Part I: Are Ghosts Real? Exploring the Supernatural
Dear reader have you ever heard the phrase “I went down a rabbit hole.”? Usually this is spoken when one looks up a fact that they do not know and are inevitably sucked deeper and deeper into a topic pulled along by their curiosity. They usually emerge from this “rabbit hole” filled with a wealth of random knowledge about this particular topic. Lately I have found myself pulled “down the rabbit hole” by the books I have been reading. One book recommends another and that book recommends yet another book on the topic I have been reading. Join me as I take you down the rabbit hole and share with you my strange journey through these books on topics of my interest.
Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey
I may have blogged about this title before as I first read this book last year. At that time I had no idea it would tie into the other books in my journey. Ghostland tells the story of famous American hauntings while exploring the real and true history behind the stories. This book features such famed paranormal places as the Winchester House, Alcatraz Prison, and the cemeteries of New Orleans to name just a few. Besides exploring the true histories of these haunted locations Colin Dickey asks some hard psychological questions. Why do we tell ghost stories? What makes a location haunted? Why is this haunting more famous than that haunting? What does the tale tell us about our values or guilt as a society? In exploring America’s tales of the paranormal, Dickey forces us to look within ourselves to discover truths about human nature, our society, and historical truths we may be too scared to face.
This was a very different read than other books on the paranormal that I have read. I would recommend this book to both believers and skeptics alike as it sheds light on the true origins of our ghost stories whether you believe in them or not.
Click HERE to request Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places
A Haunted History of Invisible Women by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes
When I picked up this book I had no idea that I was about to be sucked down a rabbit hole. I thought that this was just going to be a simple book of ghost stories that I could read before falling asleep at night. (I know reading ghost stories before sleep sounds bizarre, but I enjoy it and I sleep well.) This book was not what I expected. It is very similar to Ghostland: An American History of Haunted Places and actually pulls quotations from that book for a few of the included stories (which is why I included Ghostland as a part of this post). What separates this book from Ghostland is that A Haunted History of Invisible Women focuses solely on how women have been perceived throughout history and how their status in society has influenced the ghost stories and folktales surrounding them.
The book takes the approach of exploring female ghost stories by type. I had never thought about how there are so many types of female ghosts in our stories. We have witches, ghostly widows, weeping women, women in white, ghostly mothers, ghostly prostitutes, screaming banshees, and the list goes on. There are far more types of paranormal women than there are men. A Haunted History of Invisible Women explores why that is by following popular ghost stories and folktales to their roots. The authors examine how the story evolved and changed over time to reflect the changing concerns and values of society.
If you are looking for a book that scares you with bloodcurdling ghostly tales, this is not it. A Haunted History of Invisible Women is a work of literary and historical study on the origins of the stories we tell and what these stories have to say about our society. One story that this book explores is that of Jan Bryant Bartell, an actress and poet who lived in a haunted/cursed apartment building. Jan herself wrote her own book on her experiences, Spindrift: Spray From a Psychic Sea. Hearing about this novel I knew I had to check it out to hear the whole story from the point of view of the woman who lived it! Hence we move on to my next entry….
Click HERE to request A Haunted History of Invisible Women
Spindrift: Spray From a Psychic Sea by Jan Bryant Bartell
As I said, I learned about this book from reading A Haunted History of Invisible Women. The selling point on this one for me was the mention that everyone who lived in the apartment building died. The author herself, though she managed to move out, died just after finishing the manuscript for this novel. Spooky huh? Do not worry, I am suffering no ill effects from having read and finished this book, but it will be one I will think of for a long time. Jan Bryant Bartell was a stage actress, poet, student of archaeology, believer in astrology, and claimed psychic. Due to her interesting background she makes a fascinating and witty author. It was her charm and wit as a narrator that kept me so hooked. Spindrift reads like a gothic horror novel. Fans of A Haunting of Hill House will swoon. The apartment building featured in the story is positively unnerving. Just like the author I was waiting for something to jump out around the corner at any minute. It takes towards the end of the book for people to start dropping like flies, but the read is well worth it. The book really made me think about the possibility of humans having a 6th sense that we have suppressed due to societal ridicule. The author makes some interesting studies and observations throughout the book that are worth pondering on. Personally I believe in life after death. I like to think that there is a world alongside this one that we sometimes are able to catch a small glimpse of beyond the veil. This book pried deeply into the subject of reincarnation, psychic abilities, life after death, and the supernatural. I will need quite a break to mull the topic over before going down this rabbit hole further.
Spindrift: Spray From the Psychic Sea is only available in interlibrary loan format. We are happy to place that request for you over the phone or in person at Mead Public Library: 920-459-3400. You can find out more information about placing an interlibrary loan request by clicking HERE.
Part II: Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Misunderstood or Serial Killer?
