Going to a shop to get books and maybe local information

[Arden Deschain]

So I'm going to be heading in to santa cruz to get some books on wicca and paganism, the local bookstore (borders) not having what I'm looking for.
So!
I'm sure this store will have at least some of the books I'm looking for (Triumph of the moon being one), but I'm also curious if they would know about local covens that perhaps I could talk to about outer court information.

But... I don't want to be misled, or fed false information. So besides obvious signs of fluff, how can I know that they know their stuff?

the store has a website The Sacred Grove in Santa Cruz. I like going in to santa cruz anyway (best ice cream ever) and it'll get me out of the house, so even if they end up being totally bogus, it'll still be a good time, if not educational.  

[Bastemhet]

I've heard the Amber and Jet mailing list recommended a lot as far as Wicca goes.

What kinds of paganism are you interested in? The word pagan itself is pretty broad and doesn't tell me much.

I don't know what area of CA you're in, but I like to go to The Mystic Dream for supplies (not so much books) in Walnut Creek. I've also heard good things about Ancient Ways which is in Oakland, very near to where Telegraph Ave. ends in Berkeley. For incense I go to the incense store in the Kinokuniya Mall in San Francisco for some very high quality Japanese incense. There's also a pagan convention called PantheaCon that takes place in San Jose. There were a lot of seminars offered when I went and it's also a good place to network.  

[Arden Deschain]

Ah, I'm in the san jose area. Right now I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but I like looking. I used to go to this place called planet earth rising in folsom,ca but thats quite a drive lol. I just wanna check it out, and I love going to santa cruz, so it works out. would be nice if there were a supply store closer, so i could find out about more local covens that i could talk to about outer court information, but books will do as well.

Panthea con sounds like a great place to make connections as well, i'll have to look it up!  

[Bastemhet]

Hey, you're only about an hour away from me. smile Nice to see another CA person here. I know of a Kemetic Reconstructionist temple in SJ but I don't know if they're accepting new people at the moment. I can ask if you're interested.

Wicca infodump for ya. I would also recommend looking in the Pathways forum for some ideas of what other people are doing.

I don't really know my way around SJ too well so I couldn't tell you about what stores are in that area, but PantheaCon was great. It was held in February so you're a little late, but it's something that would be nice to plan for.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

If you are looking for British Traditional Wicca, you can get the information for their coven then use Amber and Jet if you seek initiation from them at a later date.

Borders can be a good resource. They can order books for you that they may not have in stock, and often their anthropology and archeology sections have good information.

I feel the biggest problem with book shopping is that most of the good ones can't be bought for less then $25.  

[Arden Deschain]

Yeah... checked boarders. they failed me. had nothing in the store. I'm biased against them anyway: I used to work at barnes and noble. We actually had a section for wicca, though I didn't ever spend time looking through it, as I worked in the music section. I remember straitening it though after closing. but... thats in Roseville, which is about 3hrs (or 2 if I'm driving alone *cackle*) away. We had a few pagans there though, and since each store is kinda in charge of their own stock, other b&n's might be different (yes, the stores do have a little say in what to carry in the store, at the managers discretion. and the managers at that store are badass).

On a side note, has anyone actually read the idiots guide to wicca and witchcraft? like, read it all the way? it's on scibd.com I was looking over it and it seems to be a flood of information. not nec. accurate information all, but information nonetheless. It referenced a few books/authors that are on the reading list here. again i'm NOT claiming it's is a good resource. I'm asking if anyone else has had a chance to really look at it.  

[Bastemhet]

Brass Bell Doll

If you are looking for British Traditional Wicca, you can get the information for their coven then use Amber and Jet if you seek initiation from them at a later date.

Borders can be a good resource. They can order books for you that they may not have in stock, and often their anthropology and archeology sections have good information.

I feel the biggest problem with book shopping is that most of the good ones can't be bought for less then $25.

If you join the Borders mailing list they often send coupons, sometimes up to 30% off. I find that Borders offers a better deal than B&N since they give coupons for more off and you don't have to give your information if you want to return stuff. Membership with them is also free- you collect points for whatever you buy to get money back after reaching a certain amount. (I used to work for them) I use them if I want something new. Otherwise I often get really cheap books using directtextbooks.com.  

[ShadowCatSoul]

Arden Deschain

Yeah... checked boarders. they failed me. had nothing in the store. I'm biased against them anyway: I used to work at barnes and noble. We actually had a section for wicca, though I didn't ever spend time looking through it, as I worked in the music section. I remember straitening it though after closing. but... thats in Roseville, which is about 3hrs (or 2 if I'm driving alone *cackle*) away. We had a few pagans there though, and since each store is kinda in charge of their own stock, other b&n's might be different (yes, the stores do have a little say in what to carry in the store, at the managers discretion. and the managers at that store are badass).

On a side note, has anyone actually read the idiots guide to wicca and witchcraft? like, read it all the way? it's on scibd.com I was looking over it and it seems to be a flood of information. not nec. accurate information all, but information nonetheless. It referenced a few books/authors that are on the reading list here. again i'm NOT claiming it's is a good resource. I'm asking if anyone else has had a chance to really look at it.

