Llewellyn's Little Book of Halloween

Llewellyn's Little Books #6

by Mickie Mueller

This fun, pocket-size book shares everything you need to know to celebrate the festival when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. Filled with crafts, recipes, spells, tutorials, and other unique ideas, this little book will help you make the most out of this special time of year. Explore how Halloween was celebrated throughout history, from harvest festivals and the Celtic new year through All Souls Day and trick or treating. Discover décor ideas for the home or garden, and learn how cats, bats, ghosts, skeletons, and other popular symbols became associated with Halloween. This book is a must have for anyone who already loves Halloween or for anyone who wants to know how to mark the day with a witchy twist. "This little book is a history of Halloween, a party-planning inspiration and a book of charms all rolled into one."― BookPage

Genres: Nonfiction, Halloween, Witchcraft, Holiday, History, Witches, Paganism

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 8, 2018

Reviews

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable little book on Halloween. This book is cut into five sections which goes through the history of Halloween, creating a haunting atmosphere, celebrating with tricks and treats, folklore traditions customs and spells, and Halloween divination and spirit communication. The exercises and recipes are perfect for any Halloween lovers that want to join in with a little witchy fun. The history and folklore is indeed very well-researched and very fun to read. Very well done little book.

[Kade Gulluscio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is seriously great! I found it by chance when searching for a Halloween book to read for a challenge.

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations, mainly because books like this can be hit or miss. I imagine it can be difficult to make informative books be entertaining and engaging enough to keep a reader’s interest. I was pleasantly surprised with how engaging this was.

This is a great read for all, but I’d say this is definitely geared towards “witchy” folk. :)

[Alexandra Kern · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving it two stars for the brief history and some history of the spells. The witchcraft was a little much for me. Wasn't expecting essentially the entire book to be for witches.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book of Halloween contains a surprising amount of knowledge on spellcraft for being commercially available. It was easy to read, contained tips that weren't too complicated, and doesn't present itself in a way that would force someone out of the broom closet if it were found. For its purpose, it fits perfectly, and I would recommend this little tome to newer witches seeking traditions to implement on Samhain.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically just wasn't what I was expecting. It was a cute and easy read but was more or less just crafting and trick or treating tips mixed in with a very brief historical overview that had more to do with commercialism than anything else. Was not expecting to get Halloween movie reviews out of this and I would not recommend.

[Brainarchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read with a lot of useful informafion (even though it is a little book) for everyone interested in Halloween, Samhain, the spirit realm and more. If you're planning on expanding your craft by making some awesome spells, by communicating with your ancestors or by enhancimg your connection with the spirit world using different means during certain celebration days, this book will help you on your path.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book to have on your bedside table all throughout October to help get you into the spirit. Filled with everything from the history and origins behind this spooky holiday to activities, decorating tips, and even a little witchcraft and divination, this little pocketbook guide to Halloween is a must-read for the autumnal season!

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Halloween, and this was a really fun read. I learned a bit more about the holiday than I knew before.

[elysium · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tiny hardback book is absolutely wonderful for witches and non-witches who are looking to celebrate Hallowe’en / Samhain and perform rites for it. I really enjoyed every moment of it!

[Jbondandrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was somewhat disappointed in this book. I did expect it to be a little bit different from other Halloween books that I've read in the past but it wasn't. Granted there were a few spells and recipes but nothing that really stood out.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I already knew quite a bit about Halloween's history, so I learned nothing new there, but this book also offers a number of rituals, intentions, old world recipes (e.g., soul cakes, barmbrak), and explanations of common Halloween symbols that made it an interesting read.

[Sofia Leão · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on Halloween! Interesting foklore, history and ideas. Loved that it was more focused on folk practices.

[jas ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

has some good witchy tips i def will use for future halloween's !!!

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

As part of mini-project “Clear some of my spooky books of the shelf this spooky season,” a subproject of project “Read at least 25 books I’d already owned by December 31, 2020 in 2021” I decided to pick up an extremely cute little orange-and-black volume I’d bought in a fugue state at Witch City Wicks last October called Llewellyn’s Little Book of Halloween, by Mickie Mueller.

At its most useful, this is basically a party planning book. It has some light edutainment about the history of Halloween and the background of various Halloween traditions, but most what it’s got is cocktail recipes, movie recommendations, and party tricks, including some easy low magic that you can use to get yourself and your friends in the Halloween spirit (or summon some Halloween spirits, depending on how hardcore you are). It’s full of cute illustrations of ghosts and cats and swirly spiderwebby patterns, and it will look lovely on my shelf of witchy shit next to the old-timey glass bottles and all my tarot decks.

