Merry Moot Library.

Well, as most olf you know, I'm a GREAT lover of books, and i know some of the member are book lovers too.
So here is what i propose: I thread dedicated to the wonderful creation of books, literature and authors!

AKA Merry Moot Library!!!!!!

This is we you can recommend book for members to read, provide book reviews, or siply tell all about you favourite authors. =]

My first book recommendation is Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Its a fantastic book, filled with all that we love on here: magic, drama and un-put-down-able.
It is set in an American town, Bascom, and focuses on the lives of the mysterious Waverleys. Claire, a creature of habit and control, suddenly has her world turned upside down when her prodical sister, Sydney returns 10 years after she left, with a daughter in tow and a dark sercet. Combined with their magical gifts and the attractive next door nieghbour, Tyler, its a brillant novel that made me believe in magic! [if io hadn't already believed in the first place, lol]

I think you should have a gander at it!

Any other book suggestions?!?!

Fabulous idea Sabouki! We love books - I'm going to have to put my thinking cap on though as to what to suggest.

Darren Shan's books, They're fun and they have vampires! and werewolves! annnd... Demon lords!, I like em

oh i've read that book, and been trying to remember what it was called because i loved it and lost it when i moved out of home, but couldn't remember what it was to go and buy. I too recomend it a good read.

Ahh i love that feeling of relief you get when something that has been really irritating you like trying to remember a name finally comes to you.

Thanks solvo, my mind can finaly rest, two years after losing it, (the book not my mind, i lost that more than two years ago ) Now onwards to Amazon... (finally a chance to use a different smiley)

*Edit for an exhorberant amount of text speak, i know Sarah can read it but im not sure Tomi would understand

I agree with Aoife on the Garth Nix book's, but also add in his other ones The keys to the kingdom series and Shade's children. Both cool fun, although S.c. is set in the future with x-men type explanation of powers

totally agreew with the garth nix ones,
i also reccomend his dark materials trilogy by phillip pullman thats northern light, the subtle knife and the amber spyglass.
am curious to see the film of this one as well which comes out soon, nervous to boot about it, i mean the golden compass?????
anyway i digress i also reccomend the black magician trilogy(the magicians guild, the novice and the high lord) and the age of five triology (preistess of the white, last of the wilds and voice of the gods) by trudi canavan.
ok i'll stop now but i could go on forever!!

Yay Darren SHan they rocked i read all of them, I lvoed the interesting theory of 'hell' :-)

A new addition to the Sacha Favourites:

The Twilight Series. It's a teenage book, so sorry you adults out there, but MY GOD is it good. I got my mum to read it and she LOVED it, and she rarely reads at all.
Stephenie Meyers has an amazing ability at character building and i feel like i really KNOW the characters in her books. I read each of the current 3 books in a day and I'm eagerly awaiting the new books set to release this summer and the film of the first book this December.

here's a review from amazon:

Amazon.com
"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat."
As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.
Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction. --Patty Campbell


Yes, even though it's for teenagers, I'm unashamed to say i love it. If you want an easy read that you can't put down, buy it. =]

I have such a long list that I have to use more than one post but in my opinion they're all excellent

Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente

In this book the author tells us what the old religion of witchcraft has to offer the new age of Aquarius, how the age old craft of the wise can be practised in the modern world. It includes the Witches Creed which I, personally, like very much and a very nice cord spell as well as various other rites and rituals which roll off the tongue very easily

A Witch Alone by Marian Green

A fabulous book of instruction. Marian takes us through the thirteen moons of a year with a lesson for each moon. A wealth of good, down to earth advice and the benefit of Marian's vast knowledge and experience.This book should be compulsory reading for all witches, new, old and in between. I want to know as much as this woman knows

The Kabbalah Experience by Naomi Ozaniec

A new, contemporary and accessible approach to a traditional wisdom. Naomi combines the symbolic imagery of the Tarot with the traditional structure of the Tree of Life, taking us on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening. This is a book that offers the reader many potential gifts: self-revelation, personal growth, healing and mystical perception. A path of total transformation

