I've been buying them for the last 4 or 5 years, I think they're great as a day by day guide! The articles in them are very insightful... I think it's a good inspiration to read about new ways to practice Wicca and learn of other pagan practices...
i'm not too crazy over llewellyn. i prefer the old wilcox witches' almanac, for the articles, which are usually excellent. however, i personally feel it's better to turn to nature for a day-by-day guide. i neither want nor need a book to tell me what color to wear, and what kind of candles and incense to burn on my altar, thank you very much.
The almanacs are interesting, and I do read them. However, it's easy to fall into the trap of seeing them as prescribing The Way to do things. If you are looking for interesting reading, they're good. It's all a matter of the attitude you approach them with. Have you ever read their magazine Fate? When it's good, it's very good and when it's bad it's kind of blah.
I suppose... but that can be said about any book about anything... not just the almanacs... And yea, Fate's an okay magazine... of course, to be devil's advocate a little, a lot of magazines are like that (some issues are good, some not so much...)
Llewellyn Books tend to sugar coat Paganism. Most of the "Witches" who use these books as guides can quote every spell but can't name any of the Sabbats!
I should have specified. I abhorred any "New Age" Book yes, I do mean new age. You want to know about Paganism or Pagans in general. Try the history section.