NetGalley ARC | Castles of England

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐1/2

I love a good ghost story, but that is not what I was expecting here so it kind of threw me off. I was expecting a book about the history of castles in England, from their beginnings up to present day. We get that here, but we also gets tons of stories of mysteries - unsolved murders, deaths of prisoners, executions, and so on.

I was anticipating much more in regards to physical histories and family histories, and there really was so much more that was paranormal. You might think it is weird that I am so hung up on that part, but it's just not what I was looking for from this book, so I think that's why I was honestly kind of annoyed.

The origin of the castle, or castellum in Latin, is so deeply imbedded in the history of England. You can't discuss the country's history without an in-depth focus on these structures. Castles are part of the landscape, and have been for 1,000 years. To not see one is far more strange.

Luckily there are so many to choose from, and whether you prefer crumbling ruins or castles that transport you back to the middle ages into a still-functioning relic of the period, everyone will find some castles of interest here.

Even this review is hard to write and I am struggling with it. The book just wasn't what I expected, and had such a heavy focus on the myths and legends, usually paranormal. I wanted to know more about architecture, builders, etc. I would have also loved more photographs.

NetGalley ARC | Norman 2: The True Story of a Possessed Doll's Revenge

I received a free digital ARC from Llewellyn via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐

I might even be willing to go two and a half stars for this one, but honestly I am not sure.

I was really intrigued when I saw this up on NetGalley today. I read the author's initial account back in 2017. You can find that review here...

I am a big believer in the paranormal, and have had countless experiences of my own that I will gladly recount when asked (and have even done extensive blog posts about). But I also insist on science to back up these events whenever possible. And some things are simply not able to be explained, I get that too.

At least for me in this case, it was not the events themselves being too outlandish, but the actual writing. I felt like this round was so much more sensationalistic than the first book. It was not only chapter endings, but paragraphs ending in such clickbait-y statements in the vein of...

"but nothing prepared us for what came next"

or

"what happened next was even more shocking"

And these statements often occurred more than once in a single chapter. A good run through an editor again would clear that up, and make the book cleaner and tighter. The stories and incidents themselves become almost harder to believe when accompanied by this kind of writing. And believe me, there were things that happened that even had me thinking, "No way, not a chance."

The thing that keeps from saying that this is exaggerated or fictionalized in any way is the fact that the author and his wife are paranormal investigators. They already know how maligned the field often is, so why would they do anything to damage their reputations, or make up such outlandish claims as these?

The story of this doll is one we are never going to fully know. Anyone connected to him has long since passed, as far as the author knows. The girl who owned him at one time had been a twin, but her brother was stillborn or died at birth. A few years later, that same little girl lost her mother and her home in a terrible fire. She and Norman, then know as Matty, were the only survivors. The doll was named Matty because he was the Mattel mascot, along with his sister Belle. The doll is creepy AF and you can find them for sale on eBay. Have at it if creepy dolls are your thing, Eleanor and I will never be coming to visit if that's the case.

Norman is not the only haunted/possessed doll, but it certainly one of the creepiest. Whether it is the angry spirit of someone who never got to live, or a demonic entity, I am glad that the author took the steps he did in the end to protect himself and his family. I won't say what those steps are, you will have to discover that for yourself. Lord help anyone who might rediscover Norman one day.

Recommended for those with interest in the paranormal, though it would help to read the first book before giving this one a try.

Review Bomb | The Best Kind of Reality Shows

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you are unfamiliar with this first show, allow me to give a little background. Ghost Hunters (not to be confused with the trash that is Ghost Adventures, don't even get me started) came to be because of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. They founded T.A.P.S. - The Atlantic Paranormal Society and conducted investigations on public properties and in private residences at the request of the owners, and filmed many such investigations. Something I have always appreciated about this team is that they did not go into every case assuming the activity was paranormal. It was their priority to first make their clients feel safe - especially if they were investigating a private residence where there were children involved. The team would debunk everything they could, and even if they could not explain something away, they still hesitated to call it paranormal more often than not. Unfortunately the team is no longer together and only bits and pieces of info are available here and there. Though, I think it is quite telling that Grant Wilson is using the Ghost Hunters show title with a completely new team, while Jason Hawes, Dave Tango, and Steve Gonsalves have gone on to create a new show called Ghost Nation. Tango and Gonsalves were also on the original Ghost Hunters (and are hilarious; great comic relief!).

I liked this trip down memory lane for two reasons, first being that it included cases I loved that aired on television, second being that it included cases that occurred before the series began and so were brand new to me.

Some of my most favorite investigations were here, which was delightful. If you can catch a rerun of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, DO IT. If that episode does not make you believe in the paranormal, that at least there is SOMETHING out there, nothing will. The same could be said for their investigation of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.

Side Note: The Stanley is DEFINITELY haunted. I don't want to make this post any longer than it is already going to be, but Eleanor's dad and I stayed there on a trip eight years ago. We did one of the ghost tours, and then investigated on our own after that was done. We heard the children up on the 4th floor say hello after Chase asked if there was anyone there who wanted to play a game of hide and seek. As we left that hallway I heard the sound behind me of a hand dragging along the wall; every time I stopped, it stopped a moment later. I also got a photo where you can see the outline of a child in the reflection off the patio door. Additionally, both Chase and I are incredibly heavy sleepers, but both nights I was woken up by sound coming from the room above us, of what sounded like furniture or something being dragged across a hardwood floor, and of very loud stomping around in what sounded like boots or some other thick-soled show. When I asked at the front desk the morning of check-out, I was informed that when the hotel was the private residence of the Stanley family, the 4th floor had hardwood floors, but as a hotel all the floors had had carpet for many decades now. During the time the Stanleys lived there, the 4th floor had been the nursey and place where the children and nannies played and slept, as well as the maids and their children, I believe. This was such a cool experience, nothing felt malicious. It was so peaceful.

Back to the book though, otherwise I will be telling ghost stories all night.

We do get some backstory on the show regulars, but the main focus remained on the cases that came their way. I can appreciate this on one level, because they are professionals and want to remain recognized as such. We saw their personalities come out on the show, but I was hoping for a bit more in-depth look at how/why they got into the business and what keeps them going. I believe Jason wrote the bulk of the material, as it is written very much the same way that he speaks. Jason is very matter-of-fact and strict, while Grant is a bit more easy going but not totally (especially when a crew member messes up big-time in a way they should not have because they should know better).

