Recent Reviews

  • On Her Silver Rays

    "I think this book will be such a source of knowledge about our Lady of the Moon. The referencing and rituals will just add to the consciousness of anyone training in the magical arts. You will always learn something from any book that Frances has written, this one in particular, because of our close association with our emotions and the phases of the Moon. The talisman of the moon is a great place to start experimenting with Talisman magic. It has something for everyone, well done Frances." ~ Murray Langham, author of "Chocolate Therapy: Unwrap the Secrets of Your Inner Self", Facebook Post

  • Three Legs in the Evening

    Getting old is inevitable. But finding joy, peace, and even adventure in the final years when your dreams, your plans, and your world are unsteady, even crumbling, is what determines whether you’ve fully embraced your life on this Earth.
    Three Legs in the Evening is about Sally B., an elderly widow who is ready to retire after running a successful greeting card business. It’s the aftermath of 9/11. The world has not only dramatically changed, but it has also become less kind, less tolerant. And amid this global turmoil, Sally sees her personal world falling apart. Her children are suffering in their marriages, the grandchildren are troubled, health issues arise, and Sally, breaks her ankle after falling into the open grave of her best friend.
    Yep. That happens.
    Author Bette Ann Moskowitz reminds us that when one’s world begins to unravel, we either unravel with it, or we discover our strength and resilience. And add a little love to that dynamic and things get more interesting. A man Sally has known for many years returns to her life and with this comes myriad changes, some quite unexpected, some life-affirming.
    Three Legs in the Evening — the title taken from the Sphinx’s riddle in Oedipus Rex, in which Oedipus is asked that walks creature walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening. It’s man. In those elderly years, the cane is his third leg — takes place over a year and focuses on what to do with the time that remains. The story is witty, but also profound. And the main character, Sally, is a delight to be around. It’s a story about finding wisdom and clarity at the end of a life, told with humor and grace, reminding us that life is to be fully lived all the way to its final days. ~ David W. Berner - The Writer Shed, https://medium.com/the-writer-shed/three-legs-in-the-evening-b7b77be6dbf8

  • Three Legs in the Evening

    Funny, quirky and all too true to life, this delightful look at growing older from Bette Anne Moskowitz is definitely well worth the read, especially if you are growing older, and even if you are not!

    There are three distinct sections to Three Legs in the Evening, naturally you could say a beginning a middle and an end but that is a bit clinical, although that is exactly what it is, the three stages of maturing, once you reach a certain age, but not exactly like a fine wine.

    Sally is at her long-time friend Susie’s funeral; it is a hot day, she is dressed to the max in a sharp red dress, high heels and has a hanky pinned to her hair. She is beginning to wonder why she wore a red wool dress when a grieving relative ‘accidentally’ knocks her into Susie’s grave, where she landed on top of the coffin, breaking her ankle!

    Having made the decision to retire she sells up her greeting card business, and as the days pass she grieves for her friend Suzie, her husband who passed several years before from Cancer and for her former life. Mindlessly watching the television, at first she thinks the terrible events of the Bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York was just fiction, but once she realises it is fact, she like many others becomes obsessed with the event.

    She finds this very unsettling, more than normal, which coincides with other events in her children’s lives and the possible advent of new man, or men in her life, a huge worry about a red car that appears to be abandoned, which in her mind, as she linked it to the World Trade Centre bombing, is disconcerting.

    As each incident unfolds, she begins at times to question what is right and what is not; is she over reacting, should she be enjoying a new ‘love affair’ even though she has been widowed for some time. Many seemingly small aspects of her life in general appear to be far more problematic than before and reality is what she wants to make of it, at any given time.

    Bette Anne Moskowitz has delicately created a gentle pathway into the issue of the mental health that often comes with growing older. She has used wisdom, humour and a lovable character in Sally, who it is very easily able to relate to, who could be your mother, grandmother or yourself.

    Three Legs in the Evening is a must read for anyone who is perhaps approaching a certain age and really understands the many idiosyncrasies of growing older, with a certain flair and pizazz. ~ Blue Wolf Reviews, https://bluewolf-reviews.com/books/fiction/three-legs-in-the-evening-a-novel/

  • People of the Outside

    Lee Morgan
    Lee’s book offers the reader a window into the past not often opened and peered through by occult & witchcraft historians. It was truly informative and eye opening. Which is the hallmark of a book by this author.

