DVD/Movie Review: The Frighteners

The Frighteners
written and directed by Peter Jackson (DVD Frighteners)

In January, I was invited to go to the Filmstreams theater in downtown Omaha to serve on a discussion panel following a showing of Peter Jackson’s 1995 film The Frighteners. Why me? Because I’m the Lincoln City Libraries’ resident “expert” on the Charles Starkweather murder spree case from 1958/1959, and in the movie The Frighteners, Charlie Starkweather’s killing spree is mentioned several times — he serves as an inspiration for the “big bad” in the film.

 

I was pleased to see that the Lincoln City Libraries do still have The Frighteners in our DVD collection. In the film, Michael J. Fox is Frank Bannister, a man who can see the spirits of the deceased, but who uses this ability to con gullible people. He has partnered with three ghosts to “haunt” houses, after which Frank swoops in to offer his expensive services to de-ghost those properties. But multiple mysterious deaths by heart attack in Fairhaven. When one his latest ghostbusting clients has a chilling number appear engraved in his forehead (which only Frank can see), and then he turns up to be the next victim of a mysterious death, Frank ends up working with the man’s widow (played by Trini Alvarado) to figure out what’s going on in his town (and clear his own name as a suspect). It turns out that the ghost of a serial killer from the 1960s has managed to come back and is adding to his body count.

 

Some great performances, some spectacular special effects, a little humor, a little scare — this one’s got it all. Fox gives a great performance in his last feature film role before his Parkinson’s symptoms made it impossible for him to work. And the Nebraska connection is really played up, even though the film (made in New Zealand) is supposed to be set in the Eastern U.S. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than the schlock horror Jackson had been known for, before being given the opportunity to direct this — and he soon went on to make the Lord of the Rings trilogy!

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Ghosts: Season One (US)

Ghosts: Season One
(hopefully on order soon!)

Ghosts is a half-hour comedy airing on the CBS network, which premiered in 2021 and is currently in its second season (with a 3rd already ordered). It is an Americanized version of a British show with the same name, which premiered in 2019 and is currently in its fifth season in the UK.

 

I encountered the US version first, though I’ve since watched the first season of the UK version on DVD, in the libraries’ collection. They both have their own strong points, but I’ll have to admit, I like the American version better.

 

A young couple, Samantha (“Sam”) and Jay discover that she has inherited a run-down country estate, after a distant relative of Sam’s recently passed. They take possession of the property and decide to invest their life savings into renovating the crumbling building and turning it into a Bed & Breakfast. This doesn’t sit well with the building’s current occupants — a group of ghosts of people who’ve died on the property during many different eras in history, from a Norse Viking, to a sensitive but sarcastic Native American, to the wife of a robber baron, an American revolutionary soldier, a Prohibition-era singer, a drugged out 70’s hippie chick, a boy scout trooper leader from the 80s, and a 90s Wall Street prodigy. (There’s also a headless biker, but he shows up only occasionally). Each of these ghosts appears as they did at the time of their death — the troop leader has an arrow through his neck, and the 90s yuppie is pants-less.

 

In the premiere episode, Samantha has an accident on the stairs, suffers a near-death experience, and subsequently can see and hear (and talk with) all of the ghosts, much to the consternation of her husband but to the relief of all the ghosts — who can finally communicate with the world of the “Living”. The humor of the series then stems from the experiences of Sam and Jay as they try to ready Woodstone Mansion as a B&B, versus the ghosts, who grudgingly acknowledge that their “lives” must change if the mansion is to remain a home to them. There’s a terrific cast of supporting characters, both ghosts and living people, that all of these regulars interact with, including Mark Linn-Baker (“Perfect Strangers”) and Kathy Greenwood (“Whose Line is it Anyway?”) as Sam and Jay’s stuffy next-door neighbors.