The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazer

Frazer is regarded as one of the founders of modern anthropology. The Golden Bough originally appeared in twelve volumes between 1890 and 1915 and this abridgement was first published in 1922. This is a vast assembly of facts and offers the thesis that man progressed from magic, through religious belief to scientific thought. I hope that we've managed to progress a little further and have come back to magic, without which life would be stark indeed

The Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton

This work covers the whole sweep of ritual history from the earliest written records to the present day. This is my favourite of Ronald Hutton's books as it lays out the ritual year from Christmas to Bonfire Night which makes it so easy to check out the origins of the various festivals that crop up on our calendars during the course of the year

The Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton

A full-scale study of the only religion England has ever given the world: modern pagan witchcraft. Ronald Hutton examines the nature of this religion and it's development since 1800. This is incredibly interesting and a must read for anyone who is interested in the history of neo-paganism

Seven Ages of Britain by Justin Pollard

This is a history of the British people from the ice age to the industrial revolution. It is the story of a country as it emerges from the landscape and of the clues that suggest to us how its population kept body and soul together. It tells of a fluid past created, enjoyed and endured by the ordinary people who live here

The Way of Wyrd by Brian Bates

Sent on a mission deep into the forests of pagan Anglo Saxon England, Wat Brand, a Christian scribe, suddenly finds his vision of the world turned upside down. The familiar English countryside is not what it seems; threatening spirits, birds of omen and plants of power lurk in this landscape of unseen terrors and mysterious forces. With Wulf, a sorceror and mystic, as his guide, Wat is instructed in the magical lore of plants, runes, fate and life force until, finally, he journeys to the spirit world on a quest to encounter the true nature of his own soul. I loved this book, it's like diving into the earth and swimming around in its dark comfort

The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune

The mysterious Morgan Le Fay enters the life of William Maxwell and transforms him from a semi-invalid firmly controlled by his domineering mother and sister into her Priest of the Moon. A tale of wild magic and feminine strength and love

Moon Magic by Dion Fortune

Morgan Le Fay morphs into Lilith Le Fay and sets up a temple dedicated to the worship of Isis in London where she attracts the attention of repressed yet phsychically-gifted Dr Rupert Malcolm. She breaks down his querulous personality and helps him to rediscover his emotional nature allowing him to assume the role of God to her Goddess

The Grigori Trilogy by Storm Constantine

These books tell the tale of a family of angels who fell to earth and the offspring that resulted from their union with human women. They are dark and will sometimes make you very uncomfortable but such is the journey that we must all make if we are to truly know ourselves and the ways of heaven and earth. The book titles are Stalking Tender Prey, Scenting Hallowed Blood and Stealing Sacred Fire

Ancient Traces: Mysteries in Ancient and Early History by Michael Baigent

This is quite a good read for those who aren’t interested enough to plough through Bauval, Hancock, Budge, Darwin, Flem-Ath, Wilson, et al but still curious about ancient history

The book covers and challenges Darwin’s theory and the fact that we still haven’t found those missing links. Although certainly not giving any credence to Creationism we’re presented with some evidence that humans may well have existed alongside dinosaurs

We’re asked if it’s at all possible that extinct creatures still exist in view of some of the things that are occasionally dredged up from the bottom of the ocean or discovered in the remotest corners of the earth

There’s a certain amount of scientist and archaeologist bashing for their closed mindedness and unwillingness to accept the fact that they don’t know everything. We examine ancient civilisations including Atlantis, the origins of the pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx, alchemy and reincarnation

If you’ve read at least some of the many books that have been published about forbidden and hidden history then you probably won’t need this book but if it all looks a bit daunting and you’re curious then this one will probably whet your appetite for something more in depth

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

A J Crowley and Aziraphale have been on earth for millennia - well, since the beginning really. Crowley is one of the Fallen (who did not so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards) and was originally the serpent who suggested to Eve that those apples looked particularly tasty. Aziraphale managed not to fall but is in a certain amount of trouble for taking on pity on Adam and Eve and helping them out a bit by giving Adam his flaming sword

The two have become friends of a sort and rub along quite nicely doing their thing, maintaining the balance, until Crowley is charged with the placement with a suitable family of the son of Satan. The idea is that once the child reaches adolescence he will bring about the end of the world allowing Crowley and Aziraphale to go their separate ways, one up and one down, and giving this poor planet a break. Neither one of them is sure that they want this to happen because Hell is sort of hot and Heaven is kind of boring and they really like it here on earth