    -Eron V. Mazza
    Host of “The Witching hour with Eron Mazza ~ Eron Mazza, Eron V. Mazz Host of the Witching Hour Podcast

  • Peace of Freysdal, The

    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Michael Richards creates a unique fantasy novel, it has everything that I was engaged with. The characters worked well overall and worked with the fantasy elements. I enjoyed going through this story and thought the overall feel worked with the world. ~ Kathryn McLeer (Reviewer), NetGalley

  • Pagan Portals - Raven Goddess

    Morgan Daimler
    Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I read the first book, Pagan Portals The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens. I have loved the Morrigan since I met her back in 1999. I thought she would be my matriarchal Goddess until Lilith showed me the way. The Morrigan is still with me, and I was happy to read this book and going deeper into knowing Her. If you follow Celtic traditions, or love The Morrigan, you will enjoy reading this book. ~ Dawn Thomas (Reviewer), NetGalley

  • On Her Silver Rays

    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. This is an incredibly comprehensive guide to all of the different esoteric facets of the moon. There is something here for everyone: no matter how much you think you already know, you will learn something new from this well-researched book. I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley. The meditation prompts on the different phases of the moon were very helpful. I also liked the history of the lunar gods/goddesses. ~ Shelby Boheen (Reviewer) , NetGalley

  • Angel at the Paradise Hotel

    Teresa O'Driscoll
    The author's years spent in Greece add great authenticity as her knowledge of locals and their customs and livelihoods are particularly vivid. I have learnt a lot about a country I would now like to visit for the first time. ~ Ethel Corduff, SCPSW

  • Quaker Quicks - Open to New Light

    I think that Open to New Light is amazing, excellent, exactly what I wanted to know about, in the most effective, concise form possible. I love it. Without even a word of exaggeration! ~ Lee Gunn, Researcher, writer and Coventry Friend, n/a

  • Womanpriest, The

    Stafford Betty
    Professor Stafford Betty’s latest novel, The Womanpriest, describes the journey of a Catholic woman, Macrina McGrath, from youth in a southern American city to an undreamed of, seemingly impossible climax: election to the Seat of Perter in 2080 as the first-ever woman pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Alongside the story of her rise, her emotional ups and downs, her love for a man that tempts her to give up her mission, and a whole host of experiences that most of us will never have, Betty works in a little theology. It was this that interested me most.
    As Macrina ascends the Catholic hierarchy, she devotes herself to breaking down barriers and questions religious doctrines that are outdated. Why isn’t Catholic Christianity more inclusive, she asks, more accepting of those on the outside, more tolerant of other beliefs instead of condemning them? Over and over Macrina challenges the Church to become something it currently is not, something better, something more attractive and believable.
    She doesn’t shy away from hot-button issues. Why can’t priests be allowed to marry? What if women could be priests? Why is it so important that Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus, be a virgin? What if the Trinity were updated to include a Mother? What if belief in reincarnation were tolerated as a possible second chance for souls, including aborted babies, to experience earth? What if the Catholic Church were more accepting of the LGBTQ community? And why can’t the Church be less dogmatic in general? Betty, speaking through Macina, intrigued me with questions like these.
    Macrina avoids a damning critique of Catholicism. Her approach is to suggest reforms that are consistent with scientific evidence and a broader, more inclusive spirituality. This is the approach that we Catholics and former Catholics are already using to some degree. But for one like me who has rejected religion, not God, because of its absolutism, I appreciated Betty’s attempt to update a future Catholic religion not based so much on dogma and tradition but on Jesus’ teaching to love one another. I could join that type of Church, one less certain of truth, more willing to have faith that our Creator is so much more all-knowing than we can imagine.
    Betty uses Macrina as a means to take a spiritual journey into the religions of the world, the role of God in our lives, and the place of the Catholic Church in a world of multiple religious traditions. Through Macrina he creates a “priest” very different from those we see in today’s Catholic Church, an enlightened woman with a desire to remain deeply connected to the Church even when that same Church excommunicates her. The magic of this book is its success in showing her rise from condemned heretic to beloved pope in a span of 35 years.
    As one who likes to ponder God, religions, and the individual’s place in the universe, I enjoyed the spiritual journey The Womanpriest took me on. Throughout the book I was constantly engaged in my own thoughts and compared my own beliefs to those shared and discussed in the novel. Intellectually stimulated to ponder my relationship with God, I did quite a few “what ifs” of my own.
    As one who hasn’t been an avid reader of books of late, I found Betty’s narrative technique quite unusual. Many voices are brought together by Macrina’s twin brother Greg as he researches files and archives to chronicle her life. He collects emails, journal entries, sermons she gave, news articles about her, and memories of her from her parents and friends to complete the picture. It’s a challenging but effective way to bring her story to life—filled with soul-searching speculation; her love for Ezra, the Jewish mathematician she met while a professor at Amherst; the thrill of victory over an all-male bureaucracy; a chance to make changes in Church teaching that in the past she could only dream of; fun-loving adventure; humor and tears; and personal tragedy.
    I have read some of Professor Betty’s earlier work on afterlife research, but this was something new. If you are looking for a discussion of subjects related to faith, philosophy, and spirit, you are in for a treat. If you want a great story about a unique woman who shakes the world, you are likely to remember her for a long time. I encourage you to find it, read it, and ponder the universe in your own way. The Womanpriest does not disappoint.
    ~ Sal Moretti, reviewer, The Bakersfield Californian, 3 June 2023

