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201st out of 616 books
—
1,003 voters
Girl's Guide to Witchcraft (Jane Madison #1)
by
Mindy Klasky (Goodreads Author)
Which is more unlikely? Meeting a single, straight, reasonably attractive, willing-to-commit man?
Or discovering a secret cache of magic books?
For good girl Jane Madison, neither has a shot in hell of coming true--until the day she finds a hidden room....
Now she's done a bit of experimenting and found a spell that makes her irresistible to men--even those who have previousl...more
Or discovering a secret cache of magic books?
For good girl Jane Madison, neither has a shot in hell of coming true--until the day she finds a hidden room....
Now she's done a bit of experimenting and found a spell that makes her irresistible to men--even those who have previousl...more
Paperback, 426 pages
Published
October 1st 2006
by Red Dress Ink
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May 14, 2007
Suzanne Costner
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who don't realize chick-lit is dumb
The motivations for this character's eventual transformation from work-a-day reference librarian to new witch are shallow and murky at best. Also, she is titling the sequel "Sorcery and the Single Girl" when "Hex and the Single Girl" is much, much funnier. Sigh.
I found this book because it was mentioned in Library Journal. The author is a librarian, and so it the protagonist. So naturally, being a librarian myself, I had to read it. And I was pleasantly entertained by this book. (And I was excited to learn that the sequel was available at my library.)
This book introduces Jane Madison, a young reference librarian working at a special Colonial history library in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the novel we find her mooning over a college professor w...more
This book introduces Jane Madison, a young reference librarian working at a special Colonial history library in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the novel we find her mooning over a college professor w...more
6 likes
·
like
· see review
Jun 27, 2008
Mita
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who just started reading chick-lit
Shelves:
chick-lit,
read-in-2008
I love reading 'chicklit', but the problem with the genre is that the more you read them, the harder it is to find the good ones as opposed to those who were just capitalising on the genre's popularity the last couple of years.
I first became interested to read Girl's Guide to Witchcraft because Amazon recommended it to me in conjunction with my interest in Harry Potter and chicklit. It was years ago, and even though I've been meaning to read it, it's always just sitting on my wishlist for years....more
I first became interested to read Girl's Guide to Witchcraft because Amazon recommended it to me in conjunction with my interest in Harry Potter and chicklit. It was years ago, and even though I've been meaning to read it, it's always just sitting on my wishlist for years....more
5 likes
·
like
· see review
I kept getting annoyed with Jane as she idolized her Imaginary Boyfriend (aka the IB). But then I remembered her age,and my own frustrating tendency to idolize, pedestalize, or otherwise create my own version of someone- without necessarily looking beyond those rose-colored glasses and giving myself a chance to see the person, not as a reflection of my dreams, but as a real, flesh and blood person complete with all the grit and gristle that makes us human in the first place. Not fair to the pers...more
Since I liked the Mystic Cafe Series, I decided to dig a little deeper into the world of quirky paranormal romance and try another author. Mindy Klasky has created an intriguing and lovable set of characters, especially Jane Madison, her grandmother and her so-called dead mother, Clara, in the "Girl's Guide To Witchcraft".
Jane is a librarian at a small, local DC library that desperately needs more foot traffic. They also don't have a lot of money and have to give Jane a pay cut, but in lieu of t...more
Jane is a librarian at a small, local DC library that desperately needs more foot traffic. They also don't have a lot of money and have to give Jane a pay cut, but in lieu of t...more
Aug 16, 2012
Bibliojunkies
added it
From Smashwords:
Jane Madison has a problem. Or two. Or three. She’s working as a librarian, trapped in absurd period costumes and serving up expensive lattes, all in an effort to keep her employer’s budget in the black. She has a desperate crush on her Imaginary Boyfriend, a professor who regularly uses her library. Her doting grandmother is determined to reunite her with her long-absent mother. And now she’s been told that the library can’t pay her a well-deserved raise – instead, she can live...more
Jane Madison has a problem. Or two. Or three. She’s working as a librarian, trapped in absurd period costumes and serving up expensive lattes, all in an effort to keep her employer’s budget in the black. She has a desperate crush on her Imaginary Boyfriend, a professor who regularly uses her library. Her doting grandmother is determined to reunite her with her long-absent mother. And now she’s been told that the library can’t pay her a well-deserved raise – instead, she can live...more
Jane Madison is an ordinary girl with an ordinary life. A librarian in an obscure reference library in Washington, D.C. she struggles with bad hair days, and trying to find a normal, straight, available nice guy. She has Mojito nights with her best friend Melissa, and she looks after her Gran, who raised her after her parents died in a car crash when she was a child.
