This was a pretty interesting read. As someone that who is also in the early stages of exploring witchcraft as part of my spiritual practices, it was helpful. It was nice to get the perspective of someone else in the beginning stages of a spiritual journey. It was well written and engaging. However, the author really overthinking everything and it felt like she spent more energy trying to get things right than engaging in a spiritual exploration.
At times it as frustrating to read her endless worries of cultural appropriation and which texts or traditions to follow. She seemed to be looking for a perfect formula for how to do things, similar to mainstream religious rituals and traditions. By the end, I was hoping for a little bit more of a change or to have learned something from her experiment, but just didn't really get much out of it.

The author brings us along on her 366 day journey through witchcraft. The Witching year is informative, honest, and (for me) relatable. Rediscovering spirituality as an adult is a daunting task, so much more so in the height of the pandemic.

I enjoyed much of the book, though it was a slow read for me (the day by day entries may work better in a physical copy, but I had an ebook). I would have loved to know more about how the author’s relationships, mundane interactions, and emotions changed through the year. She does spend a lot of time on her research, though, which I appreciated!

The epilogue was one of my favorite parts. It held more of the emotional connection I was looking for. In one particularly poignant moment, the author describes witchcraft like holding a mirror up to one’s subconscious—what a picture!

Overall, this was a good read for early autumn, and while it may not be a standout for me this year, I’m glad I read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the review copy.

This is an immensely relatable read. I really enjoyed the content and reading about how Helmuth experienced her year of delving into witchcraft, and it's clear that she did a tremendous amount of research and thought along the way. Unfortunately, the way that she did it felt expensive (unattainable for many), and the telling was sometimes a bit dry. Overall, I think this was an interesting read for anyone considering jumping into witchcraft, but it's important to remember that you can do witchcraft in a way that works for you.

I love the idea of a memoir like this & I enjoy the author's writing style. There's humor & honesty. I found her anxious, scattered thoughts relatable. I was honestly disappointed that it was so focused on Wicca & didn't really discuss deities. There's controversy about Gardner being a misogynist, which automatically makes Wicca unappealing to me, although I do think some Wiccan material is necessary as an introduction to modern witchcraft. I understand the author trying to focus on the craft relating to her ancestors, but there's so much more out there & plenty of practitoners are welcoming to anyone respectful & willing to learn.

The Witching Year reads early on like a reference book. All that you might want to learn about being a modern day witch seems to be included. I found the book a bit too dry for me. I was unable to finish it. Possibly if I were to listen to the book, it might be able to hold my attention. As written word, it just wasn't for me.

Good book for the wheel-turning year. If you are following an earth-based spiritual path, this is a read for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

As someone who has always been fascinated by witchy things but also deeply confused by it all, this book was interesting and relatable. I enjoyed the authors style and her observations.

I had such a wonderful time reading this book. I am not a religious person and know next to nothing about Witchcraft. Following Diana through her year of learning and discovery was still one of the most relatable reading experiences I have ever had. This book is so funny and thoughtful. It is clear how much time she put into researching the subject. I enjoyed all of the conversations she had with people in the community and outings/gatherings that she attended.

I thought this might be a good book to read going into spooky season here in Massachusetts, but it definitely fell short. I enjoyed The Year of Living Biblically but this definitely felt more forced and hodge podge. I think it might have been better if she had actually done some research ahead of time (remember, "witches" in America were not burned) and picked one path to follow while talking about some of the other major ones instead of delving into paragraphs of "well this tradition does this and that tradition does this but it doesn't matter anyways because its all about what moves you"

The Witching Year by Diana Helmuth is an honest look into one woman’s quest to find out why so many young women are drawn to Witchcraft, and if they continue to practice later on in life, through her own experiences in the past and trying to see if reviving it in her present is something she wants to continue doing.

Helmuth digs into the “classics” of The Craft and finds contradictions and confusion within their pages. I feel like many people who have looked into Wicca, Witchcraft, etc… will be nodding right along with her, I know I was. It was great to see that others feel the same way and that you aren’t doing anything wrong, even with so many questions constantly coming up. Unlike organized religions where someone tells you what the texts mean, The Craft is more about finding the answers and yourself along your spiritual journey.

Helmuth incorporated lots of humor throughout, and had lots of good conversations with various practitioners. I saw myself in a lot of the things she tried, including spells and rituals on the various sacred nights. The Witching Year verified for me that while everyone may practice it differently, as long as you harm none, do what you will.

