Discover the Playful Antics of Lingering Souls and Antiques with Spirited Personalities Unlike a typical collection of ghost stories, Gently Haunted recounts uplifting and inspiring spiritual encounters. You'll learn about paranormal entities from a Florida antique shop and the surrounding area, including Haunted Charlie, the doll who serves as the shop's guardian, and the phantoms of James and Lucinda DeWalt, the first people to live in the building. Whether they are attracted to the century-old bungalow or the collectables sold within it, these specters interact with the living to show us life's joys. In addition to hopeful stories and nearly a hundred photos, Corrine Kenner provides numerous tips for using psychometry, pendulums, dowsing rods, and tarot cards to help you reach out to friendly shadows of the past. Her experiences with objects that appear out of nowhere, move on their own, and radiate psychic energy reassure us that we can still connect to loved ones on the other side.
Corrine Kenner is a certified tarot master and the author of several books, including Simple Fortunetelling with Tarot Cards, Tarot Journaling, Tall Dark Stranger: Tarot for Love and Romance, The Epicurean Tarot, and the forthcoming Wizards Tarot and Tarot for Writers. \r \r Corrine has lived in Brazil and Los Angeles, where she earned a bachelors degree in philosophy from California State University. She now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband and their daughters.\r \r Corrine organizes tarot classes and workshops on a regular basis. For more information, visit her website at corrinekenner.com."
3 Stars!! Not what I was expecting at all. I thought this would be exciting and scary stories of haunted houses and objects and peoples experiences with the supernatural. It read more as a tour guide book for DeLand Florida and a haunted antique shop there. A few stories were thrown in about things that happened around the haunted antique shop but nothing shocking or scary. Interesting shop though that I will definitely check out next time I’m in that part of Florida. *I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*
The most important and unexpected fact I learned from this book is that back in the 1920’s, hospitals in Florida (and probably lots of other places too) wouldn’t treat Black people. I mean, that shouldn’t surprise me since lots of people still get really angry whenever they hear someone say “Black Lives Matter,” yet I still found the cruelty of turning sick and dying Black people away and letting them die because they are Black shocking. Black lives *REALLY* didn’t matter to those people. And this was 100 years ago, not the Dark Ages!
DeLand’s first Black physician, Dr. S. R. Coleman, arrived in 1918 and is a fascinating figure that I am so glad I got to learn about. The indignities he had to endure: he could only work under a White doctor, could only treat people of color, they made him work in a separate building, and he couldn’t send his sickest patients to the intensive care unit, ER, or for surgeries, etc. It took 10 years before the town created a smaller, crappier hospital for the Black people to use. They would reluctantly wheel equipment across the parking lot, or—after midnight under the cover of darkness—sneak Black patients into the hospital for surgery, heaven forbid White healing become tainted by having to see a Black person! It wasn’t until 1952 when the new hospital opened that Blacks—still segregated!—could be under the same roof. Absolutely insane how cruel people can be.
And what has all this got to do with ghosts? Beats me! I mean, that old hospital site is probably haunted. Someone should probably go investigate there.
[stares at author]
[author shrugs]
This book lacks organization, but basically could be broken into 3 sections: 1) about the author and her antiques shop 2) a cumbersomely large section about local history 3) a filler section about psychic abilities and a very brief overview on ghost hunting that will be review for you if you have ever watched “Ghost Hunters” on A&E before.
The first section of the book about the author’s psychic background and opening her antique shop in DeLand, Florida as a place to be able to write in the down time was quite quaint and something I could fantasize about doing too! It was a little more woo-woo than I was expecting, which is saying something because this is a book about ghosts, right?! But at least this part actually felt like what I THOUGHT I was getting when I picked up this book.
I had in-laws who lived in DeLand and used to spend some time with them and other in-laws in central Florida, so when the author mentions worrying about getting run out of town for doing spiritualistic stuff, I’m like, “yup, central Florida is the land of angry, violent, closed-minded mouth-breathers…” Perhaps her deep-dive into local history and glowing accounts of the town’s founding by Whites was to win people over?
Overall, unless you plan on visiting DeLand (maybe don’t? I know Florida has great weather, but their governor banned AP History courses about Black people so maybe don’t give racists more money) or have a connection there, a lot of the information here is not going to be very appealing if you are just looking for tales of paranormal encounters. Still, I think the author has some interesting experiences and ideas and although some of this book was a slog, I would not be opposed to reading more books by her.
I can't thank Llewellyn Publications and NetGalley enough for giving me the honor of consuming this ARC!!
Corrine Kenner is an author, astrologer and certified Tarot master...along with also owning an Haunted Antique Shop in Florida. I don't want to spoil ANYTHING, so you'll have to dive in for yourself if you are interested in ghost stories, paranormal, hauntings, and the energy that remains with old antiques. This book was a page-turner - I had a hard time putting it down. It was the perfect timing for me to read this during the full moon!!
I feel so incredibly teased because the photos that correspond with each section aren't in the ARC - which makes me even more determined to get a physical copy of this book to keep on my coffee table for all to peruse!
I am so excited to consume more from this author - her story telling is great & I love learning about her as an individual and her practice throughout what she has to share. She was the first person I've ever read about doing an astrological "death chart" for someone. Pick up a copy and you won't be disappointed.
*I’ve got this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review*
Where are ghost stories I was promised to? It was barely touched on hauntings. Only few stories that sounded more like authors wishful thinking, than an actual encounters. All the book was just messy. Should it have been an overly long advertisement of authors shop with “antiques” (more like things that look like antiques), towns information brochure, or book about ghosts? I was confused by what author tried to tell us. The logic of the book was something like : “there goes two dogs, one goes to the left the second one is brown. How old I am?”. I just couldn’t waste my time anymore on it and dnf’ed it at 56% mark. Very disappointed and frustrated with this book.