 

All of the ghost characters are fabulous, and during the course of the first season, each of them is given an episode that tells their background story, very much “humanizing” them. Sam’s ability to see ghosts is not limited to just the mansion, as she now sees ghosts wherever she goes, including the ghost of her late mother, in a special first-season episode. Performances are excellent across the board, but especially from Rose McIver as Sam and Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay. I have a personal fondness for Richie Moriarty as perpetually cheerful punctured troop leader Pete Martino, and Brandon Scott Jones as Captain Isaac Higgintoot, who can’t believe his former rival, Alexander Hamilton achieved such fame in life! The writing features snappy dialog, and can verge between extremely comical, to emotional and poignant.

 

I really can’t recommend Ghosts highly enough, and if you haven’t tried it already, this first season DVD set (18 episodes) is a great place to start. Then, watch the first season (only 6 episodes) of the UK version to compare and contrast. Many of the same comic writers who produced the UK version are also involved in the production of the US version.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Ghosts: Series One, or the old classic, Topper.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this series ) | ( official Ghosts page on the CBS web site )

 

See Scott C.’s review of the first season of the UK version of Ghosts, in the May 2022 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Simon and Chester juvenile series by Cale Atkinson

The Simon and Chester series
by Cale Atkinson (jP Atkinson and j Atkinson)

This absolutely delightful series of children’s graphic stories began with the 2018 picture book Sir Simon, Super Scarer, in which a blobby little ghost named Sir Simon Spookington is looking forward to his first assignment to haunt an actual house (he’s previously haunted a forest, a boat, a bus stop, and…a potato. But Simon is concerned to discover that the house he’s been transferred to is newly occupied by not only a kindly little old lady (great for hauntings) but also by a curious little boy (Chester), who quickly sees Simon and tries to befriend him. The picture book covers Simon showing Chester all of the “ghost chores” he must accomplish each day (spooky animal noises, chain clanking, mysterious footsteps in the attic, etc.) and Chester shows Simon the human chores he’s responsible for (cleaning, vacuuming, laundry, etc.).

 

The two later volumes, both released in 2021, are rebranded as part of the “Simon and Chester” series, and take the form of juvenile graphic novels — the art, while still terrific, is a bit less detailed and more restrained, and more emphasis is placed on the storytelling. In the first, Simon and Chester: Super Detectives, Simon and Chester are bored and borrow some costume to take on the role of detectives in search of a mystery. In the second, Simon and Chester: Super Sleepover!, Chester (an introvert) accepts an invitation to a friend’s sleepover birthday party, and Simon nervously awaits his annual “haunting” review by a notoriously picky ghost supervisor. Both are nervous about their respective appointments, but both train each other on how to be successful.

 

The artwork, while a bit cartoonish, is excellent, with both Simon the ghost and Chester the kid being very expressive. The storytelling is amusing, and each book has a positive message for kids. I really enjoy this series, and can’t wait for more Simon and Chester adventures from this author/illustrator. Simon is a particularly engaging little spook!

 

( official Cale Atkinson web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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DVD Review: Ghosts (UK): Season One

Ghosts: Series One (UK)

(DVD Ghosts)

 

My wife and I got absolutely hooked on the American paranormal comedy series Ghosts, on CBS, this current television season. We knew, even when we started watching, that this was a U.S. remake of a popular U.K. series of the same name.

 

So, I was particularly happy, after watching the season finale of the U.S. version, to see that the libraries had purchased the DVD set of the U.K.’s first season. While there are many similarities between the UK and US versions of Ghosts, the two most noteworthy differences are that the British show’s first season only had 6 episodes (where the American version had 18). Also, many of the actors playing the “ghosts” in the British version are comics and writers, who created their characters, from various time periods, for portrayals in other British television, before recognizing that they could combine all their different historical characters into a single storyline.

 

The plot, in a nutshell: A young urban couple learn that the wife has inherited a rundown country estate — she was the last living descendant of the estate’s owner, even though they’d never met. They arrive to find the estate in massive disrepair, but decide to commit to rehabilitating the building and turning it into a hotel. What they don’t realize is that the estate is haunted by the ghosts of multiple individuals who’ve died there over the years but who didn’t pass on to another plane of existence. When the wife (Allison) suffers a near-death experience, she develops the ability to see and hear (and talk to) all of the ghosts.

