to review them on my website, whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions by Thomas William Doane

This is not a unique type of book to me. I have read other books of comparison of Christianity and other religious books, for example, Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings by Marcus Borg. A book that put toward the reader the sayings of both teachers and let you see for yourself how closely they were in what they taught. After this book, I wanted to try similar books, and that is when I came across this one. It took comparing teachings and stories to a deeper level.

The subject of this review goes deeper. For some, I’ve come across that have also read it their takeaways have all been different. Some have used this to ‘prove’ their doubt in one religion as ‘fake’ and for some a confirmation that the stories they grew up with are universal. For me, this is an interesting reference of how information can spread, neither denying nor confirming anything for me on a spiritual level.

This is an excellent book and delivers on the title thoroughly and consistently throughout. This is a heavily sourced book to back up the claims within its pages, giving the reader the chance to look even deeper when or if they want to for everything. A touch I love. These sorts of things really feed the researcher within. The author really went through the gamut to produce wonderful work.

I have to give a fair warning to anyone thinking of buying this book. Because of its original publication date, you must understand the writing style is dated. If you’re easily offended, this may not be the book for you.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website, whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Memories of John Lennon by Yoko Ono

At this point in the self-imposed challenge for the year, I’m just about done with less than a handful of reviews left to do. I have had many comments on my website of people enjoying the books I’ve read and my thoughts on them. I have wondered if I should do another challenge or make reviewing books part of the website permanently.

This time last year I had already figured out what content I would do throughout the year and the list was getting finished up for the challenge of all the books I would review, 53 in total. It’s hard to believe I’ve read so many books, how difficult it was to narrow down the pages to only 53 novels, short stories, essays, or other materials for this event on my website. This ‘special review’ comes a day after my thirty-fifth birthday. I wanted to stray and do something a little special.

Over the year I’ve seen an increase of reviewers shifting what they’re covering, from modern fresh releases to anything they have read and that makes me happy. I have changed up my list a bit and stray from the list I originally made for this review. I wanted to make a special edition review, you could call it. I purchased this book earlier this year as a Beatles fan and a John Lennon fan. I have only pulled it from the plastic I bought it in long enough to read it and then put it back into its protection. I got it at a local shop I favor and bought it that way, so that’s how I like to keep it.

I read this fully aware of the tragic events that have taken place, his passing, and all of that and went into the book hoping to hear her side of things. It’s a beautiful testament of her love for him. It covers their life together, parenting to being lovers, and I enjoyed it. I have many thoughts about this work that I don’t find particular important enough to share, mindless wonderings and so on, but what I think is Lennon fans should read this.

I can’t imagine the suffering she has gone through all these years without him. My heart goes out to her as someone who has and currently knows love in my life. I couldn’t imagine a world without my love at my side. This was a book that had me reflecting on the thought of what would I have done? Would I as a writer write a memoir of love and loss? I don’t know at this moment, but I know she has to be a strong woman to go through all she has and brave for being a bold and proud artist without hesitation in her own right.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: The Gospel of Judas by Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor Wurst, Bart D. Ehrman

Years ago, roughly six years in fact, I came across this book and bought it. I have always been honest with my religious studies and how they began when I was very young. Across my social media accounts or even throughout my appearances, you can hear me talk about my journey and how it began for me. This was a purchase I categorize as part of this lifelong pursuit of mine. So I recommend this for anyone similar, in a pursuit of religious studying or even curious on the subject matter. 

For 1,600 years its message lay hidden. When the bound papyrus pages of this lost gospel finally reached scholars who could unlock its meaning, they were astounded. Here was a gospel that had not been seen since the early days of Christianity, and which few experts had even thought existed? A gospel told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, history’s ultimate traitor. And far from being a villain, the Judas that emerges in its pages is a hero. In this radical reinterpretation, Jesus asks Judas to betray him. In contrast to the New Testament Gospels, Judas Iscariot is presented as a role model for all those who wish to be disciples of Jesus. He is the one apostle who truly understands Jesus. This volume is the first publication of the remarkable gospel since it was condemned as heresy by early Church leaders, most notably by St. Irenaeus, in 180. Hidden away in a cavern in Middle Egypt, the codex (or book) containing the gospel was discovered by farmers in the 1970s. In the intervening years the papyrus codex was bought and sold by antiquities traders, hidden away, and carried across three continents, all the while suffering damage that reduced much of it to fragments. In 2001, it finally found its way into the hands of a team of experts who would painstakingly reassemble and restore it. The Gospel of Judas has been translated from its original Coptic in clear prose, and is accompanied by commentary that explains its fascinating history in the context of the early Church, offering a whole new way of understanding the message of Jesus Christ.

From the back page of the book.

As far as my personal thoughts for the review, it’s an interesting read and an eye-opener. I had read similar texts from the Codex and the Lost Sea Scrolls, but I always read them knowing something could’ve been misinterpreted and that many of the scrolls were badly damaged so things may not be exactly as they would be if they had been pristine. It still very interesting to me to get a glimpse and books like this one help me peer back into a time I am not currently alive for.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: The Goodnight Kiss Collectors Edition by R.L. Stine

For the love of vampires and horror, I cannot claim anything without mentioning the importance of this book. I’ve touted how important Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice has been to me many times but never had I mentioned this book. It, when I thought about it, is just as important and came into my life during a rough point of my youth. I found it in the basement dedicated to children’s books at a public library, and after reading a bit I sat between the shelves reading it.

