There is never a bad time to enjoy a good ghost story but October brings spooky season and that is always the best time for a ghost story. The question of whether ghosts exist or not tends to be a controversial one. There isn't any definitive proof of their existence but there also isn’t any proof they don’t exist. Lots of room for believers and non-believers to form their own answers to the question. Now you might be asking, “Mary, do you believe in ghosts?” and the short answer is maybe (cop out I know). The longer answer is that I don’t know but, I’m open to the idea of their existence. I probably lean more towards believing than not, but I'm still a bit skeptical. I’ve never had a true paranormal experience and I’m not interested in seeking one out. As fascinating as I find ghosts, I am terrified of ever encountering one (unless you’re my grandma, then granny you can stop by anytime and make me a true believer).
My interest in ghosts have morphed over the years. I used to be way more into the history ghost stories were telling but now I find I’m just as intrigued by what a ghost is and why one would exist in a specific location. It’s fun to think about different reasons a person might want to stay behind after they pass away, and it doesn’t have to be a sad or awful reason, it can be happy too. We tend to think pain and suffering are what creates a haunt but it’s not always that simple. As humans we gravitate towards places and people we love. Ghosts can do the same thing, because if they are real, they were once living people just like us. I think my love of sociology fuels this new thought of ghosts existing in a less scary or tragic context. Belief in them or not there is actually a lot that goes into ghost theory and hunting. I am definitely not qualified to get into all the nitty gritty details and it probably seems like I'm oversimplifying things, because I am.
While I don't consider myself an expert on the study of ghosts, it is an interest of mine that I get obsessed with from time to time. I blame my love of the Travel Channel’s October schedule of haunted travel shows. I could also blame my family trips to Atchison as a kid, which if you didn’t know has a ton of supposedly haunted locations, several of which I have been to or driven past tons of times. This past summer I got the urge for ghost stories because of this book I came across. A Life With Ghosts Written by a cast member from the show Ghost Hunters, this book details some of his favorite haunted locations of all the places he’s investigated. Its a fun look into a life with ghosts and how the world of the paranormal has become a more mainstream subject. The discovery of this book led me to a podcast, Haunted Road, by another cast member from Ghost Hunters, Amy Bruni, and then from there I found her books. (Life With the Afterlife) About her experiences with ghosts through her life and the different possibilities there are to hauntings and ghosts. She also recently released a cookbook Food to Die for with recipes from across the country that relate to different haunted locations. A really neat book with a wide spread of dishes and a short history of the locations they inspired.
There are tons and tons of books about hauntings, too many for me to keep up with, that's for sure. I’ve selected a few of my favorites. Packed with history, discussion of ghostly theories, and investigation techniques, these books are really fun reads that get you thinking about the paranormal. Because whether you believe in ghosts or not, it sure is fun to read all about them and learn some history while you’re at it.
A History of Ghosts, Spirits and the Supernatural
If you’re looking for more ghostly reads start with 133.1 in nonfiction for parapsychology and apparitions.
-Mary Leibold is a Cataloging Assistant at Lawrence Public Library.
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