 

The cast of the original British version of the show is incredible, and has impressive chemistry. The show, in just six episodes, manages to develop the concept extremely well. I only hope that the 2nd and 3rd seasons make it to DVD in the U.S. soon!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the American version of Ghosts, currently airing Thursdays on CBS — and most likely available On Demand or via one of the various streaming platforms.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this series ) | ( official Ghosts page on the BBC web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

(DVD Ghostbusters)

 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), a direct sequel to the first two Ghostbusters films (1984 and 1989 respectively), succeeds by combining a lot of direct references to the originals with a completely new setting and somewhat different tone. Director Jason Reitman (son of the original’s writer/director Ivan Reitman, capably takes the franchise in a new direction, while remaining true to the spirit of the original, unlike the 2016 film Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, which merely tried to reboot the franchise, and badly misfired along the way.

 

In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, struggling single mother Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon) packs up her teenage son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and 11-year-old science nerd daughter Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and drags them across the country to the middle of nowhere — Summerville, Oklahoma. Callie’s estranged father, Egon, moved there decades ago and became something of an eccentric hermit. Egon has recently passed away (actor Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler in the two original films, died in 2014), and she has inherited his remote country house and the property surrounding it. Trevor attempts to fit in with the local teens, while Phoebe is more interested in exploring the various scientific experiments her late grandfather left behind — though she does befriend “Podcast”, a young classmate obsessed with his social media output.

 

As unexplained seismic events occur in the surrounding countryside, Phoebe, Podcast and Trevor uncover the original Ghostbusters’ ectomobile, uniforms, proton packs and ghost traps. Local teacher (and fellow science nerd) Gary Gruberson (Paul Rudd), helps them connect the dots enough to realize who Egon really was and that the original Ghostbusters were actually real and not just urban legends.

 

The second half of Ghostbusters: Afterlife is filled with tons of throwback references to many of the things that made the 1984 Ghostbusters such a huge hit. However, this film relies more on its character relationships and development, than with the gee-whiz technology, wild special effects and snarky dialog. This film has serious heart, and in the end is a love letter to the original film and its cast. It doesn’t hurt that most of the original’s surviving cast members make significant appearances in this film, without stealing the spotlight from the “next generation”. In fact, to be honest, McKenna Grace completely steals this film as Phoebe, with her eerie similarity to Egon. Production design, effects work (done in such as way as to recreate the style of effects from the 1984 film), costume design, and cinematography are all great. I also loved the soundtrack, in which composer Rob Simonsen managed to both pay tribute to, and build on, the work of Elmer Bernstein from the first film.

 

While I’ll readily admit that Ghostbusters: Afterlife has numerous plot and logic holes, it was still easily my favorite new film of 2021. It succeeds because it builds on the history of the Ghostbusters, instead of trying to rewrite that history. As someone who grew up with the 1984 film as one of the pinnacles of science fiction films in my youth, this was terrific! (If you were a fan of the animated “The Real Ghostbusters” series, this movie ignore those.)

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Ghostbusters (1984), and Ghostbusters 2 (1989).)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official www.ghostbusters.com web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Blithe Spirit (2020)

Blithe Spirit

based on the novel by Noel Coward (DVD Blithe)

 

Having been a long-time fan of Noel Coward’s witty farces, and having enjoyed Dan Stevens in a few other roles in the past few years, I was looking forward to this version of Coward’s Blithe Spirit, with Stevens as put-upon author Charles Condomine. Surprisingly, this 2020 production has very little “oomph”, and coasts along solely on the limited charms of its primary cast members.