You would not necessarily have to be a fan of the show to find this book interesting. They are very thorough and professional, explaining things that one with an interest in the paranormal would already know, such as the equipment most of often used, what it does, etc. The cases are presented in short chapters so you could read quite a few at once if you were interested. You wouldn't even have to read the cases in order, but could find the ones most interesting to you first. I personally wish the chapters would have been a bit longer, with a bit more depth to each case; there is only so much you can see in an hour of television after all, and less than that when you take into account commercials, the lead-up to the investigation, the walk-through, and the final analysis. That leaves you with maybe 20-25 minutes of actual investigation shown, when they record hours, and sometimes on multiple nights.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I adore Josh Gates. He is exactly the person you would want to travel with because first of all, he is a riot; sarcastic and snarky and witty and intelligent. Even if something really shitty happened on your travels, you could count on Josh to at least make you laugh your ass off about it. His current show is Expedition Unknown, but this book deals exclusively with his first series, Destination Truth.

The premise of this show involved Josh and his team investigating various legends (Bigfoot, the Ri, Chupacabra, etc) and various location deemed haunted (holy shit, the episode filmed at The Great Wall of China was fucking lit and I would never in a million years want to be there after dark) to try to come sort of conclusion. This involves the team researching information, heading out, Josh trying all the disgusting food each locale has to offer, the team getting some sort of vehicle that definitely looks like it could explode or break down or both, and some really great footage of beautiful countries that most people will never see in-person in their lifetime. My only complaint is actually about the show, not the book, in that the team did two locations per show. I wanted so much more time at the haunted locations!

So, obviously, the paranormal action was my favorite. I didn't mind the other stuff, but I am always down for a good ghost hunt. There are several episodes where I was not disappointed. The first is the episode at The Great Wall, which I already mentioned. Other great investigations include spending the night in the tomb of King Tut in the Valley of the Kings (Josh totally hates camels and it is hilarious whenever he has to ride one), the ruins of Petra, ruins of once-mighty Incan cities, Easter Island, Angkor Wat, and my most most most favorites: investigations at Masada, Pompeii, and Chernobyl.

What I love most about this book, besides the behind-the-scenes glimpses, the in-depth information on the locations/legends, and the great photos, was Josh himself. It felt like having a conversation with an old friend and as I was reading I could hear him speaking the words, and not my own internal voice going. That is the mark of an exceptional writer, which Josh proved to be. I was a bit cautious at first; just because one is witty and intelligent on camera, does not guarantee the same result in a different medium. Luckily, the book is just as great as any episode. Josh is incredibly articulate and knowledgeable (something obvious if you watch the show for two seconds), and I found myself laughing out loud constantly at his narration of all the things we didn't see when filming, because they are actually on location for days and sometimes week. Yet everything gets condensed down into one twenty-minute segment, two segments per hour-long episode. There were definitely times I was grossed out (same as on the show; the team ate some pretty yucky stuff), and also time a chill ran down my spine remembering some of the spookier investigations.

For Josh, the 'traveler' part is as important as any part of the investigation. He is a world traveler in every sense of the word and stresses the importance of this throughout the text. It is not enough to take in famous tourist traps wherever you happen to be (but I'll be damned if I am not going to the Tower of London on my next trip to the UK), but to truly become a traveler. When it is safe to do so, leave the beaten path and find the hidden gems. It will always be worth it and the memories will last a lifetime.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not simply a rehashing of every single investigation. Josh shares plenty of information about the locations his teams went to, but he is also constantly encouraging people to go out an explore. This does not mean you have to get lost in a jungle looking for velociraptor-like creature; it simply means get out of your comfort zone and find something new about the world you didn't know before. Josh gives tons of advice on how to do this, and perhaps one of my favorite parts of the book is the point where Josh gives the reader a lesson in how to not be a total d-bag when you travel internationally (I would say this is a great lesson for Americans, but those of us who feel the need to travel so desperately would probably not insist everyone speak English to us to begin with, so...)

There are so many one-liners throughout the book, much like on the show, that I wanted to share dozens and dozens. This mini-review has rapidly turned into a regular-sized review, so I will share only this one, which came from their Egyptian adventures:

"To make matters worse, the entire country is an infrastructural disaster. After they erected the greatest civilization in the history of the planet, it's as though the Egyptians said, 'Okay. That's enough. Let's just call it a day for the next 5,000 years'" (page 198).

So perfectly Josh, and I am here for it. I love his dry humor and that is part of what made me love the show so much. Even when I was less interested in whatever monster they were looking for, I could always count on his narration of events to keep me hooked.

Perhaps my biggest take away from all this though is that, despite all the adventures he has had, all the evidence he and his team have captured at dozens of locations all around the world, Josh still can not say for sure where or not he believes in ghosts. The things he has seen and done would make a believer out of me in an instant, and I think this gives him even more credibility. All of that, and he still says he is not sure.

Though it would help to understand some of the stories, and to appreciate his wry and sarcastic humor, it is not necessary to have seen the show. This is as much a travelogue as it is a memoir, and it is deliciously perfect.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first time I saw an episode of River Monsters was a night that Eleanor's dad was sitting on my couch with Eleanor in his lap while I got in a shower and pumping and everything else I could not do before he came over after work, because I literally held my baby all day and it was glorious.

I took one look, said, "This guy is crazy," and went back to whatever I was doing.

Little did I know, Jeremy Wade would soon become a very important member of our household and I would see the episodes on Netflix so often, I would have them memorized. More on that in a bit.

If you are unfamiliar with Jeremy Wade, I can give you some quick backstory. He is a biologist and basically travels the world in much the same fashion as Josh Gates, looking for monsters of a different kind. He is searching for monster-sized fish, and most of the time he finds them. No location is too remote, not legend or story too dangerous to deter him from catching his fish. This book goes even deeper, and we get great insight into Jeremy's life and career and we see the work that goes into tracking down information, speaking to locals about the specific species, and then how he goes about planning to catch (and release) these mighty beasts. I am not by any stretch of the imagination what you would call an "outdoor girl", so the fact that I could not only watch episode after episode, but read a book on the very same subject, should be pretty telling about Jeremy's ability to tell a great story and keep you coming back for more.

