Other books that might interest you

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  First Resorts - Pursuing...

  Jon Sterngass

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  “[A] scrupulously researched and beautifully crafted account of how nineteenth-century Americans went in search of health, rest, and diversion.” —Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker, coauthors of The Beach. The History of Paradise on Earth 
   
  In First Resorts: Pursuing Pleasure at Saratoga Springs, Newport, and Coney Island, Jon Sterngass follows three of the best-known northeastern American resorts across a century of change. Saratoga Springs, Newport, and Coney Island began, he finds, as similar pleasure destinations, each of them featuring “grand” hotels where visitors swarmed public spaces such as verandas, dining rooms, and parlors. As the century progressed, however, Saratoga remained much the same, while Newport turned to private (and lavish) “cottages” and Coney Island shifted its focus to amusements for the masses. 
   
  Fifty-nine illustrations enliven Sterngass’s unique study of the commodification of pleasure that occurred as capitalist values flourished, travel grew more accessible, and leisure time became democratized. These three resorts, he argues, served as forerunners of twentieth-century pleasure cities such as Aspen, Las Vegas, and Orlando. 
   
  “An engaging, creative book replete with evocative illustrations and witty quotes . . . a pleasant read.” —Thomas A. Chambers, New York Academy of History 
   
  “Sterngass’s discussions about privacy, community, commercialization, consumption, leisure, and the desire to be conspicuous are important and new. With its well-chosen illustrations, this is a handsome book as well as an important one.” —Kathryn Allamong Jacob, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University 
   
  “Having mined every conceivable source about his three sites, Sterngass has presented a wealth of interesting material not only about the resort experience but also about the residents, politicians, and entrepreneurs who built them.” —Journal of American History

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  Cajun Pig - Boucheries Cochon de...

  Dixie Lee Poche

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  “When it comes to swining and dining in Louisiana, Dixie Poché has it covered. From snout to tail . . . it’s all here.” —Chef John D. Folse, Louisiana’s “Culinary Ambassador to the World”  
   
  Southwest Louisiana is famous for time-honored gatherings that celebrate its French Acadian heritage. And the culinary star of these gatherings? That’s generally the pig. Whether it’s a boucherie, the Cochon de Lait in Mansura or Chef John Folse’s Fete des Bouchers, where an army of chefs steps back three hundred years to demonstrate how to make blood boudin and smoked sausage, ever-resourceful Cajuns use virtually every part of the pig in various savory delights. Author Dixie Poché traverses Cajun country to dive into the recipes and stories behind regional specialties such as boudin, cracklings, gumbo and hogs head cheese. From the Smoked Meats Festival in Ville Platte to Thibodaux’s Bourgeois Meat Market, where miles of boudin have been produced since 1891, this is a mouthwatering dive into Cajun devotion to the pig. 
   
  “Dixie Poche, author of two other looks at the state’s rich culinary traditions, Louisiana Sweets and Classic Eateries of Cajun Country, takes a deep dive into the connection of Louisiana’s unique people and food with the noble hog.” —Houma Today 
   
   
   
  “The book takes a nostalgic look at visiting old-time ‘mom and pop’ Cajun meat markets and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the many dishes that made them famous. It also serves as a travel guide to many local eateries and festivals in which the culinary star is the pig.” —The Advocate

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  Ghosts of Ogden Brigham City and...

  Jennifer Jones

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  Tales of fascinating pasts and spirited encounters in northern Utah’s spookiest locations from the author and founder of The Dead History. 
   
  From Ogden up to Logan, northern Utah claims more than its fair share of restless spirits. The Ben Lomond Hotel was rumored to be the site of a honeymooning bride who tragically drowned in her bathtub, only to have her distraught son consequently commit suicide in the adjoining room. The iconic Union Station still houses passengers in the form of apparitions and disembodied voices. The owner of the Shooting Star Saloon purportedly continues to monkey around with the jukebox and a phantom piano, while Crystal Hot Springs hosts a bevy of spirits, including a crying child, a stabbing victim and multiple pool-related fatalities. Author Jennifer Jones unearths the stories behind the ghosts that continue to preside over their final destinations. 
   
  “As far as we are aware, Jennifer is the only person that is documenting locations in Northern Utah as well as telling the stories of people in graves with headstones she finds interesting . . . Whether you want it to or not, paranormal and history go hand in hand.” —The New Utah Podcast

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  Tutankhamen's Curse - The Legend...

  John Harpoon

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  The discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922 remains one of the most significant archaeological events in history, but it also brought with it a mysterious and terrifying legend—the Curse of the Pharaoh. For centuries, the tomb of the young Egyptian king, who ruled during the 18th dynasty, lay hidden beneath the sands of the Valley of the Kings. It wasn’t until British archaeologist Howard Carter and his financial backer, Lord Carnarvon, unearthed the tomb that the world was introduced to the wonder and mystique surrounding King Tutankhamen’s final resting place. 
  Tutankhamen, who ascended to the throne as a child, died young under uncertain circumstances, leaving behind a legacy that has fascinated historians, archaeologists, and the public alike. His tomb, filled with precious artifacts, murals, and the famous golden mask, was unlike anything ever discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs. Yet, the treasures would be overshadowed by an eerie series of deaths, leading many to believe in a curse linked to the tomb. 
  The first death tied to the curse was that of Lord Carnarvon, who financed the excavation. His sudden death just months after entering the tomb in 1923 shocked the world, and rumors of a deadly curse spread rapidly. Over the next few years, several individuals connected to the tomb’s discovery met untimely and mysterious deaths, fueling the belief that the wrath of Tutankhamen had been unleashed upon those who dared to disturb his resting place.

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  Haunted Anchor Bay Michigan

  Debi Chestnut

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  Meet the ghosts who haunt the shores of Lake St. Clair . . . photos included!   Anchor Bay is a haven for ghosts. The small towns that dot the shores of Lake St. Clair, the three Native American reservations, and the remnants of several British and French military encampments in the area all lay claim to supernatural occurrences.   The spirit of a state senator’s son haunted his magnificent mansion just outside New Baltimore before the home was demolished. Mabel Hathaway’s mysterious death remained unsolved for 140 years, and her ghost continues to stalk Oakwood Cemetery. A deceased sea captain seemingly moves his hidden treasure from beyond the grave when someone gets close to finding it. Local paranormal expert Debi Chestnut delights and frightens with these and other tales of Anchor Bay’s historic haunts.

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  The Scorpion-Fish

  Nicolas Bouvier

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  On an unamed Island that can only be Ceylon, the traveller checks into his 117th rented room, abandoned by his lover, poor and feverish. A book on Indian insects deepens his morbid fascination with the crawling inhabitants of the room-'a pretty world of killers'- barely distinguishable from the insect like habitues of the local cafe, the charlatans and fake exorcists, the indolent landowners, merchants and priests. In this exhausted state, he grows antennae that are 'tensed between the real and the occult'. The distinction between fact and fiction is blurred, but in this world of the imagination truths are sometimes crystal clear. A long-dead, levitating priest and the beautiful but deadly scorpion-fish, symbol of Bouvier's ambivalent relationship with the Island, are but two of the specters which eventually lose their hold on the author, releasing him back to life. It is a classic tale of the mental breakdown of a western traveller in the feverish heat of the tropical East - but which yet offers precious insights into the world and the self.

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