For me it was the first book really dealing with the topics it covered I’d ever read, and at that period of my life, it really took me. When the librarian found me she suggested I take it home and did. I binged. I remember checking and re-checking this out until a librarian suggested I let someone else enjoy it too. Eventually, I got my own copy for sentimental reasons.

It is two books in one collection. It’s great for young adults or teenagers, I read it roughly 6th grade. It was the first book I read that spoke of teenagers with adult problems, like having an addiction. It isn’t like the popular Goosebumps books Stine is more famous for. I will have to re-read it now that I’m older and see how the details hit and if I have forgotten anything, but my impression and this review is recommending this to young adults and teens. It has its moments of slowness or lack of excitement, but it’s a very good book.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland

This is a wonderful read, if you’re following a pagan/witchcraft path. For me, research comes as the heart of much of my writing and my choices. This is not a book for everyone. I was given this book by a close friend years ago, along with a book that went along with it that spoke of communicating with spirit. This book I read first, so I am taking the approach of reviewing as if the two books were like a series. If you’ve been following the reviews, you know I will review the first of a series instead of all the series.
The book is an excellent read. Excellent if you’re wanting to begin down the above mentioned paths. It touches on all the basics that anyone wanting to start would need to know. It includes illustrations, guides, and just so much of the important foundations of modern witchcraft. 
I am not reviewing this to convert anyone to any path, but it was included on the recommended reads as it’s a book I enjoyed and also wanted to leave my own review since that is what I’m doing for this challenge. For those that have caught my lives and web show appearances, you probably saw this book on my bookcase behind me along with many books on occult, poetry, and other religious books.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

This is one of those books I read to face a fear. From a young age the movie impressed upon me a fear of demons, the unknown, and what could happen if I ‘played’ with a ouija board. It later in life inspired me to write some things I have, so without a doubt The Exorcist has been in and out of my life for a long time. The movie led me to reading the book, which I have to say is far scarier. Books lean that way for me, usually. 
I couldn’t help to compare and found myself in a grey area of loving both movies after I could re-watch the movie, which I did when I finished the book. There are minor changes for cinematic reasons, as far as I could guess, but nothing so different that left me wondering what happened. It’s a slow read, for the brave… read at night. It will have you wondering of every single scratching noise, ever odd sound during the night, and maybe even cause nightmares.
I am aware a true story inspired the book. Which adds elements that are darker and deeper. I won’t go into the details of the true story, but it’s really interesting and you can see where the movie/book got some of its details different. Perhaps I’ll cover the true story in another post, maybe a special The Veil cover.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker

This is undoubtably a horror classic that has spawned a ship of a thousand novels. Dracula has spawned movies, television shows, and books with romantic vampires and oceans of times. Dark, sexy, and ominous this book without hesitation made the list for reviewing and just in time for Halloween. Unlike the many books, television, and even movies it is a slow read. It grasps you and pulls you deeper into it with the formatted style of diary and journal selections. The only movie version that has ever captured the book visually for me is the 1992 film Bram Stoker’s Dracula with actors Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, and Winona Ryder. Of course the movie differs from the book it still captured the darkness I envisioned in my imagination from the book.
Dracula is without a doubt one of my favorite reads and one of the few books I’ve ever read and re-read many times since I was young. My original copy has been gone for a long time, but I regained a copy years ago and kept it safe since. It’s a slow burn and is a book that must be read over many nights, yes at night. This is a must read during the night book as it best sets the tone of which the world is set. Maybe it’s my mind making the world of vampires and darkness romantic yet horrifying to recommend that it be read at night, but that’s how I read it.
The book may not be the best to read for those that want quick action or to get deep into an adventure quickly, since its told through journal entries and letters it takes time to get into. So for that it’s not the best book for someone who can’t give the book the time it deserves to enjoy. I could easily get into the theories of where the idea for the story spawned, how the writer was considered being a homosexual writing by the inspiration of his lover or even the connection to famous female author Mary Shelley, but these are, I think for now, best reserved for another post down the road.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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Recommendations

2020 Book Review: Welcome to Marwencol by Chris Shellen and Mark Hogancamp

I read this book after researching after seeing the movie Welcome to Marwen. A unique and sad telling of trauma of a man and how he coped. It really spoke to me, and I wanted to learn more about Mark Hogancamp. I came across this book during my digging into the search and wanted to read more and see it from the eyes of the artist and not the vision of a director.

This book talks about the life Mark had before and after the attack that changed his life. It goes more in depth about the fictional world he created set in World War II and the town of Marwencol. I love how many pictures are included giving a closer look at each building and characters constructed in his world. There are also photographs that compliment the story telling of life before and after his traumatic event. You can really see how the world he created was truly formed by the things he can remember and even by the things he couldn’t.

The movie and the book are both incredible testimonials of how life can be derailed and how art can help with coping. I realized one morning after I wrote this book on my list to review this year that this hit harder home to me as someone who began an art form to cope with the things that have traumatized me and even to this day using art and writing to revisit old wounds to heal.

This is a recommended book because it’s a fantastic book. I do also recommend the movie as well, but this book is what’s up for today and should be given a closer look by anyone and everyone.

This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.

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