what are some good books about asatru?

i am having a very hard time finding anything good about Astra and the recommendations Ive got from some people ha vent been very good i understood what the authors were saying but most of it sounded a bit like Wicca

I got 236 thousand results from go ogling "Astra". Don't you suppose there might be at least SOMETHING among all that which suits your needs?

I got 130 books on Amazon from "Astra".

I know! Why don't you READ THE CUSTOMER REVIEWS!>!>!>!

Hahaha.

Peace.

=D

Unfortunately we really don't have primary source information, that was written by ancient believers for ancient believers. So when diving through the Eddas and Sagas it's important to remember that almost all of it was written by Christian scribes a few centuries after conversion.

Source Lore: The Eddas and Sagas (Heimskringla, Gesta Danorum, the Ango-Saxon Chronicle, etc.), Skaldic Poetry, Tacitus' Germania, Beowulf and other Anglo Saxon sources like the Lacunga. Also the reports from traveling Arabic men like Ibn Fadlan.

Scholarly works about the ancient culture: Grimm's Teutonic Mythology (all 4 volumes), Fletcher's Barbarian Invasions, Dubois' Nordic Religion in the Viking Age, Simek's Dictionary of Northern Mythology, texts from Hilda R Ellis-Davidson and Turville-Petre are also great.

Modern religious texts by pagans for pagans - Gundarrson's Our Troth Volumes 1 & 2, Krasskova's Exploring the Northern Tradition

Of course, you may also find it of more benefit to find those who are Asatru online and in real life and talk to them. Books might give you a bit of a starting point, but nothing can replace the experience of working with the Gods, or in being able to learn from and ask questions from others either. This site has some resources on how to find both online communites, as well as find people you might be able to meet face to face with as well. http://www.patheos.com/community/paganportal/2010/05/18/wyrd-designs-finding-others/

Start by reading the more-or-less original sources to get an idea about the mindset of people who practiced the original belief:
Prose Edda, Poetic Edda. Diferent translations exist, it seems like most people prefer Bellows.

There are different sagas available, for example Njal's saga, Volsungs saga, Jomsvikings. Heimskringla if you've got the patience.

Teutonic Mythology is a good book.

H.R. Ellis Davidson:
Gods & Myths of Northern Europe
Myths & Symbols in Pagan Europe,
Road to Hel

I recommend everything by Stephen Pollington, especially
Rudiments of Runelore and The Mead Hall

Also, get some reputable history books (which address history without religion, but they're STOL good to get to know the conditions and environment under which the old belief flourished):
Gwynn Jones: A History of the Vikings
Christiansen: The Norsemen in the Viking Age

If you ever see a copy---it's long, long out of print---Magnusson's Hammer of the Gods is a wonderful treatment of Norse culture and mythology.

Also,
http://home.earthlink.net/~jordsvin/ is a good resource.

***

You will see many moderns books about Asatru and Norse magic, but I warn you to stay away from them until you get a feel of what's good and what isn't.
Stay away from stuff like Freya Aswynn and Galina Kraskova and be careful with authors like Diana Paxson, Kvedulf Gundarsson and Edred Thorsson. Not everything they have written is good. Most isn't, in fact.