One of the things I appreciate most about Jeremy Wade is that he truly cares about the natural world and these fish he is seeking out. He never sought them out to catch them and kill them or keep them; it was solely to see if there was truth to the legends or myths he had discovered, and to find what creature could be behind such stories. He is a conservationist above all else and he speaks - both on the show and in the book - of these fish in such a way that you can tell he feels this is deeply important. This is his mission, his life's work, to bring attention to these beautiful, deadly, fascinating wonders and show how humans are impacting even those who live in the most out-of-the-way locations. Fish populations are dwindling rapidly and we are 100% the cause. This is not something Jeremy can abide and his passion for his career shines both in the show and on the page.

With this one, like the others, it is not terribly necessary that you see the shows before you read the book. I think anyone who has an interest in travel and remote locations would find Jeremy's stories of interest, even if you are not necessarily into the actual fishing aspect of the show, as was my case. It was so fascinating to watch him collect information, interact with local populations in his pursuit, and - more often than not - come away with footage of the elusive fish he was after that day.

Now, going back to the quick story of how Jeremy Wade and River Monsters became a staple in our household. As I said, Chase would watch it sometimes when he would come over after work in those early days after Eleanor was born. Eleanor was never a fussy baby, there was no time when she would just scream her head of for no reason. She would get restless sometimes, I guess is the best way to describe it? When it happened, she would get very wiggly and honest to God, the only thing that would settle her was River Monsters. It was not just the sound of Jeremy's voice, but also his British accent (she truly is her mother's daughter, I am a total sucker for a beautiful boy with a British accent). I would turn on River Monsters and as soon as she would hear him speak she would become still and listen. She would try to look in the direction that his voice was coming from, and it never failed, BOOM. Calm baby.

I thought it would be really cool if I could somehow contact Jeremy Wade to share my story about Eleanor, maybe even get him to sign a birthday card for her first birthday (I thought of this sometime in the spring; she is a July baby). I scoured the Internet and found an email address for him, but the website did not look like it had been updated in quite a while, so I thought chances were slim that the email would reach him.

Except, IT DID!!!

I had asked if he would be able to sign a birthday card and explained how we called him 'Uncle Jeremy' because it was like he was part of our family, and how he was always be able to calm my restless baby girl. I even sent him a few photos of Eleanor, and a disc with a couple short clips of her watching the show; as she got older and was no longer a restless newborn, she would still drop everything the moment she heard his voice. He responded that this was perfect timing, because he was back in the production office for a very short time before heading back out again to film. I sent off the small package right away and hoped it would arrive before he departed. Within just two short weeks, I received a package back; not only had Jeremy signed the card as well as some smaller promotional photos, he specifically signed the card 'from your Uncle Jeremy', I am forever grateful, because that is a keepsake that Eleanor will cherish forever.

Fish on!

Book Review | Night Stalks the Mansion: A True Story of One Family's Ghostly Adventure

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A good ghost story has to have a solidly creepy cover, or half the terror is already gone for me. Looking at this copy really does not do it justice.

++++++++++

From Goodreads:

This true story recounts a Philadelphia family's encounter with a supernatural presence in their eighteenth-century mansion. After experiencing footsteps at night, opening doors, strange sounds and activity centered around the library, they investigate, unearthing the mansion's tragic past and changing their beliefs about the supernatural world.

++++++++++

The book was originally published in the late 70s and shows its age in that regard. Even so, I found it to be a really decently told story about how the family handled their unexpected roommates. It was a quick read, but highly interesting. There was also a lot of tragedy as well. The house as it was in their time there is gone, destroyed in a fire in 1987, a year after Harold Cameron passed away, and learning things like that always just gut me, because all of the history even without the paranormal experiences have been lost. I hope the lady of the house has found peace at least, as well as Enoch, who helped the family understand a bit about what was going on in their home.

After World War II, an unsuspecting family of seven (Dad, Mom, five children) have moved to Philadelphia due to the father's job transferring him. The family live in a motel for a while and Cameron reads about this huge old house for lease at a really great price. Like, REEEEEALLY great, too good to be true kind of great. They decide to lease the old mansion and move in after signing a two-year lease, which basically has a no-escape clause and they stayed almost the entire time - otherwise they would have had to come up with enough money to cover the rent for their rent for the entire duration of the lease even if not living there. Even so, they ended up moving out a couple months early. The older kids were away at college, leaving the younger ones with their parents to settle into their new home where they quickly discovered all was not as it seemed.

The story is told in the vein of being a mystery, as they slowly learn about what may be going on in their new home. Neither parent is believing in paranormal activity at first, the idea of the house being haunted is so illogical to them. But they finally reach a point where they can't sustain that viewpoint anymore, and gradually find out more and more information. One part that really frustrated me was the family's lack of effort into the history of the house at first. But on the other hand, I am 100% a believer in ghosts, and have had some really cool experiences at places like the Villisca Axe Murder House, The Stanley Hotel, and The Palmer House Hotel, (the last of which you can read about HERE in a three-part series if you are interested - such an awesome experience!) So, I can kind of see why they didn't at first, because they did not believe in ghosts. I would have been ON that research in a heartbeat.

Cameron and one of his sons explore the property at various times, and these parts were my favorites. I want so badly to go explore abandoned places every time I see one, but somehow I do not think that is an appropriate activity for Eleanor, so I have little experience in that area. At one point the two find a family crypt in their exploration, which was extra creepy due to the fact that the coffins had all disintegrated over time. The remains of those long-since buried there were scattered over the floor and just seeing that would have had me on up out of the crypt in a heartbeat. Burial sites are not to be messed with, even when stumbling on them by accident. Instances like this is what made the book more creepy than scary, though I will be the first to admit that I always read books like this with every light on in the house.

In the latter half of the book, the family finally begins to get some answers. They've been living for a while with all kinds of strange occurrences - footsteps on the stairs and up and down the halls during the night. They also hear footsteps on the gravel outside coming up to the front door, but no one is ever there. The family basically abandons the home's library altogether due to the major unease they feel, and they cede that part of the house to the 'other' occupants. When they discover a elderly African American man named Enoch living in the barn, they learn some information from him, but he knew a lot more than he was willing to tell at first. It was easy to see he was frightened of the place, though he still lived on the property. He worked at the home when he was younger, and really had no where else to go. He eventually does tell Harold what he knows and it becomes obvious why the home is haunted. Tragedy still befalls the home, when Enoch is later murdered (unrelated to the hauntings, and he was found off the property. As far as any information I have found so far, and from what the book stated at the time, his murder was not solved.) I did find it strange that they did not know Enoch was there for a while, though they did explore the property. Prior to his death Enoch did share a good amount of information with Harold, how the home was a stop on the Underground Railroad, but also a place of terrible violence which led to the hauntings in the first place. I won't go into details because I don't want to spoil the lead-up for anyone who might decide to read this one.

I plan to do some additional research on the home and its history at some point, and will add whatever I find to the review. My only real complaint about the book is the lack of photographs. Aside from the cover, I have found few photos of the exterior of the home, and none from inside. I get that this all happened after WWII, but you'd think someone at some point would have had some photos of the inside of the home, the grounds, etc. I think the grounds especially would have been a great addition, but those simply may not exist.

Recommended for a good chill, while being light on the 'scary' factor.

NetGalley ARC: The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have been waiting foreverrrrrr for this to pop up on NetGalley and you can bet I snatched it up the moment I saw it - thanks again for the auto-approval, Llewellyn. I have read several of Estep's non-fiction works now and this is probably tied for first with my most favorite, which was his investigation of a former medieval prison in Spirits of the Cage. That book seriously creeped me the fuck out.

As did this one.

So Fox Hollow Farm was this spacious property in Indiana owned by the Baumeister family. It's beautiful and you probably would have no problem living there, until you learn that by the way, Herb Baumeister was probably a serial killer and the whole property is haunted by him, some of his victims, and/or an elemental that enjoys sowing and feeding off the negative energy.

Great, huh?

I have had my fair share of paranormal experiences (the Villisca Ax Murder House in Villisca, Iowa; the Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, MN; the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO; and my own apartment for five years in Lincoln, NE). None of my experiences have been scary, and I have been lucky to see, hear, and take photos of evidence. (I have plenty of stories if you ever want to hear a few!) As such, it takes a fair bit for me to get creeped out, yet this book managed to do so. I was reading it while sitting on the couch, all the lights on in my apartment - DURING THE DAY. Some of it freaked me out that much. I think that mostly came from the idea of the elemental. I don't mess with that kind of stuff and I would never intentionally go somewhere that might be home to dangerous or malevolent entities. I have a young child and would never want to inadvertently bring something home that would put us in danger.

I say that Baumeister was 'probably' a serial killer because he committed suicide in Canada and was never tried for any of his alleged crimes. We will never know for sure, but in all actuality, he probably murdered at least a dozen young men in the 80s and 90s. When it became clear that the police were onto him, Baumeister fled to Canada and took his life, leaving nothing but grief and trauma behind.

The book is really two-in-one. We get a brief history of Baumeister, his life and alleged crimes, and then we also get Estep and his teams' investigations and evidence. There is admittedly very little in the way of info on Baumeister due to his death. There is one man who claims to have survived Baumeister's attempt on his life and in doing so went on to become his sometimes-lover for a few years, but because Baumeister was never brought to trial, we don't know much about his alleged crimes, or even how many victims there may be. It is possible that not only did he lure young men back to his home from bars, but that he may have been responsible for a string of bodies left along a highway that just happens to be a route he would have taken for business. I can't imagine that his former wife would be too eager to provide any information about him or their life together with their children. As such, the book relies heavily on the paranormal aspect, so if you are looking for a heavy dose of true crime, you will be disappointed.

I, on the other hand, was straight-up here for the paranormal and I was not disappointed one bit. The problem with books like this, is that hard physical evidence is hard to come back, and you can't really do much except show photographic evidence. Though, I have read a few books on my Kindle that link within the text to EVPs online, which is cool. However, personal experiences are hugely important, and I have had many myself, so it is easy for me to believe in some of those reports, at least from sources I trust. Estep falls into that category.

As I have come to expect from the author and the teams he puts together, the research is sound, the investigations are thorough, and there are very little dramatics. (Ghost Adventures, this is not. Thank God.) Instead, we get reasonable explanations for occurrences, multiple investigators trying out a series of locations on the property, all trying to corroborate the experiences of others, or debunk things that have a far less interesting explanation than 'ghost'.

I still have a hard time believing in the use of dowsing rods. I feel like there is far too big a margin of error, whether intentional or not on the part of the user. Luckily there are many pieces of equipment that Estep and his teams use, all of which will be familiar to those who are interested in this field of study. He also takes time to briefly explain the equipment for those who do not have such background.

My only issue with the book comes because of the intentional typos. I realize this is an ARC, but these typos are very specific, in that all 'fi' and 'ff' letter combos are missing, so the word office would look like 'oice' and so on. I have only noticed this occurring in the last few months, and have so far only found it in books I get from Llewellyn. I am not sure what the purpose is, but it does get kind of annoying. This issue does not impact my rating, but is something to watch for, should you request a copy from the publisher as well.

All in all, this is great read and very spectacularly sinister. Highly recommended.

NetGalley ARC: Ghosts of the Grand Canyon

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 2.5 Stars

I am not what you would call and "outdoor girl". In fact, I am pretty much what Jack thinks of when he calls Rose and "indoor girl" the first night they met. I don't like nature (close up, at least. I can admire from afar), I don't want it to touch me, I don't want to be in it, I don't like humidity and being sweaty and gross (winter is a whole different story, I love winter and I love snow). Even so, there is something about the Grand Canyon that draws me in, that I would be willing to set aside all my 'nature rules' in order to go hiking up, down, and all around. So when I saw a new paranormal book up on Llewellyn's page AND it was specific to the Grand Canyon, I was pretty interested.

Sadly, this one was not a favorite - and I have read a ton of these types of books that Llewellyn offers.

First, I want to address the issue of the errors in the proof. This is not the author's fault in any way and what I am about to address did not impact my rating in any way. However, this is now the second or third book from Llewellyn where the proof copy has been terrible. I don't mean typos and such, those are expected at least somewhat in an uncorrected proof. This issue goes beyond that. Any time a word should have had an 'ff', that set of letters was missing. There is another combo as well, I believe either 'if' or 'fi', I can not recall, but it was hugely distracting. And as this is not the first proof I have found that in recently, I am wondering what the purpose is? Sometimes it was obvious was the word was meant to be, and other times it made a different word, which then lead me to believe there were many typos, until I caught on to the pattern of what was missing. Again, this part did not impact my rating, but it was suuuuuper annoying.

As for the book itself, as it went on, I found myself skimming toward the later half, especially when stories became very similar. I don't to discuss anything too in-depth about the kinds of experiences people had and continue to have, because there are some great stories. But I do think some of the more repetitive ones could have been left out. Another major frustration and part of the reason for the score of 2.5 stars instead of 3 has to do with the fact that there is little verifiable information. We often do not even get dates or a time frame for when any of the experiences supposedly occurred. I understand that putting a date to all would be impossible, given the fact that so many stories are passed on from one staff member to the next, and information gets lost over time, but it certainly would have lent some credibility to some of the stories if there was more meat to them overall.

The authors are very familiar with the setting, living and working in the area. I mistakenly thought when I first grabbed this one though, that these were all their personal stories and I should have read the synopsis a little more carefully. They do share some of their experiences, but overall the majority are accounts that other people have reported to have had. I realize there simply is no real plausible way to do any kind of investigation within the canyon, the amount of contamination in the evidence would be astronomical. Even so, I would have appreciated some more concrete evidence within some of the stories.

Something else I think the authors did well relates to their knowledge of the Grand Canyon. We get plenty of historical information not only related to the supposed hauntings, but of the canyon itself and its surroundings. I think that part is just as important, so readers and would-be investigators get a feel for why a place might attract spirits or why guests might linger, long after their earthly body has departed. I also have never really given much thought to what a vast complex of buildings must cover the site at this point, and it was interesting to learn about that aspect of the history as well.

NetGalley ARC - On the Hunt for the Haunted: Searching for Proof of the Paranormal

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I will be very up front, I do not like the cover. It relates to a story within the book, but even so, I found it creepy and not in a paranormal kind of way. It is weird, I do not like it.

Even so, do not let it distract you from some of the compelling stories contained within these pages. I had not heard of the author before reading this book, but I found her to be both credible and knowledgeable about the field of paranormal investigations, the equipment, and the purpose for seeking out these experiences. I always have respect for those who can go into an investigation with an open mind, and can come away admitting there was simply no evidence, if that is the case. I find some of the reality shows on television silly at best and damaging to the legitimacy of the field at worst (looking at you, Ghost Adventures. Why do you think every "demonic entity" you encounter has it out for YOU SPECIFICALLY?! Ugh). 

Here, however, Strom is professional the whole way through, going into detail about how she conducts investigations, what she does to guard against natural or man-made incidents being mistake for paranormal phenomena, and sharing her own experiences. There are no major overreactions, no immediate declarations that EVERYTHING IS A GHOST!, and there is thoughtful perusal of evidence collected.

I am a firm believe in ghosts, spirits, whatever you want to call them. I have been very lucky to have personal experiences in a variety of locations - The Stanley Hotel is Estes Park, Colorado; The Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, MN; even my own apartment when I was in grad school. As such, with my experiences and investigations, I am pretty critical of books that seem frivolous or seem to sensationalize investigations. I did not get that impression from this author at all and I look forward to reading about more of her investigations in the future.

NetGalley ARC - Haunted: Horror of Haverfordwest

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4 Stars

Okay, so this one was seriously creepy. I love a good haunted house story and this certainly provided that. Typically I do not look at other reviews before reading a book, but I did kind of by accident and saw that a few reviewers seemed to have mistaken this for a work of fiction and describe it as an 'unfinished screenplay'. This is a bit confusing, as the author states why he chose to write it in the interview format straightaway at the beginning. I have to say, I agree with that format. Getting the stories right from those who lived them made this infinitely creepier. It is sometimes difficult to convey fear when a third party is recounting events (though the author also lived in the house and experiences many of the same things, more on that in a minute), so the interview format makes sense to me. However, one has to be willing to accept at face value what is being said, in order for that to work. I personally do, because I believe that ghosts exist. I believe that I have had paranormal experiences in various places (The Stanley Hotel, The Palmer House Hotel, my former apartment in Lincoln, NE). So, this was supremely spooky for me, getting the story directly from those who survived the house.

Prior to reading this book, I was unfamiliar with the author or his previous work, which turned out to be his and his ex-girlfriend's account of their time living at the same location. He sought out previous residents to see if they had any similar experiences and it turns out that would be a big, fat YES. Both couples experienced what can only be classified as paranormal activity, though the actual activity itself varied. An added bonus to the main content was that the author then included the original book, for which this one is a prequel to. Perhaps marketing it that way is what threw some reviewers off, or caused them to think it was a work of fiction? Not sure how that could happen, but maybe?

Given my own previous paranormal experiences, I am pretty open-minded when it comes to people sharing their personal experiences. However, the one that was a struggle for me to believe is this idea that a spirit/ghost/whatever you want to term it, attacked in any kind of sexual way. This scenario is also something I am very unfamiliar with and in all the books I have read relating to paranormal entities, I have never encountered stories like this before. That is not to say it did not happen, just that it was new to me and very weird, not in a creepy way, just in a weird way. The idea of incubus/succubus is not new, but is also not really what seemed to be happening in this specific case. I don't know, either way that part was off and I don't know what to think about it.

When the author first published his account of living in the house with his now ex-girlfriend, he did not come out and say at the time that the story was his own. He presented it as an interview with "John and Sarah", and shared the experiences that way - though later he came clean and admitted he was John. For logical reasons (I think, anyway) the author has tried quite successfully to keep the actual house's location a secret. Many people have contacted him over the years thinking they too lived in this terrifying location, but it was not until he came in contact with "Dai and Anne" (also pseudonyms) that he knew he was corresponding with fellow survivors. Their experiences were similar in that the house really seemed to take on a life of its own. Given the comparison of experiences, a similar path was followed wherein the couples were over time nearly driven apart by the psychological effects of the activity (and were actually so in the case of the author and his ex), and both couples ended up fleeing the house for good when it all become overwhelmingly too much. Personally, my threshold would have been a lot lower, especially when the scary stuff was going on. I have been lucky in that my own personal experiences have never felt scary or menacing. This house is the exact opposite and the minute I felt that malicious vibe, I'd have peaced-out and been willing to take a loss on the house just to get rid of it. But perhaps just as the house was able to manipulate the residents as it wished, it also kept them there much longer than they should have stayed. I am by no means suggesting something so silly as the house controlled their minds, please do not mistake my words. But it seems like whatever lurked (and still does, perhaps?) fed off the discontentment that it created with the couples, who lived there a decade+ apart. Interesting to think about, did whatever is there grow stronger, the deeper the residents sank into despair? Yikes.

Both couples outline various events in great detail, relying on one another at times when sharing past events. I felt like this is where the interview style of storytelling was a strength also, because it felt very conversational, like you're there chatting with them for real and not just reading about their experiences. Activity includes the usual suspects like cold spots and shadowy figures. The radio turning itself on and off, doors opening/closing, etc. I do not think the importance of paying attention to atmosphere can be stated enough. This one is critical, as those most attuned to their environment can really pick up on some interesting and perhaps even dangerous vibes.

I think the mark of any good paranormal investigator (or in this case, survivor. I have used this word a few times and I truly think it is fitting in this case, given how aggressive the entity/entities seemed to be in these cases) is looking for rational explanations before automatically assuming everything is a ghost. There are natural phenomena in our daily lives that could contribute to falsely getting us to believe that something was paranormal when in fact, it was not. The author details various worldly explanations, such as high EMF readings, toxic mold, radiation, and/or false memories. There are other potential culprits as well, and in many cases these are proven as the cause of one believing they had a paranormal experience. Given the intense and varied experiences, I do personally believe that this house in Wales is haunted and I highly recommend this book to those who love a good (and potentially true) scare.

Ghosts of the McBride House

Rating: 3 Stars

As is usually the issue with a book like this, there is so little solid history. That is what I love about a good ghost story, when the history can be traced and there is some concrete proof of who the spirits were in life. The McBride House stands now in the oldest town in Oklahoma by its original owner, George McBride. Apparently he loved the house so much, he refuses to leave.

All sorts of occurrences are documented here by one of the owners of the home, Cecilia Back. She and her family lived in the home for approximately 25 years. But all while I was reading, something felt off and for a while I could not figure it out but as I read, I realized that honestly, the author's reactions to the home and supposed spirits never really make sense. Sometimes she seems utterly terrified and other times the strange goings-on don't cause much of a reaction at all. I feel like if the family was really all that scared of their fellow residents, they would not have opened the house up for tours and such. Nor would they have stayed so long. Perhaps there was some embellishment? Who knows.

Still, some of the occurrences are intriguing - the ghostly parties at 2 AM, complete with loud chatter and clinking glasses to keep everyone awake, dolls talking even after batteries are removed, loud bangs and crashes that can't be identified, screams, and family members and their guests being beckoned by name. When the family began repairs and restorations, the repairmen often had trouble getting work done because tools and materials would disappear. The one I could not abide would the strange odors of decay, that would make me vomit and be far more disturbing to me, followed a close second by the screaming/shrieking.

Aside from the house itself, I am also curious about Fort Gibson just across the road. The concept of sharing ghosts is interesting and does not seem terribly far-fetched when considering the period the hauntings seem to come from. I'd love to explore the whole area some day and see what I can see. Many people have reported seeing one of the ghost's looking out the window, if I recall correctly I believe it is the little boy.

Which leads right to my next point and that is, according to Back, the ghost has not one, but four different spirits. Based on her interactions, Back has determined that aside from McBride, there is a woman who is  dressed in Victorian-era clothing and wears perfume, then a girl around eight and boy of maybe five. Back writes that her family loved their home and eventually began to think of the invisible residents as part of the family too - again something that seems odd to me if she was ever really all that scared of any of the spirits. And maybe this is not how she intends it to come across at all, but it just doesn't quite make sense to me.

I might able to write it all off as being a result of the day-to-day living with them though, where for a while you get lulled into the false sense of everything being calm, to sudden shrieking that scares the daylights out of you. I have personally experienced both kinds of 'hauntings', those that come from living with a spirit and also those of just visiting - though haunting does not seem to be the right word, because I have never felt that any of my experiences were scary (such as The Stanley in Estes Park, CO and the The Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, MN, as well as my former apartment where Ghost Baby and I lived together for five peaceful years).

I always want to believe all of these books and experiences, but I find it odd that the family lived in the house for such a long time, and never got any tangible evidence that they could show. Or maybe they did and chose not share it? I don't know, but there's no reference to any such evidence. I think that part of a story like this is also important, but even so you will always have critics saying that it is doctored in some way.

Overall it is not the worst paranormal book I have ever read, but not the best either (that honor still belongs to Richard Estep's Spirits of the Cage, about life in a former medieval prison). There are some intriguing experiences but still, I want to know more of the history - something that simply may not be possible. It's a quick read and one that isn't a terrible way to spend a couple hours.

Paranormal Review Bomb II: ARC Edition

I went back and forth on the idea of doing a review bomb for the paranormal ARCs I read recently, but decided it was for the best. I will still post a review for each individual book when giving feedback to NetGalley, but considering the theme, this is the best option overall. All three were provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For some time now I have been auto-approved by Llewellyn on NetGalley, something I love because it means never having to wait when I spy a new title full of paranormal encounters for me to read. For the most part I have been lucky to find good quality texts about paranormal experiences. Unfortunately it was more of a mixed bag this time around, but I still found stories of interest in each of the following books.

 2 Stars

This one could have been so much better than it was, especially when one considers the plethora of information available on WWII. Give the line of thinking that paranormal activity occurs in part at least due to some kind of traumatic event in a place and time, it makes complete sense that all of Europe is basically one giant haunted house. we are talking serious trauma here, something everyone can agree on, even if we don't all agree on the existence of ghosts, spirits, whatever you call them.

