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Œuvres de Jamie Davis Whitmer

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AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTED HOTELS would be a fun travel guide to have on a cross-country ghost tour road trip. This book highlights ten of the country's notable haunted hotels, some familiar to me and some not. The author gives readers a brief history of the properties and why each is thought to be haunted. She also shares her own experiences at the hotels, and whether or not she got a feel for their resident spirits ― though no in depth ghost hunting takes place. I was a bit disappointed it wasn't spookier, but it gives plenty of info to stir up interest. Each hotel's chapter concludes with reservation and contact information if you'd like to plan a visit.

My two favorites were the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which was Stephen King's inspiration for The Shining, and the Crescent Hotel in Arkansas, which I've visited many times. Love it. The ghost tour was great spooky fun.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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½
 
Signalé
bookofsecrets | 4 autres critiques | Feb 13, 2017 |
**This book was reviewed via Netgalley**

Whitmer’s America’s Most Haunted Hotels takes a look at ten of the country's many haunted hotels. From the Copper Queen to Farnsworth House to Myrtles Plantation, White visits each hotel in turn, taking offered ghost tours as well as doing some of her own investigating. Each chapter focuses solely on one of the hotels. Whitmer begins by telling about the history of each hotel. She covers some of the legends associated with the building, and goes on to cover any prior experience she may have had at the place, and any experiences of her current stay. Whitmer’s husband, Bob, a self-proclaimed sceptic, accompanied her on each of these visits. He tells of his own experiences and impressions as well.

I enjoyed the recap of legends and stories associated with each location. Some were stories I was familiar with to some degree, but others were new to me. While I was expecting some personal investigative work, I expected more history and legends and I wasn't at all disappointed, though I did enjoy Whitmer’s own experiences. What I most especially liked was Whitmer’s professed love of old buildings, and the smell of history. As a baby archaeologist, I can so appreciate this. I had the pleasure of visiting Heritage Village in California. The old train station inspired a poem from me. Just walking in, you could smell the weight of ages past, and if you closed your eyes, you may just hear the faint sounds of a train, or the soft, indistinct murmur of people just out of sight. I’d love to soak up those vibes at some of the places mentioned in the book.

The end of each chapter gives you all the information you could hope for related to booking a stay at said hotel. The address and contact info is given, along with average rate to rent, the types of tours given, tips for your trip, any nearby attractions, and the closest airport. Just be careful! The room may already be occupied!

🎻🎻🎻🎻 Recommended if you enjoy history, haunted places, and traveling.
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Signalé
PardaMustang | 4 autres critiques | Dec 6, 2016 |
America’s Most Haunted Hotels: Checking in with Uninvited Guest by Jamie Davis Whitmer was a fun read. The author and her husband visit ten hotels that are infamous for hauntings. The locations are The Myrtels Plantation, The Queen Mary, The Copper Queen, The Kehoe House, 1886 Crescent Hotel, Jerome Grand Hotel, Fransworth House Inn, Lemp Mansion, The Stanley Hotel and The Palmer House Hotel.

Each location is a separate chapter. A history of the site including any possible reasons for paranormal activity, such as murders or tragedy, is given. The author is careful to note what is legend and what can be substantiated through documentation. I appreciate this thoroughness. It helps separate the urban legend from the facts. Areas of the sites that are connected with the most activity also include photographs. The author then relates her and her husband's experience at the site. This included any official tours for the public, personal tours with the owner provided just for the author, and their overnight stays. Some locations provoke an immediate sensation with the author while others do not. They do have some activity but not all can be documented either due to the type of activity, the lack of clarity in the voice recordings or equipment that malfunctions for no discernable reason. The end of each chapter included information about the location if the reader wants to visit. It has the address and contact information (including email addresses) for each hotel, if there are tours available and the closest airports.

A couple of things really stand out for me in this book. First, as already mentioned, the author’s thoroughness in detailing what is documented and what is part of the site’s legend. Second, the photographs are very nice. They are clear and give a good sense of the atmosphere. The photograph of the hallway in the Queen Mary is extraordinary. I visited the Queen Mary, but did not stay overnight, in 1989 and took the public tour. The photograph in the book brought back how there was an overwhelming sense of unreality about the ship. Look at the picture, of a normal straight very long hallway, and it does not feel normal at all. Finally, the author and her husband weigh in separately on their experiences. Sometimes they experience similar things but other times they are completely different. That seemed somehow more authentic to me than both of them always experiencing the same thing, like a ride at an amusement park. Visiting a haunted location is not a guarantee that you will experience any type of paranormal activity. The author does an excellent job of explaining this in the conclusion.

I live about an hour and half from one of the locations. While I knew it was an area with a reputation for hauntings, I did not know about this location in particular. It could be a good choice for our anniversary getaway this year. I enjoyed it so much I will be tracking down her first book, Haunted Asylums, Prisons and Sanatoriums. I was provided with an advanced review copy by Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
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Signalé
nhalliwell | 4 autres critiques | Nov 13, 2016 |
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Llewellyn Publications in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you!!! :)

I enjoy reading paranormal books. I have since I was a child. This doesn't mean that I blindly believe in every supernatural account without any proper scientific investigation.

I think I read these books because it's a great way to learn the folklore of an area, and a bit of the history of the city, state, country you reside in or are visiting. It is from this stand point I approached this book. The author described the background of the hotel she and her husband investigated and wrote about the ghosts associated it each area. She also gave some of her feelings about the particular hotel and any occurrences that may have happened to her while there. The author's husband "Bob" then voices his point of view on the investigation.

The stories and history are interesting but the authors "feelings", "insights" and thought on the actual hauntings are hard for the reader to quantify. Descriptions of the experiments carried out really aren't reported in any detail. The rooms, basements, buildings, etc aren't given any kind of a description of the type of atmosphere they had. A story has to be created. These things are needed to compensate for the fact that the reader is unable to physically be present. The book reads like a tourist information booklet. Airports , pricing and tour prices are included. (Although this is a preview copy and needs further editing.)

I enjoyed reading this book and learning a piece of history of the places I have yet to visit. But I wish there had been a bit more detail and scientific procedure described in its pages.
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Signalé
Arkrayder | 4 autres critiques | Aug 23, 2016 |

Statistiques

Œuvres
2
Membres
58
Popularité
#284,346
Évaluation
½ 3.4
Critiques
6
ISBN
4

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