5 comments about Spooky New England: Tales of hauntings, strange happenings, and other local lore.

1. It was wonderful to read these spine-tingling folktales from New England. The historical stories from the Colonial period were especially fascinating to me. The fear of being "witch-ridden" came up more than once (in The Witch-sheep and in Old Betty Booker). It appears to have been a very real terror for the New England folks once-upon-a-time.

   My very favorite story was Tom Dunn's Dance, in which Tom changes from a wild young man to a model citizen, all because of a certain, terrifying experience one night on top of Rag Rock.

   A very enjoyable collection.




2. This great short story collection made me sleep with the light on! My husband came home late one night while I was reading the Telltale Seaweed (the first story in the book), and when he slammed the front door I nearly jumped out of my skin! I was sure the ghost had arrived to get me!

   The things I like best about this collection of spooky stories are that the stories are all based on the oral tradition from New England, that they are told phenomenally well (Books on Tape should record this collection; it just begs to be read out loud), and that many of the stories make you think: "That could really have happened".

   I found these stories more insidiously spooky than some of the Stephen King novels, which are not too realistic. If you think suspense/thriller films vs. horror flicks, you get the picture.

   Can't wait for the next book!




3. The book was a good read. The stories move quickly and are well told. I especially enjoyed reading Mary's Flowers to the grand children. All the stories are presented in a realistic fashion and you are able to identify with the character's in the book. You end up asking yourself could this story really be true. The story entitled The White Deer seemed like it was talking about a real event involving real people. I enjoyed reading the book very much. Some of the stories can be read many times and seem to retain their freshness.



4. The book sounded great but the stories are very lackluster; they lack the proper description to make the stories frightening. The stories take place in New England but the author fails to bring any local flavor to the stories; they could take place anywhere at all!
   
   Plus, truth be told, the stories are not scary at all. A guy sees a dog and the next day he trips on a mountain. Wow, what goosebumps!!!
   
   Finally the author fails to tell us how she gleaned the stories or provide any background.
   
   The one star is for the moody drawings which are well done.



5. Spooky New England isn't your standard book of true accounts of ghostly encounters that you see so often today. Rather, as explained in the introduction, this is really a collection of myths, legends, and local folklore from various parts of the New England landscape. These are the tales that kids told each other around the bonfire at Summer camp and that locals regale tourists with as they visit their small towns. It's America's folklore that is fast fading from the memory of present day people. Thankfully this book helps keep alive these chilling tales from America's oldest and original settlements. New England has always been brimming with ghost stories, told by some of our greatest early writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving.
   
   Retold by S.E. Schlosser, you'll read tales from the coast of Maine to Massachusetts and a more perfect book for entertaining guests for a Halloween party you couldn't hope to find. From Martha's Vineyard read about the mysterious Blue Rock where phantom pirates buried a secret treasure long ago. Then there is the ghost of Elvira Blood, wife of sea captain Sam Blood. While Sam drank and feasted with his buddies at the local pub, his poor wife and their children were left with watery soups until Mrs. Blood finally got wind of her husband's deeds. Even after she died, there would be no more feasts at the Mariners Club, as her ghost would tip over the table and spill the food all over the floor!
   
   There is the tragic tale of the "Wraith in the Storm" about a young man who went out to sea just as terrible storms struck. His young sister then would see a spectral funeral march towards their house carrying a casket but it soon disappeared. Yet days later the family would receive word that their son's ship sank and there were no survivors. In other tales you'll read about The Devil's Hole, the Loup-Garou, and the Black Dog of Hanging Hills.
   
   The stories are scary, but not too potent that young ones will need to hide under their beds. There's a great amount of charm in them as well and it's a wonderful collection of almost forgotten American folklore.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson

2 comments about Perfectly Prep: Gender Extremes at a New England Prep School (Child Development in Cultural Context).

1. Sarah Chase provides a working vocabulary for us to discuss this sector of our society (affluent New England boarding school communities) and, at the same time, offers another arena in which to discuss the ways the stresses and pulls of adolescence affect boys and girls differently. She delivers on her promise to separate, skillfully and fairly, the issues that confront boys and the issues that confront girls with keen perception and careful research. Her prose is smooth and accessible, and she makes her points without judgement or animus. Bravo!
   I can't help wondering if the co-authors of RESTLESS VIRGINS wish they could have read PERFECTLY PREP as part of their research on the adolescent behavior that caught their imagination.



2. Sarah Chase does a great job adressing issues us parents would just as soon didn't exist. Her writing style is very easy reading and you do not need to be an academic to enjoy it. Although my children attend a prep school in California, many of the issues the teenagers face are the same.

No comments about Recommended Country Inns New England, 19th (Recommended Country Inns Series).

No comments about Exploring the Appalachian Trail Hikes in Southern New England: Connecticut Massachusetts Vermont (Exploring the Appalachian Trail).

No comments about King Richard II (The New Cambridge Shakespeare).

3 comments about Connecticut Off the Beaten Path, 7th (Off the Beaten Path Series).

1. my family and i just moved to CT and i bought this book to give us a better idea of things to explore and check out. lots of great tidbits and a ton of stuff to do all over CT. must have!



2. Good book. Shows a lot of places to see and a lot of things to do in a very small state.



3. Connecticut off the beaten path is a great book to keep with you in the car for those spontaneous trips. Lots of ideas in all four corners of the state!

No comments about Insight Guide New England (Insight Guides New England).

