Something Wicked This Way Comes

In the 1970s backwater of Coden, Alabama, a teenage orphan called Annie mysteriously arrives and quickly drives a wedge in an apparently perfect family.  Full of creepy supernatural elements and family secrets reminiscent of The Turn of the Screw and The Amityville Horror, The Darkling by R. B. Chesterton (aka Carolyn Haines) is a quick and easy read, which is sometimes exactly what you want on a sunny, beautiful afternoon.  HM

Good Old-Fashioned Haunting

In the spirit of Halloween, settle down for this quick read: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. I'm not a huge fan of scary stories, but this one had the right amount of thriller and supernatural creepiness to keep me on the edge of my seat (and not too afraid to be alone in the dark). Though published in the early 1980s, Hill sets her ghostly tale somewhere in the early part of the 1900s on the desolate marshes of England's northeast coast. Arthur Kipps, a young up-and-coming lawyer is sent to the secluded Eel Marsh House to settle the estate of it's most recent inhabitant, Alice Drablow. Instead, he finds himself caught in a web of terrifying apparitions and unexplainable sounds. And to add to the tension, Eel Marsh House just so happens to be situated at the end of a causeway and is only accessible when the tide is out. If this story sounds a little familiar, it's because The Woman in Black has already been made into a stage play, a TV movie, two radio programs, and will be introduced to the big screen early next year (starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame as Kipps). HM

What The Heck Is That ??

Ever been driving along a West Michigan country road and come across something that defies all logic? Ever seen strange lights in the U.P. sky or caught a glimpse of a caped crusader in Jackson? These urban myths, roadside attractions, and just plain local strangeness (I'm looking at you, Captain Jackson) are documented in Linda S. Godfrey's Weird Michigan: Your Travel Guide to Michigan's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. With chapters such as "Bizarre Beasts" and "Cemetery Safari," Godfrey provides one-page profiles of Michigan oddities from Witchy Wolves to the Heidelberg Project. Published in 2006, this book has enjoyed a steady popularity among Michiganders, but if you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend browsing through it. Or better yet, take it with you on vacation this summer and explore Michigan in all of its weirdness. HM

Ghostly Happenings

Haunted Lighthouses is not for the weak or easily scared. These twenty-eight tales, featuring stories of deep waters, lighthouse keepers, and those lost at sea, just might keep you awake at night. Of special interest to Michiganders: the ghost light of Presque Isle and the mighty ghost ship of Lake Superior.