Magaly Guerrero at Pagan Culture has created a Witchy Books reading challenge for 2012. I read about this a while ago and decided to do it, but haven’t posted till now because I hadn’t come up with my list of books.

List of books finished, so consider this my announcement post.

Most of these are non-fiction, because I need something poking me in the side to remind me to read the books I own before buying new ones. Some are re-reads.

Challenge level: Lunar Booklover (28 books).

  1. Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison.
  2. Storm Front, Jim Butcher (wizards totally count, right?).
  3. The Forever Girl, Rebecca Hamilton (currently reading).
  4. The Twelve Wild Swans, Starhawk.
  5. Evolutionary Witchcraft, T. Thorn Coyle (reread).
  6. Book of Witchery, Ellen Dugan.
  7. Cottage Witchery, Ellen Dugan (reread).
  8. The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft, Christopher Penczak.
  9. The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, Christopher Penczak.
  10. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Spells and Spellcraft, Cathy Jewell and Aurora Greenbough.
  11. The Witch’s Shield, Penczak.
  12. Truth or Dare, Starhawk.
  13. The Spiral Dance, Starhawk (reread).
  14. Instant Magick, Penczak.
  15. Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Potions, Kerri Connor
  16. Aradia or Gospel of the Witches, Charles G. Leland (commentary by AJ Drew).
  17. Book of Lies, Richard Metzger, ed.
  18. Encyclopedia of Magic and Witchcraft, Susan Greenwood.
  19. The Poison Diaries, by The Duchess of Northumberland. (Though the story wasn’t technically about witches, it was about people who worked with poisonous herbs and the uses of such herbs…as a witch on the poison path, this definitely counts for me.)
  20. Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe, Jonathan Barry, Marianne Hester, and Gareth Roberts eds.
  21. Devoted to You, Judy Harrow
  22. A Treasury of Witchcraft, Harry E. Wedeck
  23. Be a Goddess, Francesca De Grandis
  24. Goddess Initiation, De Grandis
  25. Pagan Visions for a Sustainable Future, Ly de Angeles, Emma Restall Orr & Thom van Dooren, eds.
  26. The Shadow Queen, Anne Bishop
  27. Shalador’s Lady, Anne Bishop
  28. A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett

I’ve left #28 blank because I don’t know what else to read. I want it to be fiction, but a lot of times one can’t be sure if a book is about witches until one reads it.

So I turn to you, dear readers: what fictional book about witches do you suggest for number 28 on my reading challenge list? I am all about supporting indie/emerging authors, too, so if you’ve written a book with witches in it or know someone else who has, plug away!

 

 

ETA: I have chosen A Hat Full of Sky for the last book on the list thanks to suggestions made below.

10 replies on “Pagan Culture’s 2012 Witchy Books Reading Challenge”

  1. One of Pratchett’s witches books, obviously. If you fancy YA, go for the Tiffany Aching series; they have the witches well-developed and follow the development of a young woman in the Craft.

    1. That’s a fantastic suggestion. I love Pratchett and my partner has been nagging me to read more of him, so I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before. I’ve read The Wee Free Men and loved it; been meaning to read the rest of Aching’s series for a while now.

  2. Have you ever read any of the books in the Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan? They are YA books but I’ve enjoyed them so far, I’ve read about half the series of 15 books.

    1. Nope, but I’ll add them to my list! I’ve been on a bit of a YA kick recently. Thanks.

  3. I would suggest ‘Rivers Of London’ by Ben Aaronovitch because it’s so very original and enriched by that certain british humour.
    Where else would you find a story where a London cop suddenly discovers he is a wizard and needs to learn using his ‘gifts’ to stop crime?

    You can read some amazon excellent reviews here if you want:
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rivers-London-Ben-Aaronovitch/dp/0575097566

    Or, you can go with one of my favorite authors, Kelley Armstrong and her Dime Store Magic.

    A more classic choice would be The Heir by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

    1. Will definitely check out Rivers of London! Thanks for the recommendation.

      I love Kelley Armstrong’s series. I have to catch up; I think I’m a few books behind. But the idea of a really polite Canadian werewolf just tickled me purple.

      I’ll also look into The Heir. I love MZB, but I haven’t read that one yet.

  4. I recommend Terry Pratchett. Witches Abroad, the Tiffany Aching series, Carpe Jugular, anything with Granny Weatherwax. For nonfiction, I like the Psychic Vampire Codex for clear, concise directions on energy work. ^_^

    1. I love Pratchett’s witch books. My friends used to call me Nanny Ogg, actually…for probably really obvious reasons. *shifty eyes*

      Thanks for the recommendation for the Psychic Vampire Codex — I’d seen it before and pondered it, but hadn’t heard one way or the other if it was good. I’ll definitely check it out if it simply explains energy work. 😉

  5. Pingback: Melissa’s 2012 Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge sign-up | Morag Spinner

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