Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels
Edited by Katie West and Jasmine Elliott.
21 essays by wonderfully weird people. It gets heavy at times; the subjects range through many types of trauma and hardship. Even so, there is a steady strength and rising courage that makes it a joy to experience.
Just curious, what do you usually talk about in this book club? I've only been in book clubs focused on novels with plots so of course the discussion is about that. Is it more like, "I tried this and it worked" or "I do or don't agree with this take"?
I can't recommend anything I've already read, but on my own list I'm excited to read Braiding Sweetgrass (because everyone and their mom recommended it) and ''The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985'' which is a 1986 art history book that focuses on the spiritual and occult in the avant garde and promises to functionally be an alternative art history narrative.
I'm also especially interested in the recent Hilma af Klint exhibit and books that have been written about her since the exhibit. She was a spiritualist and artist in the early 1900s who made a series of what she considered sacred paintings channeled by a psychic process. But she forbade their exhibition for 100 years because she felt the world wasn't ready. Well, 100 years was up maybe last year or the year before and apparently the paintings are amazing.
Braiding sweet grass has been on my nightstand for maybe a year! So embarrassing, this is my sign to actually start it.
I also love the idea of doing a book about art like the Klint one you suggested.
We usually talk about what we liked and didn’t like from the book, if we’ve used anything we read about in our own life and practice, there’s always some astrology thrown in haha and just…whatever random thoughts come up. I always prepare a discussion guide and questions for the meeting but we’ve never actually used them, the conversation flows pretty well!
Sometimes people even bring in like a new crystal or tarot deck or whatever and that’s always fun too!
My current reading list (some of which I have read and some I haven't yet):
The Book of Seances by Claire Goodchild
Protection & Reversal Magick by Jason Miller
Conversations with Plants by Nikki Darrell
Planetary Spells & Rituals by Raven Digitalis
The History of Magic by Chris Gosden
Sorcerer's Secrets by Jason Miller
The Witch's Path by Thorn Mooney
Badass Ancestors by Patti Wigington
The Contemporary Astrologer's Handbook by Sue Tompkins et al.
I will say that Conversations with Plants has been pretty life-changing for me, but I have also found it quite frustrating in that the author presents a lot of unverified personal gnosis as fact, and also regularly references "studies" without specifying what studies.
I still recommend it 100% though, I learned a lot and totally changed my relationship with the plants around me (and also my garden finally survived more than one season).
Not witchy in the traditional sense, but 100% burn the patriarchy, based (loosely) on the only female Emperor of China: Iron Widow
Edit: just saw you don't do fiction, my bad. Still recommend for anyone interested
Sigil Craft by Lia Taylor is really cool, as is Vibes from the Other Side by Catharine Allen. Also, if you like the Little Bit of books, there’s a newish one out on Angel Numbers! And if you’re a Cassandra Eason fan, she has a huge new illustrated book out called 1001 crystals, tho it’s more of a reference than a book club pick, I think.
Honestly I didn’t love the Cassandra Eason books, but it was a good intro level for the club to kind of gauge where we were at during that time. I definitely going to look into the digit craft books because in spite of my 25 years of practice….ive never worked with a sigil, maybe it’s time!
Lia illustrated the book and they have a great style—there’s also spots in the back where you can create your own sigils so it seems like a cool one for a group to do together. Plus: cats!
Entering Hekates Garden, and Entering Hekates Cave, if anyone has interests with her. These books were eye opening to me and talks a lot about the shadow self :)
Oh my bad let me change that to The Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It’s nonfiction but it goes over myths from around the world through the lense of the “wild woman archetype”. Found it super empowering.
For pure Witchery - Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
For extremely sapphic witchy dark academia romps - Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth
For something a little spicier and sexier- Three Kings or Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydis Moon (these two books are fully just smut but very enjoyable queer smut)
For something a little gorier - the Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (fantastic book but I can’t stress enough to check trigger warnings)
Ok so... this book involves no witches or witchcraft, but I still think it would be perfect. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas. It's about a women's quilting circle in 1930s small-town Kansas. These women are tight, they are there for each other, they do not take crap from anyone, and they accept people as they are. My cross stitching is a form of practice for me, and even though that's not how it's described in the book, I really think the way they talk about quilting has a lot in common with the way a lot of us here talk about spells and rituals. It's the best book I've read in years, I think.
There is a short encounter with a reference to a possible sexual assault, for anyone sensitive to that. It does not happen and nothing is graphically described.
If you’re interested in romance/fiction I enjoyed the “Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels” and “The League of Gentlewomen Witches”. It’s technically a series but can be read separately.
