MAMA LOLA: A VODOU PRIESTESS IN BROOKLYN by Karen McCarthy Brown is a brilliant book. The odd chapters are stories about the vodou priestess's family and heritage. The even chapters are about different lwa (loa or spirits) of the Vodou religion and relate in some way to the chapter that precedes it. Brown does the unthinkable, she leaves her anthropological observer roll and becomes an initiate into the religion, but it works. She is able to explain the relationship between the vodou adherent and the spirits in terms of what happens in the world of Haiti and the Haitian community in the United States. Her outsider's eye gives us logical explanations and her part as a participant allows the reader to feel empathy and emotion for the devotees of a much misunderstood religion.
This book includes a Glossary of Haitian Creole Terms, Bibliography, and Index. There are a few select and choice black and white photos in the book, which bring the text some added meaning.
This book is highly recommended for those studying comparative religion and those with an interest in religions of the African diaspora.

LION'S BLOOD by Steven Barnes is an epic tale of the colonization of America comparable to John Jake's sagas of the 1970s, except its alternate history. Barnes gives us well-rounded characters that are human and not just characters. The story is enveloping and intriguing. The extrapolation of alternate history is amazing and often times amusing. He puts in tidbits of history that parallel our history, but not quite. Really great how he works them in to the story, but the history and the characters work together to form a real and true world. Barnes is a wonderful stylists and he is able to bring his world to life. I am so happy that there are still writers out there that can tell a story. I loved everything about this novel from its dealing with Sufism, Islam, cultures and slavery in a very unique way.
Read LION'S BLOOD; go to the New World that is very, very new. You won't regret it.

WOMEN'S RELIGIONS IN THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD: A SOURCEBOOK by Ross Shepard Kraemer is a revision of her 1988 work MAENADS, MARTYRS, MATRONS, MONASTICS but it could not have come at a better time. The interest in women's spirituality of all sorts has blossomed since the inception of the first version.
This book is divided up into six section dealing with different aspects of women's religion in the Greco-Roman World: Observances, Rituals, and Festivals; Researching Real Women: Documents to, from, and by Women; Religious Office; New Religious Affiliation and Conversion; Holy, Pious and Exemplary Women; and The Feminine Divine. Each section has an introduction and Kraemer is not hesitant in explaining the current thoughts and controversies in the scholarly world. She is also very forthcoming about her own changes in opinion since 1988. I really enjoyed her honesty. Each text also contained a bibliography of its own so if one is interested in a particular text or subject matter more information will be easy to find. I was more interested in the Pagan subject matter, but the material on women in Judaism and Christianity (including Gnostic) is just as fascinating. The last section was by far my favorite for what it said about the ideas of the feminine divine in all the religious spheres.
This book will be of significant interest to those involved in women's studies, women's spirituality, the ancient world of the Greco-Romans, as well as those interested in the cultural change and exchange between the world of the Pagan, the Jews and the Christians.

There once was a writer named Laurell K.
Who wrote of few good books but lack-a-day!
Much to this reader's sad dismay,
She got lost in a pile of pitiful porn.
Her characters left plotless and forlorn.
Her reader could only feel miserable scorn.
Until she finds a tale worth the telling,
This reader will no more be the dollars a-shelling
For transitional doggerel tattered and torn
And musical beds from night to morn.
There is more to life than emotionless sex;
There is conflict of character and stories complex.
A full story with good characters is all that I ask!
So until the author is up to this task,
There is nothing to say,
But farewell, adieu and good day.

