I’ve been on a reading binge so I’m thinking of doing a witchy book recommendations. I’m hoping to put some on there besides the basics. Let me know if this is what y’all want! Also comment book you want me to read !
here’s a list of books that i’ve read recently and loved! there’s a link to a drive folder to with come other neat stuff. there’s also this post that i’m currently going through as well from kentuckwitch!
I’ve been on a reading binge so I’m thinking of doing a witchy book recommendations. I’m hoping to put some on there besides the basics. Let me know if this is what y’all want! Also comment book you want me to read !
“Remember, spells don’t work because you put together two herbs and a stone; they work because you’re using those objects associated with your goal to help energize your will and intention.”
~ Arin Murphy-Hiscock in Protection Spells: Clear negative energy, banish unhealthy influences, and embrace your power
convincing you to read kingdom of the wicked because the sequel comes out in 10 days!
this post won’ t contain any major spoilers, but a few slips might happen-
Let’s start out with the premise :)
It’s basically a historical fiction- a murder mystery, based in the 1800s in Italy. BUT IT’S NOT JUST ANY OTHER MURDER MYSTERY, it has witches and super hot demons and not so hot hunters and- and chefs<3 AND POSSIBLY THE BEST FANTASY ENEMIES TO LOVERS I’VE SEEN IN A WHILE.
I cannot begin to explain how beautiful the entire ambience of this book is,,, the town in Italy is a very warm, cozy, and welcoming place. So that makes the whole murder situation even eerier and more intriguing. This isn’t one of those mysteries where you can guess from the start who it’s gonna be, and the murder part isn’t that IN YOUR FACE. It’s delicately woven throughout the rest of the plot. There’s a lot of chilling stuff going on, everyone has secrets and everyone is super sexy and scary- all in all this makes for the perfect autumnal read :)
PLOT!!
We start out with two twin witches who’s family owns a restaurant (i mean those lucky bitches get to COOK AND BAKE AND DO WITCHCRAFT ALL DAY LIKE- *dream life*)
Emilia and Vittoria dicarlo- one of them is super outgoing and loud and EDGY- she isn’t like other girls!! she has secret affairs and gets in trouble all the time,,, the other is kind of chill and reserved and loving.
BUT THEN SOMETHING LIFE CHANGING HAPPENS- one of them makes a mistake and ends up six feet under.
Now, witchcraft is like super illegal because women with gifts and knowledge are a threat to society!! Witches have been ending up dead in many towns across Italy and since witchcraft is super hush hush, our protagonist can’t exactly ask the police for help. So she does one better- SHE ASKS THE FUCKING PRINCE OF HELL- wrath. Go big or go home honey :)))
The magic system in this book is really interesting because it’s quite realistic- they use herbs and blessed candles and chalk and really aesthetically pleasing things. Some witches practice dark magic and go nuts because they have these visions which is so cool. The twins come from an ancient family of witches and their nonna is super badass and grumpy i love her.
The villains(seggsy antiheroes?) are the malvachi aka the princes of hell. Each prince has domain over one deadly sin(pride, envy, wrath etc). And they can like control those emotions which IS SO SICKK aaahhhh. Throughout the story, the main characters meets these princes and gets influenced by them but also learns new things to uncover the bigger mystery going on and they’re all very intriguing and sexy.(I’ve used the word sexy so many times like is that not reason enough to read it?)
The restaurant- I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ARC. It just enhances the reading experience by adding these touches of how invested the characters are in their recipes and flavours which makes it so comforting and also hilarious because one moment someone is like “OMG NO LOOK A CORPSE aaahhh” and the next they’re like “hmmm i want your recipe for cannoli *puppy eyes*”
vibes you can expect- mysterious, spells, herbs, candles, witches, church, family love, demons, betrayal, forced alliance, grumpy + sunshine trope, revenge lotsss of revenge, angsty, comforting yet also somehow on the edge of your seat feeling, secrets and darkness, hidden agendas, AND LOTS OF ITALIAN CUISINE.