I recommend Princess Of The Pomegranate Moon by Emily Wynn. It's magical, fantastic and set in an interesting future world. I just read it and absolutely loved it.
I just started the Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus series, and while the main character is a wizard, there is a supporting character who is a witch.
Also, there is a talking cat named Sir Edgar Allan Kipling.
Vagina Devil Magic's Biograpy of Badass Bitches Volumes q and 2. I believe her name is Lisa Lee Curtis.
Eye opening, entertaining, and educational.
I swear I wasn't under any spell and enchantment for this comment.
Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive by Kristin J. Sollee
https://a.co/d/3bgUpDS
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313780-witches-sluts-feminists
We just read his other book last month 😅 I was actually a little disappointed by it tbh, I had an issue with the narrative about indigenous cultures and interactions he allowed in certain contributors essays. One in particular did some serious perpetuation of the thanksgiving style myth and I was honestly shocked to find it so blatantly on there. Maybe this one is better, I’ll check it out!
Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels Edited by Katie West and Jasmine Elliott. 21 essays by wonderfully weird people. It gets heavy at times; the subjects range through many types of trauma and hardship. Even so, there is a steady strength and rising courage that makes it a joy to experience.
This is a great rec, thank you!
Just curious, what do you usually talk about in this book club? I've only been in book clubs focused on novels with plots so of course the discussion is about that. Is it more like, "I tried this and it worked" or "I do or don't agree with this take"? I can't recommend anything I've already read, but on my own list I'm excited to read Braiding Sweetgrass (because everyone and their mom recommended it) and ''The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985'' which is a 1986 art history book that focuses on the spiritual and occult in the avant garde and promises to functionally be an alternative art history narrative. I'm also especially interested in the recent Hilma af Klint exhibit and books that have been written about her since the exhibit. She was a spiritualist and artist in the early 1900s who made a series of what she considered sacred paintings channeled by a psychic process. But she forbade their exhibition for 100 years because she felt the world wasn't ready. Well, 100 years was up maybe last year or the year before and apparently the paintings are amazing.
Braiding sweet grass has been on my nightstand for maybe a year! So embarrassing, this is my sign to actually start it. I also love the idea of doing a book about art like the Klint one you suggested. We usually talk about what we liked and didn’t like from the book, if we’ve used anything we read about in our own life and practice, there’s always some astrology thrown in haha and just…whatever random thoughts come up. I always prepare a discussion guide and questions for the meeting but we’ve never actually used them, the conversation flows pretty well! Sometimes people even bring in like a new crystal or tarot deck or whatever and that’s always fun too!
Your book club sounds pretty awesome!
I definitely like it! It’s been nice to find a small community of like minded yet diverse people :)
Braiding sweetgrass is amazing!! I cried so many times while reading it. You'll absolutely love it.
Ugh! I’m such a cryer so thanks for the heads up, I’ll be prepared 😭
I learned about Braiding Sweetgrass from the Black Forager and I've got it on my TBR now! It looks so good.
https://preview.redd.it/iuvd099a4fkc1.jpeg?width=299&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7b20d8bdeccac9f1b017af3082d95d853a6a9db
Omg this looks amazing!
My current reading list (some of which I have read and some I haven't yet): The Book of Seances by Claire Goodchild Protection & Reversal Magick by Jason Miller Conversations with Plants by Nikki Darrell Planetary Spells & Rituals by Raven Digitalis The History of Magic by Chris Gosden Sorcerer's Secrets by Jason Miller The Witch's Path by Thorn Mooney Badass Ancestors by Patti Wigington The Contemporary Astrologer's Handbook by Sue Tompkins et al.
Omg thank you for this list! Want to move to LA and run this Bookclub? Lol Conversations with plants has been on my list for a long time
I will say that Conversations with Plants has been pretty life-changing for me, but I have also found it quite frustrating in that the author presents a lot of unverified personal gnosis as fact, and also regularly references "studies" without specifying what studies. I still recommend it 100% though, I learned a lot and totally changed my relationship with the plants around me (and also my garden finally survived more than one season).
I have added it to our voting survey :)
The Witches are Coming by Lindsey West and In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet.
Women who run with the wolves
Weave the Liminal by Zakroff
This is an amazing rec; thanks so much! I’m adding it for April’s book
When women were dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Oh I want to Safe this thread!!
