What the Kitchen Witches read this month...

What the Kitchen Witches read...

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

A series of, I think at the last count thirteen books...

It all starts with a detective...a dead detective...who happens to be a skeleton (well that is kinda what happens when you have been dead for a while).

I love this series, they are action packed and full of fabulous characters and of course magic...

Blurb from the first book:

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior.

Oh yeah. And dead.

Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction.

Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source – the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard.

When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture… Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

Fast paced books with lots of elemental magic, fabulously inventive characters and lots of humour and action.

For more information: http://www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk/ or http://www.skulduggerypleasant.com/

Tansy Firedragon

All that she can see - Carrie Hope Fletcher.

I had not read any of Carrie's books before, so was unsure what to expect. Carrie has a great writing style that really draws you into the story - I love how she mixes the magical and the mundane in her story and the references to tarot too.

The book focuses on Cherry, who is a baker who adds a 'secret ingredient' into her baking. She can also see people’s emotions. The story focuses on how Cherry helps people to deal with their emotional baggage, whilst trying to deal with her own issues, including The Guild...

There are a few surprises along the way, which makes for a very interesting story. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Carrie's work. A great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

The Pearl Sister - Lucinda Riley.

Part 4 of the Seven Sisters series of books.

I am so excited about this series of books by Lucinda, I read the first one and was hooked by Lucinda's story telling.

The books focus on the D'Apliése sisters whom were all adopted from different places around the world by Pa Salt and then named for the seven sisters star cluster - Maia, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Taygete, Electra and Merope.

This book focuses on Celaeno or Cece as she is affectionately called, as she tries to unravel her past and find her roots. The only clue she has is a black and white photograph and the name of a female pioneer who travelled to Australia 100 years ago, leaving her parents and siblings behind her in search of adventure...

An excellent series of books, I warn you - You won't be able to put the books down!

The Kundalini Yoga Experience - Guru Dharam Singh Khalsa & Darryl O'Keeffe.

I have been working a lot with Kundalini Yoga lately, I wanted the book to be able to study the Kriyas, mantra's and mudras, which can sometimes be rushed in the sessions.

I found this book a fabulous aid to my practice - the Asana's are set out in easy to follow photos. I loved the section that helps you to work out which chakra to work on for balancing your system. There are clear explanations of each chakra, the names, meaning, location, which part of the body it relates to, the body part associated with and also keywords for each chakra.

There is also a Yogic numerology section. There is also a meditation section which covers quite a few different meditations including meditation for the radiant body and meditation for the aura.

The mantras are all included, as are the hand mudras, again in clear easy to follow pictures. A fabulous book!

)O( Gypsy Willowmoon Xx

The Witch Ball and other short Stories

By Doreen Valiente

Ever since my early days on this path I have loved reading anything by Doreen Valiente and have been fascinated by the author herself. So, I was excited to learn last year that The Centre of Pagan Studies were posthumously publishing a collection of her short stories, and eagerly awaited the release date.

The stories are based in the Brighton Sussex area of the UK where Doreen lived for many years until her death in 1999. They are linked together by the background story of a series of meetings between two men, the wise and kind retired antique dealer Charles Ashton, who is very knowledgeable of local folklore and magic, and his younger friend Jeremy Blake who is keen to learn all he can from his wise friend. Together the men investigate some of these tales which lead to some exciting and spooky adventures in the Sussex area.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful book and had trouble putting it down. The stories are highly entertaining and contain valuable insights into the occult. It is an excellent addition to my collection of Doreen Valiente books and one that I will read over and over again.

Unity