The Book Report by Rebecca Traver - Our Online Bookshop Curator

‍“Autumn begins unnoticed.
Nights slowly lengthen,
and little by little, clear winds turn colder and colder,
summer’s blaze giving way.
My thatch hut grows still.
At the bottom stair, in bunchgrass, lit dew shimmers.”‍

~Meng Hao-Jan, from The Way of Ch'an

Welcome to The Book Report! Here we are, coming through a powerful eclipse cycle, continuing the process of this season of letting go, turning inward, and allowing our spirits the time and space to dream new visions for our lives and the world. In these times of heightened and accelerated transformation, let us remember and hold true to the restorative power of loving connection and allowing the winds of change to soften our hearts.

In this report I’ve put together a selection of terrific new + newly discovered titles; some of my favorite calendars for the coming year; a sweet handful of books for young and young at heart readers; and a couple of just because + just for fun offerings.

Please enjoy what you find here and know that, 

as always, I am honored to find a welcome place in your inbox.

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New + Newly Discovered

I can’t believe that Llewellyn’s Elements of Witchcraft series has slipped past my literary radar, but it has. Their first entry is Water Magic from Lilith Dorsey which reveals the amazing possibilities of using water in your modern practice. Cleansing and strong, the power of water is all around you and in you. Learn the histories and wisdoms of rivers, lakes, and oceans, as well as water’s relationship to the wheel of the year.

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Next comes Fire Magic by Josephine Winter featuring spells, rituals, recipes, and folklore that show how to harness the flame and add new meaning and energy to your life. Discover candle and bonfire magic throughout history, how fire is depicted in mythology, and more.

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Air Magic by Astrea Taylor is filled with spells, rituals, meditations, and correspondences 

for strengthening your connection to air energy. With fascinating insights on are deities, animal guides, sacred sites, herbs, crystals, and more, Air Magic empowers you to harness the element of air and take flight.

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Lastly comes Dodie Graham McKay’s Earth Magic which shows you how to enrich your connection to the earth. The author shares a variety of fun and inspiring ways to get your hands dirty in the best of ways as you grow your magical practice.

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Continuing with an elemental theme, I offer Water Alchemy Oracle from Alexandra Wenman with illustrations by Aveliya Savina. The deck includes 40 high-vibrational full-color cards, each featuring a water element from nature as embodied by devas, undines, mermaids, and other sacred beings. As you dive deeper into the mystery of the sacred waters with this oracle, you will travel deeper into yourself to gain clarity, uncover hidden treasures, heal unresolved issues, and find the courage to move forward and flow with the rhythm of life.

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Gender Magic: Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy, and Step into Your Most Authentic Self from non-binary therapist and educator Rae McDaniel is a groundbreaking and practical guide to achieving gender freedom with joy, curiosity, and pleasure for transgender and non-binary individuals, gender explorers, and those who love them.

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The Magic in Your Mind from U.S. Andersen with a foreword by Eckhart Tolle is a beautifully written book with a liberating message for anyone seeking to improve and understand their life. We are shown how to free your ‘Secret Self’ and experience self-mastery, use mental visualization, understand the concept of ‘mind over matter’, fully employ the power of choice, and overcome opposition with tools such as our innate sixth sense.

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Body Mandala: Posture, Perception, and Presence by Structural Integration practitioner Mary Bond is an experiential guide to using your body as the focus of contemplative practice. Included are more than 50 self-explorations that allow you to transform your sensory experience, expand your awareness, and place embodiment at the center of your committed practice.

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Turning Words: Transformative Encounters with Buddhist Teachers from Hozan Alan Senauke is an inspiring portrait of spiritual relationships in the diverse world of American and global Buddhism, through stories of over 30 luminaries including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joan Halifax, Joanna Macy, and more.

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Women Don't Owe You Pretty from writer and activist Florence Given is a vibrantly illustrated primer on modern feminism for the modern generation encouraging us to question the insidious narratives that would hold us back from self-acceptance, self-love, and our own authentic power. If this feels like something you want to explore, then I also offer this inspirational deck Given has created as a supportive element of your journey forward.

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The Dreaming Path: Indigenous Ideas to Help Us Change the World by Indigenous Australian healer Paul Callaghan with elder Uncle Paul Gordon draws on ancient Aboriginal wisdom to find contentment, purpose, and healing by learning to reconnect with your story – and, ultimately, the universe.

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Tarot Life Lessons: Living Wisdom from the Major Arcana from Julia Gordon-Bramer shares real-life stories using the Tarot as a tool of insight and self-transformation based on the author’s more that 40 years’ experience as a professional Tarot reader.

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The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Runes by Judy Ann Nock teaches us about the centuries-old magical experience of using runes in your craftings. Each letter in the runic alphabet, whether it’s Norse, Celtic, or modern, hold a profound message meant to guide and inform the seeker on their path.

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Feral Self-Care: 100 Ways to Liberate and Celebrate Your Messy, Wild, and Untamed Self by Mandi Em is full of self-care ideas that will nourish your soul and enhance your well-being. It’s time to make self-care as wild as you are.