I feel like this authors experiences, and inner monologue mirror mine in a lot of ways and that was very weird (in a good way!) to read. I really appreciated the frankness and the humor in this book and I thought the author did a very good job of exploring her own experiences with a new religion and the epilogue discussed the personal outcomes from that journey. I wish that there was a little more AFTER the 366 days included in this book, but I also found myself appreciating this as-is, and found it enlightening. 4.5/5 Stars

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Simon Element, Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book about looking for something to believe in, the problems that can arise and the large amount of books one has at the end.

My parents were raised Catholic and did the same for my brother and myself, but gradually we fell away. My mother because she didn't really like what the Church was espousing, my father always had his doubts. I never really cared that much, though I went through the steps of CCD all the way to confirmation. Never found it comforting, never found it interesting, and frankly over the years I have become disgusted with many of its actions. Though I have read a lot of books on religion, and what it means to people, nothing really was of interest to me. I can understand it, the sense of community, the sense that life has meaning, and maybe even consequences. I think maybe I am more of a reader than a doer, and I really have not ever been much of a joiner. Diana Helmuth is a much braver and much more interested person than I am, plus she is a big reader too, which makes Helmuth's book The Witching Year: A Memoir of Earnest Fumbling Through Modern Witchcraft so interesting, and even more funny. Helmuth chronicles the year that she spent looking for something to believe in, and finding a lot more questions than answers along with a lot of weird situations.

Diana Helmuth was at that time of life when things that once made sense, now didn't, along with the fact that the politics of the world was really not making any sense. Finding most religious organizations a little out out of step with what Helmuth believed, Helmuth decided to try something different. Using A. J. Jacobs book The Year of Living Biblically as a guide, Helmuth decided to try the witching life for a year to see what could happen. Wicca is one of the fast growing, self-directed faiths in America, what could happen. Helmuth had dabbled as a teen does, tarot, crystals and some lite-witchcraft, but this time Helmuth decided to all in. Helmuth began shopping for books in small stores catering to the occult set, buying an extensive library of books that showed her that a self-directed religion does led to a lot of different ideas. From there there were minor spells, determining pagan holidays, and a whole lot more, some funny, some earnest but all in many ways revealing.

A very interesting book that is a bit self-help, a bit memoir, a bit esoteric knowledge, and a lot of humor. The humor is done well, not making fun of people, except when necessary, but more self-deprecating as Helmuth is not shy about writing about when things go odd, or bad, or really bad. There is a lot of humor about belief, the almost Ponzi scheme that is behind a lot of religions, and well jokes on California. The book is well-written, and honest, which is rare in books like this as people dislike admitting when wrong. There is a bit on Wicca, but don't expect this to be like a Llewellyn book on how to be a witch or a Watkins publishing on occult history. There is bit of history on Wicca and some mentions about others, however this is more of a book on discovery, and trying to find one's self. However the bibliography is very interesting and lists a lot of books for burgeoning witches to learn quite a bit from.

A memoir about seeking something and finding more than expected, told very well with a lot of humor, and more importantly with a lot of laughs. Recommended for people who might need the push to try something new, or for spiritual seekers to not be afraid to laugh while looking for what ever gets a person through the night.

A thoughtful and thought-provoking memoir, The Witching Year tapped into some very familiar territory for any woman who's wanted to connect with spirituality outside the bounds of organized religion. I really appreciated the critical examination of Wicca and the books that are considered the "classics" of the practice -- having dabbled in it as a teen in much the same way that Ms. Helmuth did, I was heartened to see someone else having the same kinds of questions about the literature as I did. I also appreciated the amount of vulnerability that came through in her writing. This is a book I'll be recommending to "baby witches" for ages to come.

Dedicating herself to learning about and practicing witchcraft for a year and one day, Diana Helmuth does exactly what I would do: Buy lots of books on the subject. But here’s the problem: Witchcraft is a personal spiritual exploration, and what works for Gerald Gardner or Skyhawk or Laurie Cabot may not be your path—especially since there’s no defining text like the Bible.

As a teenager, Helmuth had friends who dabbled in witchcraft. It was empowering and otherness wrapped in one. In her early 30s and without a strong connection to other religions and belief systems, Helmuth seeks that spiritual connection, one spell at a time. Living in the Bay area of California with her atheist boyfriend and a mischievous cat who intrudes upon her new practice, not everything goes as planned. And that’s what makes Helmuth’s story unexpected and entertaining.