I'm...cautious about books referencing Wica, especially those who use Wica and witchcraft (Wiccan and witch) interchangably.  

[erinnightwalker]

If you can take the BART or the trains there (I took the train to Emeryville then the bus to Frisco itself) go to Fields book store on Polk St. Traffic is horrendous if you aren't a native, so public transport is a must. Since their main site is down (no idea why), here are some secondary sources.

Reviews and actual address

Twitter (apparently they go to PantheaCon too)

Facebook- got new titles in the feed as well as phone number

They sell books in all sorts of categories. They also have some tarot decks and some other assorted stuff, but mostly they have BOOK PRON. I swear, if you like books you will walk in there and cream your jeans...... It even smells good....... whee Must go back, must go back.....


EDIT Hopefully this links keeps working- just navigate away if Scarlte Imprint isn't your favorite.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

Arden Deschain

Yeah... checked boarders. they failed me. had nothing in the store.

I feel what makes them better than Barns and Nobel is their willingness to help with used books.

Arden Deschain

On a side note, has anyone actually read the idiots guide to wicca and witchcraft? like, read it all the way? it's on scibd.com I was looking over it and it seems to be a flood of information. not nec. accurate information all, but information nonetheless. It referenced a few books/authors that are on the reading list here. again i'm NOT claiming it's is a good resource. I'm asking if anyone else has had a chance to really look at it.

I looked over it briefly. I didn't enjoy it so I put it down.

ShadowCatSoul

I'm...cautious about books referencing Wica, especially those who use Wica and witchcraft (Wiccan and witch) interchangably.

I feel it is worth noting that Gardner's books did this.
I would suggest examining the author, the date it was published and the personal role the author has had in Wicca.

Bastemhet

[
If you join the Borders mailing list they often send coupons, sometimes up to 30% off. I find that Borders offers a better deal than B&N since they give coupons for more off and you don't have to give your information if you want to return stuff. Membership with them is also free- you collect points for whatever you buy to get money back after reaching a certain amount. (I used to work for them) I use them if I want something new. Otherwise I often get really cheap books using directtextbooks.com.

All very good points. When I shop for books, I know what I am looking for so I am able to bargain hunt. I can understand why someone who isn't in that situation might want to flick through books at the store.  

[Bastemhet]

erinnightwalker

If you can take the BART or the trains there (I took the train to Emeryville then the bus to Frisco itself) go to Fields book store on Polk St. Traffic is horrendous if you aren't a native, so public transport is a must. Since their main site is down (no idea why), here are some secondary sources.

Reviews and actual address

Twitter (apparently they go to PantheaCon too)

Facebook- got new titles in the feed as well as phone number

They sell books in all sorts of categories. They also have some tarot decks and some other assorted stuff, but mostly they have BOOK PRON. I swear, if you like books you will walk in there and cream your jeans...... It even smells good....... whee Must go back, must go back.....


EDIT Hopefully this links keeps working- just navigate away if Scarlte Imprint isn't your favorite.

I'm not an SF native either, so I use this trip planner to figure out bus schedules. Watch out if the busline says "limited" because that means it stops at an earlier time than other buses. I learned that the hard way. sweatdrop  

[Bastemhet]

Brass Bell Doll

All very good points. When I shop for books, I know what I am looking for so I am able to bargain hunt. I can understand why someone who isn't in that situation might want to flick through books at the store.

Oh, duh! I forgot that he isn't sure of what he wants yet. sweatdrop Arden, have you skimmed the recommended books thread that's at the top of the forum?  

[Arden Deschain]

I have, I just stumbled upon the one i mentioned. I'm planning on starting with triumph of the moon.

I've never found people at boarders to be helpful, but again, I'm biased. Plus, the barnes and noble cafe is awesome. I lived off those asiago cheese pretzels... but that's another story.

and aaaaay.... "frisco!" u_u'
I'm not surprised that a bookshop on polk st. has porn, lol the street is known for being very sexually umm... well vocal's not the right word for it. not that it's bad, just kinda amusing. Never forget going past there as a kid seeing a guy walking around in a**-less chaps. and nothing else. good times in the city!  

[erinnightwalker]

Arden Deschain

I have, I just stumbled upon the one i mentioned. I'm planning on starting with triumph of the moon.

I've never found people at boarders to be helpful, but again, I'm biased. Plus, the barnes and noble cafe is awesome. I lived off those asiago cheese pretzels... but that's another story.

and aaaaay.... "frisco!" u_u'
I'm not surprised that a bookshop on polk st. has porn, lol the street is known for being very sexually umm... well vocal's not the right word for it. not that it's bad, just kinda amusing. Never forget going past there as a kid seeing a guy walking around in a**-less chaps. and nothing else. good times in the city!

There's no porn XD Sorry, just meant that its got a lot of really good books  

[Arden Deschain]

I think i just saw the words porn and book store and nothing else really mattered at the moment lol not that im like... a porn addict... this sounded better in my head.