Book Review: Mrs. B's Guide to Household Witchery

by: Kris Bradley

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Red Wheel/Weiser

Synopsis:
For domestic goddesses everywhere--add some magic and fun to those mundane household chores with Mrs. B.'s Guide to Household Witchery. Whether you're sweeping the floor, making a meal, or cleaning out that junk drawer, domestic witch Kris Bradley, creator of the popular blog, Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, will show you how to create spells and magic to bring happiness and balance into your home. Bradley offers ideas and solutions to make the most out of everyday items, activities, and obligations. From Anchovies to Broccoli, and Wine to Yeast, from sweeping the floor to blow-drying your hair, you can change your outlook on life with a pinch of knowledge and a dash of magic! The book includes simple rituals, spells, and ways to connect with the spirits that watch over your home and family. Includes an appendix of herbs and a complete materia magica from the kitchen pantry.

Mrs. B's Guide to Household Witchery features:

• Room by Room: How to create magic while you cook, set up a family altar in the living room, or do a junk drawer divination
  
• The Elements for the Domestic Witch: a primer on the 4 elements and how to balance them in your home
  
• The Domestic Witch's Herbal: Magical uses for every herb and food in your pantry, as well as instant magic with prepackaged spice mixes
  
• Simple Sabbats for the Busy Witch: simple ways to celebrate the passing of the seasons
  
• Magical Recipes: More than 100 recipes and spells

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I'm so excited to write this review. I've been following Kris Bradley's blog Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom for a few years now, and also on Facebook. She's a thoughtful witch with so many well written articles out there in the cyber-world. I was so happy for her when she got this book deal, and after sitting down with my copy, I know she deserved it.

It's full of information that is written with a conversational tone. It makes it a fast and easy read. I went through the book in one sitting. Granted, I didn't scrutinize every bit, but I didn't miss much either. This is a keeper! The herbs and deity information she includes is priceless. I love cooking, and she encourages us to be mindful of the herbs we use to include a little magic in our everyday. I enjoyed going room to room and looking through all her ideas to add spirituality to every space in your home. I also enjoyed the family hearth and altar. Recognizing that most families don't have a fireplace anymore, she gives ideas to build your own hearth. This book lit a fire under me, and I have loads of ideas I now want to try in my own home.

I fully recommend this book to both new and experienced pagans. Going through this book, I felt the old flame I found reading Silver Ravenwolf and Scott Cunningham.

Book Review: Sad Desk Salad

by: Jessica Grose

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
As a writer for Chick Habit, an increasingly popular women's website, Alex Lyons gets paid to be a bitch. She's churning out several posts a day, and she saves her juiciest ones for blog prime time, when working women eat their sad desk salads in their offices. Alex tells herself she's fulfilling her dream of being a professional writer; so what if it means being glued to her couch and her laptop from six a.m. to six p.m., scouring the web in search of the next big celebrity scandal? Since Chick Habit's parent company keeps close tabs on page views, Alex knows her job is always at risk.

So when an anonymous tipster sends her the year's most salacious story—a politico's squeaky-clean Ivy League daughter caught in a very R-rated activity—it's a no-brainer. But is Alex really willing to ruin the girl's life by igniting the next Internet feeding frenzy? And what she doesn't yet realize is how this big scoop is about to send her own life spiraling out of control.

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The synopsis isn't quite right. It's not a no brainer, Alex is tortured by her choice. She's already spirally out of control when the story begins. She doesn't shower much and has been wearing the same muumuu for weeks, it literally smells bad to her. She doesn't like posting about the catty celebrity stuff, but with the pressure for pageviews, she feels the need to go that route more and more just to keep her job.

I think it's a brilliant look at how the internet can turn dangerous and make anyone lose touch with reality. She loses sight that it's not real, it doesn't really impact her life. When Alex finds a hate blog dedicated to her company's blog, but mostly about her, she freaks out. She starts pushing away all her real relationships, trying to protect her online reputation. Her relationship with her mother even ends up strained.

Smooth pacing, and light-witty writing make this a fun read. I stayed up too late last night trying to finish it, and once the boys were dressed I picked it right back up this morning. It's a fun chick-lit that again deals with important issues. Most importantly, privacy in this new digital age. And what morals are bloggers held to, or should they be?

Book Review: Mommy Blogger

by: Carla Caruso

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
One baby, one lie–and a whole new career. Stella lands a great job as a mommy blogger. The catch is she’s never had children. Plunged into a world of insanity every mother faces, she must learn to cope as her lies build upon one another. A sexy ex comes into the picture, forcing her to choose between him or the job and a handsome ‘keeper’ of a coworker. It can’t last forever.

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This was really kind of cute taken as a whole. As it started, and she started digging that whole with the lies...I started getting annoyed. Stella knew she was going to get in trouble, but she kept moving forward. Honestly, it's not full of surprises, but when I was done...I had enjoyed myself.

It's got a fast pace and isn't very long. I would classify this as Romantic Comedy. And since the beach season is pretty much over, let's call this a great travel selection!