I’ve written twice on Flat Eartherism. On Spooky Geology – Anti-globular convictions: Flat Earth belief explodes in popularity On this blog with thoughts on the 2018 Behind the Curve documentary […]
Tag: book review
The odd and clunky guide to researching the paranormal – Book Review
Researching the Paranormal: How to Find Reliable Information about Parapsychology, Ghosts, Astrology, Cryptozoology, Near-Death Experiences, and More By Courtney M. Block, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2020. 342pp. There has not […]
Ghost Studies and Lightforms: A review of two paranormal research books
Long ago, my interest in paranormal topics became jaded because popular books were repetitive, full of the same information and stories as the last one. For decades, books written on […]
Copy-paste cryptozoology
A review of Chasing American Monsters: Over 250 Creatures, Cryptids, and Hairy Beasts by Jason Offutt (2019). I’ve been thinking a lot about cryptozoology lately. While consuming content about many […]
The monsters of cryptozoology: Book review
A review of The Monster Book: Creatures, Beasts and Fiends of Nature by Nick Redfern. Cryptozoology literature has a problem.
Doubt and About: Revisiting Fort and more short book opinions
It’s been a long while since I did a “doubt and about” post detailing what’s going on. I’m in a weird space right now. I don’t really feel like talking […]
Let this one be a Devil’s biography (Book Review)
“The Secret History of the Jersey Devil: How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster” by Brian Regal and Frank J. Esposito, dispels myths about the ‘Jersey Devil’. Rooting the legend in 17th-century quarrels, politics and media-driven hoaxes, they argue that the monster is a misinterpretation of stories from the Leeds family, rather than a supernatural creature.
A modern encyclopedia of popular ghostlore (Book Review)
“Ghosts in Popular Culture and Legend” is an exhaustive, cross-referenced encyclopedia chronologically exploring ghost depictions from ancient times to modern pop culture. Besides films, TV, literature, and games, emphasis is also laid on representations of women as ghosts, writers, and mediums.
Reading list for paranormal investigation and research
Check out my recommended lists of books for the serious and credible ghost researcher.
Big black cats of the Southern U.S. get their own book (Book Review)
Michael Mayes’ book ‘Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America’ provides a comprehensive exploration of black big cat sightings in North America. The various theories considered include melanistic jaguars, cougars, or giant feral cats. Mayes argues most sightings are likely misidentifications of other animals. Although the book sometimes lacks academic rigour, it remains a significant contribution to cryptozoological literature.
A rarity: An impressive and useful ghost guide (Book Review)
Steve Parsons criticizes amateur ghost investigators for sensationalizing paranormal inquiries without adhering to scientific guidelines in his book, ‘Ghostology: The Art of the Ghost Hunter’. He argues that investigations get lost amid personal ambitions, useless data, and lack of awareness about the subject’s history. Parsons calls for practical and ethical standards for paranormal investigations and recommends his book as a guide to help investigators avoid common mistakes and misleading conclusions.
Narcissistic America (Book Review)
The book “The Narcissist Next Door,” written by Jeffrey Kluger, explores the concept of narcissism, particularly in figures of authority. It claims Donald Trump as a prime example of an overinflated ego in a leadership role: something that can prevent an organization from functioning efficiently. The book highlights that individuals with narcissistic attributes, such as inflated self-importance and lack of empathy, tend to be influential in various sectors including politics, Hollywood, and academia.
Ghosts as modern history (Book review)
Lisa Morton presents another version of the history of ghosts in Ghosts: A Haunted History (Reaktion Books, London, 2015). In this case, it is an international popular history of ghosts in philosophy, […]
Confessions about Confessions of Ghost Hunters
There are three books that are explicitly titled “Confessions of a Ghost Hunter” – from 1928, 1936 and 2002. There is also one called “Confessions of a Reluctant Ghost Hunter” […]
The manufactured, badly-behaved Ouija demon: Zozo (Book Review)
In the classic book Psychology of Superstition, Gustav Jahoda writes that beliefs are not just in our heads, they affect our behavior, and that self-fulfilling prophecy is not uncommon in […]
Monster tales of the southern swamps (Book Review)
Beyond Boggy Creek: In Search of the Southern Sasquatch, by Lyle Blackburn (2017) This is Blackburn’s third book in a semi-series of volumes on southern bipedal creatures. I reviewed the […]
Monsters (and sciencey-sounding nonsense) Among Us – Book Review
I feel I should preface this book review with an explanation of why I, a person that rejects paranormal explanations (for good reason), would be interested in reading books about […]
Book review: Margery and Houdini story reveals gaps, not answers
A review of The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World by David Jaher This is a story of Spiritualism in America in the early […]
Dreaming of DNA: Review of Sykes’ Bigfoot, Yeti and the last Neanderthal
Originally published in the UK as The Nature of the Beast, Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes’ Bigfoot, Yeti and the Last Neanderthal: A geneticist’s search for modern apemen is highly enjoyable and reveals a bunch of […]
The State of the Science: Parapsychology (Book Review)
In October of last year I wrote a blog post about a review of a new parapsychology compendium. Finally, I’ve gotten to read the entire book referenced for myself, cover […]