Authors to Avoid

"Then we've got the double sneak-attack - working only with angels. Angels, angels everywhere and Mom or Dad won't even care. Sure, because everyone likes angels"
Silver Ravenwolf, Teen Witch, (Llewellyn Publications) page 232.

"Call 1-800-the-moon to place your order. Or bug, bother and pester your neighborhood bookstore until they can't stand it any more. Oh, and for the adults that don't like that statement? Maybe you don't care about their future, but I do."

The above is an actual passage from one of her books. While I have read it, I cannot remember the exact book it came from.

What does that basically say? It tells kids that any adult who doesn't agree to their wishes regarding the occult doesn't care about them. But don't fret, Silver cares. She cares so much she'll show you how to get around those little nuances.

It's a psychological game.

I apologize if it seemed I was attacking. I just get so annoyed with hearing so many people making decisions without looking in to it and making upvthier own mind.

I ha e read some of D.j. Conway work but I'm at odds with it and not sure if I like all what he writes and have also seen some others criticize his work as well. Couriouse what some others think

DJ Conway is an author I would not recommend. At least if one is interested in Norse magickal workings and concepts. Her book "Norse Magic" was atrocious and outright offensive. Not only was it short and full of inaccurate information, it seemed geared towards Wiccans who wanted to incorporate Norse deities into their spellwork- but she claimed it was traditional. For instance, she had several spells in the book involving the use of a cauldron and wands and those are things you will never see in Norse magickal workings because there was not "spellwork" in Norse magick. She also claims that Freyr and Freyja are the main deities in the Northern pantheon.. which is cringeworthy. She may be okay in regards to Wiccan or other subjects, but look to a different author if you're interested in the Norse.

For myself, I never tell someone NOT to read a book.

But I will tell them whether the author is one that I would personally recommend and if not then why I would not recommend them. I will also then provide information about authors that I think are more reliable.

There are always things one can learn from any book that might be of value. But when someone is just starting out it is difficult to know what is accurate and what is not, so being discriminating about what one is reading is more difficult than it becomes when you have a number of years of practice under your belt.

In addition, unless one is wealthy most of us have to make decisions about where we can afford to spend our money. That being the case, one would want to spend that money on books that are going to do the most to advance your knowledge and skills. Spending it on a book that has unreliable information means that you may not be able to afford the book that is more accurate and helpful in the long run.

There are some authors out there who quite literally are writing because that's how they make money...but without care for the information they are providing or the impact it might have on someone's actual practice. Some of these authors will invent information to fill a book, knowing full well that information is not accurate. Some will lie about their credentials and claim to be things they are not. These are the sorts of people whose writings I don't recommend as good resources to others. But that's a lot different than telling someone NOT to read a particular author.