Stories in the ‘Burgh: Shifting Focus

Posted on June 19, 2018 by The Book Haunter

You know that saying: if you want to hear a joke, tell life your plans? Well, the same goes pgh for writing content for side projects, apparently.

This is the time of year when I take a hard look at what I’m doing with The Book Haunt, promptly make excessive plans, and then just as quickly get spectacularly derailed. In August 2017, I had plans for creating a whole folklore/occult arm for this site. While I still would love to do that, I have to examine what my schedule allows for; this has led me to question what I want—and what I hope readers will get—out of this site.

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Written Ephemera: On Saving Friends’ Writing

Posted on February 3, 2018 by The Book Haunter

Sometimes, we don’t get to say goodbye. Sometimes, their writing is all we have left.

It began with an email I received early last week, warning me that Figment, a website where I’d uploaded writing in my undergrad years, was shifting gears and rebranding. All users had until January 31 to back up their data.

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Resurrecting The Book Haunt

Posted on August 25, 2017 by The Book Haunter

How do I bring The Book Haunt back from the dead?

A lot has changed since my last post—mostly my career. Free time has become harder to find, and is more precious than anything once I stumble upon it. But with the onset of fall, the little voice of resurrecting this little spooky book hub whispers incessantly.

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The New Rating System + Contest!

Posted on December 30, 2016 by The Book Haunter

What would a book review site be without a rating system?

In most recent reviews I’ve been using a 5-star rating scale. To make things a little more personal here on The Book Haunt, I’m introducing our new rating friend:

Five ghosties equal five stars! But he needs a name! To submit your idea to the naming contest, like The Book Haunt on Facebook and e-mail your name ideas to thebookhauntinfo@gmail.com. The winner will be given a copy of Hogwarts Classics, which is a set of books loved by those in the Harry Potter universe: Quidditch Through the Ages and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The contest ends January 20, 2017.

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The Importance of Half Price Books

Posted on December 9, 2016 by The Book Haunter

When someone hears the name “Amazon,” what follows is usually praise for their deals or dread at how they do business. And with Amazon trying to dig its fingers into as many pies as possible—grocery stores included—competition is trying its best to stay afloat.

One of these competitors (at least in some parts of the States) is Half Price Books, which has been family owned and operated since its founding in 1972. It all began when the owners took books from their own personal library (and purchased books from the local community). While Half Price Books is a chain, it captures the feeling of used bookstores. You never know what you’ll discover. Continue reading →

Viking Mythology: Where to Begin

Posted on November 30, 2016 by The Book Haunter

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While countless movies, video games, and books have dipped into and reinterpreted parts of Norse mythology, the subject may seem a little difficult to get into. For me, I could name any number of Zeus’s infidelities, but when it came to reading anything related to the Eddas, my eyes automatically glazed over. I was definitely interested in learning about Odin’s wily ways, but I didn’t know how to approach the topic until I encountered one book in particular. Continue reading →

Books and Beer: Meeting “Puppet Master” Comic Writer Shawn Gabborin

Posted on November 21, 2016 by The Book Haunter

Every once in a while, I luck into discovering an upcoming book signing. It’s really very cool to meet someone who creates work you like, and it’s even cooler when that person is genuinely nice and wants to engage with their audience on a personal level. Add the option to buy a specialty beer to the mix, and you’ve got a killer way to spend part of your Saturday night.

During a previous excursion to a different New Dimension Comics location, I spotted an ad for an event for Blade’s Bloody Barleywine. I snapped a photo and immediately sent it to my friend Megan, who is both a Puppet Master enthusiast and acting as my personal horror movie mentor. (She had recently shown me this wonderful piece of campy horror cinema, and I could tell then that this was the beginning of something awesome.) Continue reading →