I can't thank NetGalley enough for giving me this copy of Gently Haunted! It was a great read about a Haunted Antiques shop in Florida. Steeped in a rich history, with multiple owners, this shop features many haunted objects. Corrie Kenner is the owner and also a tarot and astrology master. Haunted objects range from a doll, that gives off creepy vibes, that a ghost man in the shop likes to move around. She also has some of Winston Churchill's toys in the shop. There are about five resident Ghosts altogether. The Haunted Ring was one of my favorite stories. I love that the author offers a rich history of the town and shop! Great read for those interested in history and Ghosts!
If you're looking for a traditional ghost story book, this is not it. Gently Haunted felt more like an extra long marketing campaign for their haunted antique shop. I knew I was not going to enjoy this book when they explained that a rocking chair was placed in the house where the original owner "probably" had a chair and that it was most likely a 1970 reproduction. Some very interesting (factual) history was shared. But there were too many guesses as to the origins of items and too many maybes shared with opinions. It's paranormal. I get that you can't really fact check. And I love ghost stories and hearing peoples experiences with the afterlife. But I didn't get any willies reading the stories of haunted objects or find any entertainment in general. Maybe you just have to be there (in the shop) to actually appreciate it. But in book form, it just doesn't do it for me. Thank you #NetGalley and #Llewellyn Publishing for this DRC version of the book for an honest review.
When the author wrote Gently Haunted, she really meant gently, as in barely touched. I don't mind that there aren't scary ghosy stories in the book, but there's barely any haunting in the book at all. Occasionally there's some strange occurrences but most of this novel was filled with stories that come from a weird antique store that's haunted. There's a lot of history mentioned, and while relevant Kenner goes off on tangents, the history is important and worth reading. I think this could have used some more editing, this feels like it was a rush job during covid. The pictures are excellent, the ghosts are alright, but I wanted something more out of this, and I didn't get it. Also, I don't know if cozy non-fiction ghost stories is what people look for when searching for hauntings,, but this didn't work for me.
A quick, interesting read about the different antiques in the Florida store. The history of each item is recounted as well as any pertinent facts about paranormal activity surrounding the items. This read more like a long brochure for the store and its items but it was fascinating nonetheless and makes you think about the former owners who might be attached to their belongings well beyond their lifetime. None of the stories was particularly scary so this can be read before bed at night.
I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.
Honestly, this was not at all what I thought it would be. I read this, "Unlike a typical collection of ghost stories, Gently Haunted recounts uplifting and inspiring spiritual encounters," and thought it sounded interesting. What it was was boring. I couldn't get through it. The worst thing about it, it was just one big advertisement for the author's antique shop.
Did not finish. Not a good start to spooky season :(
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*
A fun easy read. Not quite what one expects from a story about hauntings but it is beautifully written. Even though I wish there had been more to the stories, I appreciate that the author didn't sensationalize any of them just for the sake of entertainment. This book has a good deal of history about the place in which the antique shop is located. As well as some general and very useful information about interacting with spirits. As long as you go into it knowing it's not going to read like a TV series then it is quite enjoyable.
This is such a fresh take on hauntings. No spooky, jump out of your seat, scary stories. Rather, read stories from an antique dealer on spirits that are still attached to items and objects that were theirs when they were on the physical plane. This was a great read and I highly recommended it for anyone who finds “hauntings” to be of interest!
I really enjoyed this book. I often consider myself a skeptic, but I've had experiences I can't explain. I usually shy away from this sort of book but I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed the history lesson of DeLand, Florida, and the explanation of different methods of communicating with spirits. It made me want to puck up a tarot deck. I'll be recommending it to a like-minded coworker.
This was a very interesting book and I'm so glad that I picked this one up. Corrine Kenner gives us a quick history of DeLand Florida so we can get to know some of the spirits she regularly sees. Then her tips and tricks to the art of talking and listening to the other side is priceless knowledge. Definitely one to buy for my personal collection.
I liked the storytelling and the story in this book. They're heartwarming and very interesting. I think that the pictures plays a relevant role but it was a pleasant and interesting read. Recommended. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
this book was good, it made me really want to go visit this antique shop one day haha. i found that it dragged on at times though, and i had a hard time not zoning out while reading it
Is it fraud selling a supposedly haunted object and it turns out not to be haunted? The author of this book owns a metaphysical, antique store in Florida which is supposedly haunted. She enjoys making assumptions on the lives of real and fake people who are now supposedly ghosts. The antiques in this store are also supposedly haunted which I'm guessing means they're overpriced. She even has a cabinet of items that are supposedly really haunted which is another sales gimmick. She claims she even has psychics to help research the antiques which I'm guessing they help create the haunted stories. They even mention having ghost equipment to use. Besides the antiques the author does tarot readings and other new age things like astrology. She does an astrology chart for a man yet everything she claims the heavens reveal is actually public information she has access to. After a few chapters of her store she switches to the history of of the town where the store is located. The author then turns the book into a haunted tour guide for the area. The rest of the book is a bunch of stuff on the paranormal like orbs and spirit communications so nothing really original. There's even information on tarot which she supposedly uses to help communicate with spirits. After finishing the book all I can say is that selling supposedly haunted objects to gullible people is wrong. I know the customers are partially responsible because they allow themselves to be fooled by these people who sell ghosts and hauntings as businesses.