Top three I’m currently reading, bottom three to be read…
Ghost by Alan Lightman is fiction, and I usually like ‘true’ ghost stories, but I’m enjoying how a writer can elicit a feeling, an atmosphere. I admire it. I’m more of a ‘help you SEE the scene’ writer, not a ‘make you FEEL the scene’ writer. I think.
Why do I like true ghost tales? It’s peoples’ stories. Their life and the context around some strange thing that happened to them. A handful have really blown my mind. I never get tired of reading them. But do I want to SEE a ghost? No. No I DO NOT. No – no! Nope. No. I only want to read about them in books.
How many of my bookish friends out there, like me, seem to always be reading a stack of books at once? Why can’t I just pick one? And how many titles am I reading right now with the word ‘ghost’ in it? Read after read, scaring myself silly. I can’t explain it. But what if a ghost floated right past you right now?! EEEkkkk! Anyone know of a good ghostly tale?
I took myself into the city yesterday for a spot of art and quite enjoyed my adventure! And have you watched the new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion on Netflix yet?! Oh my word, so lovely! I’m reading an eerie ghost book (when am I not) just now, and I’m also sort of convinced I might have caught something ghostly on camera yesterday (maybe I shouldn’t announce that on the internet).
I’m heavily deciding on new writing projects this minute, as well as heavily procrastinating on some important paperwork! Oh, and I had toast with lots of raspberry jam this morning. Isn’t jam so swell? AND! I went to the dentist Friday – love my teeth cleanings! Because I’m weird like that. And now I can go eat some candy. How’s that for an update?! . Stay Inspired!
Here’s my TBR stack! At least, the highest in my queue that are physically at my fingertips just now.
Three of them are ghost books (of course). Fuzz is the newest by one of my favorite authors, Mary Roach (can’t wait!). I’m looking forward to everything in this pile!
Greetings friends! Can you believe it is November 1st? It’s election day on Tuesday, and will certainly prove an interesting (yet I pray peaceful) week ahead, here in the U.S. Hold on to your hats folks!
In other news, I’m under the weather. It started with sneezing last Thursday and has gone a bit downhill from there. Fortunately, not a straight crashing fall downhill. More of an uneasy tumble. Therefore, I gather, it’s simply hyper seasonal allergies and general fatigue. Or, a light head cold.
Either way, I’m taking it easy and drinking my cure-all (organic juice!). I’m also considering an order of supplies, to keep myself absent from my local grocery for a bit…
Strange times. To be made uneasy by the sniffles.
I’ll tell you what else made me uneasy. I was reading a true book of ghost stories last night…because, when am I not? And just as I turned out all the lights and closed my eyes to sleep, a terrible noise went in my house. Scared me to death. I’m not joking. My poor heart.
[Real Police Ghost Stories by Zachery Knowles – read it in one night – scary stuff.]
My eyes burst open, and I tried to think very hard as to what logically could have just made that noise. I felt relieved to remember that a little suction-cupped mirror with a light that my mama gave me for my birthday (so that a gal can see all the wiry goat-hairs on her chin for plucking…not that I have any of those), sometimes loses hold and falls from the larger bathroom mirror to the floor…
Normally, I would just go check. I’m not scared of nothin’. I’m more the – where’s the baseball bat – let’s check the house – type. Only, I was scared. Of course, I was thinking some pretty ghoulish thoughts just before bed. Therefore, I couldn’t bring myself to inspect. But anyway, it was just that little mirror, crashing against the tub.
Only, when I went to the bathroom not much later, in the dark, I saw that it was not. And I was creeped out enough to have to turn on the lights to wash my hands and peer around for what it had been. There was nothing. No dish to have slipped to the floor, no fallen broom. Nothing.
Yet another visit to the bathroom later, not turning on the lights this time, I believe I see a strange shadow shift in the kitchen when I’m washing my hands. I scurry back into bed. And then I hear something else strange. Something from the kitchen. Like a shuffling of my trash bag…
A few weeks ago, a similar and continual noise kept coming from what I believed was my kitchen trash bag. I imagined settling trash (that kept settling), or that I’d somehow acquired a little house mouse, scratching around for crumbs in the bottom of the bag. It was strange, so I just listened and didn’t go look. Because, then I’d have to go through the whole – I’m here to rescue you – you little house mouse trapped in my garbage bag.
I’m pretty certain he can manage to crawl out if he managed to climb in. And, I don’t need to get bit by a frightened mouse, and have to explain the situation to my doctor when my finger swells up.
Yes, that would happen to me.
To end this story, I still don’t know what these sounds were, especially that awful cracking crash. I know the difference between a muffled bumping from a neighbor above or below. And this was something cracking loud in my house. I still need to review my antique windows for any breaks…
I never felt uneasy here before, until last night. That’s the power of a wild imagination. Or perhaps it was something else… The moral of the story is, I think I’ll stop reading ghost stories for a while. At least for one night, maybe two…
Inspired By Venice 