The romance<333
aka the reason I picked up this book. At this point the romantic interest could be like “aahh you’re ugly i hope you die” and then two seconds later be like “you’re the most beautiful thing in this world you are the sky and the sun and you could walk over me do you want something to eat? do you want a kitten or a blanket or a cup of tea??maybe we could bang and get married????” and you have the AUDACITY to call that enemies to lovers????
BUT THIS BOOK PORTRAYS that hate to forced alliance to secrets to betrayal to mistrust to slight understanding to maybe some hints of romance. The slowburn is just *chef’s kiss*
I ADORE how you can never tell what the love interest is gonna do and you’re like daddy??sorry-daddy?? sorry. NO DON"T MAKE ME HATE YOU…..da-
ALSO there’s a slight corruption arc because the main character is so driven by her rage and that for me is the cherry on top.
AT ONE POINT, THE DARK ANTIHERO kisses the protagonist to save her life(?) AND SAYS “LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO HATE ME FOR THIS” LIKE SIRRRR??
Quotes you might like-
“I feel your gaze on me when you think I’m not paying attention. You track the dagger every time I move. You need to know where it is.“ No ma'am he’s looking at you-
"Young women died. Life resumed. Such was the way of the world, at least according to men.” I didn’t come here to cry but okay-
“I couldn’t begin to understand why Wrath had said “my Emilia’s.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the demon even remembered my name since he only ever tossed around “witch.” EEEEEHHH THE POSSESSIVENESS TROPE
“You have something I want.” “If it’s my still-beating heart, I’m afraid I must decline.” “No, but I imagine you’ll end up giving that to my brother one day.” excuse me WHILE I GO SCREAM.
"My sister was the adventurous one—I was satisfied with safe, clean fun. Give me a steamy romance novel with forbidden love and impossible odds. That was the kind of adventure I could get behind.” same, literally same.
This book as Taytay songs because why not?
•Look what you made me do
•No body, no crime
•Treacherous
•Dancing with our hands tied
•Mad woman
•I did something bad
•Wildest dreams tv THISSS SO MUCH
•Delicate
•Haunted
•So it goes >>>>
Just before you go,, THE SEQUEL HAS THE “I DON’T WANNA KISS YOU UGHHH”// “LIAR” trope and also the “YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T GIVE AF ABOUT ME”// “I LIED.” trope
Read this book today and it has some awesome ideas for spell-specific herb bundles.
However…. I’m not sure how to buy the herbs I am not able to grow in my garden? Like, I can buy them in ground-form for tea, but how do I get a sprig of yarrow or a handful of eucalyptus branches??
Buckland’s Complete Book Of Witchcraft- This book is a most have in every Wiccan’s (If you are) collection because of how informative it is. I highly recommend this book to really every witch who hasn’t read it yet.
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner- This book is also a very nice read, it has a perfect amount of information where you wont get information overload too quickly. Its unbiased and offers a great first start to starting the craft.
Wicca: by Harmony Nice- If you are a complete newbie to Wicca or the craft, then this is the book for you. This book is easy to swallow, and offers easy to understand information for newbies without being too difficult to process.
Of Witchcraft and whimsy - I think this is the book for newbies who want to seek the more modern practices of witchcraft. This is a book that focuses more on the craft than Wicca itself. It is also complete with plenty of unique and fun spells perfect for beginner level.
Pastel Spells- A perfect book for newbies looking to try out spells of all types at a beginner level.
The Green Witch- Perfect for a beginning green witch, this book is complete with all the basics of Green magick complete with the correspondences of herbs and food, recipes, and basic practices and morals of a green witch.
Herbal- a book on herbs, describing their culinary, medicinal, and magical properties
✨Spell book- a collection of spells
Dream journal- a place to write down and interpret the dreams you have
Book of prophecies- a place where you write down your predictions for the future.
Bestiary- a book on the magical creatures and spirits that you’ve encountered or find interesting
Volucrary- a book on the symbolic meanings and magical correspondences of birds. Like a bestiary but with more bird and less beast.
