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40 reviews for:
Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural
Marc Hartzman
3.57 AVERAGE
40 reviews for:
Chasing Ghosts: A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural
Marc Hartzman
3.57 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
The beginning of the book goes into the whole Spiritualism movement. It gives a really good overview of Spiritualism, and also the movement's opposition. The book gives just enough information to peak your interest without going overboard. It also covers some of the main players in the movement, like the Fox sisters, Houdini, and others. I actually rather enjoyed all the information, but I'm a nerd for that kind of thing.
The next part of the books goes over some rather famous, or maybe infamous is the better word, haunted locations. There are some locations that weren't in this section which surprised me, but I guess there was limited space or something? I'm not sure. I think this section could have been expanded some, but that's just me.
The last part of the book goes into the technology that is or was used in ghost hunting. It goes into some of the technology that is no longer used, along with some inventions that were created to try and communicate with spirits. Again, I am a huge nerd for history, so I loved this section, too. There were some inventions I didn't even know about, and they touched on some of the more modern items used and where they came from.
I just really enjoyed this book all around. It has enough to keep a person who knows quite a bit about ghost hunting (like me) without overwhelming the people who are completely new to this. Overall, no matter how much you know about ghost hunting, this will have something for those interested in learning more.
The next part of the books goes over some rather famous, or maybe infamous is the better word, haunted locations. There are some locations that weren't in this section which surprised me, but I guess there was limited space or something? I'm not sure. I think this section could have been expanded some, but that's just me.
The last part of the book goes into the technology that is or was used in ghost hunting. It goes into some of the technology that is no longer used, along with some inventions that were created to try and communicate with spirits. Again, I am a huge nerd for history, so I loved this section, too. There were some inventions I didn't even know about, and they touched on some of the more modern items used and where they came from.
I just really enjoyed this book all around. It has enough to keep a person who knows quite a bit about ghost hunting (like me) without overwhelming the people who are completely new to this. Overall, no matter how much you know about ghost hunting, this will have something for those interested in learning more.
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Chasing Ghosts by Marc Hertzman was one of my favorite ghost books I've read this year. I loved that he didn't force you to believe in ghosts he let you come to your own opinion. I also liked how it was broken down into different sections. I recommend this book to anyone who loves history and the Paranormal. I also know some friends who would love this book. I will be reading more from Mr. Hertzman in the future.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and give you my honest thoughts on the book.
A huge thank you to Quirk Books for an advance copy of this book for my honest review.
I'm a huge fan of paranormal shows, the caught-on-camera YouTube videos, and the history of how people tried to talk to the dead during the height of the Spiritualism movement. Something about it all fascinates me, and it's always a go-to subject matter. This means I was excited to get a chance to read Chasing Ghosts early. In fact, I took my time with the book and didn't let myself devour it in one sitting.
There's a lot to this book in just a little over two hundred pages. It's jammed packed with information from cover to cover, but it's super easy to read. You can tell that Marc Hartzman enjoyed his research, but I liked that he never really put in his own opinion in too much what he was telling. Yes, there were a few sarcastic comments here and there, but this had perfect timing throughout the book. I loved that this was a mix of information and haunting had heard of, and some I hadn't heard of it. I love when a book sends me to Google to know more.
Hartzman did a lot of research for this book and it shows, and he told each story in a way that didn't sound like I was reading a textbook. This is always my biggest worry about nonfiction books, but that wasn't an issue here. I really liked the page breaks of fan facts in each section. Little add-ons that are super fun and a great break from each section.
I also really liked the illustrations that appeared through the book and the addition of photos. It was a great look at the history of ghost hunting and added great visuals to the information that Hartzman had gathered. Personally, I thought it was a great read and fund for anyone who dives deep into the paranormal or just enjoys the ghost shows. It's a lot of fun information on the history of ghost hunting, and haunted houses, and how the whole haunted house started.
A super great read for the upcoming Spooky Season. Chasing Ghosts by Marc Hartzman comes out next week, September 28, 2021!
I'm a huge fan of paranormal shows, the caught-on-camera YouTube videos, and the history of how people tried to talk to the dead during the height of the Spiritualism movement. Something about it all fascinates me, and it's always a go-to subject matter. This means I was excited to get a chance to read Chasing Ghosts early. In fact, I took my time with the book and didn't let myself devour it in one sitting.
There's a lot to this book in just a little over two hundred pages. It's jammed packed with information from cover to cover, but it's super easy to read. You can tell that Marc Hartzman enjoyed his research, but I liked that he never really put in his own opinion in too much what he was telling. Yes, there were a few sarcastic comments here and there, but this had perfect timing throughout the book. I loved that this was a mix of information and haunting had heard of, and some I hadn't heard of it. I love when a book sends me to Google to know more.
Hartzman did a lot of research for this book and it shows, and he told each story in a way that didn't sound like I was reading a textbook. This is always my biggest worry about nonfiction books, but that wasn't an issue here. I really liked the page breaks of fan facts in each section. Little add-ons that are super fun and a great break from each section.
I also really liked the illustrations that appeared through the book and the addition of photos. It was a great look at the history of ghost hunting and added great visuals to the information that Hartzman had gathered. Personally, I thought it was a great read and fund for anyone who dives deep into the paranormal or just enjoys the ghost shows. It's a lot of fun information on the history of ghost hunting, and haunted houses, and how the whole haunted house started.
A super great read for the upcoming Spooky Season. Chasing Ghosts by Marc Hartzman comes out next week, September 28, 2021!
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
informative
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
Some parts were interesting but some of it was a little dry and long-winded.
I liked the variety of topics in this book. It wasn't what I expected at first (I thought it would be about our obsession with ghosts and ghost stories.) But I still enjoyed each chapter's look at different aspects of ghosts in world cultures: the theories on afterlife, the rise of Spiritualism, the rise of debunking Spiritualists, etc.
Would recommend of you like history and ghost stories.
Would recommend of you like history and ghost stories.
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced