"Washington Disasters" By Rob & Natalie McNair-Huff

Title: Washington Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival
Authors: Rob & Natalie McNair-Huff
Published Year: 2006
Pages: 193


Here's a fun book based on incidents that have happened right in my own backyard over the years. Set in chronological order, the authors take the reader through 22 different disasters that have taken place in Washington state between the years of 1700 and 2001. If you are not a Washington native or do not know anything about the geography the area, don't fret, the authors have even included a map at the beginning showing where each event took place. As you are reading about the events you can always glance back to find out what area in the state they are talking about. The majority of the events take place in western Washington, which is more populated that eastern Washington (at least this is what I have observed and been told, I haven't personally done any research on that), and so being from western Washington myself I found it simply to identify the areas in which the events were taking place.

Here are the events that are included in the book (and yes I left them in the order from oldest to most recent as the book does also):

• The Great Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake
• The Columbia River Bar
• The Wreck of the Pacific
• The Great Seattle Fire
• The Great Spokane Falls Fire
• The Conconully Flood
• The Carbonado Mine Explosion
• The Tacome Trolley Disaster
• The Yacolt Burn
• The Sinking of the SS Clallam
• The SS Dix Collision
• The Wellington Railway Disaster
• Western Washington Windstorm
• The Boeing Field Air Disaster
• The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse
• Mount Rainier Plane Crash
• The Puget Sound Earthquakes
• The Columbus Day Storm
• The Mount St. Helens Eruption
• The Tyee Creek Fire
• The Nisqually Earthquake
• The Thirtymile Fire

"Haunted: The Incredible True Story of a Canadian Family's Experience Living in a Haunted House" By Dorah L. Williams

Title: Haunted: The Incredible True Story of a Canada Family's Experience Living in a Haunted House
Author: Dorah L. Williams
Published Year: 2002
Pages: 189


Williams is not only the author of this experience that is told in this book, but she was also a resident of the home where all the action took place. This book is her first hand account of what happened in the home during the time of the haunting which took place over several years. The book describes the chronological time line of what events happened during the haunting, what the residents discovered about it and what they ultimately decide to do about the haunting.

Coming from the person who actually lived during the events, it gives the book a much more realistic feeling. I am not as harsh when it is told from the first person accounts as I would be with other books that claim to be authoritative sources on the subject and the authors are not subjective at all. So with that in mind while reading this I treated it more like reading a case study, just another example if you will. That's all I can use it for as there is no direct concrete evidence otherwise. Williams does have a convincing voice through her written word and I have no doubt that these events actually took place as she describes them.

"Horror at the Haunted House" By Peg Kehret

Title: Horror at the Haunted House
Author: Peg Kehret
Published Year: 1992
Pages: 132
Genre: Young-Adult Fiction

Kehret has written other books for young adults (I would put this in the 10-13 year old range depending on reading ability) and this is her second one I have read. The other work I have read from her is Terror At the Zoo which I read in the mid-90s while away at camp. Both works are based in Washington which is the state that I have lived my whole life in (with the exception of 6 weeks in Alaska one summer). So I find the scenery easy to associate with and it brings a kind of home state feeling to me which I do not get out of other books where I am not familiar with the areas that are described in them. Now on to the synopsis of the actual book.

Horror at the Haunted House is a story of a girl who is invited along with her brother to play a character in a local haunted house that is being done to raise money for the local Historical Society. The house that is being used as the haunted house now belongs to the local Historical Society and will be used as a museum after the haunted house is done for Halloween season. The main character is enthralled with the chance and learning about the history of the home and its former occupants. To make things even more exciting, there is rumor to be a real ghost within the walls of the home. As the story progresses, the ghost begins to make appearances and it is up to the main character to find out who the ghost is and why they have come back at this time to show their presence.

Overall this is a good book in my opinion. There is plenty of action and mystery to keep the book moving and there are lots of little surprises throughout it. It is not too scary so those that are worried about it, don't be. Unless of course you don't like a good ghost story as this book has a ghost within its pages.

"Hauntings & Poltergeists: A Ghost Hunter's Guide" By Loyd Auerbach

Title: Hauntings & Poltergeists: A Ghost Hunter's Guide
Author: Loyd Auerbach
Published Year: 2004
Pages: 191
Genre: Metaphysics/Unexplained Phenomena


After reading this book, I do agree with it being a starter ghost hunter's guide. Just a step in the right direction on ghost hunting, but definitely not a source for all things ghost hunting. The author takes the reader through a series of chapters that explain different aspects of ghosts. Developing a foundation with this information should be extremely important just as any other subject you may decide to pursue. He relates personal stories of ghost hunting as well so it is not too much of a technical book. I always have liked educational books that include actual examples in real life, it brings the material to life and makes it more believable.

In addition to the classifications of ghosts and to a lesser extent poltergeists he also brings in good information on what a ghost hunter should take with them as well as what types of things to look for and ask about to witnesses.

Like I mentioned earlier, it is a good starting point for someone just starting out in ghost hunting, but as you become more experienced and more technical, other sources will be more helpful in that aspect.

"UFO: The Continuing Enigma" Edited By Reader's Digest

Title: UFO: The Continuing Enigma
Edited By: Reader's Digest (no author listed on copy of book)
Published Year: 1991
Pages: 144
Series: Quest for the Unknown


In the early 1990s, Reader's Digest published some books under its name in this series called "Quest for the Unknown". This book selection is one of those books in that series. The series seems to be created to bring books about mysterious subjects to the general population without overwhelming them or getting into too much scientific detail. One awesome part of this book is that it is broken up into sections with a gist of the information that is out there on that subject and it is not one-sided. I find it so hard these days to find a book on subjects of the paranormal and unknown that are equally balanced and not just one sided.

I would definitely recommend this book for readers that are curious about UFOs and the subjects related to them while at the same time just taking in the sampling.

Here are the actual chapter titles so you can get a better understanding of what is included:

• An Alien Encounter
• UFO's Through the Ages
• Investigators and Spacecraft
• Contact With the Visitors
• Faith and Paranoia
• Unraveling the Enigma

Since the book was published in 1991 some of the items are not up to date but they still hold a historical reference for UFOs so that is not a reason to not take a peek at this book.

"Dead Man's Song" By Jonathan Maberry

Title: Dead Man's Song
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Published Year: 2007
Pages: 508 pages

My first Maberry book! And I do have to tell you that the hype about him is for real, as in his stuff is good. I feel like I am not missing out anymore by not having read any of his works. Of course now, like when I get hooked onto an author all I want to do is read more by him despite the fact that I have a ton of books just waiting for me to devour them. We'll see how that all pans out, I do know eventually I will read his other works. I do own a couple of his others, so I may be reading them in the near future. So now on to this book though.

Dead Man's Song takes place in a small farming community. The community bases its whole economic growth on the yearly harvest and Halloween festivities. This year something horrible is happening during the time when the community is supposed to be raking in the dough just as it did over 30 years prior. People are turning up missing and others are going crazy. The whole thing seems to be a repeat of events that took place 30 years prior when a killing spree around the community went on. Not only are people missing, but bodies are going missing and many locals are wondering whether wild animals, or stranger creatures like werewolves or vampires are responsible for the creepy events going on.

Maberry is able to weave a fantastic tale of human strength and triumph along with elements of the supernatural. Since the book is based on my favorite time of the year he even gets bonus points for that too. Once I actually got into the book and focused into it, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to keep going and find out what was going to happen next. This doesn't always happen for me as at times I can get distracted very easily. Not with Maberry though. And its not a book that you're just gonna sit in one sitting and finish unless you have the time. There is intricate plot lines in the book that need following. If you miss one, you may be lost later on.

"Ghost Worlds: A Guide to Poltergeists, Portals, Ecto-Mist & Spirit Behavior" By Melba Goodwyn

Title: Ghost Worlds: A Guide to Poltergeists, Portals, Ecto-Mist & Spirit Behavior
Author: Melba Goodwyn
Published Year: 2007
Pages: 241
Genre: Body, Mind, Spirit/Parapsychology

First of all I just want to say that the title of this book is kind of a misnomer, at least in my own opinion(it is my blog after all). When it states that it is a guide to poltergeists, portals, ecto-mist and spirit behavior, that statement is not entirely correct. Goodwyn doesn't actually go into research of the topics and instead relies on her personal accounts with these items.

Goodwyn is a self-described ghost hunter and relates her experiences through the pages of this book. Since I have read a ton of books, well at least it feels like a ton of books, on the subjects that are supposed to be included in this book, I am not so sure of her actual credentials. I want more facts and information instead of the "This is what I saw so this is what it has to be" mentality. At one point she mentions that she will not even go into the idea that orbs are not actual ghosts or spirit contacts because she knows they are. If you are going to have someone believe in what you are presenting, you need to present both sides of the issue. I kind of get stubborn about believing something if I do not know the other side of the story with the facts.

So you have been forewarned. If you are looking for personal accounts of stories of the topics that are stated in the title, dive right in. However I wouldn't use this as a serious research tool.