I learned a lot about Midsummer and how it was and should be celebrated. I highly recommend this book. ( )

Midsummer: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Litha and Lughnasadh: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Lammas are part of Llewellyn Publications new Sabbat Essentials series. They are the Martha Stewart of sabbat books, containing histories, modern celebrations, ritual ideas, divinations and spells, recipes, decorations, and correspondences. Each book is written by a different author, so each brings something a little different to the table, but they conform to Llewellyn's format.

The illustrations in this series are absolutely gorgeous. The ritual ideas are sparse, but good, in that they have ideas for solitaries and groups. The recipes seem pretty tasty and definitely suit the sabbats.

I think these books are good for beginners looking for an overview and for old-timers who are looking for something a bit more to spice up their celebrations. My one caution is that I feel as if the spirituality of the sabbats is missing from these books--and maybe it has to be, as they're targeted toward the entire neo-pagan community and not limited to one path. If you aren't familiar with a spiritual path you shouldn't count on this series to give you that familiarity.

(Provided by publisher) ( )