REVIEW: THE AMITYVILLE HORROR

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR

JAY ANSON

GENRE: HORROR / NONFICTION

SYNOPSIS

The Lutzes moved into their dream home on December 18th, 1975. Four weeks later, they fled in terror. The home was the scene of a mass murder a year before, and the Lutzes claimed paranormal phenomena caused them to fear for their lives and forced them to abandon the home. Touted as a true story.

MY TAKE

4 STARS

While this book is marketed as a true story, there are many doubts to it's authenticity. There are many that truly believe these events took place and others who claim the Lutzes manufactured the story of the Amityville house for monetary gain. When I started this story, I put it's truthfulness at the back of my mind and simply read the story as if it were pure fiction.

As a fiction work, I really enjoyed this book. The back story of the house is creepy enough with the DeFeo murders. Then you have this nice family that moves in and all kinds of craziness begins to happen in the house. You have everything you need for a good creepy haunted house story: history of murder, disembodied voices, music coming from nowhere, things moving, etc... This story is really compelling and it's very hard to put down.

On the nonfiction side, it's a little unbelievable. I can grasp the disembodied voices, things moving, etc., but I can't grasp the green slime coming from the walls or the levitation of Mr. and Mrs. Lutz. Whether any of it is true or not, I can't say. Which is why I would rather look at it from a fictional point-of-view.

If you are looking for a really creepy haunted house story, pick up a copy of The Amityville Horror. You won't be disappointed.

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REVIEW: SEEKING SPIRITS

SEEKING SPIRITS: THE LOST CASES OF THE ATLANTIC PARANORMAL SOCIETY

JASON HAWES, GRANT WILSON & MICHAEL JAN FREIDMAN

GENRE: PARANORMAL/NON FICTION

SYNOPSIS

TV's POPULAR GHOST HUNTERS REVEAL ALL-NEW, NEVER-BEFORE-TOLD STORIES FROM THEIR SPOOKY EARLY INVESTIGATIONS!
For the first time ever, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (T.A.P.S.), share their most memorable and spine-tingling early cases -- none of which has ever appeared on television. Beginning with the previously untold experiences that sparked their passion for ghost hunting, Jason and Grant's bone-chilling investigations uncover: � A Connecticut woman who seems to exist in two places at once

� A little girl whose invisible playmate retaliates
against her father's punishments

� A man overcome by an evil entity as Jason and Grant survey his home

� A distraught woman who dreams of paranormal events
before she experiences them...and much more!
Jason and Grant didn't always have the fancy scientific equipment and experienced team that fans now watch on their smash-hit television show. As they share their hair-raising first experiences, they offer essential tips for budding paranormal investigators -- including how to use an electromagnetic field (EMF) meter and an infrared camera, determine if a supernatural phenomenon is good or evil, and deal with spirits. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, these fascinating and frightening true stories will keep you up at night!

MY TAKE

4 STARS

I might as well go ahead and admit it—I'm a huge fan of Ghost Hunters and also the spin-off Ghost Hunters International. Both shows are entertaining and I adore the personalities of the ghost hunters themselves. However, within the same breath, I'm also a skeptic. I don't believe everything I see or hear on the shows.

This book, Seeking Spirits, is about the cases Jason and Grant investigated before they landed on television. The cases are broken down into chronological order according to year. In between cases there are sections thrown in devoted to explaining certain types of hauntings, devices, etc., to elaborate. The cases themselves range from the believable to unbelievable to just plain crazy.

Many of the cases in this book resulted in unexplained EVPs, noises, and the occasional shadow sighting. We see these types of cases a lot on the show. There were a couple of cases covered in this book that just seemed too “out there” for me. Take for instance the case entitled Pots & Pans. In 1997, a man named Tim claimed that his furniture would get rearranged and his pots and pans would be stacked in the floor by an unknown force. During the investigation Jason and Grant witnessed the claims first hand. They concluded that an “elemental” was responsible.

Another case I found totally blown away with was the case of the doppelganger. In 2001, Jason and Grant got a call from a man that said he was concerned about his wife. He claimed that he would have conversations with his wife, then later his wife would account they had no such conversation. This doesn't seem very paranormal sounding does it? Well, the situation started to become worse for the man and his wife and he decided that he needed someone to come in and investigate his claims and get to the bottom of what was happening. According to Jason and Grant, there was a doppelganger impersonating the wife. I still can't seem to wrap my head around that one.

Another case worth mentioning was an instance of a little old lady contacting T.A.P.S because she was hearing voices. Jason and Grant arrive and start conducting their interview with the lady. She was sweet and even brought them cookies and milk to snack on. At one point she goes to the kitchen to come back a minute later wielding a frying pan ready to conk both investigators on the head! The little old lady wasn't being affected by a haunting, instead she was found to have dementia.

I was thoroughly entertained by this book even though a few of the cases seemed a bit far-fetched.

