31 Days of Halloween { guest blogger } Dana from On the Broomstick Talks Witches!
Today we are joined by Dana from On the Broomstick as she talks about Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic and shares her favorite witchy books and movies with us. Enjoy!
What is a witch? Since I have started my blog, On the Broomstick, I have been asked that a lot. A witch is the woman in the mirror. She is the creak on the stairs and the shadow on the moon at night. She is the mysterious smile of the woman three steps ahead of you in the grocery store line. Or, she could be your next door neighbor.
Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. It is the time of year for celebrating the “witch in every woman.” This autumn has been particularly fun with my discovery of The Practical Magic Blog Party 2011. Witches and witches at heart take great joy in bringing to life the magic in all of us as we remember the first time we watched the movie or read the book or had a midnight margarita…
The event was originated with Frosted Petunias and has grown into quite a large annual blog party. To celebrate, I read the book, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. The book was quite a bit different than the movie. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, sisters Sally and Gillian are left orphaned and are raised by “The Aunts” a spellbinding couple of older women who the girls discover are witches. The only problem with this is that it seems to run in the family.
Gillian pays it little mind. Her thoughts are on boys as she grows older. Sally just dreams of being normal and the first chance she gets when she is grown and her husband passes away, she takes her two young daughters and heads for the hills. This is where all of the mystery and magic meet “normal” goes out the window. Gillian ends up with a dead abusive boyfriend and things get really interesting as Sally, the level headed sister has to deal with the past she has run from all of her life.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is this one:
“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
There are so many great books and movies featuring witches. Here are a few more of my favorites to keep you thinking of magic and mystery this Halloween season.
* The Witches of Eastwick (movie)
* A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
* Weiser Field Guide to Witches by Judika Illes
* The Witches by Roald Dahl
* Burning Water by Mercedes Lackey
* Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
* The Sorceress (1987 movie)
* Practical Magic (movie)
* Snow White: A Tale of Terror (movie)There are many others. I hope you will join me for a ride On the Broomstick and visit my Goodreads On the Broomstick Reading Group. We will be having several Halloween events on the blog and lots of up and coming author interviews, Etsy features and new music to share. Have a fun and safe Halloween!
