Seeking Spirits

Fans of SyFy's Ghost Hunters series will know Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson as the two founding members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS). SyFy has followed the guys around for five seasons now, watching them debunk hauntings and experiencing the unexplainable. Now they are back with their second book, Seeking Spirits, which details some of the cases they took on before there was a television show, and Grant (notoriously quiet on this topic) finally reveals his own wild experience with the paranormal at an early age.

This book is told by both Jason and Grant, and the cases usually play out within ten pages or less. Some of the tales are about debunkings (I particularly liked the one with the woman who heard late night moanings), and some are of the more spectral sort. I found myself wondering where the tapes are that show, for instance, the shadow stacking pots and pans in a kitchen--it'd be terrific if SyFy used some of the old footage in a new special on the early days. The book is also filled with advice and definitions for those who are interested, as well as the backstories of how Steve and Krysten became active members of TAPS.

Short and intriguing, Seeking Spirits fills in the history of TAPS and gives us inside information on some encounters we may have heard a little about but never fully understood. While it's certainly not a literary masterpiece, it is a quick, fun read that helped me to understand some of the differences in human and demonic hauntings. Jay and Grant have had some wild experiences in their days of investigating the paranormal, and this book helps illuminate the time before they became the famous Roto Rooting investigators they are today.

~taminator40

Ghosts Among Us

If I were in an analytical mood, I'd begin to wonder why it is that in the past few years, I've become very interested in the paranormal, but I suppose the truth is that I've *always* been interested in things that go bump in the night. Those things used to terrify me, but as I've gotten older, I find myself ever more fascinated. Besides watching Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi religiously (Hey, Tango!), I've found myself reading more fiction and non-fiction, hoping to lift that veil that divides the known and unknown.

To that end, I picked up Ghosts Among Us by James Van Praagh after my friend Sharon sent it to me. Van Praagh's a pretty well known medium, and is also co-producer of The Ghost Whisperer on CBS (a show I don't currently watch...it's a Jennifer Love Hewitt problem). Anyway, I was hoping for, and received, several stories from Van Praagh of people he's met and helped, and lots of reasons to believe that he's telling the truth when he says he speaks with the dead. Good stuff in general, but Van Praagh lost me when he began describing his version of the after-life--not that I totally disregard his version, but I just wasn't all that interested. And when he got into energy levels and chahkras, my eyes glazed over. My skepticism hit a high note when he named Abraham Lincoln as one of his spirit guides...well, I guess it *could* be true, though it seemed too over-the-top for me.

I will say that after having read copious notes from my friend Susan about her experiences with her psychic friend Alison and the Akashic record, Van Praagh's version of spirit guides and "reincarnation" line up almost exactly. In my book, that lends a lot of credence to Van Praagh's words.

Ghosts Among Us is very readable and it's obvious Van Praagh is a good storyteller. After finishing this one, though, I will say I prefer Allison Du Bois's style of writing and her ability to stick to one topic throughout a book.

My Amazon review is found at http://www.amazon.com/review/R2EG7VH94BYA5G/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

~taminator40

On Going Bump in the Night

If you know me, you know I'm fairly interested in the paranormal. I'm not exactly sure what fueled my initial interest, but I can say that some odd stuff has happened to me in my life and as I age, I am much more open to the idea that there's something else out there.

I'm a huge fan of the Sci-Fi television show, Ghost Hunters. I love their scientific approach to the paranormal; they believe 80% of what people term as "haunted" can actually be rationally explained, and that's what they set out to do. It's the other 20% that cannot be explained that becomes evidence for ghosties and their activity.

When I learned that Jason Hawes of Ghost Hunters was publishing a book on his ghost hunting experiences, I was eager to snatch it up when it was published. I sped through it almost as soon as it arrived, and found that it's a very credible retelling of many of the episodes of the show, as well as a few other experiences that haven't been shared via t.v. The book is a fast read, and fun as well. Jason's ironic, grumpy but loveable tone comes through and I enjoyed hearing his take on many of the paranormal investigations he's been on. And while Grant is secretly my favorite of the two main ghost hunters, I did love this book. My review at Amazon can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2xrkwg.

My reading has screeched to a halt with band season and school. I'm still reading Diana Gabaldon's Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. The excellent news is up next after that is Elizabeth Chadwick's A Place Beyond Courage. I cannot wait to sink into that one--made all the more special by Susan having sent me a copy herself ! Through reading her notes on John Marshall, I'm fairly certain I'm going to be in love soon.

~taminator40

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Do you believe in ghosts? I'm 95% sure I do, but even if I didn't, I do adore watching Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi on Wednesdays, and I like reading about others' possible encounters with the spirit world. This book, Will Storr Vs. the Supernatural, written by Will Storr, British journalist-at-large, is his take on paranormal investigation and the possibility that something else exists beyond death. Storr is not only a skeptic, he's agnostic; this adds a different dimension to his research since he grapples with his Catholic upbringing that he'd thought well behind him. So what does he surmise by the end of the book? I won't tell you (very evil grin inserted here) but I will say that lives are changed and thought processes are examined very closely. Nice and creepy, humorous and philosophical, this is a must-read for those who enjoy the possibilties of the paranormal.

The link to my amazon review can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/3xokrg

Now I'm reading an account of the Titanic sinking from a survivor's point of view. This is a short one that likely will not be reviewed at amazon as it's lacking an ISBN number since it was published by the Titanic Historical Society. I will review it here when I finish, which should be tonight since it's very short.

Tomorrow I'll review the Harry Potter movie, which we saw today.

~taminator40

Yet Another Review

I completed another small book yesterday, Relax, It's Only a Ghost by Echo Bodine. A fun little book, it details the author's experiences ghostbusting (a term I despise, btw). In my fascination with ghosts (I spent much of last night watching Ghost Hunters on SciFi--a whole 'nother issues---why in the hell aren't they running the new episodes NOW?), I picked this one up off pbswap. I have issues with the author's "gifts"; I just don't think ghosts pick a house and hang out, sometimes up to twenty in a home. And the whole spirit guide thing? Don't get me started. But other than that, this was a fast, fun read, and interesting if most of it is true. As far as books on the paranormal go, this is one of the better ones.

Here's the link to my Amazon.com book review:
http://tinyurl.com/yr79z6

Visit and vote if you are so inclined. I can recommend it for what it is.

~taminator40