The Great October Book Giveaway - Magic in Overlooked Places

The lucky book winners, this round, are:

Johanna L - The Wiccan Wheel Mysteries

Bella S. - pair of poetry books

kgkathands - The Lost Kitchen cookbook

I’ll be in contact with you shortly!

There seem to be some gremilins causing mischief...I’m having some difficulty with my laptop tonight, so the next giveaway will be posted tomorrow (Friday, October 11th). Thank you for your patience!





One of the things I love about magic, is that if you have your finger on the pulse of it - if you recognize that it bubbles up in unexpected places and threads itself through areas commonly overlooked - then you can find enchantment anywhere.

Normally this yearly giveaway is entirely populated with non-fiction books on magic and herbalism, with the occasional sway into witch-art of some form, and a few of the newest tarot or oracle decks I've found. I almost never include fiction or other genres, not because I don't read them or they aren't excellent sorts of books, but the bulk of my writing here at Rue and Hyssop is about my journey through the year in gardens, woods, and witchcraft, and so I generally stick to those themes. This year, however, there were a few authors/books from outside the usual non-fiction fare I offer that made a big impression on me, and I wanted to share them with you. They conjured the feeling that magic was afoot. That the authors were people who noticed the threads weaving the world together, who had touched the live wire of magic in one way or another (even if that's not what they would call it). Each of these books/authors gave me a thrill in some way and I know you'll adore them too.

It was early in the year when I heard about The Lost Kitchen and read the tale of a woman who had her heart broken and her dream crushed, who then found a way to rebuild. I was immediately enraptured by Erin French's journey. I set to searching out her restaurant and how someone might make a reservation (I'd long wanted to visit Maine, where she is located). It turns out that The Lost Kitchen hadn't just enchanted me. They were constantly booked up and still fielding calls for reservations, so they decided to hold a lottery for table seating. Last year twenty thousand postcards arrived on Erin's doorstep - each one a hopeful entry for a chance to eat one of her beautiful meals. (I'll be sending a postcard of my own next year!)

There is something extraordinary about a person who has seemingly lost out on the future they were building, only to discover that they could re-form or re-imagine it and it would unfold in even bigger ways than they could have anticipated. Erin began her 'secret dinners' in her apartment, expanded to a small retail location, was locked out of her dream only to move it into an Airstream trailer, and now cooks with friends for thousands of people each year in an historic mill in Freedom, Maine. Reading her gorgeous cookbook (with her amazing story included) is not just perusing a stack of tantalizing recipes, it's like curling up for tea with a friend that inspires you.

This summer was hard on me. I was knocked down in May and spent much of the following three months trying to keep my spirit light in the midst of heartbreak, funerals, and whatever hellish planetary bullshittery was swirling overhead. My salvation in the scorching months was a lawn chair in the shade in the late afternoon, a cold beverage, and a stack of books. I had a variety of poetry with me at all times, plus folk and fairy tales of every sort. They were what transported me to a quieter place where my mind and heart could find respite.

I was nearing the end of a pile of library books when I found myself thinking, "I need some fun, witchy fiction books to read." And just like magic an email popped into my inbox from Jennifer Hesse introducing herself and her books. I've already grabbed a few of her Wiccan Wheel Mysteries series for myself and I picked up one for you, too. Plus, Jennifer has been kind enough to send along a book for you as well! The series follows Keli Milanni, lawyer and practicing witch, while she navigates her way through assorted mysteries, messes, romances, and her own journey with magic. They were perfect summer reads and I know the two autumn-themed books I've got for you, Autumn Alibi and Samhain Secrets will be excellent for curling up under a blanket with in these cooler nights ahead.

Breakage - Mary Oliver

I go down to the edge of the sea.

How everything shines in the morning light!

The cusp of the whelk,

the broken cupboard of the clam,

the opened, blue mussels,

moon snails, pale pink and barnacle scarred—

and nothing at all whole or shut, but tattered, split,

dropped by the gulls onto the gray rocks and all the moisture gone.

It's like a schoolhouse

of little words,

thousands of words.

First you figure out what each one means by itself,

the jingle, the periwinkle, the scallop

       full of moonlight.

Then you begin, slowly, to read the whole story.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to show some love to the poetry that kept my heart beating this summer. We sadly lost the beloved Mary Oliver in January, but her words live on in her thirty-plus published works. It was the opening lines of "Wild Geese" that completely shifted things for me fifteen years ago, and she still has the ability to make me gasp and sigh "yes!" to her observations of nature and the world. I'm passing along her collection of poems, "Why I Wake Early."

Along with Oliver's book you'll receive a book I brought home from Sleepy Hollow - a collection of captivating poetry from assorted authors, entitled "Poems Bewitched and Haunted."

From the publisher:

From Homer to Horace, Pope to Poe, Randall Jarrell to James Merrill, Poems Bewitched and Haunted draws on three thousand years of poetic forays into the supernatural. Ovid conjures the witch Medea, Virgil channels Aeneas’s wife from the afterlife, Baudelaire lays bare the wiles of the incubus, and Emily Dickinson records two souls conversing in a crypt, in poems that call out to be read aloud, whether around the campfire or the Ouija board. From ballads and odes, to spells and chants, to dialogues and incantations, here is a veritable witches’ brew of poems from the spirit world.

You can see both poetry books on the left side of the first photo in this post.

These three prizes: one amazing cookbook, a pair of fab fiction tomes, and bundle of two dreamy poetry books, contain their own variety of magic and I believe they will find homes with folks who know a thing or two about enchantment. They will be up for grabs until Thursday, October 10th, when I'll draw the names of the winners. Your comment is your entry, and if you should like another chance to win then simply share this post around however you wish and then swing back and let me know. I'll make sure your name goes into the hat again. Alternately, if you are having issues with leaving a comment, or if you'd prefer to enter privately, then you can send your entry via the "make contact" button at the top of the page. (Please note that if your name is drawn, I will be posting it at the top of the giveaway.) Feel free to let me know which prize you'd prefer. I try to match winners and books up, whenever possible.

Legal Bits:

* This giveaway (or "sweepstakes") is open to all residents of Canada, (exluding Quebec residents) the USA, Great Britain, Europe, South America,  who are 18 years of age or older. This giveaway is void where prohitibited by law.  Please be aware of the contest/sweepstakes laws in your area.

*  Canadian residents will be subject to a skill testing question before being able to claim their prize (this is standard law in Canada).  The skill testing question will be in a form similar to: 1 + 2 - 1 =

*  This giveaway is not for profit and no purchase is necessary to enter.

*  This giveaway is sponsored/administrated solely by this blog/blog author and is not affilitated with or sponsored by Blogger, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other entity, nor can they be held liable.

* By leaving a comment intending to enter into the draw for the giveaway (or "sweepstakes") you are knowingly agreeing to these rules/conditions.

I have chosen all the books/cards featured this month myself.  I have not been paid to feature a book, nor have I been asked to advertise for anyone.  This giveaway is not endorsed or sponsored by anyone other than Rue and Hyssop.