Friends and strangers, beginners and advancing, often ask for book recommendations on Paganism, Witchcraft, deities, and various related topics. I’m slowly building lists of my recommended reading here, such as this list of resources to learn more about Hekate. People ask why I don’t recommend certain popular books. Here’s why.
I haven't read the book
The most likely answer to why I don’t recommend a particular book is that I haven’t read it. First, I don’t read as much as I would like. I follow friends on Goodreads that read 15 books a month, and I read about that many books in a year. In 2021, I read 22 books.
Second, I don’t read many titles coming out of the Pagan and magickal publishing houses. Of the 22 books I read last year, eight were related to Paganism and Witchcraft, and that’s because I was in two books clubs for Witches. I don’t read most of today’s best sellers because they are usually for beginners. Of course, there are always exceptions, but I’ve been a practising Witch for nearly 30 years, and I don’t get a lot of value from these books.
I'm not comfortable recommending the book
When considering whether to recommend a book, I ask myself a few questions. These are around the historical accuracy, the author’s expertise, the devotion and gnosis of the author, and, importantly, who is the book for and is the information appropriate for that target audience.
How accurate is the book?
For the most part, I don’t expect scholarship from a Pagan title, but I appreciate good research and a bibliography.
I also like to hear about the author’s devotion, personal practice, and gnosis. For example, when an author makes an unusual statement, such as that haggis is a terrific food offering for Hekate, I want the author to tell me why and give a source of that information, whether historical or personal gnosis. I appreciate both, and I want the author’s insights. I just ask them to be transparent.
By the way, I think haggis could make an excellent food offering for Hekate.
Who is the author?
I expect an author to have a history with the subject of their book. There are trends in Paganism and Witchcraft and publishing. Some authors appear to write books on their latest interest or a recent trend, and the result is superficial and doesn’t demonstrate competence. Sometimes, authors seem to be forcing a square peg into a round hole.
Again, transparency matters. I have enjoyed books about a person’s journey of discovery, but I want to know that’s what I’m picking up. If you don’t know, don’t pretend.
Who is this book for?
One of the biggest problems I’ve observed is that a book may be for beginners but contains practices that are not safe. For example, it is appropriate to include that some Hekatean Witches engage in necromancy, why we do that, the historical context for that practice, and so forth. However, it is irresponsible and dangerous to teach a beginner that barely has a handle on protection and purification how to call on unknown spirits of the dead.
An author may wash their hands of it and let the reader decide whether a practice is safe for them, but a beginner may not understand the risks. If you come to me seeking advice, then I have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to avoid causing you foreseeable harm.
Is the book well-written?
This is not a deal-breaker, but grammatical and spelling errors are distracting. A book that lacks good structure, reads like a collection of blog entries and demands that you re-read a paragraph multiple times to make sense of it doesn’t make for pleasurable reading. Books benefit from a good editor.
Reading it all
It is common advice to read everything, the good, the bad, and everything in between. I don’t belong to this school of thought. First, a more experienced practitioner can discern between the good and bad (and dangerous) information in a book, but a beginner may not be able to. I can think of a few books that beginners rave about and make more advanced practitioners cringe. As a teacher, I prefer to give a student the best resources.
Second, my resources are limited, and I prefer to spend my time and money on books that will enrich me. It’s not that there isn’t something to learn in every book, even a crummy one, but I’ve probably heard it before, more than once.
In the end, however, I do read problematic books. I read them for various reasons–out of curiosity, because it has historical significance, it’s a book club selection, a friend asks about it, or because the subject matter interests me enough to compel me to pick it up. For example, a new book on Hekate will always pique my interest. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to recommend it.
Writing is hard work and publishing a book is an accomplishment. I’m not interested in putting a writer down. I’m not afraid to critique a book, but that’s not the best use of my time. I prefer to focus on books that bring something new to the table, challenge my ideas, and advance my practice.
The photograph shows what is a rare copy of my Wiccan Roots. My surname is Heselton not Hestleton. The publishers corrected that very quickly such that I suspect the mis-spelt copies are very valuable ( like the Post Office Mauritius stamps!
Philip, how lovely of you to leave a comment on my blog; I’m delighted. I’ve had that copy of ‘Wiccan Roots’ for a long time.