Witchy inventory- a list, with descriptions, of all the magical items you possess and any enchantments they may have
Almanac- these are books you can buy with tide tables, astrological events, and important dates for the next year. They’re incredibly useful if you’re interested in biodynamic gardening or if you spend a lot of time outdoors.
Family history- a book with your family tree and stories about your ancestors. Useful for ancestral magic or to create as an heirloom for your children.
Hey, I’ve got a craving for a specific vibe of book. I want to read something witchy that focuses on the witchy stuff instead of like, focusing on romance and “oh by the way they were witches” you know?
Some I’ve read recently and liked were: the Practical Magic series (magic lessons was prob my fave); the Tiffany Aching series; Payback’s a Witch; the River Has Teeth; Midnight at the Blackbird Café; Bunny (debatably witchy but I’ll count it); Cemetery Boys; Snapdragon
Didn’t like as much but didn’t dislike: The Babysitters Coven; the Bone Witch
Note: I have not read all of these books in their entirety and I do not take responsibility for any misinformation in these books, I am simply providing resources to those who would not otherwise have access to them. Please use your own judgement and discretion when reading any book, especially those regarding spiritual practices.
These books didn’t just teach me about witchcraft or how to own my inner power, but immensely inspire me to keep going on my path. These are the books I will pick up, time and time again, especially going through moments of feeling lost or dispassionate on my path.
These books step away from the owner’s manual feel of most witchcraft books. They ditch the graphs and deliver information in a way it is absolutely a delight to consume.
Spiral Dance by @starhawk_spiral I spoke about this book recently, but there is no way this wouldn’t have made it on this list. It was the first book that truly connected me to my inner witch. Not only is she obviously such an educated voice within our community, but her writing is also easy to read and fun to consume.
A Spell in the Wild by @alice_tarbuck This is a new one for me that I read on a whim. Alice will inspire you to find magick no matter where you are, city or countryside. You’ll look at the plants growing between the broken pavement with renewed interest on your daily walks. This book doesn’t provoke the interest in nature though, it is a magickal hug. If you feel lost on your path or unconfident in what you’re doing, Alice will have you believing in yourself again.
Mysteries of the Dark Moon by Demetra George When I was first diving into shadow work, this was one of the first books I pulled. Demetra really inspired me to accept my emotions and use them to my ultimate benefit. It also helped me confidently connect with nature on a deeper level because the earth does its own version of shadow work. Ebbs and flows are an integral part of nature. Things decay in order to grow something new and worthwhile.
A few other books I don’t have space to write about: Hekate Liminal Rites by @sorita.deste & David Rankine Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés Weave the Liminal by @owlkeyme.arts The Witch at the Forest’s Edge by @awitchbetwixt
basically, i’ve found pdfs to nearly every esoteric book i’ve ever heard of, as well as many i haven’t, and it’s semi-organized now, or at least my folder of must-reads is (i don’t have the time to organize hundreds of pdfs into folders, i’m sorry).
here are some books that are definitely well known in modern witchcraft, that i’ve been able to find and acquire!
☽ The Green Witch - Arin Hiscock-Murphy ☽ Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways - Gemma Gary ☽ The Ancient Greek Magical Papyri ☽ Blackthorn’s Botanical Brews - Amy Blackthorn ☽ Psychic Witch - Mat Auryn ☽ Witchery - Julia Diaz ☽ Spell Crafts - Scott Cunningham ☽ Cunningham’s Book of Shadows - Scott Cunningham ☽ The Teen Spellbook - Jamie Wood ☽ Wiccapedia - Shawn Robbins and Leanna Greenway ☽ The Practical Witch’s Spellbook - Cerridwen Greenleaf ☽ How to Meet and Work With Spirit Guides - Ted Andrews
there are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more (hundreds, and counting) but these are some that you’ve probably heard of. plus, if you find that there isn’t a book in the library that you want, just fill out a request form and i’ll get it to you asap :)
okay but why can’t text and exercise books for school look like forbidden books on witchcraft from the seventeenth century or smth? like then i wouldn’t feel so bad for using a shit ton of money on them
