In my mailbox … or why my mailman hates me

Today, my poor mailman walked to my front door ( in the heat and humidity of Florida ) and dropped off 4 books. You just know he hates me…

I can almost hear his grumbling even now. At any rate, Weiser was very good to me. The Weiser folks sent me a copy of a booklet celebrating their 60 years of publishing. It’s packed with quotes from many of the authors published by Weiser.

The books are “The Weiser Book of Occult Detectives” by Judika Illes, “The Witches Almanac” issue 37, and “The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags” by Leafar. As you know, the best time for reading a Weiser Book is during the Fall but these books will not  last that long — bwahahahahaa.

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In my mailbox: Tarot Plain & Simple

Life after Irma is returning to normal. I missed getting the trash out my the road ( in my defense they did say that there was no trash pickup today — but there was). My neighbor’s mail was in my front yard ( I guess it blew out of his box — again). The mailman crammed a book into my mailbox. You know, my usual morning.

Thank you Weiser for the cool-looking book Tarot Plain & Simple by Leanna Greenaway. The book will be available October 1st.
link: http://redwheelweiser.com/detail.html?id=9781571747709

Before you begin this introduction to Tarot, you may ask yourself, “Am I psychic?” The surprising answer: the Tarot deck is the best possible way to find out! Follow this guide and uncover your gifts, while you explore the mysteries of the Tarot through the clear directions and explanations. Start from how to choose the right Tarot deck, and care for it to enhance its power. In addition to both traditional and modern explanations for all 78 cards, you’ll find exercises to develop your reading ability, six different spreads, advice on doing a reading for someone who’s in a different location, and–for times when you have no Tarot deck–instructions for doing a reading with regular playing cards.

 

In my mailbox: Odin

How many people can say that they found Odin in their mailbox? I found “Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic” by Diana L. Paxson — it looks awesome!

http://amzn.to/2wbcsTi

Odin is arguably one of the most enigmatic and complex characters in Norse mythology. Revered since the Viking Age, Odin has been called the greatest of the gods―the god of words and wisdom, runes and magic, a transformer of consciousness, and a trickster who teaches truth. He is both war god and poetry god, and he is the Lord of Ravens, the All- Father, and the rune master.

Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, and Norse Magic is the first book on Odin that is both historically sourced and accessible to a general audience. It explores Odin’s origins, his appearances in sagas, old magic spells, and the Poetic Edda, and his influence on modern media, such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each chapter features suggestions for rituals, exercises, and music, so readers can comprehend and become closer to this complicated god.

Author Diana Paxson, an expert on Viking-era mythology, provides a complete portrait of Odin and draws on both scholarship and experience to provide context, resources, and guidance for those who are drawn to work with the Master of Ecstasy today.

 

In my mailbox: Paperbacks From Hell

I want to thank the good folks at Quirk Books ( link ) for sending me this free advanced reader copy of “Paperbacks From Hell” by Grady Hendrix. The book will be available September 19th so keep this one on your radar screen if you love vintage horror.

Take a tour through the horror paperback novels of the 1970s and ’80s . . . if you dare. Page through dozens and dozens of amazing book covers featuring well-dressed skeletons, evil dolls, and knife-wielding killer crabs! Read shocking plot summaries that invoke devil worship, satanic children, and haunted real estate! Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. It’s an affectionate, nostalgic, and unflinchingly funny celebration of the horror fiction boom of two iconic decades, complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles. You’ll find familiar authors, like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, and many more who’ve faded into obscurity. Plus recommendations for which of these forgotten treasures are well worth your reading time and which should stay buried.

 

In my mailbox: The Castle in Cassiopeia

Snacking on a peanut butter and peach jam sandwich while sipping earl grey tea. It’s a quiet night and I am listening to Star Trek on the H&I channel while reading Mike Resnick’s “The Castle in Cassiopeia”.

I want to thank the folks at Pyr for the free review copy. The book will be available August 22nd and I’m sure that Resnick fans will eat it up — like a peanut butter and peach jam sandwich.

Amazon:

http://amzn.to/2vhV1BF

A crisis has arisen. On their first mission as a team, Pretorius and his Dead Enders kidnapped the real General Michkag and substituted a clone who had been raised and trained in the Democracy. But now they find that the clone likes being the most powerful man in the hundred-world Traanskei Coalititon—and having been raised on Earth, he knows how humans think and react.

This becomes a many-layered problem for Pretorius and what is left of his Dead Enders. As the only humans on a totally militarized alien world, they must first find where the best-guarded member of the enemy’s military – Michkag – is hiding and how many aliens, or regiments, or divisions, are guarding him, and then they must find a way past all his lines of defense to kill or capture him.

