Friday, October 4, 2019

Fall Reading and Book Recommendations!

Happy October, friends! I wanted to share my current reading, along with my reading goals for fall (and likely winter), and hopefully hear from you about what you are reading as well! I am also including a shameless plug for my own books, which are all great reads for a festive Spoopy Season. I had the most magical time on my trip to New Orleans last month, and I encourage you to get out this autumn and explore moretake yourself on at least one adventure, no matter how local. Drive down one back road. Peek around one dark corner. There is magic to be found all around us. Happy Hauntings!:

Current Reading

The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed & Lorraine Warren, by Gerard Brittle: I picked this up after the passing of Lorraine Warren earlier this year. It's quite an homage to the Warrens and provides fascinating insight into how alleged demonic activity is perceived from a very Catholic perspective.

Game of Thrones: A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin: I'm getting through it, slowly but surely, and am one of the five people left on the planet who hasn't seen the television series yet! I will treat myself to a binge-watch once I've wrapped this volume up.

Fall Reading Goals

Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, by Donnie Eichar: The Dyatlov Pass incident has been back in the media this year and it has my FULL attention. The Astonishing Legends podcast has a great series of episodes on the topic, and there are two excellent episodes of Expedition Unknown dedicated to this captivating mystery.

Get Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence, by Erica Dhawan and Saj-nicole Joni: I got a signed copy of this at the Administrative Professionals Conference in September in New Orleans, where Erica Dhawan was a keynote speaker. This will apply to my professional life as well as personaleffective communication is a skill we can use in all facets of our lives!

Gumbo Ya Ya: Louisiana Folktales, by Lyle Saxon, et al.: I bought this at Faulkner House Books in New Orleans and can't wait to devour this collection of Louisiana lore, including classic stories of the loup garou, New Orleans Axeman, Zulu King, and more.

Indian Mounds of Wisconsin, by Robert A. Birmingham and Amy L. Rosebrough: After filming with the Travel Channel in May and speaking on the topic of Man Mound in Baraboo, I picked this up in a Baraboo bookstore and hope to learn about, study, and visit more of these sacred places. I also found an old pamphlet detailing the locations of the many mounds in the town of Baraboo itself (now almost entirely built over).

Surviving Death: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Afterlife, by Leslie Kean: This book came highly recommended to me and it sounds really interesting. Near death experiences are not a topic I know a great deal about, so I am looking forward to opening Pandora's box.

The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature, by J. Drew Lanham: I got to see Drew Lanham speak this summer at a meeting of the Chicago Ornithological Society, and he delivered part of his talk about his adventures in birding and bird conservation in the form of spoken word poetry. It was beautiful, impactful, and timely.

The Interfaith Prayer Book, compiled by Ted Brownstein: I grabbed this at the Ba'hai Temple this summer. I would like to introduce more meditation and prayer into my life!

My Books

This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost: Although originally intended for a young adult audience, this book has far and away been most popular with full-grown ghost hunters/paranormal investigators and paranormal enthusiasts. It's a quick read for adults. The book is almost ten years old now and in its third edition, and is still incredibly close to my heart.

Maryland Ghosts: Paranormal Encounters in the Free State: You don't have to be a Marylander to engage with this collection of 35 true personal experiences with the state's ghosts, monsters, and UFOs, including Civil War and other historic sites, as well as the infamous Jericho Covered Bridge near Kingsville and Ellicott City's Hell House.

Breakfast with Bigfoot: For ages three through six, this book is based on an historic Bigfoot encounter that is often retold in the media (and also on Astonishing Legends). I changed the main character from an adult man who claimed to be abducted by a Bigfoot to a girl who is rescued by a Bigfoot...and hilarity ensues. Get it for the kids, or for yourself. I won't tell.

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