While sharing her adventures at occult shops, lunar celebrations with strangers, clothing-optional weekends in the woods, interviews with practicing witches, and travels to famed witch cities, Helmuth doesn’t hold back on her internal dialogue. She expresses her frustrations of synthetic traditions and historical inaccuracies. She struggles with her magical intentions and doubts. And she cannot find all the props—candles, herbs, incense, bowls, crystals, et cetera—required for some rituals. So she learns to improvise and find her own path.

Besides her witchery, Helmuth’s memoir captures everyday life and momentous events, from learning how to raise chickens to pandemic quarantines. It's an interesting read, though stopping at day 366—though planned—felt too arbitrary in relation to the narrative. She also needs to return to Salem, Massachusetts, to get the full experience.

Prerelease book provided by NetGalley and Simon Element for review consideration.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review...I have always been fascinated with witchcraft, Wicca, pagan...you name it and I will probably read about it and watch movies about it. This one was really interesting to me because it is true...she took a year and tried to be a witch and wrote about her experiences...the experiences themselves were very interesting and it gets 4 stars because she made me laugh through the whole book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes witches, Wicca, true stories, memoirs...you get the idea.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley.

Some editing errors that will hopefully not be in the final edition!

As with The Year of Living Biblically, which is cited as a direct influence, this book left me wanting. I know it's the nature of belief and the search for meaning, to be left wanting, because it isn't a journey with a conclusion. It's simply about the journey, at the risk of sounding like a fortune cookie.

Helmuth's writing is succinct and compelling. I empathized with her worries and experiences with witchcraft and life in general, and found the questions she was asking to be relatable. I also dabbled in the craft during Covid, specifically greenwitchery, and while I didn't dive as deeply as Helmuth seems to have done (no covens or witch camp or demon summoning for me), I think she hits on the root of what a lot of skeptics are seeking: community and ritual/routine.

California seems a bit of a parody of itself, which I realize probably reveals just how much of a Midwesterner I am: you can't throw a stone without hitting a dozen witches or occult shops.

Overall I found the book to be a bit too disjointed for me, with no true resolves to the questions asked or problems encountered. The witchcraft conducted felt mostly like coincidence - maybe I'm a bigger skeptic than Helmuth or maybe I have enough community elsewhere to not be willing to overlook the completely happenstance nature of the belief system in order to feel connected to something greater. I have no doubt that magical thinking is helpful to many people, but as Helmuth encounters its dangers, it is all too easy to see myself slipping into an obsessive place if I let the idea that thought creates reality take over.

An enjoyable read.

it was a good book with a lot of magical education elements and personal own experiences. Had a personal journaling atmosphere about it.

The Witching Year is a book about one woman's journey of diving into the modern witchcraft movement head first for a day and year, the amount of time many traditions say you need to practice before you're officially initiated.

It's written as a mix between a personal diary and a zine article. There is just the right amount of humor and sarcasm and I really enjoyed it. I have been in and out of witchcraft and pagan spaces and books since the late nineties so I could relate to a lot of the author's discoveries and feelings. I really enjoyed seeing her perspective on things that feel silly, problematic, and divine in the witch sphere.

My only tiny little gripe, and this is a little bit of a spoiler, is that Helmuth seems to think Atheists cannot feel a spiritual connection but then goes on the feel lots of spiritual connection that requires zero belief in an actual deity. So I just hope maybe she meets some spiritual atheist witches and pagans because there are a lot of us.

But, that did not stop me from enjoying the story and it even is inspiring me to try my own personal witching year.

I was really intrigued by this book because it covered so many things that interested me: witchcraft, finding oneself, being a millennial searching for community and “adulthood.” And I did enjoy this book overall. Diana Helmuth clearly did a lot of research and obviously threw herself into this project completely, which I very much appreciated, but for some reason, I struggled a bit. The writing was good, but sometimes a bit dry, so maybe that was it. And even though it was about her journey, I was hoping for more about her family. I think for me, it lacked the personal aspect I was expecting from the synopsis. I wanted more about her personal feelings and experiences with the people around her during the year, and it was much heavier on the technical aspects of witchcraft. That doesn’t make it a bad book by any means, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the topic, it just was missing that element that would have put it over the top for me, personally.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the review copy.

Pub date: October 10, 2023

Arc netgalley review

This was an exceptional book, one for every practitioner! A great book to keep on with you always, journal along with etc. definitely buying to put on the bookcase!