For some reason, this thing took me 10 days to read. Some of that is because it has been a busy 10 days, full of things that did not involve getting any long stretches of uninterrupted reading time, but that was made worse by the sort of disjointed novelty book aspect of the book--it’s not really meant to be read cover to cover as a single narrative; it is just a compendium of things you can reference. This annoys me even though the only actual criticism I have of the book is that it refers to smoke cleansing with sage as “smudging” a couple of times and, come on, we should know better than that, it’s just smoke cleansing.

Anyway, if anyone wants to make opal hush cocktails this spooky season, hit me up because I have a recipe I want to try!

Originally posted at Some tricks and some treats.

[Justyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading witch books, I searched for similar titles and discovered a nonfiction treat in Llewellyn's Little Book of Halloween. Authored by a practicing witch and Halloween enthusiast, Mickie Mueller takes readers on an exploration of the holiday in both its modern secular celebrations and pagan origins. 

Mueller covers everything you need to know to celebrate Halloween and Samhain. It's filled with crafts, recipes, spells, and other unique ideas. There are five chapters with the first diving into the history of Halloween. The second chapter includes décor ideas and uncovers how cats, bats, ghosts, skeletons, and other symbols became associated with Halloween. Chapter three outlines ways to celebrate like trick-or-treating, haunted attractions, and watching scary movies. Chapter four covers folklore, traditions, and spells. Finally, the book discusses divination and spirit communication.

First of all, I loved the interior design and artwork, capturing the playfulness of Halloween. Mueller's writing is engaging and her exploration of both modern Halloween and its pagan origins were fascinating. I love how the book covers Halloween from the fun to the spiritual. Whether or not you're into trying witchy practices or spells, knowing deeper meanings makes the holiday more enchanting. For a unique read full of history, party-planning inspiration, and spells, I highly recommend Llewellyn's Little Book of Halloween.

[Bravebook · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Halloween" to kolejna cudownie wydana książeczka z serii Małych Przewodników, która przybliżyła mi to święto od wielu stron. Niektóre były oczywiste i ogólnikowe, ale inne pozwoliły mi dojrzeć głębię tego dnia oraz to, co wzbudza w ludziach, jakich dostarcza im wrażeń i co ich tak w nim pociąga.

Szczególnie spodobały mi się oczywiście ciekawostki związane z tradycjami ludowymi, przesądami czy wydarzeniami i symbolami, które przyczyniły się do tego, że Halloween wygląda obecnie tak jak wygląda 😁

Było tu naprawdę wiele interesujących ciekawostek, które nadały ubieraniu kostiumów, masek i wycinaniu latarni z dyni (lub rzepy😉) większą głębię.

Autorka jest wielką entuzjastką tego święta, czuć to po stylu w jakim opisuje halloween oraz wspomina to, jak sama je obchodziła/obchodzi. Podaje wiele porad, własnych obserwacji i doświadczeń.

W środku znajduje się również wiele inspiracji na halloweenowe zabawy, rytuały i obchody. Więc nie tylko teoria, ale również zachęcenie do praktyki.

Przyznaję, że mnie interesowały głównie genezy i symbolika halloween, ale ciekawie było przejrzeć też pomysły na zabawy, które inni tak lubią 😁

Jeśli jesteście fanami tego święta - to myślę, że ta książeczka pozwoli Wam poszerzyć wiedzę, dostarczy inspiracji oraz obudzi w Was ekscytację i ducha jesieni!

Jeśli jednak nie jesteście fanami, lecz poszukujecie ciekawostek, to znajdziecie tu podstawowe informacje, które Was interesują i pewnie zachęcą do dalszych poszukiwań 😁

[Casper · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parts that were about the history and traditions of Halloween were very interesting and informative. The parts that were aimed at practicers of magic or Wicca or witchcraft were not very interesting to me, as I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to that sort of thing. However, it's not really a flaw with the book so much as a flaw of myself not thoroughly seeing what kind of book it was before I began reading it. I thought it was solely about the history and traditions of Halloween, not about magic or witchcraft.

A worthy read with some interesting information about the origins of Halloween, but people interested in the history of the holiday as opposed to the magical applications of it may want to look elsewhere. If you are a skeptic about magic or witchcraft, you may find yourself rolling your eyes at some parts in the book.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Por fin lo terminé.. Llevo así como que más de un año intentando leerlo pero es que se me hacia tan aburrido que al final lo terminaba dejando.

