Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles

The content was great and that’s what the rating is for, however, the book (purchased New) was Acceptable at best. The pages were perfect, but the cover was unbelievably scratched. Judging from the damage and other contents of the package I received, my best guess is that this was damaged in transit prior to being stowed, picked, and packed.

In this little jewel of a book, Baba Yaga, the ultimate crone, is given voice by the wonderful poet Kitaiskaia. Baba lends her centuries-old wisdom to modern problems, employing the logic and vocabulary of nature's ancient dark side. As one would expect from this unpredictable archetype, she suffers no fools while remaining empathetic. Each response is pure poetry as well as practical advice. As a physical object, the book courts the senses, with thick, glossy pages, silky to the touch, and folk-arty illustrations throughout, like a matryoshka doll exploded inside. Part fairy tale, part agony column, 100% magical, "Ask Baba Yaga" is the perfect vehicle for Taisia Kitaiskaia's unique, spellbinding poetry.

Baba Yaga lives in a hut in a dark wood, giving advice on life's impossible questions, but only to those to dare to seek her out.Taisia Kitaiskaia, no dope herself, claims to have been channeling Baba while answering questions sent to her for the online publication "The Hairpin".Her tender responses have given hope and solace to many through the years. I know this because I sent her one of the questions answered in the book. I can't say enough about her brilliance or her kindness. She is an enormous talent, a poet whose work I will continue to follow.This is a book you will want to keep around forever because it will continue to delight, reading after reading.

There is a space inside poems where the wonder and wisdom and emotion and all of time resides. Ms. Kitaiskaia has ground up word-seeds with her mortar & pestle and offers this space to you.You can go through each answer, never even reading the question, taking only the last handful of words, and still have a magical experience.You can read each question and get a cross-section of humans and their frets and toils. A vision of how we are all the same, connected by fears and hopes.You can read it from start to finish and emerge on the other side seeing things a little darkly, a little cock-eyed, and much wiser and calmer.

The advice given in this book is not straightforward, but that’s the point, I suppose. Through the poetic responses from Baba Yaga, you are meant to realize that, deep down, you know what the truth is & you know what you should do.Both weirdly beautiful and beautifully weird, I’m loving every moment of this book.

This book has a lot of great practical advice about love, loss, understanding yourself, moving on, etc. The replies are as if you are speaking to Baba Yaga herself and the author captures something special about Baba Yaga of folklore. I find myself rereading responses in certain situations and getting something extra out of them. The illustrations are also incredibly beautiful and some a quite haunting. If you are looking for insightful advice from a Slavic goddess then look no further. No chicken-legged house required.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this little book. I stumbled across it, and ended up giving it as a gift. Before I did though, I found myself really enjoying each question and clever Baba Yaga response. It’s dark, and the artwork is nice. It left me feeling like I walked in the woods to the chicken house to find answers of my own. That being said it is best to read with a light heart without taking everything too seriously. But beware- you may find some answers that creep close to home.

I accidentally bought two copies and was very happy to have one to give to a friend. My only problem was deciding who needed it most! This is a gorgeous book of poetry, wisdom, and wicked humor. Kitaiskaia's writing touched me via her internet publications for years, and I was thrilled to be able to buy her work at last. There's plenty in there that I hadn't seen before, and also some old favorites that still stand out. Highly recommended.

This is such a strange, odd little book. And I think my review is probably going to be shorter than normal because of this..Essentially this book is in the style that you’d find in the ‘Agony Aunt’ pages of magazines.It’s filled with questions that have been asked of Baba Yaga and then her wise, and often quite strange responses follow.And honestly, who wouldn’t want to get advice from one of the most badass witches around?!I mean, she lives in a house with chicken legs for goodness sake!That alone sounds pretty wise to me....If you’ve never heard of Baba Yaga before then you’ve been missing out and this needs to be rectified immediately!Baba Yaga is a witch from Slavic folklore. She’s sometimes thought to be a dangerous monster who would eat you as soon as look at you, though sometimes she’s portrayed as a wise, helpful, old woman who you could go to for guidance.But she always lives in a chicken legged house and flies around the skies in a mortar and pestle, sweeping away her trail with a broom.See? Badass!.The advice from the Yaga within these pages is sometimes surreal, sometimes funny, but always interesting to read!Here’s a favourite of mine:.Dear Baba Yaga,How do I trust men when so many have hurt me in the past?.BABA YAGA:Let me tell you a tale. Sole creature that has no fear is my cat. Once she & I wandered to the pond for poisonous roots. There Cat saw a turtle—to her he was so splendid. For her love, he bit her on the nose. She bled & bled. But next time we went pondwise, Cat looked again for the turtle, her beloved. Cat has now been bitten 13 ways; her nose is nearly missing. Still her eyes gleam for the turtle. Sometimes trust has smaller jaws than want..The whole book is filled with strange little stories and wise words like this, all interspersed with fantastically bold illustrations.It’s definitely one to pick up every now and again, not one to read all in one sitting!I’ll enjoy flicking through these pages when I feel I need a little help and guidance from the ever wise, ever enchanting Baba Yaga!

Wonderful quirky surreal nuggets of wisdom and wit and advice for the soulful woman making her way in the world. I love the way she plays with typography in unexpected poetic ways. The most beautiful strong, lyrical graphic illustrations make this little book a great present for any woman, and for yourself.

This is a little book of wisdom informs delights and enlightens my day my life my soul

Gorgeous book and fast delivery

Hermoso libro, me encanta porque abro al azar el libro, y la pregunta que sale es la que necesitaba. Todo es muy lindo, y en mi opinión es para cualquier ocasión la consulta a Baba Yaga. Lo amé.Llegó rápido y en excelente estado.