This is a little bit exciting for me, I actually have something to put in the reading part of the blog! Though, I’m not sure if ghost stories count. Then again, it’s words on a page. So that’s technically reading.
The Haunting of Vancouver Island was a neat read. A collection of spooky hauntings just a ferry ride away. However, I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the presentation of information. The author clearly did a ton of research regarding each of the apparitions, while looking at both the fictional and non-fictional side of these ghost stories. (I say ‘non-fiction’ in regards to like the history of the place and the people, I am not starting an argument about ghosts being real.)
There was a whole section on First Nation’s beliefs of the spirits and how that relates to some of the stories. Growing up in B.C, my schools always put on presentations about Native culture in respect to the land we are on. The connections to the spirits in their culture has always been something I found interesting and the author drew many neat parallels between the two. The one that stands out in my mind is the section on the wolf spirits.
I think what I enjoyed most about the collection is that the stories weren’t meant to be scary. If anything it read more like a report about spooky things that happen on a large island. Accounts of what happened, history of the possible hauntings, and even a look at why that spirit might be bound to a particular place.
As someone who has their own opinions about ghosts and hauntings, I enjoyed seeing someone looking at ghosts as a cause and effect sort of deal. Why might a spirit be in one place and not another, and what makes a spirit good or bad?