There are two overused words in the world of alternative spirituality/religion - shaman and Celtic. It seems everything is shamanic or Celtic or both. Thus it was with great trepidation that I read THE APPLE BRANCH: A PATH TO CELTIC RITUAL. I found my fears were unfounded. This book is the best Celtic Spirituality on the market. The author, Alexei Kondratiev writes with passion and with scholarly knowledge to give a blueprint for those who would like to follow a Celtic road.
The book is divided into five chapters. Chapter One is The Tale of Celts, which is a short history. Chapter Two is Drawing the Circle, really on how to get started. Chapter Three is The Cycle of the Earth and Sun. This is by far the longest chapter and delves into the cross quarter holidays and the sun holidays with which many Wiccans and Neo-Pagans are familiar. Yet Kondratiev digs deep and gives them specific and intense Celtic meanings. Chapter Four is The Cycle of the Moon and gives a Celtic lunar calendar meaning to the year. Chapter Five is the Cycle of the Tribe and associates six saint days with the six remaining modern Celtic countries. In addition, there are an appendix, selected bibliography and index.
Kondratiev's writing has verve and he announces unabashedly that this is a romantic endeavor. He also states that these ceremonies and ideas are only blueprints for the reader to use or not use at her/his own will. Kondratiev's history section is short, but he encourages scholarship, as any true Celt would, so if the reader disagrees, s/he is free to look into the history at greater lengths.
Unlike most alternative spirituality books with Celtic in the title, this is more than a gloss on Wicca. In fact, Kondratiev does not exclude Christianity from the spiritual well, as Christianity has had a great impact on Celts. This book is about spirituality, which is non-denominational. It is a profound look at the very meaning of what it is to be Celtic and how to preserve that spirituality in a world where McDonald means fast food. Highly recommended for all those of Celtic heritage or spiritual leanings.

If you like ghost stories, you'll love the anthology MEDIEVAL GHOST STORIES compiled and edited by Andrew Joynes. Joynes compiled European tales that range from the 8th to the 14th centuries. The book is divided into four sections. Part One is Miracula and the Monastic Vision of Ghosts. Part Two is Mirabilia and Ghosts in Court Writing. Part Three is entitled Revenants, Prodigies and the Restless Dead. Part Four is Ghosts in Medieval Vernacular Literature. Each section has an overall introduction and each author or literary text also has information before it. The information links the stories from widely different periods together and shows that these tales, although quite different from the modern ghost story, are its literary ancestors.
I enjoyed all the stories, but find that I was quite fond of the stories regarding the Wild Hunt, The Tale of King Herla and Bisclavret by Marie de France.
If you are interested in the mindset of Middle Ages or enjoy legends and tales of the supernatural, you will definitely enjoy this lovely anthology. A selected bibliography and index are included.

I wanted to devour this anthology in one sitting and at the same time savor it. There are 19 stories with African magic at their roots, yet all the stories are different. 19 different authors each with her/his own style and voice. All are fabulous. Some tales are contemporary and some are historical. Some are set in Africa, some in the Caribbean, and some in the Americas. Some are rather funny and some are too sobering. Little chills will run down your skin giving you goose flesh. Every story is wonderful beyond words. I can't tell you which story or which author I liked the most. Read the book and choose your own. This anthology is edited by Nalo Hopkinson and includes authors, in order of appearance: Andy Duncan, Kinni Iburi Salaam, Barth Anderson, Steven Barnes, Gregory Frost, Jenise Aminoff, Tananarive Due, Jarla Tangh, Tobias S. Buckell, Nnedima Okorafor, Barbara Hambly, Gerard Houarner, A. M. Dellamonica, Eliot Fintushel, Nisi Shawl, Neil Gaiman, devorah major, Marcia Douglas, and Sheree Renee Thomas. There is an introduction by Luisah Teish.