Es cierto que tiene partes interesantes (sobre todo la primera acerca de la historia de Halloween y la última sobre prácticas mágicas para este día); sin embargo, el resto del libro es soporifero... Y más teniendo en cuenta que esta escrito y orientado para los estadounidenses y que aquí en España de todo lo que se dice no hay ni un 5% de las cosas ni de la devoción a esta fiesta (somos más del Día de todos los santos).

Así que nada, sin más. Vale como lectura para mejorar tu inglés y para saber más de Halloween y como celebrarlo y fin. No es la lectura de mi vida sinceramente.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting. But that isn't a bad thing. This book is filled with history on Halloween/Samhain, craft ideas for a magical home, magical recipes, folklore traditions and of course, spells. There is even a little section on including your pets in the Halloween festivities.

This book was extremely easy to read and filled with various exercises for each section of the book. Some are basic things you most likely already know, like carving a pumpkin, but I never felt those exercises were irrelevant because it all reflected Halloween.

Overall, a great book for Halloween.

[MV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and fun little book for anyone interested in Halloween. Some of the information will not be new to Halloween-lovers, but some of it has got to be - I can't imagine even the most devoted spooky day fans won't learn something they didn't know before. Also, the book is written by a practicing witch, so there is an emphasis on magic and divination which I highly enjoyed. I had a great time reading the author's history with and insight on the holiday and I have earmarked several recipes and activities to try. The design of the book is also well-done.

[Jennie Huntoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did a lot of eye-rolling at this - it had good crafting ideas and decent-sounding recipes, which is what I came for, but pages devoted to spooky movie reviews felt out of place. The author honors pagan traditions in some points, but in other places treats them like a 19th century occultist would. (A seance? Yikes.) Points at least for mentioning choosing costumes that avoid cultural appropriation, but the author did so in a very generic, unspecific way, saying nothing of what specifically to avoid. Read the Samhain book by Llewelyn instead.

[Barrita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiene información interesante acerca de los orígenes y significado de diferentes tradiciones, costumbres y creencias relacionadas a Halloween, pero creo que es una visión super básica y sesgada de muchas cosas.

Incluye "hechizos" y tips para quienes creen en esas cosas pero he de decir que incluso viendo esas secciones desde afuera y sin deseo de juzgar, se ven increíblemente básicos y muy localizados para un público nada internacional.

Pero el libro físicamente es bonito y es una edición muy linda, con páginas a color y detallitos cute por todos lados.

[Tania Kinsel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning and the end of this book, but middle seemed like filler. The beginning has a nice overview of the history of Halloween along with its similarities and divergences from Samhain and other similar holidays. The end details some interesting spells, rituals, and activities to do. However, the middle essentially boils down to “go trick or treating,” “go to haunted houses,” and other very obvious things to do on Halloween.

[Sirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking to learn the history of Halloween, how to make your own turnip lantern, some fun traditions and party ideas, and even a few simple spells? This book touches on a variety of topics, presenting them in an engaging way that makes me want to celebrate. I've tested a few of the activities and found them fun and a little bit magical. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the pagan roots of Halloween or folks who just love the holiday and want to know more about it.

[Sarah Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good all around introduction to the history and traditions of Halloween. Fun for fans of the holiday, and also great for those new to American culture who wonder what all the fuss is about. Note: while this book is definitely written from a pagan perspective, the history embedded in the spells makes all sections worth reading, even if you aren’t a practicing witch.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. This books has both the historical and religious aspects associated with Halloween and Samhain included, and finds a nice balance between both sides with little effort. The author's passion on the matter is contagious and makes the wait for Halloween all the more exciting. If you like this spooky time of the year, grab a copy and let Mickie Mueller guide you through the night.

[Deena Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. There was not a lot of rehashing of information that has already been put out there. That being said, the author actually used current situations and recipes, etc to give us a updated look at Halloween. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was refreshing.

[Desiree Kaslavage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book on the history and traditions of Halloween. I really enjoyed learning the history of different Themes and celebrations from other countries. My favorite new thing I learned was any the history of The Jack~O'Lanyern

[Rorey Sotela · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful little book that is filled with the lore behind All Hallow’s Eve. I love that all the ideas for decor, rituals, and celebrations blend a lot of nostalgia, ancestral spirits, as well as modern practices and DIY recipes.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read. Not exactly what I was expecting, but that didn't turn out to be a bad thing. I learned a lot on the history of Halloween and some fun new traditions.