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laserdiscreader's review
Library book and I got distracted, didn't care to rush to finish considering the content
literarylauren333's review
4.0
Always enjoy reading about ancient gods/goddesses from around the world, especially when they mention Vesta and Hestia. Love all the historical education around the importance of the hearth and how it relates to today.
adorkablyrini's review
4.0
Not a bad intro into kitchen witchery. As the book definitely proclaims: there are not recipes in this book. This is about history and practice. Most of the traditions included are Western, and there is a larger focus on UK-ish traditions/history.
edrickashay's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the lore and fairy tale that was included in this book, as well as the separation of the festivals at the end - though, I do think the festival section’s celebration ideas were few and uninspiring.
The fairy and folk tales were a wonderful mix of one’s I’d heard before and brand new ones I never knew existed.
I learned a lot about folk and fairy tales, and would happily buy a physical copy to annotate and make notes. I also would totally read the companion book that was recently published, supposedly containing more recipes.
Really, I was fine without the recipes. I rarely follow spells, rituals, in recipes in other witchy and folk based books anyway.
I did skim and skip through certain areas I wasn’t interested in, but with non-fiction books, you’re never obligated to read cover to cover. I will surely go back and reference when needed.
The fairy and folk tales were a wonderful mix of one’s I’d heard before and brand new ones I never knew existed.
I learned a lot about folk and fairy tales, and would happily buy a physical copy to annotate and make notes. I also would totally read the companion book that was recently published, supposedly containing more recipes.
Really, I was fine without the recipes. I rarely follow spells, rituals, in recipes in other witchy and folk based books anyway.
I did skim and skip through certain areas I wasn’t interested in, but with non-fiction books, you’re never obligated to read cover to cover. I will surely go back and reference when needed.
jailala's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Well written with researched history as well as anecdotes and stories. The author takes a broad enough approach that everyone from the naturalist to the hard-core modern Witch will appreciate the insights.
In the end, its about living a life open to the magic of everyday events like providing and enjoying a healthy home and hearty, delicious meals for the people we love. Celebrating our lives should never be something we only do in retrospect. We should open our hearts to celebrating every moment no matter how small for there is magic all around us just in our being here.
In the end, its about living a life open to the magic of everyday events like providing and enjoying a healthy home and hearty, delicious meals for the people we love. Celebrating our lives should never be something we only do in retrospect. We should open our hearts to celebrating every moment no matter how small for there is magic all around us just in our being here.
vharting's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I think this has been my favorite witch book I’ve read so far. I learned a lot with all the folklore and fairy tales. I loved the formatting and of course the beautiful illustrations. Would definitely recommend this one for some history and more beginner ideas.
kmoes85's review
5.0
This was the third non-fiction book that was chosen by my Magical Book Club, the last being another of Sarah Robinson's books, "Yoga for Witches". I was very excited to read this after seeing it on the author's Instagram since I do get so much joy out of cooking, baking and eating.
The book was broken up into four sections, the first of which focused on the history of women in the kitchen going as far back as ancient Greece and Rome. She introduced different gods, goddesses and other spirits of the hearth and the rituals and traditions that were commonplace in areas around the world.
Section two discussed fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and some animal derived foods and section three focused on herbs and spices. While there were no recipes included, Robinson talked about some of the healing properties of these foods and instances where they appear in folklore. She even included a number of fairytales.
The final section introduced the Wheel of the Year which is based on pagan practices and ancient traditions which focuses on seasonal changes and growing cycles. The author provided the background for the different holidays and new ways to celebrate each.
The book did get a bit overwhelming at times since there was so much information included, especially the final section. That being said I know this is a book that I will come back and refer to throughout the year in order to get ideas about how to celebrate during the different seasons and also to get some inspiration while cooking.
The book felt pertinent to the issues of today. One of the major themes was that in the past women had a variety of different roles (e.g., healer, midwife, brewer etc.) that were based on their intuition and knowledge of plants, animals and the Earth. With the introduction of Judeo-Christian religions and modern science women's roles were either taken over if profitable or demonized if they posed a threat to the patriarchy.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel more grounded in this busy, high tech world that we live in. Also for anyone interested Sarah Robinson has a number of mediations available on Insight Timer including the Wheel of the Year holidays and many others!
The book was broken up into four sections, the first of which focused on the history of women in the kitchen going as far back as ancient Greece and Rome. She introduced different gods, goddesses and other spirits of the hearth and the rituals and traditions that were commonplace in areas around the world.
Section two discussed fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and some animal derived foods and section three focused on herbs and spices. While there were no recipes included, Robinson talked about some of the healing properties of these foods and instances where they appear in folklore. She even included a number of fairytales.
The final section introduced the Wheel of the Year which is based on pagan practices and ancient traditions which focuses on seasonal changes and growing cycles. The author provided the background for the different holidays and new ways to celebrate each.
The book did get a bit overwhelming at times since there was so much information included, especially the final section. That being said I know this is a book that I will come back and refer to throughout the year in order to get ideas about how to celebrate during the different seasons and also to get some inspiration while cooking.
The book felt pertinent to the issues of today. One of the major themes was that in the past women had a variety of different roles (e.g., healer, midwife, brewer etc.) that were based on their intuition and knowledge of plants, animals and the Earth. With the introduction of Judeo-Christian religions and modern science women's roles were either taken over if profitable or demonized if they posed a threat to the patriarchy.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel more grounded in this busy, high tech world that we live in. Also for anyone interested Sarah Robinson has a number of mediations available on Insight Timer including the Wheel of the Year holidays and many others!
mariakadjurek's review
medium-paced
3.75
I liked the folktales and it was overall pretty great for someone completely new to witchcraft. I did learn a lot of new things, but I also already knew most of it