With a cast of witches and witchfinders, a jezebel/medium, several children, a book of prophecies that are actually accurate, not to mention the four horsemen of the apocalypse - due to advances in modern medicine pestilence has been replaced by pollution but it seems to work okay - and four other horsemen, this is Pratchett at his best and a reminder to me to look out for some Neil Gaiman whose work I've yet to read

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegles return in this chillingly elemental tale of the dance between Winter and Summer

Tiffany is an excellent Witch and a very sensible young lady. She may even surpass Granny Weatherwax one day but don’t tell Granny I said so, I like myself just the way I am. One Autumn night Tiffany’s current mentor, Miss Treason, takes her into the woods to watch the dance of the Dark Morris as the Wintersmith takes control of the seasons from the Summer Lady. Tiffany is sternly instructed not to speak or move, just to watch but, as sensible as she is, she’s still only thirteen

As they watch the dance the beat gets into Tiffany’s head, heart and feet. She thinks she sees a space in the dance, her good sense deserts her and she joins in. Tiffany dances with the Wintersmith and he falls in love with her

If Tiffany can’t persuade the Wintersmith that she is not the Summer Lady and that his love will result in the destruction of her World then all that she loves will die. Of course, this is easier said than done because being loved by an elemental is very flattering and we’re none of us immune to the attentions of a powerful and handsome being who will, literally, change the World for us. However, with the help of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, her young witch friends and, of course, the Nac Mac Feegles Tiffany strives to do the right thing – save the World from permanent winter

Kitty in the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughan

This is the sort of book that you pick up for that long rail/air journey or night shift. It looks like a typical trashy novel with a picture of an attractive young female on the cover. Nothing wrong with that, I do the occasional long journey and night shifts are not the time for anything that’s going to make your brain ache or send you to sleep. I like trash

The story is Kitty’s. She’s a werewolf and host of a late night radio phone-in show which attracts its fair share of wacky callers, some of whom are actually fellow werewolves, vampires and other assorted creatures of the night

As well as her job as DJ Kitty is a member of a pack of werewolves. I liked the description of her pack. The leader and his mate, her best friend, the bad werewolf who was responsible for her own transformation from ordinary girl to werewolf with super strength and healing powers. She is currently the youngest werewolf in the pack and the bottom of the pecking order but she revels in the security of her pack and the feeling of being protected, of waking up after a long night of werewolfing in a big pile of warm bodies. I often wake up surrounded by spaniels - in my bed, not in the woods – and it’s very nice and safe so I could identify with this

The plot unravels with Kitty’s problems within the pack. The local vampires with whom the werewolves have a live and let live agreement as long as no-one upsets the applecart. We have a werewolf hunter with whom she develops an uneasy friendship. A sceptical but fairly open minded police officer. And, of course, a rogue werewolf. Eventually, of course, Kitty is outed and has to come clean about her monthly, nocturnal activies. The vampires are not happy that she’s drawing attention to the fact that werewolves and vampires actually exist and the rivalries within her pack culminate in death and and her exclusion from the group resulting in a profound loneliness which we can all probably relate to

In all I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to and I looked forward to reading the next one

Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughan

Kitty is a lonely werewolf on the road having been excluded from her pack and her home town. She travels from city to city broadcasting her late night phone-in radio show from a different place every week until she gets a call from her lawyer telling her that she’s been summoned to Washington to give evidence at a Senate hearing on behalf of supernatural folk

Once in Washington she’s forced under the wing of the local vampire mistress and makes a new set of friends and enemies including a were-jaguar (I suppose there’s no law to say that if you can have werewolves you can’t have other were-animals), a bible thumping senator who wants to expose her as a monster, a nefarious reporter and a particularly nasty fairy

Although her voice is well known Kitty has been careful to keep her face out of the public eye but everything changes in Washington where she is revealed in the worst possble way – transforming on TV

I enjoyed this book as much as the last one. It’s funny and sexy and a must for those times when you just want to read without having to think too hard but just for the joy of seeing the words on the page and knowing that you’re in for a bit of a romp

