Book Fair 8/13/16

The last book fair on my list is crossed off.  I don't know of any others for a while but that's okay!  This one paid off big time.

The price was a $1 per book and I found many stories for my blog plus a few more good reads just for fun.  So many ghosts, murders and cookbooks! I can't wait. Also, there was a bake sale.  I'm still trying to finish off the cookies.

This book fair is one I visit every year.  It's inside so all the books are protected. The books were all in great condition and weren't going to mildew in the rain. That was great because while my husband and I shopped we heard thunder outside and the rain that followed was heavy and dangerous.  Some people in town lost power that night.

I felt this book fair had more book in past years.  I feel those in charge of this fair are getting tired of doing it which is sad.  It's so well done.  Hopefully next year I'll be in a position to get involved myself and help out but I know I'll be shopping more than helping.

Book Fair 7/9/16

My husband and I went to a little, artsy town and found a book fair!  It was a cute, little fair set up in a barn behind the library which was perfect because it was raining but there was a small flood developing in the front room.  I splashed through the water but I didn't find any books for my blog. I found a few others that look great for other reading, some research and tasty Italian cooking!

The atmosphere was interesting to watch.  I'd love to be more artsy in my life but this was in a community for very, intensely artsy people.  My husband mentioned there was a strong patchouli scent in the air and he was correct.  The women wore bandanas and the men had impressive beards.  Many of the books were too intellectual for me to understand.

I found a free library and I checked that out, of course.  But I was disappointed. I didn't want to take any of the children's books and the rest were several copies of someone's personally published book. I suppose I can't get too mad about that.  Some author wants to get their book (and philosophy) out there but I was hoping for more diversity. 

I hope to have better luck at the next book fair.

Book Fair 7/4/2016

Tis the season for book fairs.  I love going to book fairs for cheap books and surprises!  I've been to one book fair twice so far this summer.  That means I went to the same book fair on two different occasions.  Today was the last day, therefore it was an extreme bargain day.  I could fill a bag with books for $5.  I didn't fill my bag but I picked up some books by authors I like, such as Clive Cussler, MC Beaton and Dick Francis, and then books I know nothing about but only bought because they were cheap.  The weirdest was What's Wrong with Valerie? by D. A. Fowler. I haven't a clue what this book will be like but it may fit into my ghost blog.

These books are stinky. I know they were sitting out on a table on the library lawn for two weeks.  Tarps were pulled over the books when it rained but that doesn't keep out 100% of the water that causes mildew.  I think these books are making my eyes itch right now.  Where's my Visine?

Real, Yucky, Little Bookworms!

This subject really gross me out.  I had a bad experience with a real bookworm once.  I owned a book that I really loved (a collection of ghost stories) and a worm borrowed really far into it. Then it got smashed flat.


When I opened the book again, excited to reread my favorite spooky stories, I saw him.  He’d been smashed in such a way that he had a horrible smily face. J Just like that one!   I want to puke right now just remembering this.

I couldn’t bring myself to wipe him out. Plus he was very dried up which made him a permanent part of my book. Wonderful, right? I thought about ripping out those pages but he’d soaked through many layers of this awesome book. So I threw it out. L

Wiki explains that several types of insects eat into books. They like the taste of the mold and the starch. My little guy was clearly some sort of larvae that was enjoying the flavor, protection and warmth of my little ghostie book.

Insects are such a phobia of mine and this post doesn’t help.  I can’t write about these little critters anymore so here are some links about bookworms and how to get rid of them.

Books Tell You Why.Com

What's that Bug?

Approaches to Insect Problems in Paper or Books

My Grandparent's Cemetery was Vandalized

Grandma and Grandpa's are fine but 54 graves were knocked over during the night.  I want those responsible to be haunted!

The police have fingerprints. We'll see what comes of it.

Update 6/5/16:

My husband and I took a walk around the cemetery yesterday to see the damage.  So many old stones were knocked over.  This was done before Memorial Day and some of these stones were for veterans.  But there was no discrimination. Stones old and new were broken. The vandalism was awful and will be expensive to fix.

We met two ladies from out of town who wanted to see if their family's stones were damaged.  They wanted to know if we'd heard anything but we hadn't.  I have doubts that anyone will be caught for this.

Others were in the cemetery too and it seemed we were all looking at each other with either sadness or suspicion. 

I still want to see some hauntings of these MFers!

No Update 7/23/16

No one knows who did it and I doubt anyone is looking.  The broken tombstones are still on the ground and there isn't enough money to fix them. Depressing.

Do I Believe in Ghosts?

I have seen and heard some strange things but I can give you plenty of reasons why those incidents were probably just my imagination. 

The first time I thought I saw an old man walking in my direction that no one else saw. 

The second time I heard the word "Liar!" whispered in my ear and no one was next to me.

My mother and I once heard Native American music outside late at night that neither of us could explain.

My husband heard "I hate it!" whispered in his ear and thought it was me until he realized I wasn't in the room.

My mother-in-law used to work in a nursing home and can tell many strange tales of life, death and ghosts.

While I have had these experiences, so many credible people in my life have told me what happened to them. I just don't know what to believe. This is why I have such an interest in exploring what others believe ghosts to be.

Intro to Spun Out Yarns!

Welcome to SOY, the companion blog to GOMS.

In my other blog I will be analyzing ghosts from the stories that I read. I'll be analyzing its appearance, intentions and effectiveness.

Whether I like the story or not, I will be making fun of it. Maybe I laugh when I'm scared. I can't help it.  We all have our own reaction to being frightened. I like a little humor with my horror.

I have always collected ghost stories, both real and fiction, and I am always interested in how the ghost is constructed.  How powerful is it? Where did it's story begin? How will this ghost influence the living?

I'll examine all reading levels and story lengths.  Short stories are, of course, the quickest to get through so I'll have more of those.

Since all stories are different I may have to analyze each story differently and adjust the critique.