Jeff BelangerCritiques

This was a real good collection of true paranormal stories. It was a different type of paranormal read as the author interviews the people and they give their account of what happened to them. I really enjoyed all the stories and some of them are a bit creepy. The stories cover just about everything from ghost sightings to out of body experiences. Giving it four stars for keeping me entertained.

Interesting book by Belanger in which he takes stories and idea from his website Ghostvillage and relays them in a book. Has some stories from contributors to his site with their own personal experiences as well as discussions on various topics. Topics include ghosts, angels, demons, animal spirits, spiritual places, research of the paranormal and various other "extra" ordinary concepts/ideas.

You don't really read encyclopedias but I have looked though it and the information in it is really interesting and it make you want to go check out some of the places.

Collection of haunted house and ghost stories. This is different than most others that you'll find on the market now days. This is all interviews with the people that have had encounters with the supernatural. Broken into a few different parts; haunted houses, ghosts of people we know, ghosts on the job, haunted public locations and a section on ghost hunters.

Not the best book but good overall. Kind of a travelogue of haunted places throughout the world. Has good historical background on the locations mentioned as well as contact information on places as well.

I recently finished this book and found myself engrossed in the first hand encounters of the paranormal. This book was something special since it told the story of each experience in a way that resembled an interview. This allowed each encounter to remain personal and true to the original teller of the story. I enjoyed all of the stories and liked the diversity. I did find the format to be a little sluggish in style and thought that it could use a little revamping. I liked how the author allowed the story to be printed how it was spoken, so it sounded true to the encounter. This made each experience unique and made the book that much more easier to read. Overall I would check this book out and add it too my paranormal collection. It is also a great read for the Halloween season. I am one who just loves to read about hauntings any time of the year, so this book was right up my alley.

From the files of ghostvillage.com. Has a number of ghost stories that were sent into the website as well as the author delves into other areas of the paranormal; possession, animal ghosts, psychics and skeptics as well. Was a good read overall but at times it seems to read more like a text book or early explainer guide than a ghost story book.

This would be a really good book for older children interested in hauntings and ghosts. There is not much here that is scary, but there is a special emphasis on the history of the locations. This is not the best book on ghosts I have read, but the author did do a good job with the locations and the historical aspects.

A silly little book

Found in YA section of my local library, it looked like a quick read containing information that might be interesting. While it is a small picture like book not particularly well written, I did learn a lot about the Whitehouse. These are facts that perhaps I learned in high school, but didn't find interesting at the time and thus didn't retain the information.

In 1792 Thomas Jefferson commissioned a contest regarding architectural ideas for a stately home for the new nation's first President. The only one accepted was the design of James Hoban who pattered his ideas similar in design to Monticello. Naturally, Jefferson went with Hoban's plan.

Taking eight years to build, George Washington died a year before the completion and never lived in the Whitehouse. The land for the White House was donated by David Burns. His ghost is one reported to be seen by many including a staff member of FDR.

In 1814 the British attacked Washington, DC destroying both the city and the White House. Dolly Madison narrowly escaped. Her ghost is reported by many.

Abagail Adam's ghost is reported to haunt the East Room where she is seen hanging wash.

Andrew Jackson, a volatile man always seemed to be angry about something. The sound of his shouts and cursing are reported to be heard in the Rose Room.

In deep grief from the loss of their beloved son Willie, Mary Todd Lincoln held seances in the White House. She reported seeing the spirit of Willie at the bottom of her bedside. She also reported hearing Thomas Jefferson playing his violin in the Yellow Oval Room.

President John Tyler is also seen in the Yellow Oval Room; he is on bended knee proposing to a much younger woman. Julia Gardiner was 30 years younger, she eventually acquiesced and thus Tyler's pleas of "Julia, please, please marry me" were successful.

The ghost most often reported is that of Abraham Lincoln. After his election, Lincoln reported in the July 1865 edition of Harper's Monthly Magazine that he repeatedly saw his images in a swinging glass mirror. Sadly, he saw two reflections, both very clear and distinct. One reflection healthy, the other ghostly and exceedingly pale with a death like pallor.

Again, while residing in the White House, Lincoln had a dream which foretold of his death and viewing of his body. Lincoln is seem by many in the Yellow Oval Room, hands behind his back, looking forlorn and sad while gazing across the Potomoc.

Ronald Reagan reported his pet glared and barked at Lincoln's bedroom door. During a two week stay, Winston Churchill only remained in the Lincoln bedroom one night. Thereafter he requested to be moved.

Harrry Truman referenced hauntings in many of his communications. He is quoted as saying "The Place is Haunted, Sure as Shootin'"

This was a light, breezy read after a long and stress filled work week. Obviously written for a young audience, still it was worth the time spent perusing the pages.½

This is, for the most part, a nice, harmless book about weird crap in Massachusetts - most of it hauntings, cryptozoology, witches, and weird history, though some if it is just regular weird crap - pretty to look at, lots of artwork, doesn't take itself too seriously. The handful of local legends I'm familiar with it gets right or mostly right, which is a point in its favor.

One of my chief complaints is the illustrations - most of them are unlabelled, and a lot of them are either "art" rather than photographs, or photographs that have been altered or otherwise don't clearly connect up with the surrounding text. I'd have liked a little more information about the illustrations in most cases, especially where the illustration is clearly an artist's rendering. The book also mentions, not infrequently, photographs that it then doesn't show, which is... weird, especially as there's never any explanation for that absence.

The book also isn't comprehensive; it leaves out Fort Warren entirely, for instance, and gives short shrift to some of the better known legends, I think. A lot of space is taken up with anonymous or pseudonymous accounts from the internet, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence, either. But it's a fun read, and full of things you'll want to know more about.

Jeff likes to namedrop and tell of experiences with Known Personalities in the field, but that does not mean his book has no value. There is indeed some interesting stuff going on, but there is much more breadth than depth. With a subtitle that reads "Reach Beyond the Grave", the net deliverable of this book is more ABOUT than HOW.

Still, a handy intro for those content with quick, shallow coverage a large number of alternative methods used to commune with those in the afterlife.

In spite of it's attention-grabbing title, this book is a bit of a disappointment. The book chronicles the history of White House hauntings, from its most famous, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, to the unnamed British soldier from the War of 1812, and all the ghostly inhabitants in between.

Who's Haunting the White House? walks the reader through a quasi-scientific look at the supernatural. Unfortunately, it does not offer a balanced perspective. The author is steadfast in the belief that ghosts do exist, even offering testimony as to what ghosts do and do not like,

"Sometimes spirits don't like to see their homes changed around too much, and they may let us know this in rather frightening ways."

Apart from Mary Lincoln's testimony (which some may discount because of her well-known peculiar behaviors), the book offers little proof in the supernatural other than passages in President Truman's letters, "the place is haunted, sure as shootin'," second-hand accounts, and several witnesses' accounts of a "cold presence" or "eerie chill."

Who's Haunting the White House? does contain some interesting White House history, as well as drawings, and photographs. A bibliography, index, photo credits, references and acknowledgments follow the rather text-heavy body of the book.

This is a book for would-be ghost hunters or those interested in White House history.

As with all of the "Weird" books (which sprang from a periodical, Weird New Jersey), this is an excellent read. A native of Massachusetts myself, this edition is particularly neat, and lists many places of which I was aware, although not necessarily of the particular version of the story given! Terrific series of books.

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