Then, Jane suddenly finds a room filled with magical books, and by simply reading from one of them, she not only gets magical power...more
Then, Jane suddenly finds a room filled with magical books, and by simply reading from one of them, she not only gets magical power...more
up awhile ago and have been busy but I decided to try the book out tonight and I was pleasantely surprised and I LOVED this book. I'm really looking forward to snatching up all the other books in this series because the plot and characters I can really relate to.
We've got Jane who's a Librarian, who basically takes a 25% pay cut. Well, she's a bit upset about that because she won't even be able to make her rent and considering librarians don't make that much in the first place its a very sticky...more
We've got Jane who's a Librarian, who basically takes a 25% pay cut. Well, she's a bit upset about that because she won't even be able to make her rent and considering librarians don't make that much in the first place its a very sticky...more
Girl's Guide to Witchcraft. Mindy Klasky. 2006. Red Dress Ink. 426 pages. ISBN 0373896077.
Paranormal chick-lit at its finest, Girl's Guide to Witchcraft is absolutely perfect for women looking for a pick-me-up and escape from reality for hours at a time. This book is the first in a trilogy from Mindy Klasky, author of the famed fantasy series Glasswrights' Guild.
Jane Madison is an awkward, single librarian with the problem (so typical and prevalent in chick-lit novels) of finding the perfect man...more
Paranormal chick-lit at its finest, Girl's Guide to Witchcraft is absolutely perfect for women looking for a pick-me-up and escape from reality for hours at a time. This book is the first in a trilogy from Mindy Klasky, author of the famed fantasy series Glasswrights' Guild.
Jane Madison is an awkward, single librarian with the problem (so typical and prevalent in chick-lit novels) of finding the perfect man...more
Jane Madison has always thought of herself as "plain Jane," and let's face it, her life does leave something to be desired. A low-paid, overworked librarian of an obscure resource library in Washington DC, Jane fills her days mooning after her "imaginary boyfriend" Jason Templeton, a professor at one of the local universities who does his independent research in her section of the library every week.
One day however, her boss calls her into her office to give her some bad news: the library's fund...more
One day however, her boss calls her into her office to give her some bad news: the library's fund...more
This was a cute, quick read that had me hooked from the first line because I'm a librarian and, well, this book is about a librarian. Of course that's where the similarity between me and Jane ends. I don't get rock a period costume for work, I've never found a collection of spell books (complete with a resident black cat Familiar) in my basement, and I've never bubbled, toiled, or troubled to get my crush to notice me. Well, at least not since I was about 14.
But that's another story to be told...more
But that's another story to be told...more
Type and Source of Book:
Ebook borrowed from the Ontario Library Service
Thoughts:
I wanted to take my time with this book to enjoy it. Even though it could be considered a "light" read by some, I wanted it to last, since the feeling I got when reading it was comfort. I enjoyed that magic wasn't the MAIN focus of the book (the focus instead being on the characters and relationships). I admit that I didn't even crave the "just do a spell!" syndrome that some magic books give me - and at some points,...more
Ebook borrowed from the Ontario Library Service
Thoughts:
I wanted to take my time with this book to enjoy it. Even though it could be considered a "light" read by some, I wanted it to last, since the feeling I got when reading it was comfort. I enjoyed that magic wasn't the MAIN focus of the book (the focus instead being on the characters and relationships). I admit that I didn't even crave the "just do a spell!" syndrome that some magic books give me - and at some points,...more
Relatively adorable, you really get to know the main character throughout the book. My main complaints are the slight spelling errors and the plot holes, the main one for me, is her instant acceptance of her familiar Neko, I'm sorry but if a giant cat statue turned into a prancing gay man that was suddenly living with and depending on me for things I would be freaked the flip out. Not so in Janes world, she acts like she is given gay men every other day.