2 comments about Haunted Massachusetts: Ghosts And Strange Phenomena Of The Bay State (Haunted).

1. I'm not sure you'd get too much of an argument if you were to state that New England is the most haunted region of the United States, and certainly leading the charge with its colorful history of pirates, Indian wars, witchcraft, and puritanical oppression would be Massachusetts. "Haunted Massachusetts" gives readers 128 pages with dozens of tales of hauntings and other weird phenomena culled from throughout the state and separated by region. Books like this are very important in keeping alive local legends and lore and author Cheri Revai gives readers a lot of bang for their buck.
   
   While I've read a number of books on ghosts from the Massachusetts and Boston areas, most of the stories in the book were unknown to me. For example there is the story of "The Bloody Pit" a five mile rail tunnel through Hoosac Mountain that even Native Americans avoided. It's estimated that as many as 200 men may have lost their lives in the 1800's as the tunnel was constructed, leading to reports of groans, cries, and whispers from within the tunnel, and spectral lanterns being seen moving about as if the laborers are still hard at work.
   
   Then there is the story of the Charles Haskell, a fishing schooner that was cursed before it ever set sail when a man slipped and broke his neck. Sailors, always a suspicious lot, were hesitant to sail on the ship after this. But what happened when it finally went out was beyond even their worst fears as the men saw the ghosts of fisherman climbing into the ship from the sea itself, empty sockets for eyes, as they went about fishing before disappearing back into the sea. Small wonder that soon the Charles Haskell was returned to port, never to sail again.
   
   Witchcraft has been a part of the fabric of Massachusetts for well over 300 years. One eerie tale relates the story of Margaret Lesson, "old Meg" as she was called and reputed to be a witch. After an argument with a couple of soldiers in the 1700's, the soldiers soon found themselves harassed by a crow. Suspecting witchcraft, they filled their weapons with the silver buttons off their uniforms and shot the bird. They would later find out that old Meg died of the very same wounds.
   
   There's the haunted old Hornbine School, built in 1645 and still standing today where people swear that the stern headmaster is still giving out lessons to the children and then the Shrieking English Woman, killed by pirates off Marblehead and still crying out in pain for help over two centuries later.
   
   Some stories will be familiar, such as that of the House of the Seven Gables, made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne who spent a great deal of time in the house, the oldest wooden mansion in all of New England. And then there is the terrifying home of Lizzie Borden in Fall River, MA, where Lizzie allegedly hacked her father and step-mother to death but would be found not guilty. Today the home is a rather exclusive Bed & Breakfast that may be still haunted by the Bordens who have been known to tuck guests into their beds at night.
   
   The writing is light and to the point. Revai doesn't offer opinions on the stories, that's not her goal. She succeeds in tantalizing readers with dozens of weird and chilling stories from all over Massachusetts. A Comprehensive bibliography lists the books and online sources that she used in putting the book together. It's really a wonderful read and highly recommended for fans of the genre.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. This was more of a historical account of Massachusetts's ghosts. A number of the stories are well known (to ghost fanatics, that is,) and offer no new information. If you are expecting a collection of stories, compiled from first-hand accounts of witnesses, you will be disappointed.

No comments about Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL.

5 comments about Wuthering Heights (Modern Library Classics).

1. Set on the moors, it is a pity that the Hound of the Baskervilles didn't get 'em. This would have saved a lot of characters a lot of grief. An orphan is taken in, and the problems start there as he grows up, has his own problems and inflicts them on others. The great detective has something to say about such places : "But look at these lonely houses, each in its own fields, filled for the most part with poor ignorant folk who know little of the law. Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on, year in, year out, in such places, and none the wiser. Had this lady who appeals to us for help gone to live in Winchester, I should never have had a fear for her. It is the five miles of country which makes the danger."



2. Heathcliff is a fierce, pitiless, wolfish man inside and out. His character makes this an interesting story. But it was a little tedious to read. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: none. Setting about 1775 to 1805 England. Published about 1847. Genre: obsessive historical romance.



3. Although some of the plot elements seem preposterous today the story remains a great read. What a love story! A great tale of people sometimes setting in motion awful events due to their desire to do what they see as right in their own eyes. Recommended. Well-written.



4. (Like the curmudgeonly CAT in the COMIC...get it?)
   
   Great old-style classic novel. One of Henry Miller's favorites; that's what attracted me to it.
   
   I liked the style of the narrative, largely told through the reminiscences of the housekeeper Nelly. This is one dysfunctional family!
   
   Like many novels from this period it's all about the interpersonal relationships; there isn't anything external happening to anyone here of any particular consequence. But the masterful storytelling and imaginings of the authoress really do make this a worthwhile and rewarding literary journey.
   
   Read it! Classics rule!



5. This novel is far from what I expected.
   
   I had listened to many of my friends judge Cathy and Heathcliff very harshly, and I went into the book expecting to explore the evilness of human nature. Instead, I found that Bronte broke barriers by producing two very real characters.
   
   Cathy and Heathcliff's story explores the consequences to the character's decisions. Bronte does not gloss over the reasons for the decisions (money, greed, breeding, retaliation, etc), but those reasons play a minimal role. Instead, she chooses to show how a human reacts to a good/bad decision, and when life doesn't go his or her way.
   
   My suggestion for reading Wuthering Heights is to place yourself in Cathy and Heathcliff's shoes and figure out if there was another choice for their behavior.