 

The plot, in a nutshell — Condomine is a 1930s British novelist, charged with writing the screenplay adaptation of one of his own novels. Only…he’s hit a brick wall, creatively, and is facing looming deadlines for his work. He has the brilliant idea to invite a spiritualist, Madame Acarti (Judy Dench) to his own home for an-person display of her prowess (and based on her recent public shaming, he believes her to be a charlatan), but things go horribly awry and Acarti is successful in summoning the spirit of Condomine’s first wife, Elvira (Leslie Mann), back from the dead. In the five years since Ruth passed, Charles has remarried to Ruth (Isla Fisher). It turns out that Elvira (who only Charles can see) inspires Charles to successfully start writing again…in fact, she dictates the story to him, without getting any credit for herself. Elvira then plots to get Charles killed, so he’ll be hers again…for all time. Wacky paranormal shenanigans ensue.

 

The performances are fine, but there’s a sense of the lackluster to this version of the story. There is a sense of lushness to the look of the film, with gorgeous sets, terrific costumes, and great music. But, it all just feels a little bit…empty. At least that was my feeling…maybe you’ll enjoy it more!

 

(Also available in a variety of other formats.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official Blithe Spirit web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

eBook Review: The Ghost of Flight 401 by John G. Fuller

The Ghost of Flight 401

by John G. Fuller (eBook)

 

Many years ago I read this book about events regarding the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 in Florida in 1972, having a moderate interest in paranormal happenings. Fuller did a lot of research and presented things in a matter-of-fact way, which made the circumstances even more compelling. This non-fiction book is considered by some to be the first truly convincing book about the existence of posthumous spirits. Whether or not there is validity to the Flight 401 ghost stories — and former astronaut Frank Borman, who was the CEO of Eastern at the time, said there was none — it is engrossing reading. Among Fuller’s other books are The Interrupted Journey, which chronicles the claimed 1961 alien abduction of Barney and Betty Hill, and several works about scientific issues such as chemical pollution. Fuller was also a playwright and a television writer and director. Ghost… and Interrupted… were both made into TV movies in the late 1970s. Fuller’s wife Elizabeth, a flight attendant, wrote her own book about helping him with his 401 research and their subsequent marriage.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Interrupted Journey: Two Lost Hours “Aboard a Flying Saucer”, The Airmen Who Would Not Die, and Fever! all by John G. Fuller or My Search for the Ghost of Flight 401 by Elizabeth Fuller.)

 

( Wikipedia page about the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 ) | ( Wikipedia page about John G. Fuller )

 

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys

by Jewell Parker Rhodes (j Rhodes)

 

An excellent story and winner of the 2020-2021 Nebraska Golden Sower for Best Juvenile Novel.

 

This is a moving tale of a 12-year-old Black boy killed on the streets of his neighborhood. The chapters alternate between DEAD and ALIVE. He’s now a ghost but can only be seen by one person.

 

As a ghost he encounters the ghosts of Emmett Till and thousands of other boys (and men) of color who were victims of lynching, the KKK, and police shootings. In the DEAD chapters he’s trying to adjust to his new condition. In the ALIVE sections we follow the events of That Day and the aftermath.

 

The first seven sentences of the book begin:

 

“How small I look. Laid out flat, my stomach touching ground. My right knee bent and my brand-new Nikes stained with blood.
I stoop and stare at my face, my right cheek flattened on concrete. My eyes are wide open. My mouth, too.
I’m dead.”

 

Ghost Boys is a juvenile book but certainly not childish. Have a box of tissue nearby — you won’t be able to read this in public over lunch. An afternoon read that will stick with you.

[ official Ghost Boys page on the official Jewell Parker Rhodes web site ] 

 

Recommended by Charlotte K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Later by Stephen King

Later

by Stephen King (Compact Disc King)

 

I’ll be the first to admit, there was a point at which I “burned out” on Stephen King, and one King story started to feel like any other King story…so I stopped reading everything he put out. But, at the same time, I’ll also equally admit that pretty much every King story I’ve tried in the past 10 years has still impressed me, and Later definitely falls into that category.