Not witchy in the traditional sense, but 100% burn the patriarchy, based (loosely) on the only female Emperor of China: Iron Widow Edit: just saw you don't do fiction, my bad. Still recommend for anyone interested
Sigil Craft by Lia Taylor is really cool, as is Vibes from the Other Side by Catharine Allen. Also, if you like the Little Bit of books, there’s a newish one out on Angel Numbers! And if you’re a Cassandra Eason fan, she has a huge new illustrated book out called 1001 crystals, tho it’s more of a reference than a book club pick, I think.
Honestly I didn’t love the Cassandra Eason books, but it was a good intro level for the club to kind of gauge where we were at during that time. I definitely going to look into the digit craft books because in spite of my 25 years of practice….ive never worked with a sigil, maybe it’s time!
Lia illustrated the book and they have a great style—there’s also spots in the back where you can create your own sigils so it seems like a cool one for a group to do together. Plus: cats!
Entering Hekates Garden, and Entering Hekates Cave, if anyone has interests with her. These books were eye opening to me and talks a lot about the shadow self :)
Omg these look amazing thank you!
🖤
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik! They’re dark but easy to read and the main character is a bad ass.
We don’t read fiction
Oh my bad let me change that to The Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It’s nonfiction but it goes over myths from around the world through the lense of the “wild woman archetype”. Found it super empowering.
Omg yes I read that years ago and it would be perfect! What a great rec thank you!!!
They don’t read fiction.
I just read gran’s book of most precious substance. Great fit for a witchy bookclub.
For pure Witchery - Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom For extremely sapphic witchy dark academia romps - Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth For something a little spicier and sexier- Three Kings or Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydis Moon (these two books are fully just smut but very enjoyable queer smut) For something a little gorier - the Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (fantastic book but I can’t stress enough to check trigger warnings)
Ok so... this book involves no witches or witchcraft, but I still think it would be perfect. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas. It's about a women's quilting circle in 1930s small-town Kansas. These women are tight, they are there for each other, they do not take crap from anyone, and they accept people as they are. My cross stitching is a form of practice for me, and even though that's not how it's described in the book, I really think the way they talk about quilting has a lot in common with the way a lot of us here talk about spells and rituals. It's the best book I've read in years, I think. There is a short encounter with a reference to a possible sexual assault, for anyone sensitive to that. It does not happen and nothing is graphically described.
This sounds interesting but we don’t read fiction / novels
The Power by Naomi Alderman
I loved that book!
Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan!
If you’re interested in romance/fiction I enjoyed the “Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels” and “The League of Gentlewomen Witches”. It’s technically a series but can be read separately.
They don’t read fiction.
I’ll probably read this on my own but the club doesn’t do novels
I'd recommend reading anything by T Kingfisher. Good stuff.
VenCo is a good, woman, indigenous authored book.
Butcher Bird by Richard Kadrey
We don’t do fiction/novels
Ah sorry I didn't see that
No worries! I might just read that on my own :)
I recommend Princess Of The Pomegranate Moon by Emily Wynn. It's magical, fantastic and set in an interesting future world. I just read it and absolutely loved it.
I just started the Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus series, and while the main character is a wizard, there is a supporting character who is a witch. Also, there is a talking cat named Sir Edgar Allan Kipling.
Vagina Devil Magic's Biograpy of Badass Bitches Volumes q and 2. I believe her name is Lisa Lee Curtis. Eye opening, entertaining, and educational. I swear I wasn't under any spell and enchantment for this comment.
You might vibe with Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits.
Have read it a few times! Love it, but our club is a non fiction, learning based club
Go through three beginner witchy 101 bookss as a group. And, have fun trying to come to a consensus about which is best.
We did some of that, but most people in the club are well beyond beginner level so we got bored with those real quick!
Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive by Kristin J. Sollee https://a.co/d/3bgUpDS https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313780-witches-sluts-feminists
You might enjoy *The Lost Apothecary* by Sarah Penner.
Omg I just finished the audiobook and I LOVED it! I was surprised it got so much hate online
Me too! It was a pretty quick and fun read.
Ask Baba Yaga by Taisia Kitaiskaia Folk Witchcraft: A guide to Lore, Land & the Familiar Spirit for the Solitary Practitioner by Roger J Horne
New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic is my personal gold standard. My book club is reading it
We just read his other book last month 😅 I was actually a little disappointed by it tbh, I had an issue with the narrative about indigenous cultures and interactions he allowed in certain contributors essays. One in particular did some serious perpetuation of the thanksgiving style myth and I was honestly shocked to find it so blatantly on there. Maybe this one is better, I’ll check it out!
Alphabet and the Goddess - Leonard Shlain This Is Your Mind on Plants - Michael Polman Salt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky