Ghost Stories & Paranormal Encounters

The Book of Secrets

Book of Secrets, The: Esoteric Societies and Holy Orders, Luminaries and Seers, Symbols and Rituals, and the Key Concepts of Occult Sciences Through the Ages and Around the World

Book Review

Step through the doorway into the secret traditions of the fascinating unseen spiritual world: its symbols, secret societies, and fascinating seers. This is a guide book without peer. Discover more than 100 secret symbols and their meanings and meet up with hundreds of legends and historical personages.

From the strange symbols on a one-dollar bill to the secret signs of the Knights Templar and Freemasons, invisible societies, and the world of magic and alchemy, The Book of Secrets is a comprehensive introduction to the world of secret and esoteric knowledge throughout history.

In the mystery tradition, “secrets” are levels of consciousness that are hidden from our normal mental state, the acquisition of a new point of view. The Book of Secrets delves into the world of the “occult,” the …

The Poltergeist Phenomenon

Lately I have been reading a book about poltergeists. It is titled The Poltergeist Phenomenon an In-Depth Investigation Into Floating Beds, Smashing Glass, and Other Unexplained Disturbances.

If you are interested in learning about poltergeists this is one of the best books you will find on the subject. It is full of case studies and interviews about various poltergeist activity.

One story/case I thought was very interesting was referred to as The Demon of Olive Hill.

In Olive Hill, Kentucky two paranormal investigators saw objects being levitated in a home. The family who lived there wouldn’t allow the researchers to stay because they feared that they had brought demons along with them.

The story began in 1968 at the home of John and Ora Callihan in Olive Hill.

“One day in late November, the family reported strange rumblings in the house. Glass shattered in a picture of Jesus and furniture moved… From then on about 200 incidents were …

Man-Made Monsters

Man-Made Monsters: A Field Guide to Golems, Patchwork Solders, Homunculi, and Other Created Creatures

Book Review by the CareTaker

Many of the fears that most of faced as children involved “things” like ghosts and monsters. Some of the scariest creatures imagined were more likely to be thought of as creations of humans rather than being of supernatural origin. Even still, a creature such as a golem or a “Frankenstein’s Monster” is very often thought of as being demonic or “of the Devil”. The idea was that such constructs could not have a soul from God therefore the life they feigned must have come from something evil.

Man-Made Monsters is full of interesting information and tidbits about the monsters that have been created by mankind ~ at least in our minds, myths and lore. I am sure there are those who believe the story of the so-called Frankenstein monster was based more in truth than others. And perhaps there was more …

Encyclopedia Of Haunted Places

Ghostly Locales From Around The World

Here is another really good reference book for those who are interested in the paranormal. This book is a directory of well known purportedly haunted places all around the world. The table of contents divides each area of the globe into sections and the index lists all the haunted locations in alphabetical order so it is very easy to find information about a particular area or a specific place.

Stephen Wagner of paranormal.about.com says The Encyclopedia Of Haunted Places: Ghostly Locales From Around The World is “an excellent reference work for any ghost enthusiast’s bookshelf.”

The copy I have is the revised edition which has been updated to include dozens more haunted places as well as some new information on the locales that were already in the previous edition.

Also worthy of note is a new section that deals with what to look for in a paranormal investigator and a regional directory of paranormal …

The Encyclopedia of the Undead

A Field Guide to the Creatures that Cannot Rest in Peace

Recently I have been reading a really cool book written by Dr. Bob Curran and titled Encyclopedia of the Undead. This book is 312 pages with all sorts of information about “things” like Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Voodoo, Ghouls, Golems and other nightmarish creatures and entities.

One thing I really like about the Encyclopedia of the Undead is the index. A good reference book must have a thorough index and this one does.

Whether you are doing research on a particular culture’s myths, legends and stories about creatures like this or you just want to read a good book this one fits the bill. I don’t get as much time to read as I would like to and I usually have bookmarks stuck in several different books at once but the Encyclopedia of the Undead was one I could hardly put down. I read it from cover to cover and …

Childrens Experiences With the Paranormal

Although it was long ago I can still remember the eerie feelings I sometimes got when I was sure that there was something under the bed. Sometimes I would lay as still as I could hoping that maybe “it” would not notice me. I would be as silent as possible so that if that thing did come out at me I would hear it and perhaps have a chance to get away.

Children have always been fascinated with (and often terrified of) the paranormal world. They wonder about such things as ghosts and monsters and other strange things. The paranormal is real and it has been shown that children are more attuned to “noticing” it than adults who have been desensitized.

I recently obtained a copy of a book titled There’s Something Under the Bed – Children’s Experiences With the Paranormal written by Ursula Bielski. If you are interested in learning about paranormal experiences of children because of your own …

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

Book Review

Have you heard of these cool classics with a zombie twist? First we had had Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (which is a New York Times Best Seller) and now Steve Hockensmith has written the prequel to Jane Austen’s “zombinated” classic novel.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls is the third Quirk Classic. This book is not based on an original Austen work, but it does stay true to the characters she created and gives Hockensmith an opportunity to fully demonstrate his creative genius.

Description of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls from the Publisher:

With more than one million copies in print, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was the surprise publishing phenomenon of 2009. A best seller on three continents, PPZ has been translated into 21 languages and optioned to become a major motion picture.

In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth-century …