The author's name was familiar to me and it was only after I had finished reading that  connected it to another paranormal book I read in the last few months concerning haunted colleges and universities. I did not much care for that one either, but for different reasons. I felt with the previous book, there was little evidence offered in the way of why a certain campus building might be haunted. Here we are provided more of information in that way, but not necessarily through the author's own thorough research. Instead, many of the hauntings recounted here, especially in the beginning, seemed simply culled from websites with forums dedicated to people sharing their paranormal experiences in the context of WWII sites. That kind of research is easy. I would much prefer reading about an author who does the investigation for him or herself, or at least speaks to witnesses firsthand. Literally anyone can go onto any website and copy the information, slap a cover on it, and call it a book. Done deal, with hardly a sweat broken. This was too often the case here, and the primary reason I can not rate the book any higher. Time and again, stories were taken from various websites and I found myself quickly tiring of the impersonal nature of the book.

It was not ALL bad though, and I did find some stories of interest. One such section involved details of haunted places in Hawaii, and not only Pearl Harbor. The author discusses Hickam Air Force Base. When people think of December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona immediately spring to mind. Yet there were either sites also targeted that day and Hickam was one of them, where an estimated 200 people died that morning, as well as Schofield Barracks, situated closely to Wheeler Army Airfield, all sites I was lucky enough to visit with my grandma back in June, 2010. I only wish I had known then about these ghostly events so I could have been on the lookout myself.

At this time I can only say I would recommend this one with hesitation. Far too much reliance on website material.

 3 Stars

As you might have guessed from the previous book, one thing I value very highly is personal experience when writing about paranormal activity. I find it suspect when an author has little to no investigation experience of their own. I prize most highly books written by investigators of their own experience as they chase down one ghostly lead after another.

One thing I most appreciated about this book is that each castle was accompanied by a link to its official website. The reader is often treated to the history of the castle itself before even moving into the ghost bits, which I also think is hugely important. That background information is so crucial, not only for readers and would-be investigators to come to their own conclusions, but to set the stage for the stories themselves. A good many of these places I would not like to be alone in after dark, but the history nerd in me would loved to traipse the grounds of every single location in the daylight.

The author starts in the only truly logical place on this journey, the Tower of London. In fact, he states from the beginning, "No ghost book would be complete without at least a reference to the Tower of London, given that it is reputedly the most haunted building in England, if not the entire world" (8%). This should come as no surprise, given the history of the place. Some history buffs might find it interesting to learn that very few executions actually took place within the Tower itself, while the majority were carried out on the nearby Tower Hill. Yet for some, notably Anne Boleyn, Margaret Pole, Katherine Howard, and Jane Boleyn (also Jane Grey, though her death warrant came from Mary I, not Henry VIII), they were offered the somewhat private execution at Tower Green. How nice of Henry.

For the most part I feel like the author did an adequate job in giving some kind of back story. I sometimes find myself bored by all the stories of the Gray Lady or the White Lady. I am of the opinion that, if you have literally no source material or any idea as to who the person might be, they're best left out of the story. There were a few such ladies in this one, but not nearly as many as I have seen in other similar texts.

Aside from the paranormal experiences, I appreciated the historical material as well. The author knows his stuff and was able to provide enough information about each place in order to show its importance. He used his own experiences as evidence often, which I feel is a must for these kinds of books. I recommend this one for those like me who enjoy or good ghostly tale.

 4 Stars

This is now the third Estep book I have read, and I have several more of his titles patiently waiting on my TBR. My favorite of his so far is a title I reviewed a few months back about a haunted medieval prison that had been converted into a living space - a building you could not pay me to go into even on the brightest of sunshine-y days. It was truly one of the spookier paranormal books I have read and I enjoyed it so much because it was so in-depth. Estep was there several days investigating, then wrote about those experiences. Here in Trail of Terror we find exactly the same methodology. Estep writes about the haunted places we find in his books because he HAS BEEN THERE. He has conducted the investigations himself, with a varying number of team members, and I find his work gets better and better as I read more and more. he has had quite a few strange, or downright scary encounters, and I know he will always weave a good story.

I also appreciate his necessary habit of knowing when to call something paranormal, and when to simply say, "We don't know". Debunking is as important to any paranormal investigation as any other part of the process, and something that sometimes gets overlooked when investigators are so anxious to show off their evidence. I appreciate his dismissal of anything that is not a solid clue, and the thoroughness of his investigations. I also appreciate the fact that he provides background for each of the places he visits, as well as the haunted history. He explains carefully why he uses certain equipment in certain places, and even what he is hoping to find. I would love to explore so many of the places he has been.

There is one quote in particular that I would like to touch on, which I found especially thought-provoking. Too often we assume something is demonic because of the rage that might accompany the spirit. The quote is rather long, but please bear with me, as I think it is important enough to recall the majority of it here. Of this topic Estep says:

"I do not believe that all 'dark hauntings' are necessarily demonic or inhuman in nature. If we accept the possibility that our spirit may survive bodily death and transition into some form of afterlife - one in which is may still interact with the living in various ways - then it would also seem quite logical to me that our personality would remain mostly unchanged too...we do not instantly become all-knowing, all-seeing, and practically angelic in behavior when we die and leave the body, but rather we retain the same quirks, behavioral characteristics, and essentially the same mental state as we had when our heart was still beating. Imagine yourself being invisible, intangible, and above all unable to communicate with those loved ones you have lost...Imagine the sheer frustration of finding your circumstances so dramatically changed, and not necessarily for the better. Would you be sad? Bitter? Angry? Enraged?" (67%)

To me, a very sensible train of thought. That's not to say there are no demonic and/or inhuman haunts. It simply means that not everything that is pissed off and mean is a demon.

I highly recommend this one (and Spirits of the Cage, another top-notch investigation with some really amazing and terrifying encounters!)

The Palmer House Hotel Part III/III

I mentioned in a previous post that Eleanor and I are spending some quality time at home for a few days until school starts. We are having some fun lazy days at my mom's house, and this past weekend we attended a family reunion in a small town called Sauk Centre, Minnesota. This might be a familiar town to those of you who read Sinclair Lewis, as he grew up there. I was extra excited because my grandparents had surprised me with a stay at the Palmer House Hotel, while every else was staying at another hotel a few minutes away. And the reason for this is....

The Palmer House Hotel is haunted!

That was the rumor anyway, and I wanted to see for myself. The Palmer House has been featured on a couple different paranormal shows such as The Dead Files and Ghost Adventures. There have also been several write-ups in the media and such that you can check out HERE. You can also finds books with chapters dedicated to the Palmer House at that link. Mom bought me one, which I am looking forward to reading.