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The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine from poet and writer Sophie Strand brings a deep exploration of the regenerative and magical secrets of sacred masculinity hidden in familiar myths, both ancient and modern. Strand reseeds our minds with new visions of male identity and shows how each of us, regardless of gender identification, can develop a matured ecological empathy and witness a blossoming of sacred masculine powers that are soft, curious, connective, and celebratory.

“Our bodies are swarms of aliveness composed of microbes and fungi, metabolically dependent on plants and animals for sustenance and wildly, generatively, entangled with our landscapes and communities.”

~Sophie Strand

For more New + Newly Discovered titles, click here!

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Living the Year One Day at a Time: Calendars for 2024

These are some of my favorites…so hard to choose! Here you will find a few of our perennial best-sellers as well as some lesser known, but definitely worth checking out. 

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Llewellyn's 2024 Astrological Calendar is a beautiful calendar with illustrations by Faryn Hughes. Each month features both favorable and demanding days, monthly horoscopes, and travel forecasts. Beginners and experienced astrologers alike will find plenty to enjoy from the astrology primer to the major daily aspects.

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Llewellyn's 2024 Hedgewitch Botanical Calendar with gorgeous artwork by Siolo Thompson is a delight both for the eyes and for the soul. Witchy tips by popular author Monica Crosson accompany each original artwork, offering advice for incorporating the featured plants into your practice.

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Llewellyn's 2024 Astrological Pocket Planner has been a favorite resource for more than twenty-five years, showing you how to pinpoint the perfect dates for any activity or event, including vacations, parties, and meetings.

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Llewellyn's 2024 Magical Moon Calendar features illustrations by renowned artists Abigail Larson, Barbara Tamlin, Sue Gent, and Mickie Mueller and comes with a spell, ritual, or fascinating bit of moon lore to support you all year long.

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We'moon on the Wall is a favorite guide to a year’s worth of guidance and wisdom with beautiful illustrations. Happily it also comes in a Spanish language version.

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Heirs Wall Calendar brings us a world of fantasy reimagined by husband-and-wife photographers Kahran and Regis Bethencourt. Here are a dozen portraits featuring Black children exquisitely dressed and photographed, along with inspiring captions, imbued with a mystical spirit and reflecting the artists’ belief in children as heirs to the worlds of their ancestors.

Maia Toll's Wild Wisdom Wall Calendar is a celebration of the powerful wisdom that’s found when we open ourselves to the cycles of life. Kate O’Hara’s beautiful, intricate illustrations complement the rich and spiritual text.

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Illuminated Rumi 2024 Wall Calendar with text by Coleman Barks and Michael Green is a stunning combination of poetry and artwork – the perfect combination for inspiration throughout the year.

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Pema Chödrön Awakening the Heart Wall Calendar offers a year of inspirational quotes accompanied by gorgeous photographs.

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Wild Woman Rising: Goddess, Warrior, Healer, Rebel by Angi Sullins and Sophie Wilkins combines exquisite artwork with the spirit of sacred feminine energy to support and inspire you throughout the year.

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The Miraculous Mushroom illustrated with photographs by Steve Axford is a lovely way to celebrate and explore the magical realm of fungi.

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For the Love of Frida: Art and Words Inspired by Frida Kahlo from Angi Sullis is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about the life and art of this amazing Mexican artist.

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Praise for the Pollinators is consistently one of my favorite calendars every year and 2024’s does not disappoint. 

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Books for Young Readers + the People Who Love Them

The Golden Acorn by Katy Hudson proves that winning isn’t everything in this energetic picture book about friendship, teamwork, and forgiveness.

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Eat Up, Bear! from Terry Pierce with illustrations by Nadja Sarell shows us that curious, hungry bears just want to eat! Juicy berries, crunchy nuts, tender grubs, and sticky honey are all yummy options. But if park visitors and their families aren’t careful, their food will become bear food, too! Perfect for first-time and seasoned campers alike.

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I Want to Be Spaghetti! by Kiera Wright-Ruiz, illustrated by Claudia Lam is a funny picture book about how one little ramen packet finds self-love and belonging in a spaghetti-obsessed world.

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The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale from Caldecott Medalist and best-selling author-illustrator Jon Klassen is a deliciously macabre treat for folktale fans. Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit – with rich, monochromatic artwork – this story is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.

For more books for young readers click here.

Para libros para lectores jóvenes en Español haga clic aquí.

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Just Because + Just for Fun

“The process is the goal.
How you get there is who you will be when you arrive there.”

~Geneen Roth

The Postcard Project: 52 Weeks of Art Journaling Via Snail Mail from Dawn DeVries Sokol takes art journaling to another level. Aspiring and seasoned artists of all ages will be introduced to the concept of communication through drawing, doodling, collaging, and writing on postcards. Included are prompts intended to guide art journalers as to how to employ subject matter, dry art techniques, and various tools in their projects. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

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Thera-Pets: 64 Emotional Support Animal Cards by Kate Allan is a treasure of a deck of self-love and daily affirmation cards. Kate draws from her own struggles with anxiety and depression to create soothing art therapy for anyone who could use a little boost as they make their way through the day.

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For more gift ideas to inspire, delight & amuse click here.

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Please visit our online Bookshop to see our full selection of lists and titles.

Thank you for supporting local, independent bookstores! 

We love connecting with you in the shop and online.

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May you be inspired, supported, and enriched by what you find here.