What I'm Reading: Ghosts From Our Past

Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively

by Erin Gilbert & Abby L. Yates, with Andrew Shaffer

"As seen in the Sony Pictures 2016 film Ghostbusters, [Ghosts from Our Past is] the ultimate guide to identifying, understanding, and engaging with any paranormal activity that plagues you."

Andrew Shaffer is the New York Times bestselling author of the essential survival guide "How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters". He is a member of the American Society for Psychical Research and the Horror Writers Association. 

Having not seen the new Ghostbusters movie with the all-female cast, at first I did not get that the book was intended to be a humourous look at the paranormal through the eyes of two fictional characters from the movie. To me, Erin and Abby were two scientists from Michigan, as described in the book. (Insert laughing at me here.) It wasn't until I did a little research on the authors that I realized Erin and Abby are actual characters in the movie, played by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, respectively. Call me dense, or just a sucker for believing that it was someone's real job to hunt ghosts. Thank you reality television. 

I really wanted to like this book because I find ghost stories and the paranormal so fascinating, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. While it was a quick read, and at some points interesting, it wasn't always an easy read. At times it hurt my head and the scientific info was hard to process. This is coming from someone with a scientific background, but also one that despises physics and has tried to erase those awful high school and university memories from her brain. 

The verdict: If you are fascinated by the paranormal, are a Ghostbusters fan or are just looking for a book that can be read in a few short days, be sure to check out 'Ghosts From Our Past'. If you're not into any of the above, skip it.

I think I'll go watch the new Ghostbusters movie now...

To & Fro rating: ★ 1/2 out of 5 stars


Do you believe in ghosts? What books have you read lately?

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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. All opinions are 100% my own.