What type of books/reading material do you suggest for beginners or those who are new to all of this?

natural-magics:

This ended up turning into a reading list for my FAQ and has been updated over time and will be added to in the future. All of the PDFs and other on-line resources below are free. If you encounter any broken links, please let me know.

Last updated: 4/18/2014

Paganism:

• A Pagan Primer — For Those New to Paganism
• Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by River and Joyce Higginbotham
• Pagan Spirituality: A Guide to Personal Transformation by River and Joyce Higginbotham
• Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler
• Connecting to the Power of Nature by Joe H. Slate
• Exploring the Pagan Path: Wisdom from the Elders (a collection of articles, essays and general commentary from various pagan authors)
• ChristoPaganism: An Inclusive Path by River Higginbotham and Joyce Higginbotham

Wicca:

• Wicca for the Rest of Us
• Wicca Resources
• Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin
• Witchcraft Today by Gerald Gardner (the founder of Wicca)
• The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald Gardner
• The Spiral Dance by Starhawk (most recent edition only, old editions have inaccurate info that has since been updated)

Witchcraft (non-Wiccan):

• The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft by Judika Illes
• Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes
• Crone’s Book of Charms & Spells by Valerie Worth
• Witchcraft: a History by P.G. Maxwell-Stuart
• Mrs. B’s Guide to Household Witchery by Kris Bradley
• Candle Magic for Beginners by Richard Webster
• Master Book of Candle Burning by Henry Gamache
• Non-Wiccan Witchcraft Reading List

Witchcraft by Type:

• Hedge Witchery Resources
• Traditional Witchcraft Resources
• Sea Witchcraft Resources / Sea Witchcraft Tag
• Kitchen and Green Witchcraft Resources
• Kitchen in the Cottage
• Urban Witchcraft Resources

World Mythology:

• www.sacred-texts.com (free archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore, and the esoteric)
• Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies by Alice Mills
• Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology: Heroes, Heroines, Gods, and Goddesses from Around the World by Philip Wilkinson
• The Oxford Companion to World Mythology by David Leeming
• World Mythology: The Illustrated Guide by Roy Willis

Hellenic Polytheism and Greek Mythology:

• www.hellenion.org
• www.theoi.com
• neokoroi.org
• baringtheaegis.blogspot.com
• Sponde 
• Hellenic Calendar
• An Outline for a Presentation on Hellenismos
• Hellenic Resources by Bayoread
• Hellenic Resource Download Bundle 1 by Elaphos
• Hellenic Resource download bundle 2 by Elaphos
• Orphic Incenses
• Hellenic Terminology
• Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monst​ers by Donna Jo Napoli
• D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire
• Old Stones, New Temples by Drew Campbell
• Greek Mythology and Prehistory by W. Harris
• The Gods of Reason by Timothy Jay Alexander
• A Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos by Timothy Jay Alexander
• Hellenismos Today by Timothy Jay Alexander
• The Complete World of Greek Mythology by Richard Buxton
• Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths? by Paul Veyne
• Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored by Sarah Kate Istra Winter
• Homer’s Iliad, The Odyssey and Homeric Hymns
• The Homeric Hymns (PDF) and The Orphic Hymns (PDF)
• Homer’s Odyssey (PDF)
• Homer’s Iliad (Theoi.com)
• Hesiod: Works and Days (PDF version here)
• The Theogony of Hesiod (PDF version here)

Magic in Ancient Greece:

• Magic in the Ancient Greek World by Derek Collins
• Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden
• Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Georg Luck
• The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation (PDF)
• Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion
• Greek Folk Religion by Martin P Nilsson 
• Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager
• Magic in the Ancient World by Fritz Graf
• Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World by Matthew W. Dickie

Roman Polytheism

• Click Here for Books and Resources

Celtic Recon and Myth:

• Celtic Folklore on Sacred Texts
• The Celtic Recon FAQ
• The Religion of the Ancient Celts (Sacred Texts)
• Carmina Gadelica by Alexander Carmichael
• The Celts: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Cunliffe
• The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales by Patrick Form
• Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend by Miranda Green
• The Druids by Ronald Hutton
• The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles by Ronald Hutton

Druidry/Druidism:

• druidry.org
• druidnetwork.org
• Druidry – A Mega List of Resources
• Non-Wiccan Witches: Modern Druidry
• Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions (Sacred Texts)

Asatru, Heathenism and Norse Mythology:

• www.thetroth.org
• grumpylokeanelder.tumblr.com
• “Alright, I’m interested in this Norse stuff. Where do I even start?”
• The Eddas: The Keys to the Msteries of the North by James Allen Chisholm (PDF)
• The Poetic Edda (PDF)
• The Prose Edda (PDF)
• Exploring the Northern Tradition by Galina Krasskova
• Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow
• Dictionary of Northern Mythology by Rudolf Simek
• Teutonic Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie
• The Nature of Asatru: An Overview of the Ideals and Philosophy of the Indigenous Religion of Northern Europe by Mark Puryear

Crystals and Stones:

• The Encyclopedia of Crystals by Judy Hall
• The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall
• Crystal Healing by Judy Hall
• Rocks & Minerals by Chris Pellant  (identification handbook)
• Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham
• Crystal Grids: How and Why They Work by Hibiscus Moon
• The Book of Crystal Spells by Ember Grant

Herbal (Magical, Medicinal):

• The Master Book of Herbalism by Paul Beyerl
• Compendium of Herbal Magic by Paul Beyerl  
• The Green Mantle: An Investigation Into Our Lost Knowledge of Plants by Michael Jordan
• The Book of Magical Herbs: Herbal History, Mystery, & Folklore by Margaret Picton
• A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)
• Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham (good for quick reference, but not in depth information)
• The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham 

Notes: please take care before using herbs for medicinal and/or supplemental purposes. Many herbs are poisonous (some authors fail to mention this) and/or have harmful side-effects. Always do research and consult a professional before use. 

Fair Folk:

• Resources for the Fair Folk

Runes:

• Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson
• Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology by Edred Thorsson
• The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Runes by Nigel Pennick

Authors to avoid (due to misinformation, historical inaccuracies, poor research, and/or failure to cite sources):

• Silver Ravenwolf
• DJ Conway
• Edain McCoy
• Ann Moura 
• Ralph Blum (on runes)
• approach Llewellyn-published books with caution — there are some great ones, but many aren’t well researched and may contain misinformation
• if all else fails, Google the author and ask around to see what people have to say about them – many bad authors have entire pages or discussions dedicated on why to avoid them!
• always fact check information that involves ingesting anything or putting anything on the skin — just because an ingredient is natural does not mean it isn’t harmful/toxic
• see also: How do I know what to believe? Critical Thinking and Pagan Books