Barring that I think the book was well wor...more
Barring that I think the book was well wor...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Apr 18, 2012
Jacob Proffitt
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
urban-fantasy
I just couldn't get into this book—mainly due to the heroine, but there are structural issues as well.
The main character, Jane, has one reaction to anything that happens in her life: freak out. Magic is real: freak out. I did a spell: freak out. I did a second spell: freak out. The second spell worked: call friend and freak out. Seriously, dial it down, woman, or we're never going to know if something happens that's actually worth a freak out. There can be charm in the heroine who goes from cris...more
The main character, Jane, has one reaction to anything that happens in her life: freak out. Magic is real: freak out. I did a spell: freak out. I did a second spell: freak out. The second spell worked: call friend and freak out. Seriously, dial it down, woman, or we're never going to know if something happens that's actually worth a freak out. There can be charm in the heroine who goes from cris...more
2 likes
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like
· see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Oct 08, 2009
Angela
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Gals looking for a light book as filler between heavy hitters
Recommended to Angela by:
Cynzilla
Supernatural chick lit of the highest degree.
I can see how some people would think it's crap. Probably for the exact same reasons I love it. It's a haphazardly cliche Cinderella story, minus the fairy godmother (Cinderella works the magic herself), plus one hot Warder, and one feisty-yet-fabulous feline familiar of the... frou-frou variety.
And I thought it was perfect!
Coming down off of reading Interview with the Vampire, I knew I needed something fluffy and frivolous and easy to read, so I pick...more
I can see how some people would think it's crap. Probably for the exact same reasons I love it. It's a haphazardly cliche Cinderella story, minus the fairy godmother (Cinderella works the magic herself), plus one hot Warder, and one feisty-yet-fabulous feline familiar of the... frou-frou variety.
And I thought it was perfect!
Coming down off of reading Interview with the Vampire, I knew I needed something fluffy and frivolous and easy to read, so I pick...more
Jane Madison, a somewhat timid, fashion-challenged librarian living in Washington, D.C., is none too pleased when she learns her salary is being cut by a quarter. Her supervisor eases the blow by offering to let Jane live rent-free in a small cottage on the library's property. Jane gets more than she bargained for when she discovers a hidden key that unlocks the door to the basement, which is filled with a wide array of witchcraft books. Jane is even more surprised when she recites a spell and i...more
For all my deep and abiding love for romance novels, I often have trouble getting into chicklit. I often find the heroines painfully shallow, dense or unlikable. But none of those descriptors apply in the slightest bit to Mindy Klasky's heroine Jane Madison. Even though she's prone to building up relationships based on wishful thinking and overanalyzing - who can't relate to that? And she's aware of it, which makes it endearing rather than irritating. And I actually liked how she tried so hard t...more
This may be the shallowest main character for a book I've ever read; the quintessential brat. She has a freak out over the smallest issues, and the freak outs are on a grand scale. She's self centered and while it's obvious she loves her grandmother she makes no effort to disguise her impatience with her grandmothers requests. The main character grows, a bit, during the course of the book but it appears as though any growth is purely self serving.
The story itself is written like a movie. There...more
The story itself is written like a movie. There...more
I picked up the book because it was cheap on Kindle, so luckily I didn't pay too much money for it.
I found myself reading for the sake of reading, unfortunately, as this book didn't really get me until much later. Even then, it only sparked a minute amount of curiosity in me to continue to the next installation.
So it's a story of life-changing events that seemed out of Jane's control, and as hard as she tries to regain her footing, things seem become more and more complicated. In the end, I bel...more
I found myself reading for the sake of reading, unfortunately, as this book didn't really get me until much later. Even then, it only sparked a minute amount of curiosity in me to continue to the next installation.
So it's a story of life-changing events that seemed out of Jane's control, and as hard as she tries to regain her footing, things seem become more and more complicated. In the end, I bel...more
Unlike most of the other reviews on goodreads, I loved this book. It was well written and kept me entertained. I love chick lit and I love witchcraft so I suppose that's why it was a good read for me.
Will it win a Nobel Prize? Heck no. But, do you think the author set out to do that? Heck no. It's entertaining, it's fun, it's funny, it's creative and I identified with the main character AND her best friend.
