Each and every month A Bibliophile’s Reverie is dedicated to broadening and extending the horizons of literature indulgence for our readers and followers. Starting in July we begin our month theme of Magic Wielding Females and to compliment this we begin the monthly book group. This is the chance for our fans, followers, and readers alike to let their voice be heard by adding opinions and comments, and even reviews of their own on the books of the month. For July the books of the month are: A Discovery of Witches  by Deborah Harkness, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic  by Emily Croy Baker, and Magic Study  by Maria V. Snyder.

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A Discovery of Witches (synopsis provided by Amazon.com): Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.

Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar’s depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, and concludes with The Book of Life, coming from Viking in July 2014.

The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Magic: An imaginative story of a woman caught in an alternate world—where she will need to learn the skills of magic to survive

Nora Fischer’s dissertation is stalled and her boyfriend is about to marry another woman.  During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, Nora wanders off and walks through a portal into a different world where she’s transformed from a drab grad student into a stunning beauty.  Before long, she has a set of glamorous new friends and her romance with gorgeous, masterful Raclin is heating up. It’s almost too good to be true.

Then the elegant veneer shatters. Nora’s new fantasy world turns darker, a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. Making it here will take skills Nora never learned in graduate school. Her only real ally—and a reluctant one at that—is the magician Aruendiel, a grim, reclusive figure with a biting tongue and a shrouded past. And it will take her becoming Aruendiel’s student—and learning magic herself—to survive. When a passage home finally opens, Nora must weigh her “real life” against the dangerous power of love and magic.

For lovers of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians series (The Magicians and The Magician King) and Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy (A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night).

Magic Study: 

A lesson in loyalty—a master class in intrigue

So far, I’ve managed to survive. You would think after being kidnapped as a child, imprisoned in my teens and released to become a poison taster, I would have endured enough. But no. The discovery of my magical abilities—powers forbidden in Ixia—has resulted in an execution order. My only chance is to flee to Sitia, my long-lost birthplace.

But Sitia is unfamiliar. I’m treated like an enemy—even by my own brother. Plus I can’t control my powers. I want to learn about my magic, but there isn’t time. A rogue magician has emerged and I’m targeted as his next victim.

Will my magical abilities save me…or be my downfall?

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So there you have it! Happy reading and exploring of our July Theme: Magic Wielding Females. They are Strong, They are Beautiful, and full of the sass that so many can appreciate. If you want to indulge yourself in our July theme below are suggested novels that focus on Magic Wielding Females. Till next time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Recommended Reading~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paula Brackston: The Witch’s Daughter, The Winter Witch, The Midnight Witch

Nora Roberts: Cousins O’Dwyer series

Kim Harrison: The Hollow Series – Rachel Morgan

Erika Johansen: The Queen of the Tearling:

Jessica Spotswood: The Cahill Sisters chronicles

Melissa de la Cruz: The Beauchamp Family Series

Elizabeth George Speare: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Anne Rice: The Mayfair Witches series