 

King has released three novels through publisher Hard Case Crime, which specializes in “pulp” fiction, epitomized by the “tough guy” novels of the 1950s and 1960s, but brought up to modern sensibilities. The first two were The Colorado Kid and Joyland. Later is the third, and my favorite of those three. I enjoyed Later as a book-on-cd, narrated by actor Seth Numrich.

 

In Later, the central protagonist is Jamie Conklin, who’s telling the story in retrospect as someone in their early twenties. We first see him as an 8-year old and again in his early teens. Jamie is the son of a single mom, and (as often is the case in King novels) has a paranormal ability. He can see dead people, for the first 3 or 4 days after they’ve passed away, usually hanging around the places that were significant to them in their lives, before they fade out and are gone for good. He can also speak to them — and any question he asks them they have to answer truthfully. His mother is aware of this unusual ability but prefers not to think about it. Until an emergency situation happens, and she needs to make use of his particular skill to ensure their financial stability. That action has repercussions from that day onward, both good and bad.

 

The characters are sharply defined in this one, from Jamie and his mom, to her female ex-lover, a corrupt cop who knows Jamie’s secret, to an elderly professor friend, to all the somewhat muted “ghosts” that Jamie converses with. Perhaps the most memorable character is this story’s “big bad” — a paranormal threat that Jamie, as a pre-teen, must figure out a way to face down. Numrich is a superb narrator for this title, bringing Jamie to glorious life and allowing us into his mental processes, while also still making us realize that for most of the story, Jamie’s just a kid.

 

Highly recommended, particularly in the audiobook format. Honestly, this just makes me want to sample even more of King’s recent works.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Doctor Sleep, King’s sequel to his classic, The Shining, read in audiobook format by actor Will Patton.]

[ official Later page on the official Stephen King web site ]

 

See Tracy T.’s review of the audiobook of The Colorado Kid by Stephen King in the April 2016 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!
See Tracy T.’s review of Joyland by Stephen King in the February 2015 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!
See Scott C.’s review of the audiobook of Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, in the March 2014 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

 

Book Review: Ghosted by Michael Fry

Ghosted
by Michael Fry (j Fry)

Larry and Grimm have been best friends since fourth grade. Now they are twelve years old. Grimm was rescuing a cat in a tree during a lightning storm and now he’s a ghost. The boys decide Grimm has unfinished business to attend to before he can move on. They had created a Totally To-Do bucket list they were going to complete together, and now Larry has to tackle these tasks alone on Grimm’s behalf — such as a spaghetti bath; kiss a girl; and feed the scary, mean dog next door just to name a few – but so far, nothing is working.

A hilarious story of friendship, loss, and learning to move on. The illustrations on each page add to the humor though this is neither a comic book like Peanuts or Garfield nor a graphic novel, this book falls in between the two. The drawings complement and advance the text with laugh-out-loud results. And the ending is perfect. Fry’s sense of humor is terrific, and adults will thoroughly enjoy this book.

[ publisher’s official Ghosted web site ] | [ official Michael Fry Twitter feed ]

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Ghosted in L.A.: Volume 3 by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan

Ghosted in L.A.: Volume 3

by Sina Grace (writer) and Siobhan Keenan (artist) (YA PB (Graphic Novel) Grace)

 

The Ghosted in L.A. series comes to an abrupt conclusion in this, the third graphic novel that compiles issues #9 through #12 of the comic-book series. In the earlier two volumes, college student Daphne Walters followed her boyfriend from their midwestern small town to Los Angeles, only to discover that that romantic relationship was over. Distraught, and uncertain why she was even in L.A., Daphne ended up stumbling into the grounds of an apparently empty mansion, Rycroft Manor, where she encounters a group of ghosts, all tied to the property. She ultimately became the “eyes and ears” of the ghosts, befriending them and bringing some of the comforts of the modern world into their cloistered existence. But her encounters with the paranormal are often fraught with unexpected dangers, including one of the specters who didn’t appreciate her meddling. In the second volume, the female indie rocker that Daphne has a crush on dies under odd circumstances, and her ghost ends up joining the others at Rycroft Manor.