A few months ago I blogged about reading the book Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath. One entry in that book examined the life of Elizabeth Bathory. Jason Porath referenced the book Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory by Kimberly L. Craft. Up until the point of reading Rejected Princesses I had always thought the historical Elizabeth Bathory to be a blood thirsty serial killer who bathed in the blood of virgins. I should have known that that notion was outlandish, but that is who she has become in popular culture and myth. It turns out that many of the claims against this woman can be traced back to the men who sought her fortune. (She was a rich widow after all.) I did not think anymore of her for awhile until I picked up the next book in one of my favorite paperback series: Rogue Angel.
The book in question that dragged me down the rabbit hole of fascination with Elizabeth Bathory was Rogue Angel: Bathed in Blood by Alex Archer. Rogue Angel is a fun paperback adventure series that is best explained as a cross between Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones. As there are over fifty titles in the series we do not carry them, but many titles can be interlibrary loaned. I started collecting my personal collection back when I was in college and Kmart and Book World were still in existence. Each is a very fun adventure romp that keeps me coming back for more! Though I adore the Rogue Angel series, this book did Elizabeth Bathory so dirty just in the opening scene. The author was going for sensation and followed the popular tropes of the villainess emerging from the large bloody bath surrounded by the drained bodies of murdered virgins. (Luckily the whole novel does not dwell on this trope and we veer off into chasing a modern killer mimicking the supposed killings of Bathory.) The opening scene in question sent me into exploring who the real Elizabeth Bathory actually was. Honestly I feel bad if it is absolutely true that her reputation has been so tarnished by history that she is turned into this vampirish woman. I went down a rabbit hole of books to find the truth of the matter. From what I have found so far, I believe the truth to be somewhere in the middle.
The Countess by Rebecca Johns
Intending to dive into the true history of Elizabeth Bathory, I found that there are really not many nonfiction books that have been written on the subject. I found one book: Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory by Kimberly L. Craft (more on this one later). However this title can only be accessed as an interlibrary loan through our system so I would not have as much time with it. As I was reading Spindrift and a few other titles at the time I knew I would not be able to spend as much time with the book as I would have liked. I shelved it for later. In the meantime I stumbled across this fiction that draws from research done from the nonfiction book.
The Countess is Elizabeth (Erzsebet is her true Hungarian pronunciation) Bathory’s story of her life from her own perspective. Through the eyes of The Countess the reader is taken through defining moments of her life that shaped who she became. The book paints a portrait of a woman’s life in 1500s-1600s Hungary. I for one would not want to live then. For the history lover there are plenty of glimpses into what life was like. Erzsebet details beauty routines from that periodoften in the course of the novel. (Plucking out your grey hairs for example. Yikes!).
In the beginning I worried after her. She was not yet the woman that history has come to remember for violent acts. She was but a girl sold off in an arranged marriage to a man who did not love her. All she desired was to be loved and protected. I cheered for her in her moments of triumph when she overcame obstacles against her. In many ways she was a lonely woman just trying to survive in an arranged marriage and then as a rich widow after the death of her husband. She was a loyal mother who would do anything to protect her children, her family, and her property (it was rare for women to own property in these times). Though you see her life from her eyes and hear her reasonings for things she does, I started to notice the decent into madness in the last half of the book. She tries to make excuses for her actions. The reader must really read between the lines as she defends herself against the inexcusable. When you finish The Countess it is up to you, dear reader, to decide who Erzsebet Bathory was. Was she innocent and misunderstood? Was she the monster of the bloody myths? Or was she something in between: a troubled noble woman who took out her anger on the weak: her servants? In any event, her actions were inexcusable. Was her punishment just? Dear reader, read and decide for yourself.
I read this book on Libby so I will provide a link to that from the catalogue. The title is also available in interlibrary loan. Click HERE for the ebook of The Countess.
Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory by Kimberly L. Craft
(Disclaimer: I have not read this book as of yet. I just finished one I had been working on for some time and this is the next book on my list.) I look forward to reading this nonfiction novel as I have done some research on the author. Kimberly L. Craft has degrees in history and a doctorate in law. Who better to examine with the eye of a historian and lawyer the primary source documents of Bathory’s life and trial? Kimberly has worked extensively in translating the personal documents, diaries, and letters of Erzsebet Bathory and the other individuals involved in her life and trial. In addition to this work there is a supplementary work by Kimberly L. Craft that includes Bathory’s fully translated personal letters. I intend to read this book as well so that I have a full picture of who this woman was. Kimberly L. Craft leaves the myth of The Blood Countess behind and looks to the source that we may form a more educated and less blood soaked popular opinion. Did Erzebet Bathory ever kill anyone? The answer is yes. Did she bathe in the blood of virgins? That answer is most probably no. Facts do reveal that she was very into torture and seemed to bond with her husband by sharing new ideas. Join Kimberly L. Craft as she provides you with a front row seat to the life and trial of Erzsebet Bathory. I am really looking forward to this one and I hope I sparked your interest as well, dear reader.
This title is only available in interlibrary loan. Click HERE to make a request or call us at 920-459-3400 so that we can do that for you! You may also come in in person. We love seeing you and talking about books!
Thank you for joining me as I take you down my two rabbit holes of reading and research as I follow the books’ breadcrumbs to learn more about these topics that interest me!
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