New Books and Media

From the publisher's website: A cacophonous cabinet of curiosities, gathering other musics channeled from the spirit world, the fairy kingdom, outer space, secret societies and occult lodges. Compiled by musician, historian and archivist Doug Skinner, this unique collection of esoteric earworms gathers, and examines, music from other worlds. Notation is also included for several tunes so that you can play along at home. Over eight themed essays you’ll find tunes hummed, strummed, and sung by spirits, sprites and fairies, extraterrestrial elevator music, dreamed ditties, marches for occult ceremonies, secret musical codes and languages, music made by animals, and more.

Further information at the publisher's website: Strange Attractor Press.

Review by Melvyn Willin.

From the publisher's website: In his latest book, One Big Box of 'Paranormal Tricks’? From Ghosts to Poltergeists to the Theory of Just One Paranormal Power, John Fraser reflects on his motivations for involvement in paranormal research from an early age, recalling his experiences to date, the people who have influenced him, and the conclusions he's come to. Whilst Fraser refers to events in his life, this book is not a memoir or 'life story' in any conventional sense. It's presented as a meditation on what the paranormal might mean for us in our universal quest to give our lives meaning. One Big Box of 'Paranormal Tricks’? takes more of a zen-and-the-art-of-spending-a-night-in-a-haunted-house approach than an autobiographical one.

Further information at the publisher's website: 6th Books. 

Review by Nemo C, Mörck.

From the publisher's website: As heard on Radio 4’s Free Thinking Henri Bergson, the French philosopher who defined individual creativity and transformed twentieth-century thought. At the dawn of the twentieth century, Henri Bergson became the most famous philosopher on earth. Where prior thinkers sketched out a predictable universe, he asserted the transformative power of consciousness and creativity. An international celebrity, he made headlines around the world debating luminaries like Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein about free will and time. The vision of creative evolution and freedom he presented was so disruptive that the New York Times branded him “the most dangerous man in the world.” In the first English-language biography of Bergson, Emily Herring traces how his celebration of the time-bending uniqueness of individual experience struck a chord with those shaken by modern technological and social change. Bergson captivated a society in flux like no other. Long after he faded from public view, his insights into memory, time, joy and creativity continue to shape our perceptions to this day. Herald of a Restless World is an electrifying portrait of a singular intellect.

Further information at the publisher's website: Basic Books.

Review by Gary Lachman.

From the publisher's website: Quotidian Tales is unique selection of short fictional stories based on real paranormal behaviours such as, remote viewing, psychokinesis, after death communication, energy healing, precognition, near-death-experiences, and telepathy. Each story provides a humorous and heartwarming insight into the paranormal informed by scientific research which is outlined in the 'Notes' section. Anyone interested in the mind, sprit and the nature of consciousness will find this book fun, informative and enlightening.

Review by Gregory M. Westlake.

From the publisher's website: Paranormal expert Theresa Cheung shares 101 of the most mysterious and spooky true stories of hauntings from around the world together with the latest afterlife science and research, providing fascinating insight into our never-ending love affair with ghosts. Belief in ghosts is surprisingly common worldwide. Mysterious glowing orbs, unexplained chills, things that literally go bump in the night: signs of paranormal activity have reportedly surged during the pandemic. As have specialist investigators, organised ghost hunts, eerie podcasts, TV shows and reports of everyday hauntings.

Further information at the publisher's website: Michael O'Mara.

Review by Peter A. McCue.

From the publisher's website: A History of Ghosts, Spirits and the Supernatural charts the extraordinary narrative of one of the most fascinating and controversial subjects in the world, covering everything from Neolithic ancestor worship and ancient necromancy to modern-day ghost-hunting and creepypasta tales and from the Japanese onryo to the La Llorona of Latin America. The perfect introduction to the subject, this spellbinding volume details the numerous ways in which spirits and the spirit world have been depicted in myth and religion, folklore, art, and literature.

Further information at the publisher's website: DK.

From the publisher's website: A number of converts to Buddhism report paranormal experiences. Their accounts describe psychic abilities like clairvoyance and precognition, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, and encounters with other beings such as ghosts and deities, and they often interpret these events through a specifically Buddhist lens. This book is a groundbreaking exploration of these phenomena and their implications for both humanistic and scientific study of the paranormal.

Further information at the publisher's website: Columbia University Press.

From the publisher's website: Possessed by curiosity, paranormal investigator Richard Estep hunts down firsthand experiences and historic accounts of the most legendary demonic activity. He consults with experts ranging from a medical doctor to an ordained Catholic exorcist on cases like the Salem Witch Trials and the inspiration for The Exorcist. He also visits several sites of alleged demonic infestations, such as the Monroe House. With the facts at your fingertips, you can determine the truth for yourself.

Further information at the publisher's website: Llewellyn.

Review by Nemo C. Mörck.

From the publisher's website: Uncover fascinating paranormal activity on this chilling, nerve-wracking global tour of over 50 paranormal locations, with a brilliant foreword from award-winning writer, Danny Robins. Set out on a uniquely dark armchair journey and witness the shocking supernatural events, ghosts and unexplained phenomena that have captivated humankind for as long as we have told stories to each other, looked to the skies, and wondered whether we really are alone…

Further information at the publisher's website: Quarto.

Review by Ciaran Farrell.

From the publisher's website: This is the first illustrated volume to gather the art and objects that made medium and magician performances iconic during the Spiritualism movement and beyond, a time when people actively debated and wondered, "can spirits return?" An international selection of paintings, photographs, posters, stage apparatuses, film, publications, and other objects reveal how audiences were entranced and mystified by these experiential performances, captivating willing believers and garnering skeptics as they navigated the intersecting realms of science and spirituality. From the origins of the iconic Oujia board to spirit photography, this book is a treasure trove.

Further information at the publisher's website: Rizzoli Electa.

Review by Matthew L. Tomkins.

From the back cover: This ground-breaking volume consists of essays by scientists and academics describing their own experiences of synchronicity and how these experiences transformed both their worldviews and the way they lived their lives. The essays consider possible interpretations/explanations and implications of these synchronistic events for a deeper understanding of consciousness and the interconnected nature of reality in terms of epistemology and ontology. A major theme of the volume is, "What kind of universe makes synchronicity possible?“ We anticipate you will be intrigued and perhaps feel a sense of participatory resonance and joy, at the answers you find in the essays. We truly believe this is a fundamentally benevolent, creative and playful universe in which we, as individual expressions of the one Universal Mind, co- create our reality.

From the publisher's website: Swansea has long been a place of magic and mystery. Ruined castles with ghostly inhabitants dot the landscape, while the golden sands of Gower are steeped in Arthurian mythology and seafaring tales of smugglers and pirates. Yet it has also seen much upheaval and destruction, from the early Viking invaders to the Luftwaffe’s devastating ‘three-nights’ blitz’ during the Second World War. Paranormal Swansea and Gower takes the reader on a spine-chilling journey to dozens of supposedly haunted locations, ranging from well-known tourist destinations to more secluded spots off the beaten track, each with its own eerie tale to tell. These include the spirits of ancient soldiers who wage war on the beaches at dusk, the Gothic ruins guarded by the most terrifying of apparitions, the family home where the wraith of a murderer returned to haunt his former neighbours, the Swansea Devil, a ‘cursed’ work of art which lurks in the museum, and the workaholic miller who refuses to down tools at an historic watermill long after shuffling off this mortal coil.

Further information at the publisher's website: Amberley Publishing,

Review by Peter G. Maxwell-Stuart.