 

In this third volume, writer Grace and illustrator Keenan wrap up most of the loose plot threads, in unforeseen ways. One major plotline that is touched on is Daphne’s ultraconservative former college roommate, who becomes a threat to all that Daphne holds dear, and a violent entity that had been entrapped in the Manor’s basement is accidentally released. In many ways, this volume felt a bit rushed, as though the artistic team knew the series was coming to an abrupt end and they needed to bring everything to a conclusion quickly. I liked several of the characters in this series, but, ultimately, volume three left we vaguely unsatisfied. None-the-less, if you’ve read the first two volumes, I do recommend this one so you know how all the storylines conclude. Strong emphasis, especially in this third volume, on LGBTQ relationships between several of the ongoing characters.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the first two volumes of Ghosted in L.A. by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan, Heavy Vinyl: Riot on the Radio by Carly Usdin, or Fence by C.S. Pacat.]

[ publisher’s official Ghosted in L.A. web site ] | [ official Sina Grace web site ] [ official Siobhan Keenan Twitter feed ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Ghost Ups Her Game by Carolyn Hart (narrated by Ann Marie Lee)

Ghost Ups Her Game
by Carolyn Hart (Compact Disc Hart)

After a three-year absence (due to change of publisher), heavenly sleuth Bailey Ruth Raeburn is back in an all-new amateur detective mystery from Carolyn Hart. Bailey Ruth is a departed spirit, regularly sent from Heaven’s “Department of Good Intentions” to aide and protect individuals in her old hometown of Adelaide, OK who may be in danger of being accused of crimes. Hart likes to throw little twists into the exploits of her dearly departed sleuth, and the twist this time is that Chief Sam Cobb believes the evidence against the person Bailey Ruth is trying to protect, is overwhelming enough to not assist his ghostly investigator — in other words, Baily Ruth is on her own to prove a college professor is innocent of the violent death of a less-than-scrupulous college fund-raiser.

 

As always, this is a fun, relatively light-weight mystery, with interesting/sympathetic new characters, and some old favorites back again. If you’re not interested in a bit of paranormal mixed in with your mystery-solving, you’ll want to avoid this one. But if you don’t mind a perky red-headed “ghost” from Oklahoma on the case, this is enjoyable. Also “as always,” I enjoyed Ghost Ups Her Game as a book-on-CD, where narrator Ann Marie Lee is absolutely perfect for this series!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the previous eight entries in the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series.] [ official Carolyn Hart web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Ghosted in L.A. (Volume 1) by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan

Ghosted in L.A.
by Sina Grace (writer), Siobhan Keenan (art), Cathy Le (colorist), DC Hopkins (lettering) (YA PB (Graphic Novel) Grace)

This graphic novel compiles the first four issues of an ongoing comic-book series by Sina Grace (writer) and Siobhan Keenan (artist). The storyline centers on Daphne Walters, a young woman who follows her long-time boyfriend from the Midwest to Los Angeles to attend college. Only, when she gets to L.A., he dumps her, she has an antagonistic relationship with her new college roommate, and after a disastrous first date with a guy who seemed to be interested in her, she finds herself trespassing on the grounds of an unoccupied mansion (with a large swimming pool). It is there that she encounters a group of ghosts, who occupy the mansion. She convinces them to allow her to stay in the mansion and serve as their hands and feet, and meanwhile they serve to give her sounding boards to try to figure out who and what she is going to become, as she’s a bit lost in life.

 

The characters are all fascinating, the artwork is terrific, and the pacing is marvelous. The plot was a little light in this first compilation, but I attribute that to needing to set everything up and in motion, and I anticipate future volumes to have a bit more “story” to them. Overall this is a charming and engaging light fantasy series, and I look forward to reading more of them as they’re released.

