It’s that time of year, when the days shorten and shadows grow, when a nip in the air sends a chill up our spines. (Or at least we hope there’s a nip.) And books about ghosts and other things that go bump in the night appear on bookstore shelves.
Cheryl H. White and W. Ryan Smith, two academics from northern Louisiana, examine the tales of those left behind in “A Haunted History of Louisiana Plantations,” published by The History Press. Most people will recognize the Myrtles among their pages, with its story of a disgruntled slave who haunts the property, but there are also wonderful stories that may be new to readers. There’s the duelists of the Natchez (Louisiana) Cherokee Plantation, the strange oak trees of Houmas House that appear to suffer through grief and the haunts of mansions along the Cane River. White is also the author of “Historic Haunts of Shreveport.”
Also by The History Press, as part of their Haunted America series, is Marita Woywod Crandle’s “New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend,” which examines several local myths surrounding Big Easy creatures who do not die. There’s the story spun on city ghost tours about the Caskette Girls turning into vampires on the ship over from France, the mysterious Comte St. Germain who supposedly spent time in the city and the notorious Carter Brothers who in the 1930s apparently kidnapped, bled and killed victims, only to escape. Crandle runs the Boutique du Vampyre in the French Quarter and the private vampire nightclub Potions. Although she loves all things vampire, she writes the book with a skeptical slant because, as she admits in the afterword, “Are vampires real? Nobody loves vampires more than I do, but reason and common sense tells me no, they are not.”
Other books to consider:
Last year, Laura Roach Dragon compiled 13 scary campfire stories with Louisiana settings in “The Bayou Bogeyman Presents Hoodoo and Voodoo,” published by Pelican Publishing of New Orleans.
And there’s my own History Press book, “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana,” full of ghost stories ranging from university dorm rooms to dramatic opera houses and everything in between. There’s also those unique but creepy Cajun folktales such as Madame Grand Doight who uses her long fingernails to open doors that might keep you up at night. And if you want to add a little mystery, my Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series featuring a New Orleans ghost sleuth-travel writer is now available in paperback at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com and as an ebook at all online bookstores.
Sweet Louisiana
Author Dixie Poché will host a cooking demonstration and book signing from 1 pm to 2 pm Saturday at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans. Poché is the author of “Louisiana Sweets: King Cakes, Bread Pudding and Sweet Dough Pie” and “Classic Eateries of Cajun Country.” SophiP Cakes from Lafayette will be demonstrating their techniques for baking cupcakes and Leah’s Pralines of New Orleans will have samples of their pralines to showcase the traditional sweet.
Book events the week of Oct. 15-21
Marita Gentry launches her latest children’s book, “The Cajun Cornbread Boy and the Buttermilk Biscuit Girl” at 10:30 a.m. today at Octavia Books of New Orleans. She wil be joined by Dianne de Las Casas, the illustrator. Also at Octavia this week is Christopher Schaberg signing “Airoportness at 6 p.m. Wednesday and John Magill’s signs “The Incomparable Magazine Street” at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Former U.S. representative and Louisiana Gov. Charles “Buddy” Roemer signs copies of his new book, “Scopena: A Memoir of Home,” at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Barnes and Noble, Shreveport.
C. Morgan Babst discusses and signs her book “The Floating World” at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thom Gilbert discusses and signs his book, "Blue Suede Shoes: The Culture of Elvis" at 6 p.m. Thursday at Garden District Book Shop of New Orleans.
Feng Shui Master and author Denise DuBos will discuss Feng Shui at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Jones Creek Regional Library of Baton Rouge. DuBos is author of the book “Feng Shui: The Invisible Art of Communication.”
O’Neil de Noux will teach “How to Write & Enjoy Reading Novels in a Series” from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Covington Library, 310 W. 21st Ave. in Covington. Register online at www.bit.ly/stplregister.
Paige Bowers, author of “The General’s Niece: The Little-Known de Gaulle Who Fought to Free Occupied France,” will speak about her book at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Jones Creek Regional Library of Baton Rouge. A reception and book signing will follow the author’s presentation.
Errol Laborde, Peggy Laborde and Lawrence Powell will speak about their book, “New Orleans: The First 300 Years” at 7 p.m. Thursday at the East Bank Regional Library, Metairie. Books will be available for sale through the Friends of the Jefferson Public Library. The event is part of the 2017 season of Coffee and Conversation, a literary initiative sponsored by the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival and the Jefferson Parish Library.
The Friends of the Jefferson Public Library will conduct its semi-annual Big Book Sale from Thursday to Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Pontchartrain Center of Kenner.
Author Tom Franklin will speak about his book, “Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter,” at 10 a.m. Friday at the Tangipahoa Parish Library. He will also read from and autograph his book. The following day, Saturday, the Hammond Regional Arts Center will host Franklin at its Gallery on Thomas Street.
Kathryn K. Fontenot will sign “The Louisiana Urban Gardener” from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at The Conundrum of St. Francisville, part of the opening afternoon of The Southern Garden Symposium.
Cheré Coen is the author of “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances and the Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.
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