Anyway, this post is going to be kind of long, because there was activity going on from the moment I was unpacking in my room, until literally the moment I left. While I am by no means perfect at this investigating thing, I have been lucky enough to have some interesting paranormal experiences at both the Villisca Axe Murder House in Villisca, Iowa and The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.  I also lived in an apartment for roughly five years that was also inhabited by what we called 'Ghost Baby', because 'Ghost Toddler' just didn't have quite the same ring to it. I try to look for logical explanations first, before jumping directly to paranormal. I have included a couple pictures and videos too, so if you decide to stick it out through the post, hopefully you find something of interest here. Again, I realize this is longer than any review I have ever written, but I wanted to give as many details as possible to give people some context.

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To pick up where I left off in the previous post, I had dozed off around 4 AM. I awoke at 6:20 AM to the loud stomping and pacing, and it sounded much like what I had heard a few hours earlier - and again with the sounds of something being moved or dragged across a hardwood floor. I found it interesting when Kelley had shared with me down in the bar that Kelley has often had guests complain about the noise above them, even when staying on the third floor. I need to do a little more research on the original hotel and see if it was more than three stories (excluding a basement). That would definitely account for the excess noise people claim to hear, even when they are on the third floor.

Just to clarify, the current structure has the main floor where the lobby, bar, and cafe are located. The second and third floors are where guests rooms are, as well as housekeeping and such. Yet another time I was so caught up in what I was experiencing at the moment, I forgot to record. Next time I will do much better on this part, especially when I will be able to be there for a couple days.

After checking the items I had left out (the ring, ball, candy), I was disappointed to see that nothing had been moved. I went back to sleep not long after and woke up for good again around 9:15 or so. I checked a second time, but nothing had been moved. With less than two hours until check out, I wanted to get up to the playroom on the third floor to see what I could find. The room is colorful, friendly room without a door on it, filled with books and toys - especially bouncy balls of different sizes that any kids would love to play.

There are stories of a little boy who likes to bounce a ball up and down the halls. Kelley had mentioned this room the night before and said I should make time to read a story to the children. Guests who have done so have reported it feeling like someone has sat down near them or even on their lap. After taking a few photos, I sat down on the floor with the KII on, plus the small ring and ball Kelley had given me the night before. I also set up my camera to record myself and the room while I was reading - I chose a Berenstain Bears book.

I kind of look like a hot mess after so little sleep, so I hope you can forgive me for not posting it here. I did not see any visual evidence when I watched the video, nor did the KII ever light up above its baseline, but part way through the book I felt a cold spot descend on me, from over my right shoulder and I noted this on the recording. It settled on/around me for about ten seconds, then went away. I did take video of the room also as I walked and talked a bit, but again there was no activity.

After I left the kids room, I decided to take one more video of the hotel itself on the second and third floors, to see if I could see or hear anything. I was about to start when a housekeeper came out of the laundry room. I spoke to her for several minutes there on the third floor. We traded some of our stories, then she went down to the lobby and I continued with my plan to record on the second and third floors to see what else I could find. I hoped to get more audio or visual evidence, but did not. I returned to room #11 after this. I prayed for Annie again and as I was doing so, the KII lit up to the second light briefly in the last two minutes or so. It wasn't huge, but was something - the only activity I had on it aside from the initial camera battery incident. I've been trying to trim the video because I keep getting an error message saying the video is too long. Technology is frustrating me greatly tonight, but hopefully I can get it figured out and add the video at a later point. For reference, the KII lit up when I said I would come back, and also when I prayed for Annie to peace and comfort.

By this point it was 10:30 and I had to get going. I had to check out of my room by 11, then get over to the other hotel to pick up my mom and daughter who also needed be out by 11. This would not have been such an issue, except I had borrowed a Bible from their room and had forgotten to take it back after I verified that there was one in my room. As I got everything together, I opened the door and stood in the doorway. I said out loud that I appreciated Annie letting me stay in room 11 and that none of the spirits there could come home with me, but that I would be back to visit again. Then I closed the door and headed down to the lobby.

Down in the lobby I spoke to the housekeeper again while I waited for Angie to return to the desk. When she came back, she asked about some of the activity she'd heard of from the housekeeper. As we talked I put the KII meter and temp reader on the desk and Angie asked how the KII meter worked. I turned it on and as I explained the lights, how it lights up full twice before returning to the baseline. While I was talking, Angie was doing something with her phone, and at that same time, the KII started lighting up like crazy, all the way to red, repeatedly. This was the most active it had been in my entire time at the Palmer House, as it consistently lit up red multiple times.

(Don't mind my phone ringing - my mom was calling, wondering what was taking me so long 😂)


Angie then showed me the EVP app she had opened on her phone. EVP stands for electronic voice phenomenon, something investigators use various audio devices for in order to hear any responses by a spirit. I asked Angie to moved her phone away from the KII, just to make sure it was not causing the surge. She moved the phone away and the lights continued going straight to red. Angie then asked who was in the lobby with us when the app reported 'Entity Detected'. We got a response, right there in broad daylight in the middle of the lobby...

The voice identified itself as Annie.

ANNIE!

Angie then asked me it I had any questions for Annie, since she was here, and OF COURSE my mind went totally blank. I was in shock. Angie asked Annie if she liked having me stay in room 11. Angie handed her phone to the housekeeper I had been speaking to earlier as we finished up the paperwork. She handed me the replica key chain from room #11 that I wanted to purchase - but I had to pay for it in the cafe. Annie had been quiet for a second and this super weird EVP came through that said, "It's coming for you", which was creepy and weird and none of us knew what it meant or who it was talking to.

Annie responded after that, with a message that made me feel happy and sad at the same time. Clear as day she said, "Don't leave."

"Don't leave."

The housekeeper had come into the cafe after I made my purchase and said Annie sure must have liked me to not want me to leave. I was happy because I felt like we had bonded, but sad that all of this was happening right at the worst possible time, and  could not stay to talk to her any longer. As I exited the cafe and returned to the lobby, I said goodbye to Annie one more time and said I would be back to visit again.

I found this image online at Wikimedia Commons HERE. Only the editing is mine.

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So what do you think? Have you ever experienced any paranormal-type activity? Do you believe there are 'no such things as ghosts'? I'd love to hear your stories and opinions!

Happy Reading!
Sarah