Book Review of Diary of a Witchcraft Shop

It must be obvious by now that I know the authors of Diary of a Witchcraft Shop. 

In fact, I spent most of last week staying in their home, eating their food, drinking their mead and gate-crashing their Solstice celebrations.

I may be a little biased, when I say that this is an hilarious and entirely entertaining book.  But I don't think so. 

I found myself drawn into these tales, when I could have been chatting with the authors instead.  ("Unicorn menstrual pads?!"  I asked, as Liz looked up in response to my laughter.  "Yes."  She nodded, sagely.  Been there, got the t-shirt.  And I read on.)  One afternoon, as the photograph at the top of this page attests, I even disdained the wonders of Glastonbury, in order to loiter in the shop and finish it.

Of course, I had to.  I'd grabbed the diary as soon as I'd spied it on the shelf.  Once it was safely in my bag, Trevor had informed me that I was in it.  "But you'll be too embarrassed to sue us."

My mind flitted over a decade of memories.  It alighted on one.  "Oh no!  You didn't put that in there, did you?"

The git just laughed.

I was around the corner in the Blue Note cafe, supping latte and eating halloumi burgers, when I found my name.  It wasn't at all incriminating. But that's no reason not to wind him up. 

Trying to think up a killer one liner with which to assault him in front of his customers, I clambered off the high stool.  Unfortunately, I misjudged the step and the whole seat went clattering, in full view of the diners.

Blood red and highly embarrassed, I quickly relocated around the corner.  I entered the witchcraft shop with a stern expression.  "Your shielding can go too far!"  And Trevor just laughed again (profusely so, when he learned the context).

For many people, Glastonbury in Somerset is a place of pilgrimage.  While religions of all shades and hues are represented throughout the town, it is Paganism and New Age spirituality which has claimed the high street. 

The customers wandering through the door of the witchcraft shop range from the knowledgeably experienced to the nervously curious. 

For every person popping in for a bag of herbs or oil for their rites, there are another twenty seeking a wand that does precisely what they do in the Harry Potter films. Then there are the evangelists, the lunatics and the queens of the fairies (plural).

I expected Diary of a Witchcraft Shop to be well written.  Liz Williams is better known for her award-winning science fiction writing, while Trevor never shuts up can entertain for hours with his stories.

There was a lovely surprise in the illustrations though.  Artist Arthur Billingdon has peppered the entire book with little cartoons.  They are beautifully observed and just when you've finished tittering over the text, the pictures set you off again.

The diary is a great insight into the lives of people dealing with the spiritual madness of Glastonbury; and the drawn images add to the whole very well.