It was a perfect at home read for a Saturday night.
I actually read it in about four hours...more
Will it win a Nobel Prize? Heck no. But, do you think the author set out to do that? Heck no. It's entertaining, it's fun, it's funny, it's creative and I identified with the main character AND her best friend.
It was a perfect at home read for a Saturday night.
I actually read it in about four hours...more
Feb 10, 2011
Nora-adrienne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
paranormal-romance
I was first drawn to this book because of the cover.... then I read the blurb on the back.
Jane (our new witch) just seems to fall into situations at the drop of a hat. She is drawn to men who are definitely not right for her and isn't too comfortable because of it.
The mix of her budding witch craft, her flamboyant familiar, and the warder who comes knocking at her door when she unknowingly completes her first spell just makes you feel like you fell down the hole with Alice or went to OZ with D...more
Jane (our new witch) just seems to fall into situations at the drop of a hat. She is drawn to men who are definitely not right for her and isn't too comfortable because of it.
The mix of her budding witch craft, her flamboyant familiar, and the warder who comes knocking at her door when she unknowingly completes her first spell just makes you feel like you fell down the hole with Alice or went to OZ with D...more
So, usually I'll be the first to admit that when I hear that something is a chick lit book, I'm not really drawn to it. However, when I heard more about this book I was intrigued. It is about Jane Madison. A librarian at a small library in Washington, D.C. When budget cuts force her to have a pay cut, she is allowed to live in a cottage behind the library. That is where all the fun begins. Men, magic, a baking best friend, and a gay familiar, how could the characters not capture your heart? The...more
This was my first introduction to paranormal chick-lit (previously, all my paranormal reading had been YA) and I could not have asked for a better introduction into the genre! I found this in a small bookstore after it had stopped being in print production and consider it one of my best finds. If you like reading about magic, friendships, and budding romances, this is a perfect book! You won't want to put it down and won't be able to wait to get your hands on the sequels. Personally, I'm also ve...more
This book was funny. I felt like the main character had pretty questionable morals, (I won't go into it...) but overall the book was light and funny. I think I might like to read something with a little bit more depth next... however that's not going to stop me from reading the next book in the series and I have to admit this book had me laughing out loud, which is what I hope to find in a book. It was easy to read and fun.
The main character (Jane) works in a library, and she becomes a witch. Th...more
The main character (Jane) works in a library, and she becomes a witch. Th...more
I was looking through the ebook offerings in the library and found this book. I was glad I picked it up as it was an entertaining read. Jane is a librarian coming off of a broken relationship, not thinking much of herself. She, finds herself moving into a cottage at the back of the library and finds, (it finds her..) a collection of books, witches books, a familiar that she awakens and a new life as a witch!
This is a story of self discovery, Jane's. Enjoyable throughout! I would love the read t...more
This is a story of self discovery, Jane's. Enjoyable throughout! I would love the read t...more
One of the things I loved about Harlequin’s Red Dress Ink line was the diversity. Within the chick-lit genre, Red Dress Ink offered a nice variety in the Red Dress offerings. Some of them are straight chick-lit, some are suspense or mystery, and some, such as Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft, has a paranormal twist. Combining two of my favorite genres, chick-lit and paranormal romance is brilliant. It’s such a shame that there are no longer any new Red Dress Ink releases. Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft is...more
Jane Madison is a young librarian facing a pay cut due to lack of funding. Forced to move into a cottage on the library grounds to save money, she discovers a cache of books on witchcraft. She now has to balance out learning to be a responsible witch while navigating dating, a family reunion, and problems at work.
This book is a quick, pleasant read that was a nice change of pace. The characters are likable and realistic. I liked the book and characters well enough to check out the second book in...more
This book is a quick, pleasant read that was a nice change of pace. The characters are likable and realistic. I liked the book and characters well enough to check out the second book in...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville-Madiso...: Staff Pick: Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky | 2 | 10 | Mar 11, 2013 02:34pm |
Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.
Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, and category...more
More about Mindy Klasky...
Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, and category...more
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“For there were good men. As long as we women remembered to be strong. As long as we remembered to be ourselves”
—
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