Fortean Book Corner
My reviews of Fortean-themed books, some new, some classic, all comfortably at your fingertips
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American Spiritualism–Hidden History
The Haunting of America—William J. Birnes and Joel Martin, 2009 Before I begin this review, you need to know something about me. I buy books. Lots of them. Sometimes I don’t get around to reading them for years. At last count, I owned over fifty tomes on a variety of subjects from different genres that have never been read. Why don’t I read them when I get them? Let’s just say that life can be a little too interesting sometimes. However, the result of life’s intrusion is that my library has a deep backlog of books that I’m finally trying to read. I’ve seen YouTubers and websites do ‘Retro Movie…
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Why We Embrace Fear: Peter Laws’ The Frighteners
Remember when you were small? You’d be out with your mother or father and ask questions like “Why is the sky blue?”, or “Why does it get cold in the winter?”, as well as “How do magnets work?” and “How do they figure out the load limit on bridges?” With respectful nods to both ICP and Bill Watterson, these were real questions I had as a child, and I’m sure you did, too. Then, of course, when a pet had moved on (or your cat killed a jackrabbit), you asked “Why do things die?” Maybe your parents sat you down and had a discussion about death. Maybe they hemmed and…
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Fortean Book Corner: Chasing American Monsters
Jason Offutt’s latest is a fun read, but a little shallow. All over the globe, ever since humans first came together in tribal groups, there have been stories of creatures, many of which have long since been relegated to the dusty mythology section of our cultural library. Dragons. Sea serpents. Minotaurs. Wild men. We’re told by scholars that these creatures were created to help our primitive ancestors make sense of the world, and to keep themselves safe. If an ancient sailor ‘knew’ there was a sea serpent out to sink his vessel, he was going to be more vigilant. If there were cannibalistic wild men in the surrounding hills, children…