 

In my mailbox: A Kiss Before Doomsday

Yes, the mailman managed to cram this book into my mailbox. I want to thank the folks at Pyr for this free review copy. A Kiss Before Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton will land in your favorite bookstores by the middle of next week. If you don’t have a local bookstore that you support, you can buy it through Amazon — http://amzn.to/2u3VgRA

It seems as if Dru, proprietor of the Crystal Connection and newly minted sorceress, has only just averted one apocalypse when another comes along. Undead creatures have appeared on the streets of Denver, attacking sorcerers, who are acting even more strangely than usual. Signs point to forbidden necromancy in the hands of someone trying to fulfill the prophecy of the apocalypse scroll.

With the dead rising from the grave, Dru fears someone is picking up where the Harbingers left off half a century ago. Now more than ever, Dru needs half-demon Greyson and his infernal car, Hellbringer. Though Greyson is missing and presumed dead, Dru believes he’s alive—and trapped at the center of this evil.

Dru will need her friends—and her enemies—trusting in Rane’s strength, Opal’s wisdom, and her own crystal magic to infiltrate the mountainous fortress of a powerful sorcerer intent on bringing about doomsday.

Because the moment the prophecy is fulfilled, legions of undead will rise to consume the souls of everyone on earth. . . .

 

In my mailbox: Raining Fire

I want to thank the folks at Pyr for the free review copy of “Raining Fire” by Rajan Khanna. The book will be available July 18th. http://amzn.to/2t8MZbJ

Ben Gold, former airship pilot has lost everything: his airship, his friends, and Miranda, the woman he loves. All that he has left is a thirst for revenge, a reckless plan to sate it, and some journal entries from Miranda to help ground him in the chaos. As he spirals out of control, he must survive old friends, new enemies, and of course Ferals, the mindless, violent victims of the global pandemic that shattered the world.

Meanwhile, the Cabal, a group of scientists on the floating city of Valhalla, are using the disease as a weapon while the militant Valhallans continue their raiding and destruction across the continent. When raiders from Valhalla massacre a town of innocents, Ben finds a new purpose in doing anything he can to undermine their power.

Ben must reunite with old friends and find new ones if he is to succeed. Can he overcome the forces arrayed against him in time to save himself—and maybe the world?

 

In my mailbox

I want to thank the good folks at Hampton Roads Publishing for sending me a free review copy of “Fortune Telling by Tarot Cards” by Sasha Fenton.

I’ve read a few books on the Tarot and I’ve enjoyed them. My TBR pile of “I Ching”, “Wicca”, and “The Nebula Awards Showcase 2017” have been finished — I plan to post about them soon. Another book was just what the Doctor ordered. I can escape in a book and not think about the passing of my dog Peppy.

Look for this book to be available June 1st 2017.

 

Nebula Awards Showcase 2017

I want to thank the folks at Pyr for the free review copy of the Nebula Awards Showcase 2017.

This is Sci Fi and Fantasy at it’s best… Looks like someone could use a shave this morning.

 

In my mailbox

Which one do you think I should read first? I want to thank Hampton Roads Publishing for the free advanced reading copies. By the way, both books will be available for purchase May 1st.

I Ching, Plain & Simple: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need
http://amzn.to/2oiy5vf

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is a mix of Taoist and Confucianist philosophies that has evolved over many centuries and may be the oldest book in existence. Its main philosophy is that nothing is static and everything changes over time, so our task is to adjust to the ebb and flow of changing circumstances. The I Ching can help us:

• Make decisions
• Manage sensitive relationships
• Tap into our creative insight and intuitive power

The I Ching can be extremely complex, filled with poetry and philosophy. In I Ching, Plain & Simple, Kim Farnell has made the divination system as modern, straightforward, and user-friendly as possible—pick it up and put it to use quickly and easily, without any fuss or confusion. It is the ultimate guide to the I Ching.

Wicca, Plain & Simple: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need
http://amzn.to/2oip3OV
Greenaway takes a contemporary approach to Wicca, also known as witchcraft, and shows you how to use it as a healing and positive force. Practice magic with tarot cards, agents, and pendulums; cast love, health, wealth, family happiness, and career spells; and discover which herbs are beneficial when conducting spells and rituals. Greenaway makes these life-affirming, ancient Wiccan traditions meaningful and accessible to us today by providing a basic understanding of the key elements of Wiccan practice, including:

• Lunar magic
• Initiation
• Herbs and gardens
• Pendulum power
• Animal magic

Eminently practical, Wicca, Plain & Simple also includes over 25 spells for beginning practitioners that range from fertility spells and money spells, to love spells and much more.