Circus Time
Lately my lovely spouse has instituted the breakfast ritual that we have dubbed ‘circus time’. It involves opening our back door and letting whichever cat wants a bit of morning stroll out into our enclosed backyard. Usually, she gets four of the five of them out there and they wander around either at her feet or in the grass while my lovely spouse waters the plants and sets up the bird feeders.
Most of the time, it’s a peaceful fifteen minutes of watching my little furry children enjoy the wonderous outdoors. But every once in a while, a very bold vole pops its little fuzzy head out of a planter and then all hell breaks loose as we try to corral them back inside.
Part Travel and Part Spooky
This year for both spooky-themed months (August and October), I’ve decided to include at least one non-fiction selection. Conner Gossel’s Hidden Haunts is a collection of spooky houses and locations that are both off the beaten path, and mostly able to be traveled to if you are so inclined. With ghostly themed tourism being so immensely popular, this is the perfect companion if you’re hankering for that road trip to end the summer.
The locations are each examined in bite-sized write-ups and the sites are spread across the United States dipping into Mexico and Canada. I will say that, being Canadian, it’s easy to immediately notice that the author’s definition of the GTA is a bit out of whack.
Bite-Sized Ghost Stories with Illustrations
I read this book, not because I wanted to travel but because I love ghost stories as well as abandoned or haunted spaces. Hidden Haunts definitely delivered on the ghost stories — some more detailed than others. Some having to do with real events, some still controversial perhaps urban or internet legends. There’s a wide variety of stories here and it’s delightful.
And the illustrations just add to all of this. Not only are they atmospheric sketches of the structures and locations, there are also ghostly presences rendered in haunting ways. They linger in doorways or look out windows or wander the grounds.
But I Want More
There are a lot of locations included here along with the details of how to book stays and directions to nearby landmarks. Plus a detailed guide for a haunted road trip. As such there are times when things tend to veer more towards travel guide and less toward spooky content. Some of the stories are a bit vague and a bit rushed. However, I understand the constrains of space allotted and the simple fact that this is a book with a purpose — to be used as a guide. That being said, I will enjoy researching some of these places and stories independently.
The Worst of the Walkers
But who is the hardest to keep in line during these little morning excursions? That dubious honour has to rightly be bestowed upon Bubastis. She’s taken to screaming at the door as soon as the barest edge of dawn begins to creep over the horizon. It doesn’t happen every morning, but on the mornings it does, it kind of makes getting to work a bit of a sleepy struggle.
