In general, regarding strategy:
+ Don't think you need to take Sif or Vehumet just because you started with a book. For one thing, Kiku is much stronger if you want a god that gives you access to more spells. For another, plenty of other gods are very strong for book backgrounds despite not directly giving more spells or boosting magic. Just don't go Trog, obviously
+ Train your good killdudesing spells first, then any other useful spells in your starting book (if applicable), then train dodging, then get some fighting and weapon skill. If you happen to find a buckler, train a bit of shield skill until wearing it does not hurt your spell success % too bad. After that it really depends on what you have found.
+ Train spellcasting when you need more spell levels, train your spell schools for better success and spellpower. (Technically there are situations where spellcasting skill gives you better returns on investment for success/spellpower but you don't really need to sweat that.)
+ At first, put stat ups into intelligence. Once you are about to start training dodging, you can put them into int or dex. The former is better if you are trying to get a new tier of more powerful spells online, otherwise the latter is probably a better choice for the extra EV.
Do note that good tactics are more important than all of the above but it is hard to teach good tactics via posts on a forum.