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REVIEW: GRAVE'S END BY ELAINE MERCADO

GRAVE'S END: A TRUE GHOST STORY

ELAINE MERCADO

GENRE: PARANORMAL/NONFICTION

SYNOPSIS

When Elaine Mercado and her first husband bought their home in Brooklin, New York, in 1982, they had no idea that they and their youg daughters were embarking on a thirteen year nightmare.

Within a few days of moving in, Elaine and her older daughter began to experience the sensation of being watched. Then came scratching moises and weird smells, followed by voices whispering, maniacal laughter, shadowy figures scurrying along baseboards, and small balls of light bouncing along the ceilings. From the beginning of the haunting, "suffocating dreams" were experienced by everyone except the younger daughter These eventually accelerated to physical aggression directed at Elaine and both the girls.

This book is the true story of how one family tried to cope with living in a haunted house. It also describes how, with the help of a parapsychologist Dr. Hans Holtzer and the medium Marisa Anderson, the family discovered the tragic and heartbreaking secrets buried in the house at Grave's End.

MY TAKE

3 STARS

This book is written from the point of view of the author, Elaine Mercado. Grave's End tells her real-life experience of a haunting that ruled her and her family's life for many years. It was interesting to read about the disturbances this family experience in their home. I have always found it interesting to read first-hand experiences of the paranormal.

Mercado stresses over and over throughout the book how terrified she was during the times of frequent paranormal activity happening in the home followed by periods of normalcy. It's obvious that it was affecting not only her, but her children as well. I was astounded by how long it actually took for this family to seek out help or even research their home—we are talking years and years of living in fear.

I don't know if I much cared for the solution of bringing a “medium” into the home. I'm a bit on the fence when people start calling themselves a medium. I can buy the fact that some people are more sensitive to the “Other Side”, but people who call themselves mediums and claim to speak directly (and have conversations) with ghosts not so much.

I do believe this book could have been better written had Mercado teamed up with an established author to write this book. Nonetheless, I did find it to be interesting. I would recommend this book to readers who like to read about first-hand paranormal activity such as myself. If you find yourself in the category, you might like to check out some books written by Jeff Belanger.

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REVIEW: IN COLD BLOOD BY TRUMAN CAPOTE

IN COLD BLOOD

TRUMAN CAPOTE

GENRE: NONFICTION/TRUE CRIME

SYNOPSIS

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.

As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.

MY TAKE

Before this book, I had never heard of the Clutter murders; never heard of Holcomb, Kansas; never heard of Perry Smith or Dick Hickock—after reading this book I will never forget.

I found this book to be a very sad journey. The Clutters were truly good people—the kind of people you would want as neighbors or friends. They (father, mother, daughter age 16, and son age 15) were murdered senselessly.

In Cold Blood is one of those special books that will stay with you for a very long time. If you like to read true crime, you must read this book.

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REVIEW: THE DEATH OF JAMES DEAN BY WARREN NEWTON BEATH

THE DEATH OF JAMES DEAN

WARREN NEWTON BEATH

GENRE: NONFICTION

SYNOPSIS

Drawing on the inquest manuscript and other previously unpublished material, Warren Beath cuts through the welter of conflicting reports and rumors to provide a taut reconstruction of Dean's final hours.

MY TAKE

Before this book, my knowledge of James Dean was very limited. I had seen Rebel Without a Cause many years ago. I knew Dean had died in a car accident before the movie was even released. That was the extent of my knowledge of the late, great Mr. James Dean.

I was prompted to buy this book because I wanted to know more about the alleged “curse” of James Dean's car. I was a bit saddened that only a couple of pages actually discussed the “curse” of Dean's 550 Porsche Spyder. The first half of the book discussed a lot that happened September 30, 1955—the day James Dean died. Many conflicting reports, witness statements, etc. The second half of the book dives into Dean's loyal following and those obsessed with the crash that killed him.

Overall, this was a decent read for those like myself with limited knowledge of James Dean.

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REVIEW: ON WRITING BY STEPHEN KING

ON WRITING

STEPHEN KING

GENRE: GUIDE/NONFICTION

SYNOPSIS

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, "On Writing" will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

MY TAKE 

On Writing is not just for the aspiring writer—but for anyone who loves books and reading. This book will help the aspiring writer spot key issues in his/her work and how to address them. For the reader, it will make you appreciate the craft and the work (good) writers go through from beginning to end. Not only that, but this book will also help you spot those stories that aren't quite up-to-par (lazy writing, repetitiveness, lack of character development, useless words, etc...). This is not a step-by-step guide for aspiring writers (King makes this clear), but what works for Stephen King himself.

What I really liked about this book is that King not only discusses writing, but also key points of his life—which I found very interesting. He discusses his childhood and the beginning points of his writing, meeting his wife, the struggles of being an aspiring writer, selling his first novel (Carrie), drug abuse, and being hit by a van in 1999.

I found myself not wanting to put this book down until I was done (although I eventually had to due to lack of sleep). I practically hung on every word. I can pretty much guarantee I will never be able to attend a King seminar, or be able to interview him in person, so this book was the next best thing. It's written in a way that makes you feel as if you are listening to him speak right in front of you. On Writing is amazing stuff!

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