Hello! This page collects some suggested places to start with reading and further learning.
- Getting started with a few good books:
My suggestions for good starting books (and why I suggest them.) - Great online sources:
Which websites and blogs are especially worth reading? - What about the classic Pagan titles?
When should you read them, and what should you know while you read? - Critical Reading and Pagan books:
An article on how to evaluate what you read.
I also encourage you to check out my books blog, for more details on these and other titles.
What does a suggestion in these pages mean?
As a librarian, I actually find doing a booklist of this kind very challenging. My professional training and experience tells me that suggestions work best when I can find out what information you’re seeking, and be specific.But since I’m writing this on a website, not knowing your needs in detail, I have to guess about what would be most useful to my likely audience.
And, at the same time, as a priestess and teacher, recommending a book means that I’m putting some of my own reputation behind the suggestion. So, I tend to be relatively cautious and specific about making a recommendation about a particular book.
So, when you see a book here, it means several things:
I think the book is of interest to people early in their learning. I discuss other titles on a broader range of subject on my books blog. There are many great books out there that are not necessarily a good fit for the early stages of learning for various reasons.
I am specific about why I suggest the title. That means I’ll tell you what I like about it, and any significant notes or disagreements I have (and why I suggest the book anyway.) I’ll also suggest some alternate titles with less detail.
These books are not perfect. When I suggest a title, it’s because I think it’s worth the time and attention to read it – not that I think it’s the One True Answer or perfect starting point. There will be things in every book that I disagree with, or are not part of my own practice or preference. Sometimes there are factual errors that slipped through the author’s own knowledge.
I do my best in comments about the title to share any major notes or issues, but I will likely not comment on smaller ones reliably. Feel free to ask if you’ve got questions.
If I don’t include a book, don’t assume you know why: It may be I haven’t read it (I won’t list things I haven’t read). It may be I disagree with it. It may be that I don’t think it’s a great fit for this purpose. Over time, I’ll build up larger commentary on my books blog – or you can always ask me about a particular title through my contact form.