  • No, You're Crazy

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars. No, You’re Crazy is an electrifying literary voyage that defies conventional boundaries, leaving an indelible imprint upon the reader’s soul. Jeff Beamish’s masterful storytelling intertwines threads of psychological depth, family dynamics, and the enigmatic nature of existence itself. With prose that dances like whispered secrets and characters that pulse with vibrant authenticity, this novel grips you from the opening page and never relinquishes its hold. Prepare to be enthralled by the raw power of the human spirit, to question the boundaries of belief and reality, and to emerge from this transformative journey forever changed. … a captivating tapestry that demands to be experienced, a symphony of emotions that resonates long after the final page is turned. ~ The Bookish Elf

  • And this shall be my dancing day

    Jennifer Kavanagh
    This is an unusual, kind and uplifting book, which manages to be a gripping page-turner while also bringing the reader to a deeper understanding of how we can find our voices to speak out about injustice... It's a story about how we learn to grieve, to find our voices, and help and support each other in speaking out when we encounter wrong... In a book full of humanity, we understand and sympathise with how people fall into scratchiness with each other, grow apart, and grow together again. In a final coda, the plot manages a satisfying kind of fairytale ending, in which a good person finds happiness, in the face of terrifying social and political headwinds that could have destroyed them entirely. ~ Diana Jeater, Goodreads

  • No, You're Crazy


    This fascinating book delves into the depths of reality and existence and leaves the reader questioning both. ...a gratifying work of psychological fiction (and) an enlightening and emotionally rich experience. ~ Literary Titan

  • Bogowie

    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. As a Polish American I found the history and research very fascinating. The author made many important points about Slavic culture and its dismissal or lack of representation. I enjoyed the many linguistic connections to India and the Balkans, having many friends from those countries, I have noticed those connections. The folklore and traditions are truly beautiful and it brought back many memories of growing up in Poland. ~ Weronika Pogorecka (Reviewer), NetGalley

  • No, You're Crazy

    Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed this one. I stayed engaged, and enjoyed the main character. The author created an interesting premise and carried it out nicely. ~ Paul V, NetGalley

  • No, You're Crazy

    Beamish has a talent for seeing inside people’s minds, understanding what makes them tick and connecting their thoughts to life’s meanings and themes. Once readers connect to Ashlee and her maybe-grandfather, they're in for an action-packed adventure, with nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout. Beamish takes readers on a hell of a ride, but there’s a little heaven mixed in there too. ~ Tracy Sherlock, Cover to Cover

  • Into Shadow

    Morgan Daimler
    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. This is one of the most unique and interesting fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. It turns classic tropes on its head, and has created a wonderful world full of elves, selkies, dragons, and magic. All of the characters had such lovely, complex personalities and stories, and I loved the main character’s arc and journey. I seriously recommend this book to anyone who loves traditional fantasy but is looking for an unique take. ~ Siobhan Mostyn-Waldron (Reviewer), NetGalley

  • Introducing the Occult

    Colin Stanley
    The classic work on the paranormal, The Occult, is one of the cornerstones of modern supernatural literature and its author, the late Colin Wilson, is (or was, he has since passed over) one of the most widely respected authors in the genre. This new book, Introducing the Occult, which is subtitled ‘Selected Introductions, Prefaces, Forewords and Afterwords’, shows just how much he was respected because he was regularly sought out to give his opinion on other works also concerned with the paranormal (and indeed magic, because the two are inseparable ). Each of the chapters refers to one of these competing works, and Colin Wilson’s observations are no mere few words of praise hastily stitched together but are remarkable in
    their own right for their insights. This is a thoughtful selection of commentaries by the man who pretty much rewrote the genre single-handedly: highly and thoroughly recommended.

    Phenomena Magazine Issue 169 May 2023 ~ Phenomena Magazine, Review

  • Mind Beyond Words, A

    Jes Kerzen
    With its captivating insights and surprising revelations, this book provides readers with a remarkable glimpse into the mind of someone whose unique ways of perception, thinking and communication defy convention. ~ Olga Bogdashina, MA, PhD, Co-founder of and Programme Leader at the International Autism Institute, KSPU, author of many books including 'Autism and the Edges of the Known World'

  • Simply Be More

    This book consists of a series of drawings, mainly of animals and nature, in the form ‘just like a frog, I’m always ready to take a leap of faith – be more frog’ or ‘just like a dragon, I have fire in my belly – be more dragon.’ Then there are some humorous inorganic examples: ‘just like a single malt whisky, I get better with age...’ a book to dip into, or perhaps consult as an oracle. ~ David Lorimer - Paradigm Explorer