It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Stacking the Shelves

I haven't done this meme in ages and I have definitely been feeling the effects of it! They really help to get the books that come in all on a row, quite literally, and that makes it a lot clearer for me what I have to read! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted over at Book Journey while Stacking the Shelves can be found over at  Tynga's Reviews .

On Saturday I had the luck (or misfortune, depending on how you view it) of finding another Oxfam Books & Music shop in Nottingham and of course I walked away with two books. Now, one of them is a strange yet interesting one, while the other was a no-brainer.

The Tree: The Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland

This book is a real breakthrough in the field of witchcraft where secrecy is the general rule. Here the author withholds no secrets so that anyone can practice.

Am I planning to become a witch? No. Or at least, not necessarily. I don't really understand the whole Wiccan thing, partially because I simply haven't looked into it, but also because it seems a bit...abstract. But I am interested in Anglo-Saxons and although this is, apparently, from a lot later, it's always interesting to look into things that claim to be Saxon. And ever since Harry Potter came into my life magic is something I have wanted. I can't wait to crack into this one, even if it's just curiosity.

Beowulf: An Adaptation by Julian Glover of the Verse Translations of Michael Alexander and Edwin Morgan.

The poem 'Beowulf' is one of the glories of European Literature. It was composed in Anglo-Saxon verse early in the eighth century and has come down to just one surviving manuscript. This is the text that Julian Glover has taken for this book.

I am a sucker for anything that has to do with Beowulf because it is one of my favourite literary texts. And when I saw this cover, the cover to the right is the one I have as well, I just wanted it. And what I've read of it so far it looks really interesting. And there are some beautiful illustrations in there as well.

Besides that I also discovered Oxford University Press on NetGalley and requested three books. Below are the covers and titles. I can't wait to dig into these!

Once Upon A Time by Marina Warner, A Storm of Witchcraft by Emerson W. Baker, Twelve Voices from Greece & Rome by Christopher Pelling & Maria Wyke.

I'm going to be so intelligent after I've read these books. For Stacking the Shelves, here's a round-up of what I managed to review last week. Some of these books I actually finished quite some time ago but never got round to reviewing:

• This Should Be Written in Present Tense by Helle Helle
• Comic Review: Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D by Brian M. Bendis, Alex Maleev
• Nyctophobia by Christopher Fowler
• Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer (posted this one this morning)

So, that was my meme post for today! How about your Mailbox, is it full?