SACRED LEAVES OF CANDOMBLÉ: AFRICAN MAGIC, MEDICINE, AND RELIGION IN BRAZIL is a fabulous book. It is lucidly written and is chock-full of useful information.
Robert A. Voeks is an Associate Professor of Geography at California State University, Fullerton. He divides his book into 8 chapters. Chapter 1 is a short introduction, which tells what he the rest of the book will be investigating - namely the transfer of the African religion and leaf medicine to Brazil. Chapter 2 -- The Bahian Landscape begins with the development of the continents and tells how the flora of South America and Africa were the same and how they were different. Chapter 3 entitled Indians and Africans relates the introduction of Africans as slaves into Brazil and they're relationship with the native Indian population. Chapter 4 - Religion of the Orixás gives the history of the African religion in Brazil and an overview of its structure. Chapter 5 - Candomblé Medicine tells the types of medicine practiced and who and how it is practiced. Chapter 6 - Medicinal Plant Classification gives the relationship of the Divinities with the plants and their usages. Wow! Chapter 7 - Candomblé Flora tells what plants are used and how they survive or arrive in Brazil. Chapter 8 - African Religion in the Americas relates how and why African religion survived and flourished in some parts of the New World and why it didn't take hold in others. The author includes an appendix on Candomblé Species List and one on House Abô for Three Candomblé Terreiros as well as Notes, Glossary, References Cited, General Index and Index of Scientific Names.
The author's beautifully coherent prose makes this book a great pleasure to read. Those who are interested in the African New World religions, ethnobotany, or the African Diaspora will find this book useful and informative. Highly recommended!

You might have to be in a certain frame of mind to enjoy ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO. It is a quirky, stylized flick from Robert Rodriguez that should not be taken seriously at all. The third in the El Mariachi series, the plot while complex (and ultimately unimportant) is much more understandable than DESPERADO (1995).
Antonio Banderas reprises his role as El Mariachi, the cool, seemingly detached anti-hero. He has retired from his life of violence. His reasons are given in flashback with Salma Hayek. Johnny Depp, extremely funny as the bizarre Agent Sands, draws Banderas back into the conflict. Sands appears to be a villain, but he does ultimately redeem himself. Willem Dafoe is the despicable drug lord Barillo. He spends much of his time in bandages, which I found amusing since he was nemesis to the bandaged Ralph Fiennes in THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1996). Danny Trejo and Mickey Roarke play two different kinds of henchman. Trejo embraces the life of crime, while Roarke with his pet Chihuahua wants no more of than to go back to the US and retire. Eva Mendes is a lovely, untrustworthy agent. Ruben Blades, Cheech Marin, Enrique Iglesias, and Pedro Armendariz as El Presidente also appear in key roles.
There are many features on the dvd. You look at Rodriguez's studio, learn about cgi and non-cgi special effects, and are given a ten minute cooking lesson by Rodriguez on the character Sands' favorite dish, puerco pibil, slow roasted pork.
All in all, the movie is highly enjoyable in a Sergio Leone way. Even the title harkens back to Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984). So don't think too hard, just enjoy.

ADAPTATION is a hilarious movie. If you've every taken a writing class, are a creative writer, watch tons of movies, or know about the film industry it is just too much fun.
Nicholas Cage plays two characters in the film in real tour de force performance. He actually seems like two people. He plays Charlie Kaufman, who must adapt a book by Susan Orleans to the screen and he plays Donald Kaufman, the twin brother that has the most clichéd ideas about film scripting. And yet, and yet, Donald's "original" script is accepted, while Charlie is still trying to get a bead on The Orchid Thief and its author.
The movie takes a melodramatic adventure turn and I was rolling on the floor at how the real Charlie Kaufman managed to have his cake and eat it too. The film's conceit and concept is so tongue-in-cheek, we the viewing audience have no idea what is suppose to be real or not real. Film isn't real anyways, and yet we contemplate what is real in the film. It's so convoluted, it make the head spin.
This movie plays with our heads. It makes us laugh and think at the same time. What is the nature of reality? What is the nature of film? As an audience didn't we like that melodramatic part? What is the writing process really like? Don't writers have as split personality, one that thinks too hard and fails to act, and one that doesn't think at all, but embraces the surface all too easily?
This movie is too fun and must be experienced to be appreciated to its fullest. No review can tell you about it.