The Chalice by Phil Rickman

Phil Rickman has written many books with a Pagan flavour including the series starring Merrily Watkins (exorcist) which are always a good read so if you enjoy thrillers with a spiritual twist and you come across one of his books it's worth picking up

This is not a Merrily Watkins book, it's a ghost story set in Glastonbury and it's quite a dark tale. All the characters seem to be dysfunctional, depressed or just plain mad so you really want to tell them to get a grip and get over themselves. They're an interesting mix - the long time residents who hate all the hippies, the old hippies who adopted Glastonbury as their spiritual home in the 70s and the new-agers who are just discovering the place. If you know Glastonbury you can see the landscape and the town in your mind's eye which makes it all the more enjoyable

Central to the story are Juanita Carey who owns a bookshop on the High Street, Lady Diane Ffitch (Lady Loony) who is drawn back to the Town by the feeling that there is something terribly wrong which she needs to fix and Joe Powys who generally avoids the place because of the way it makes him feel but is eventually drawn there by the ghost of a (possible) ancestor

Of course, there's a reason why everyone who lives in or visits Glastonbury is affected by the darkness that lives there. The dark chalice - the anti-grail - long buried in a capped off well. If the Town and it's residents are to survive this vessel needs to be discovered and destroyed

Pagan Paths by Pete Jennings

Pete Jennings is an ex-President of the Pagan Federation and well respected authority on Pagan practices. He is a devotee of the Northern Tradition of Paganism

This is a fantastic book to give to anyone who is interested in Paganism but doesn't know where to start. It gives a breakdown of the different paths which come under the Pagan umbrella and gives the new seeker a place to start, a secure first step into this colourful and diverse world

There are chapters on festivals and rites of passage, sacred sites, magical theory and practice and the future of paganism as well as an extensive list of books, websites, references and organisations. You will disagree with some of these and could probably think of some which should be included but most are relevant and useful. After all, the book was published in 2002 and the speed with which neo-Paganism is moving means that recommended sources of information need constant updating

Over all, if someone asks me what Paganism is all about this is still the book that I recommend. It's down to earth, easy to read and is written with humour and wisdom. A definite must for new Pagans

A Dictionary of Angels including the fallen angels by Gustav Davidson

Mr Davidson's extensively researched work - check out the bibliography - is a breath of fresh air amongst all the fluff that is being written about Angels these days

Did you know that there is an Angel of the Media - an unnamed tutelary angel of the ancient land of Media who became corrupted through national bias, or an Angel of Peversion and even an Angel of Prostitution?

Some of the Angels named are fictional like Poe's Angel of the Odd and some are simply from the imaginations of artists like Chagall's The Red Angel but if it's popped up anywhere in the guise of an Angel it's in this book

The Appendix contains various hierarchies from various sources, Enoch, Solomon, Christianity and correspondences for hours, days, weeks, months, planets and star signs. There are some sigils and conjurations and even a spell for the manufacture and use of a magic carpet. It involves a virgin and the feather of a dove so we won't go there

The Devil's Apocrypha by John A De Vito

The author would have us believe that this is a true story and he doesn't appear to have written anything else so maybe it is. Whilst visiting relatives in Italy he came across a parchment upon which was written the tale of his Great Grand Uncle’s quest for the truth behind the fall of certain Angels and the real personality of God

Said Great Uncle had been visited one night by Satan in angelic form and charged with finding three prophets who would tell him what really happened. About the battle between an arrogant and egotistical God who, in order to ensure his survival, manipulated life on Earth, creating a race which would blindly worship him and some of the more enlightened Angels, led by Satan, who fought for our right to knowledge, free will and individuality at terrible cost to themselves and to us. Yep, Satan is the good guy

The book takes us through alternative versions of evolution and creation and the stories of Eden, Cain and Abel and their descendents, Moses, Jesus, Lazurus, Rome, the Cathars, Martin Luther and the Book of Revelations. There are a few typos which really irritate me (proof read, people, proof read) but that's just me. It's written in bible-speak with a lot of thees and thous which I don't mind so much but some people struggle with. In all it's a rollicking good read so if you come across a copy have a look and see what you think

