Welcome to Paranormal Manor’s Library…
Stories are powerful, aren’t they? They whisk us away, remove us from the routine of our regular day and offer us that sweet anticipation of escape; the return to that personal movie playing in our head. The sense of sadness and loss when it’s all over is palpable and as tough as saying farewell to an old friend.
I don’t know about you, but I love picking up an ‘old friend’ comfort book when the need arises. The Lord of the Rings was my ‘go to’ comfort book when something difficult was happening in my life. I figured that by the time I finished this epic tome, whatever was going on with me would be over and done with. Ninety per cent of the time I was right and I was taken on a breathtaking journey away from my woes in the meantime. Brilliant!
A Shiver of Spooks by Christine Bernard was my first introduction to scary ‘true’ stories and the screaming green woman on the front was certainly eye-catching! I read that book from cover to cover the first time it came into my hands and then found myself dwelling over the stories while I was desperately trying to get to sleep.
Another landmark book Strange Stories, Amazing Facts by Reader’s Digest editors (link), was first introduced to me by my aunt, who brought it with her when she was visiting from overseas. “Strange Stories, Amazing Facts” is a compendium of all things supernatural with some pretty impressive photos and descriptions of paranormal phenomena, including ectoplasm, ghosts, poltergeists, psychic abilities, fairies and stigmata. Stigmata and ectoplasm absolutely horrified me and for weeks afterwards I would lie in bed at night hoping and praying that my hands would not spontaneously start bleeding all over the place or that white stuff would start oozing out of my nose. Ah the joys of being a fan of the supernatural when you’re a kid…such a pain in the butt at bedtime!
Imagine my surprise to discover that my partner, a scientist and engineer by trade, actually had the same book in his personal library. It was a happy reunion that brought back a few memories, that’s for sure, but one that left me scratching my head as to why he would have a book like this in the first place. How it ended up with his analytical mind is probably the biggest mystery of all!
Honestly, is there anything more deliciously spine-chilling than reading a book late into the night, alone, while the rest of the house sleeps? I’ve actually put more than one book down because it just got too darned scary…The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror both come to mind! Granted, I was a fair bit younger, but I reckon I would still struggle to read the creepiest bits! That’s the power of books….
Paranormal Manor’s library is a fledgling one, and for the time being, the library essentially a place where you can find links to listen to paranormal audio stories that I’ve voiced.
Happy listening!
Carrie x
