The Lonely Dead by April Henry 240 pages

Another great book by April Henry. Besides the mystery and suspense that April brings to her books, she adds a paranormal flare to The Lonely Dead. I was able to read an Advanced Reader's Copy thanks to NetGalley. 

Ever since she was young, Adele could see and talk to the dead. While taking a shortcut home from school, Adele comes across her ex-best friend, Tori in the woods. She soon realizes that Tori is dead and she is buried in a shallow grave. Suspicion is thrown on Adele when the police find out that she and Tori had a fight the night Tori died. Add in that Adele doesn't have an alibi, she becomes the prime suspect. Adele must work with Tori's ghost to find the real killer.  

The Uninvited: The True Story of the Union Screaming House by Steven LaChance, 264 pages

Confession time: I'm OBSESSED with anything paranormal related. I have been since I was a kid, and it seems to get worse around Halloween time. I picked up this book because it sounded nice and spooky. It was definitely scary in some parts, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that this supposed haunting takes place in Union, Missouri! I would recommend this quick and spooky read for anyone interested in the paranormal, or just wanting a good scare!

Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw, 320 pages

This book has been called Practical Magic meets Hocus Pocus. I was a little worried I was too excited for this book. It would never live up to my expectations. It turned out to be my first 5 star read of the year. I could have devoured this book but instead for a couple of days I only allowed myself a few chapters. I was savoring the book. Then today I read probably 80% of the book. I cried at one point, cussed at the book a few times and even got so excited that I dropped the book and lost my place. I found myself re-reading passages because I'd get to reading so fast I was afraid I'd miss something. When I finished I really did turn to the first chapter and read it again. I will definitely be re-reading the entire book. With this setting it may become an annual read. Readers of the book will know exactly when I'll be reading it again.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult 398 pages

Truthfully, I do not know where to begin in telling you about this book. I had heard subtle rumors that the book was hard to read, so I expected an emotional, gut-wrenching story from Jodi. Typical, in other words. This story did not pull me in like some of her other novels. Alice is a scientist, she researches elephants in the wilds of Africa. Then she starts to notice how they mourn. She meets Thomas, who runs an elephant sanctuary in the US and when Alice realizes she is pregnant, leaves Africa to marry Thomas, have a family, and continue her research. Things start to unravel, though, ending with a murder, a missing person, and Thomas in an institution. But remember, this is a Jodi Picoult novel and things are not always as they seem. There is lots of interesting information in this book about elephant society. They are very matriarchal, they love their babies, value friendships and suffer grief. Sorry, I cannot put my finger on why I did not love this book. I am not sorry I read it, but it will not be included on any favorites list.

 

Old Souls: Compelling Evidence From Children Who Remember Past Lives by Tom Shroder. 253 pages

I am not one for reading any books about the paranormal as I generally find it all unverifiable bunkum, but this title crossed my desk as a possible donation to the collection, and in looking at the writing style and decent reviews by legitimate sources such as the Chicago Tribune, I was intrigued.

The author, Tom Shroder, is an award-winning journalist, and more important a skeptic when it comes to anything otherworldly; he comes down solidly on the side of the scientific method and the need of proof and duplication. Given that, he was also intrigued by a report about a physician and psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, who has spent the last 37 years investigating children from all over the world, who, from the first moment they can talk, insist they are someone else. These are not vague recollections but specific details of who they believe they really are and it is usually a person who died in a horrific way just minutes, weeks but sometimes years before the child was born.
     Usually the child is so insistent the family will try to find out about the person and visit the family. This is where things get very strange and not easily dismissed. The author Shroder, travels with Stephenson as he revisits some of the cases. Stephenson, too, is looking for some kind of verification – all he knows is that the stories are very similar and compelling. Is it reincarnation? Is it some sort of memory transmutation; is it all lies that imaginative children tell? It’s a good read that will leave you also wondering what exactly is going on.

 This book is being added to the Downtown collection.