[ publisher’s official Ghosted in L.A. web site ] | [ official Sina Grace web site ] [ official Siobhan Keenan web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James (St. James)

This story has both ghosts and serial killers. The story also goes back and forth in time so that the reader can meet both Carly and Vivian. The Sun Down Motel which is haunted due to a tragic accident that happened when it opened, it is also the place where Vivian, Carly’s aunt mysteriously disappeared without a trace; Carly comes to the Sun Down almost twenty years later to find out what happened to her aunt.

[ official Simone St. James web site ]

 

Recommended by Susan S.
Eiseley Branch Library

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Thornhill by Pam Smy

Thornhill
by Pam Smy (j Smy)

A chilling mystery told through a combination of diary entries from 1982, and drawings from 2017, “Thornhill” is a wonderful ghost story that will delight and haunt young and grown alike. It deals with bullying, and the complications of growing up in a young girls orphanage in the 80’s. The beautiful watercolor and ink illustrations are haunting and brimming with detail, and will enthrall readers with every page.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Invention of Hugo Cabret: a novel in words and pictures, by Brian Selznick, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte or The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart.]

[ publisher’s official Thornhill web page ] | [ official Pam Smy blog ]

Recommended by Elanor J.
Gere Branch Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Winchester (on DVD)

Winchester
[DVD Winchester]

Having toured the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, I was looking forward to seeing this film, which was filmed (in part) in that huge, rambling structure. Add to that that I’m a fan of Helen Mirren, who portrays Sarah Winchester in the film, and I greatly anticipated what story the film-makers would tell.

I was hoping for a legitimate biographical story of Sarah Winchester, the widow who inherited the fortune built on the Winchester Repeating Rifle. She was a fascinating historical figure — supposedly haunted by the ghosts of every who had been killed by her family’s rifles. She started a never-ending construction project on her mansion in the countryside outside of San Jose, CA — the constant noise and bustle of construction supposedly kept some of the “spirits” at bay. Also, many of the bizarre and unrelated rooms she had built onto the house were designed specifically to contain and restrain vengeful ghosts. If you ever have the chance to see an actual documentary about Sarah and her house, or every find yourself with an opportunity to tour the house, don’t pass it up.

Unfortunately, the film they chose to make is much more of a traditional “horror” film, with a little historical semi-accuracy thrown in to provide flavor. Mirren as Winchester, and Jason Clarke as Dr. Eric Price, a visiting physician (brought in to help determine if Sarah is sane), both provide excellent performances, as do Sarah Snook and Finn Scicluna-O’Prey, as the young aide to Sarah, and her son living at the mansion. Those performances, and the marvelous set design and costuming, almost salvage this film. But the “shock” nature of the horror, and the limited views we get of the actual mansion, left me a bit disappointed. Horror fans may appreciate this one (and learn a little bit about a true historical person and location). But those seeking more than just standard horror fare may feel a bit let down.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for Winchester ] | [ official Winchester web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Being Human (both US and UK) on DVD

Being Human
[DVD Being] 

There’s a long-standing tradition of American TV series that are based on popular British TV series, but there’s usually a gap of a few years before the Americanized version pops up on our screens — the US series Sanford and Son started in 1972, based on the UK’s Steptoe and Son in 1963. The US All in the Family started in 1971, based on the UK Till Death Do Us Part in 1965. Even the relatively recent US Life on Mars series (2008-2009), was at least a year behind the UK version (2006-2007).

Being Human was an unusual exception. The UK version of this paranormal drama ran from 2009 to 2013 (and aired on the BBC America cable network), while the US version at pretty much the same time (2011-2014) on the Syfy cable TV network. Both were fascinating in their own way, but despite a similar start, they also both charted their own separate courses. I enjoyed both series, which feature a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost all rooming together — one set in London and the other in Boston — and helping each other out with the complications their respective afflications have on their lives, and trying to retain as much as possible of their original humanity. The casts for both series were terrific — in the U.S. version, Sam Witwer is Aidan the vampire, Sam Huntington (marvelous!) was Josh the werewolf, and Meaghan Rath was Sally the ghost. I think I actually liked the British cast better — Russell Tovey was George the werewolf, Lenora Crichlow was Annie the ghost, and for me, the standout was Aidan Turner as the vampire John. Turner has gone on to far greater fame as Ross Poldark in the newest version of the Poldark series on PBS. The British show lasted for 36 episodes in short, 6 to 8 episode series, while the American version ran for 52 episodes in 4 13-episode seasons.

The acting, writing, and production values were all top-notch. Both series are definite “modern” horror shows, and featured a lot of gruesome, blood-and-guts violence. But at the heart of each show, they were about friends trying to salvage their humanity in the face of overwhelming odds against them. I recommend them both, but would ultimately give the British version an “8” and the American version a “7”. As of the time of this review, the libraries have all seasons of both shows in our collection on DVD.

[NOTE: Another simultaneous-airing series recent occurred when Doctor Who actor David Tennant starred in the UK series Broadchurch in 2013, an Americanized version, Gracepoint in 2014, and returned for 2015 and 2017 seasons of Broadchurch back in the UK — all basically the same show, but with setting and character names changed.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for the British series ] | [ Internet Movie Database entry for the American series ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you watched either of these? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful? Do you have a preference between the US and UK versions of Being Human?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Ghost Times Two by Carolyn Hart

Ghost Times Two
by Carolyn Hart, narrated by Ann Marie Lee (Compact Disc Hart)

In this seventh entry in Carolyn Hart’s Bailey Ruth Raeburn fantasy/mystery series, the Heavenly “emissary” is again sent back to Earth, specifically her former hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma, to guide the spirit of a recently deceased young man (newspaper reporter Jimmy) to climb the golden staircase to the afterlife. The only problem is that Jimmy is still far too attached to his earthly existence, and his girlfriend, attorney Megan, he had while he was living. When Megan is implicated in the murder of one of the senior attorneys at her firm, Bailey Ruth (with Jimmy’s awkward interference) has to help solve the murder, so that Jimmy will feel free to leave his life behind.
I enjoy this series as audiobooks, read with incomparable flair and panache by Ann Marie Lee. She perfectly imbues a sense of life and humor into the character of Bailey Ruth, with her Southern charm and energetic personality. The mystery itself isn’t as important as following Bailey Ruth’s adventures along the way. These are just a fun, simple read/listen.

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the rest of the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series, by Carolyn Hart, all narrated by Ann Marie Lee.)

( Bailey Ruth Raeburn information on the official Carolyn Hart web site )

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Ghost Gone Wild

Ghost Gone Wild
by Carolyn Hart [Compact Disc Hart]

The fourth in Carolyn Hart's latest series, about dearly departed Bailey Ruth Raeburn and her adventures on behalf of Heaven's "Department of Good Intentions". This one finds Bailey sent, under odd circumstances, down to her beloved hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma, to help protect a young man who has recently returned to town as a successful and rich videogame producer, who is stirring up trouble with old friends and enemies alike. Bailey's "assignment" is made difficult by the fact that she was shanghaied by a fellow Agent from the Department, and her "boss" has no idea she's back on Earth. When Bailey gets trapped in a mortal body, losing the ability to move around at the speed of thought, her mission becomes more precarious. Making things even more complicated is the fact that the reluctant young man she's supposed to protect may have upset the plans of another Adelaide resident to cash in on a missing treasure -- something they are lethally upset about. I enjoyed this title as a book-on-cd, as I have all the other volumes in this series. The audiobook narrator, Ann Marie Lee, has a marvelous reading voice, and does a reasonable job of giving different voices to each of the primary characters. Her southern twang is perfect for this Oklahoma-set mystery series! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the previous three Bailey Ruth Raeburn novels by Hart.]

[Also available in traditional print format.]

[ official Carolyn Hart web site ]

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!