Staff Picks Blog

My husband and I like to take little roadtrips on the weekends, and recently we’ve been picking locations from The Iowa Road Guide to Haunted Locations. It’s a nice book that compiles ghostly tales and creepy goings-on from all over the state, plus a little research on the authors’ part, and directions on how to get to the specific spooky spots. Most of the reports deal with stories or incidents from the past, although there are a few more modern (and a little less interesting) tales…the ghost from the Carlos O’Kelly’s in Marion, for instance, leaves a little to be desired, unless you’re hungry.

The authors have a keen interest in the paranormal, and do a fair amount of fact-checking. They’ve visited all the places in the book, speaking with people from the area who remember the events or the stories about them, and even check for old newspaper articles when possible to verify the tales. They aren’t gullible in the least, and will often debunk a story if they turn up contradictory evidence. Ultimately, this book is great for learning some very interesting stories about many areas in the state, regardless of whether you believe in them or not.

If this is your type of thing, you’ll be happy to know that author Chad Lewis is speaking at Coralville Public Library tonight, at 6:30!