Sunday, September 16, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Good Reads & Ghost Stories
Let me start this off by saying that I've recently signed up for goodreads.com. I'm enjoying the website and app a great deal. While I'm not really writing much in reviews I am reading a great deal of reviews for books I happen to love that 96% of other readers didn't like at all. I'd forgotten how much I dislike reading negative reviews about my favorite books. Then again, who doesn't?
Naturally, this being a new app...I got a little obsessive about searching for my favorite books and rating them. (Even my not so favorites.) While I was blissfully adding stars and "to-read" books to my list I came across a book that made me feel obligated to write a little something about. Clara M. Miller's "Echoes of a Haunting", for me, was not a very good read. A great deal of the book could have been summed up to poor decision making and other rather normal things. The only thing that struck a chord with me was that this woman was very genuine in her belief that something paranormal did actually happen. The rest just seemed unfortunate. However the few reviews and ratings this little known book had gotten surprised me a little. 4 stars here, 5 stars there... People loved it. Said that it kept them up at night with terrors.
That got me to thinking. (A dangerous pastime for me.) Were those readers easily entertained? Or was I just a little too skeptical? Do I want to be entertained or informed? "Real ghost stories" are often frustrating for me. Which is why I think I would rate them low. While I don't necessarily disbelieve what these people bravely put onto paper; it's a matter of why they didn't look deeper? Half of the authors are in denial (13 or so years for Ms Elaine Mercado) or they automatically ASSUME they are being haunted and do little to find natural reasons for their misfortune.
All of that nonsense from a little review. This could get dangerous.
Naturally, this being a new app...I got a little obsessive about searching for my favorite books and rating them. (Even my not so favorites.) While I was blissfully adding stars and "to-read" books to my list I came across a book that made me feel obligated to write a little something about. Clara M. Miller's "Echoes of a Haunting", for me, was not a very good read. A great deal of the book could have been summed up to poor decision making and other rather normal things. The only thing that struck a chord with me was that this woman was very genuine in her belief that something paranormal did actually happen. The rest just seemed unfortunate. However the few reviews and ratings this little known book had gotten surprised me a little. 4 stars here, 5 stars there... People loved it. Said that it kept them up at night with terrors.
That got me to thinking. (A dangerous pastime for me.) Were those readers easily entertained? Or was I just a little too skeptical? Do I want to be entertained or informed? "Real ghost stories" are often frustrating for me. Which is why I think I would rate them low. While I don't necessarily disbelieve what these people bravely put onto paper; it's a matter of why they didn't look deeper? Half of the authors are in denial (13 or so years for Ms Elaine Mercado) or they automatically ASSUME they are being haunted and do little to find natural reasons for their misfortune.
All of that nonsense from a little review. This could get dangerous.
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