Awakening Osiris by Normandi Ellis

This is a beautiful prose translation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead the words of which inspire and uplift. I never fail to be astounded and moved every time I open it. I first came across this work when taking part in a ritual where we used some of the words. Most of us were moved to tears (not a natural state for a group of tough old witches and magicians) and it was one of the most powerful rituals that I've ever taken part in

As a taster, the first paragraph reads "Stars fade like memory the instant before dawn. Low in the east, the sun appears golden as an opening eye. That which can be named must exist. That which is named can be written. That which is written shall be remembered. That which is remembered lives. In the land of Egypt Osiris breathes. The sun rises and mists disperse. As I am, I was, and I shall be a thing of matter and heaven"

Unfortunately the book is a little hard to get hold of - I had to buy mine secondhand from the USA via abebooks.co.uk as I couldn't find a copy anywhere else. However, if you love words and the way that they go together and have an interest in things Egyptian then it's worth hunting down a copy for the way that these particular words are put together

Magick Without Tears by Aleistar Crowley

Okay, I'll admit it, I struggle with most of Aleister Crowley's work - he always manages to make me feel as though I'm a bit of a thickie. So, when I asked around for some starting point I was pointed in the direction of this book

It's a kind of Crowley primer edited and introduced by Israel Regardie. A volume of eighty letters written by Crowley by way of magical training for a number of his students. This is the man at his best, illuminating all that can be unapproachable in some of his other writing. Importantly these letters show him not to be a drug dimmed addict but rather as a vital, intelligent avatar. For those of us who do struggle with Crowley, and admit it, this is much clearer and a thoroughly enjoyable insight into a great mind

When reading a book I tend to write down phases that pop out at me as being particularly insightful or relevant to me. Here are a few choice tidbits from this work

This made me laugh out loud "What is the use of being a woman if you have not got an intuition, an instinct enabling you to distinguish between the genuine and the sham?"

Of those belief systems which cut themselves off from the real world in order to attain perfection "...it is much more difficult to retain one's purity if one is living in the world than if one simply cuts oneself off from it. It is far easier to achieve technical attainments if one is unhampered by any such considerations"

So true "...undirected chatter is the worst poisonous element in human society"

And I'm only on page 7. I heartily recommend this book

EX LIBRE DANJA, VOL. I

The Belgariad by David Eddings
1) Pawn Of Prophecy
2) Queen Of Sorcery
3) Magician's Gambit
4) Castle Of Wizardy
5) Enchanter's End Game

The series tells the story of the recovery of the Orb of Aldur and coming of age of Garion, an orphaned farmboy. Garion is accompanied by his aunt Polgara and grandfather Belgarath as they try and fulfill an ancient prophecy that will decide the fate of the universe. Along the way, various "instruments", or helpers, of the prophecy join their quest and Garion soon learns he has the biggest part to play.

The Soddit by Adam (R.R.R.) Roberts

Following BORED OF THE RINGS comes the equally irreverent parody of Tolkien's other (and much, much shorter) masterwork; The Hobbit.
Bingo Sac Grabbins is asked by the coughing wizard Gandef and some (oddly Welsh) dwarves to help them relieve the great dragon Smug of his gold. SF author and Tolkien scholar Adam Roberts has written a parody that is both hilarious and intelligent. With knowing digs at the fantasy genre in general and the mystique that has built around middle earth in particular this will make Tolkien's 21st century readers laugh in a way that BORED OF THE RINGS made his fans of 1969 laugh.

LunarCraft wrote:

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley ... it has got to be THE best read around the Arthurian legend ... but from the female/Goddess viewpoint. Unfortunately, this book is now out of print in this country but is available Stateside.[/color]

There is also a film of this. Again not availale here, but if you have a region free DVD player, then it is available from the US.

Regards

Richard

I usually read non-fiction online.... i jumped from one genre to another for the last few years, but i must say that my overall favourite is the non-fiction (factual??)...

At the moment i am reading Liber Null (Peter Caroll), will start Condensed chaos by Phil Hine once i am finished...

all ebooks of course from http://www.scribd.com . you can find absolutely everything there - its awesome!

Sorry to ask my question here, but I couldn't think where to put it...

Jaska, what is that symbol on your signature? It looks familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time!...