As I mentioned earlier this month I’ve barely read anything at all in 2023, but I didn’t want to just list the same old favorites. I read all of these in the last couple of years.
The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
I’m not sure I’ll ever be half as forgiving and positive as Eger, who tells the story of her imprisonment in Auschwitz, having to dance for Mengele, and her path back to a full and happy life. She’s an amazing human with an amazing story. The sequel, The Gift, is also excellent, but I love a good memoir, and this one was both uplifting and deeply harrowing.
The Woman Who Would be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney
I have mentioned I’m a huge Egyptology nut, and Hatshepsut, a woman who remade her image as a pharaoh into a King rather than a Queen is a fascinating story. Cooney’s book adds speculation about Hatshepsut’s life based on the available evidence – she talks about what it might have been like for the pharaoh navigating the world of Ancient Egypt, rather than dryly recounting the artifacts and inscriptions verbatim. The result is a sort of imaginative biography and it’s fascinating.
She Who Changes: Re-Imagining the Divine in the World by Carol P. Christ
You may have a hard time finding this one – I ordered it from a used bookseller online – but it’s so worth it. This was the first work on Process Theology I read, and it made my head spin around (like a record, baby). It can be a bit dry, so I recommend taking it chapter by chapter.
Spells for Living Well: A Witch’s Guide for Manifesting Change, Well-being, and Wonder by Phyllis Curott
As you may recall I am a longtime Curott fan. Her Witch Crafting is still among my favorite books on the Craft. This little spellbook is so refreshing compared to most of the recent spellbooks I’ve looked at; Curott’s focus is always on the spirituality, meaning, the Divine! There are more than just “manifesting” what you want type spells, there are those for the Earth herself, for the greater good, and to help you connect to Nature. But don’t worry, there are plenty of spells for your needs and desires as well. I looked forward to this book from the moment it was announced, and I was not disappointed.
Rebel Witch: Carve the Craft That’s Yours Alone by Kelly-Ann Maddox
I’m a big fan of Kelly-Ann’s as well – when I got back into the Craft after my long hiatus hers was one of the Youtube channels that drew me in. Her videos are both practical and imaginative, and she doesn’t try to fill your eyes with pretty scenery and cottagecore props; she sits there and talks to you (most of the time) and is straightforward, hilarious, sometimes emotionally raw, and always wise. There’s nothing wrong with the dreamy cottagecore vibe, I quite like it in fact, but sometimes I want more than something pretty, I want to talk to a friend about the wherefore and why of magic. She goes into mental health a lot and how you can work with the Craft to help your trauma and emotional well-being, and she’s big into deep self-care and self-love, not in terms of baths and spa days alone but in terms of doing your Shadow Work and truly healing. Her book Rebel Witch is a distillation of her ideas and applies them to creating your own form of Witchcraft that fits your life and your beliefs. I adore her and am gleefully anticipating her future books! Definitely try her videos if you haven’t.