Magic Lessons

Captivating from the very beginning - fans of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic, will absolutely adore every line in this prequel. Set in the seventeenth century this prequel traces the family magic all the way back to Maria Owens and her daughter. Filled with adventure, travel, curses, familiars, the witch trials in Salem, love, and the all too familiar witchy adages - this prequel fits perfectly within the series and help fleshes out the backstory of a family's magic. I don't want to divulge too much other than this is gorgeously written and will make you want to re-read the other books in this series. Truly this may be my favorite. I adored the characters and the trials they faced as Owens women. Fantastic - I hope that Alice Hoffman writes more about this amazing family. The Owens' curses, magic, and familiars merged together for a perfect October read. I need more!

We Ride Upon Sticks

Phenomenal! This book is a mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Now and Then. I adored every second of it! A bunch of high school seniors sign their name to the devil's book (i.e. an Emilio Estevez spiral notebook) in return for having the best field hockey season of their lives. They are going to the state championships come hell or high water! It's 1989 and this motley crew of teenage girls (and Boy Cory) is living high on life. Now that they're toying around with "witchcraft" their game and their friendship has never been better. They're really meshing as a team and they have their black book of Emilio to thank for it. Told back and forth between the characters this story of identity, friendship, sexuality, school smarts, witchcraft, and field hockey is hilarious and unforgettable. Descriptions don't do it justice. I adored every character and their idiosyncrasies. From Jen and her claw (bangs aquanetted to high heaven) to Sue Yoon and her kool aid hair to Little Smitty's beloved rabbit - this story is one for the ages. Read it already!

Enchantments

I'm not wiccan or currently practicing witchcraft, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of this book! The author is irreverent, funny, blunt, and honest - in short, everything I love in a non-fiction author. Divided into two sections, Enchantments covers witchy implements (alters, herbs, colors, stars, calendars, etc) and magical intentions (astrology, money drawing, attraction, etc.). Threaded in amongst all this fun knowledge are wonderful drawings and keen insight on modern witchcraft and whimsy. Even if that's not your bag, there's a lot of fun stuff about astrology, herbs, and cleaning that can be implemented in your life; this guide is as useful as you want it to be. A fun read that will reach a wide audience. 

Horror - Rosemary's Baby

Author: Ira Levin

Title: Rosemary's Baby

Publication Date: 1967

Number of Pages: 308

Geographical Setting: New York

Time Period: 1960s

Plot Summary: I've grown up my entire life hearing how scary the movie version of "Rosemary's Baby" is so I was really excited to give the novel a try. There's nothing more thrilling then being too terrified to fall asleep! I'm sad to say that the book didn't live up to my expectations. It just wasn't scary. Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad book, in fact it was really compelling, it just didn't terrify me like I hoped it would. I set the bar a little too high on this one.

I got really into the novel very quickly because it is so character driven. You can relate soo well to Rosemary (at least I thought so)! Rosemary and her husband move into the much coveted old brownstone and gothic apartment they've had their eye on for years. When a family friend warns them that they should steer clear of the apartments because of the evil vibes lurking there (high suicide rate, cannibals, dead babies, murder and more have taken place in this building) they don't heed his warning and move in. They befriend an elderly couple next door and are practically inseperable, when Rosemary becomes pregnant they take care of her like she was their own daughter. Soon however, Rosemary starts to notice that things aren't right. The first few months of her pregnancy she loses far too much weight and is in constant pain, her husband lands an important acting role after his main competitor "mysteriously" wakes up blind, and she has a violent nightmare in which she has sex with a terrifying being and wakes up with scratches all over her. Are her naighbors practicing black magic? Is her husband involved? The build up on this novel is incredible as Rosemary's life starts to spin out of control and she pieces together what is going on. It has a great conclusion and it's hard to stop reading once you start.

I highly recommend this even though it isn't scary. I will most definitely be watching the movie son!!

Subject Headings: (via WorldCat)Apartment houses -- Fiction. Pregnant women -- Fiction. Satanism -- Fiction.

Appeal: Fast paced, character driven, dark, and graphic.

Similar Works:
1. Fiction: (via Goodreads)
Salem's Lot by Stephen King
The Omen by David Seltzer
The Other by Thomas Tryon

2. Non-Fiction: (via WorldCat)
Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend by Jeffery S. Victor
Ghost Girl: The True Story of a Child in Peril and the Teacher Who Saved Her by Torey L. Hayden
Strange bedfellows : religion, feminism, and fundamentalism in the satanic panic by Kelley Jo Jarrett

The Widow of Saunders Creek

I love it when I find something that I swear I'm going to hate and it turns out to be a real gem. The Widow of Saunders Creek by Tracey Bateman didn't sound all that appealing to me at first. I hear widow and I start thinking about sappy romances and God's true calling, etc., etc. Thankfully, this story had a lot of depth and added witches, seances, spirits, and demons to the plot.

The story follows Corrie, a widow of six months (her husband died a heroic death in the military) as she moves out into the country to live in the house that was her dead husband's grandparents. After his untimely death he left it to her, stirring resentment in the family because they wished it had been given back into the family, not given to a widow who had no kids and no further ties with the family. Despite some negative vibes she decides to move in hoping it will somehow make her closer to Jarrod's (her husbands) spirit. Little did she know she would be getting just that wish.

Doors slam close, paintings get re-arranged, sounds are heard and Corrie quickly becomes convinced that her husband is indeed in the house with her. It doesn't help that Jarrod's eccentric family all agree with her. Crazy Aunt Trudy (a witch whose talents were given to her by God, hardy har har) convinces her to hold a seance to find out what Jarrod wants. The only one who doesn't believe there is a spirit in the house is handyman, Eli, Jarrod's cousin. He is hired by Corrie to fix the house so they start to see each other on a regular basis. Feelings start to develop between the two but Corrie gets mad when Eli tries telling her it's a demon inside of the house and not Jarrod. Tensions rise, the house gets spookier, and Corrie and Eli are confused how to proceed. Is Corrie ever ready to love again? Can she forsake her husband in death for his cousin?!

If that at all sounded interesting please read. Just a quick note for all my avid readers, this IS a christian romance although it isn't preachy (thank goodness) or too in your face. All in all I thought it combined a few different genres and did a pretty darn good job of conveying a spooky, uplifting, and moving story.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Press in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.