Happy New Year and here is to another year of reading challenges! This year, my personal reading challenge is to read 60 books. Last year, my goal was to read 50 books and I got to 52! My daughters goal this year is 100 books! To help me on my reading and reviewing journey this year I created the Cottagecore Book Reading and Review Planner! It is the perfect companion to my reading journey and is helping me reach those reading goals!
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Here is our reading list for January!
Kids Books (9 to 13):
The Menagerie
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series, Tui T. Sutherland, and her sister, Kari Sutherland, comes the Menagerie series, perfect for fans of Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series and The Spiderwick Chronicles.
In the small town of Xanadu, Wyoming lies the Menagerie, a top secret facility filled with unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, and other fairy tale creatures. At least, it was a secret—until six griffin cubs escaped.
If Logan and Zoe don’t get the cubs back fast, the entire Menagerie will be shut down. The race is on and the resulting adventure is only the beginning of a thrilling series that will leave readers wanting a magical menagerie of their very own.
Tui T. Sutherland is one of my daughters all time favorite authors! She is absolutely loving this series!
Adult Books (Fiction):
Warmaidens
Warmaidens is the action-packed conclusion to the heartwrenching Gravemaidens fantasy duology. Kammani and the maidens are now going to war against the ruler who tried to entomb them.
Just a few moons after escaping the tomb in Alu, Kammani and the other runaway maidens have found refuge in the city-state of Manzazu. There, Kammani has become a respected healer, especially among the warriors she’s brought back from the brink of death. Now that the nightmares of Alu are fading, she can finally decide whether or not to take Dagan’s hand in marriage.
But when an assassin murders a healer he believes is Kammani and attempts to kill the displaced queen of Alu, the maidens realize they’ve been found.
Hungry for revenge, Manzazu’s queen wants to strike back at Alu with her fiercest weapons—her scorpion warrior maidens—but Kammani knows that war harms more than it heals. To save the innocents and any chance of a future with Dagan, Kammani must take down Alu’s ruler before their lives burn up in the flames of war.
This is the sequel to Gravemaidens one of the books I recommended back in December of 2022, and it is such a fantastic book! I am in love with these books!
Adult Books (Non-Fiction):
The Everyday Witch's Coven: Rituals and Magic for Two or More
Practical Spells, Rituals, and Advice for Modern and Eclectic Covens
Whether your coven consists of two or twenty, whether you want to gather on a regular basis or just occasionally, this book has what you need to practice Witchcraft with others. Deborah Blake draws on nearly twenty years of experience leading a coven, sharing extensive wisdom she’s gained from her experiences and fellow practitioners. This book is a valuable resource for traditional Wiccans and eclectic witches looking for a modern approach to group activities.
The Everyday Witch’s Coven helps you decide who to invite, where to meet, which deities to worship, and how to solve problems together. You’ll explore ritual basics and etiquette, group sabbat celebrations, full moon rituals, craft projects, and magic for specific goals like love and healing. From guided meditations to making a Book of Shadows for your group, Deborah provides a multitude of ways to find or create a coven that’s best for you.
Available on Kindle, and Paperback!
As my witchy group and I venture into the world of becoming a coven, this book could not have arrived at a better time! I am a long-time fan of Deborah Blake. I am excited to dive into this book!
Visual Alchemy: A Witch's Guide to Sigils, Art & Magic
Discover the Power Where Art and Magic Meet
A follow-up to the bestseller Sigil Witchery, Visual Alchemy takes a deeper look at the extraordinary connection between art and magic. Laura Tempest Zakroff expands on her signature sigil witchery method, an accessible and intuitive approach to crafting effective sigils. She covers numerous topics, including how to connect to the artist within, draw inspiration to you, and easily incorporate art into your ritual practice. Visual Alchemy presents art magic in two parts: create and collaborate. You’ll start with techniques for optimizing your creativity, such as crafting a personal symbolic language and solving problems with design concepts. You’ll then explore magic that connects you with others, from sharing sigils to making public art. Featuring more than fifty shared magic sigils, this book empowers you to put aside fear and unleash the full potential of your imagination.
I am have loved the work of Laura Tempest Zakroff for since I first read her book Weave the Liminal years ago! I am so excited to dive into this book and see what new insights she has to offer!
She has also been on my podcast! Check out that episode here!
Weave the Liminal is currently available for free with an Audible Membership!
Ancestral Grimoire: Connect with the Wisdom of the Ancestors through Tarot, Oracles, and Magic
Most of us know our immediate family and maybe even a generation or two beyond, but few of us are attuned to those who lived earlier. Many of us have forgotten how to keep our own stories alive. This is where the ancestors come in and where this book begins.
Ancestral Grimoire is a guide to reconnecting with your ancestors. It will show you how to access their unique wisdom—their magic!—and create your own personal ancestral grimoire, a spell book or Book of Shadows, unique to you and your heritage. Through divination, intuition, and sometimes a little luck, you will learn the magic of each ancestor and how you can use their gifts to make your life richer and more fulfilling.
As you go through this book, you’ll save your ancestral work in a journal or loose-leaf binder that will become the place to store the stories, spells, rituals, and everyday life, lore, and legend of twelve of your ancestors. At the end of a year, you will hold a personal Book of Shadows with every bit of ancestral knowledge within its pages unique to you. No two will ever be alike. In an age when family storytelling has been lost, you will have created a legacy—and a life—that the ancestors could only dream of.
Available on Kindle, and Paperback!
Ancestral work has always been something I struggled with but I am excited to dive into this book. Hopefully this book will help me grow that aspect of my practice.
Entering Hekate's Cave: The Journey Through Darkness to Wholeness
Most of us know our immediate family and maybe even a generation or two beyond, but few of us are attuned to those who lived earlier. Many of us have forgotten how to keep our own stories alive. This is where the ancestors come in and where this book begins.
Ancestral Grimoire is a guide to reconnecting with your ancestors. It will show you how to access their unique wisdom—their magic!—and create your own personal ancestral grimoire, a spell book or Book of Shadows, unique to you and your heritage. Through divination, intuition, and sometimes a little luck, you will learn the magic of each ancestor and how you can use their gifts to make your life richer and more fulfilling.
As you go through this book, you’ll save your ancestral work in a journal or loose-leaf binder that will become the place to store the stories, spells, rituals, and everyday life, lore, and legend of twelve of your ancestors. At the end of a year, you will hold a personal Book of Shadows with every bit of ancestral knowledge within its pages unique to you. No two will ever be alike. In an age when family storytelling has been lost, you will have created a legacy—and a life—that the ancestors could only dream of.
I love Cyndi Brannen’s works! I love how beautiful her stories are within her previous book Entering Hecate’s Garden! I am so excited to dive deep into this book!
Pick up this Reading and Review Planner for all your books in 2023!
Cottagecore Book Reading and Review Planner: A Planner for Bookworms and Book Reviewers
This is the planner I created!
Are you an avid reader or a book reviewer? Perhaps you would like to begin and would like a place to keep track of all your reading adventures. Then this reading and reviewing planner is for you! I designed this planner to keep track of all the books I read and review for my blog, and now I am sharing it with all of you. It is full of space for your notes and thoughts on your books. It is perfect for your reading journey.
Available on Paperback, and Hardback!
Pick up your copy today for all your reading goals this year!
