Rosemary Ellen Guiley- "Haunted Salem" and "Monsters of West Virginia"

Its that time of the year when I start talking about weird books!

If you have read this blog for some time (thanks Mom!) you know that I love places with some history to them- especially if that history is somewhat mysterious.  You also know that I love Salem and I have made several pilgrimages to the area.

I ended up ordering a couple of books from Rosemary Ellen Guiley after I heard that "Haunted Salem" was just a good book to have around.

I can safely say that this book has become my favorite on modern Salem.  It is a short and easy to read book but it is still very thorough.  This would be the perfect book for someone to read who will be going to visit Salem for the first time, or for someone just wanting to get a better understanding of Salem.

Guiley gives a brief telling of the events surrounding the witch trials in the first part of the book and then she goes over the curses relating to the trials and executions.

After that, Guiley discusses the many locations considered haunted or of historical interest in Salem, including sites associated with the main characters you have read about from the 1690s.  I was glad to see her section on Gallows Hill, an area that is conspicuously missing from some books on Salem.

I also picked up her book on West Virginia- "Monsters of West Virginia."

I find myself spending more and more time in that state.  With the up and down terrain, the state does have a very hidden and mysterious feel in general to it.  PLUS, the state has some of the best cryptid legends anywhere.

Rosemary does a great job covering the stories of the Braxton County Monster, Mothman, and the others. 

Again, this book's chapter on Mothman offers a thorough and easy to understand telling of the facts.  If you have heard about the creature but don't know much, this would be the perfect starting point.

By the way, if you are interested in weird phenomenon, or just weird stories, you HAVE to read "The Mothman Prophecies".  Even if you don't believe that John Keel is telling the truth, you can appreciate the story.  Oh, and this is definitely a case of the book being better than the film.  Don't bother with the movie.

I was able to stop and say hello to Rosemary at the Mothman Festival this year!  She is there every year, and it is great seeing her and other authors of similar books in one place!

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