Witches Brew

Alas, the “Voices of Faith” blog on the Journal Star website is not as inspiring as I had hoped. Right now there are a lot of “voices” who are not addressing anything relative to my faith. So I have decided to take up at reading challenge to get my blogging juices flowing.

At the end of December 2011 Melissa, mistress of Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf offered a reading challenge for the new year: Witches and Witchcraft.

Challenge Rules:

1.  This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 – Dec 31, 2012. I will be posting a place to link up a sign-up post, reviews and a wrap-up post. (Note: You do not have to review the books to participate, but only those who link up reviews will be entered for the prize)
2. Grab the reading challenge button…and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate- you could track your progress and post reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, etc.
3. Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or major witchcraft elements counts. They may be fiction or non-fiction. However, they should not be reference books which are not read cover to cover-I will leave this to your discretion.
4. Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
5. Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
6. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
7. When you sign up in the linky put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge.
8. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
9. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
10. Have some Witchy Good Fun !!!

The Levels:

Initiate: Read 1 – 5 Witchy Books
Maiden: Read 6 – 10 Witchy Books
Mother: Read 11 – 15 Witchy Books
Crone: Read 16 – 20 Witchy Books

I’m already two months behind, and I have a huge backlog of non-fiction waiting for me plus the monthly selection for my science fiction/fantasy bookclub, but I think I can catch up–especially since I’ve plucked some very short books from my bookshelf.  Therefore I am going to go out on a slender, wand-like limb and declare “Mother” level.  I plan to read at least 11-15 “Witchy Books” in the next 10 months.  In no particular order I am going to start with:

• Good Omens:  The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
• Omega by Stewart Farrar.
• Howl’s Moving Castle by Dian Wynne Jones.
• The Teachings of Don Juan:  A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda.
• Witch World by Andre Norton.
• Web of the Witch World by Andre Norton.
• Three Against the Witch World by Andre Norton.
• Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor.
• The Witches Sabbats by Mike Nichols

That’s nine right there–books that I own and have read at one time or another.   I have a few more in mind.  I admit that the “witch” part is slowing me down a bit.  Does a “sorcerer” count?  Don Juan is actually a Yaqui sorcerer, but it’s still a witchy book.  How about a mage?  She’s a magic worker, and she is being hunted.   That’s a duology if I decide it fits.

So let the challenge begin!

Filed under: Bookshelf and