Some Canadian Ghosts

by Sheila Hervey

A collection of Canadian ghost stories

Genres: Canada

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1973

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. as a "tween", I remember my mom owning a copy of this book, so when I saw it at my local library's book sale a few years ago, I just had to have it; and,
2. October 2024 is my "Month of Mystery".

Praise:
I got an odd goosebump reading a couple of the stories.

Niggles:
1. not at all what I expected! Instead of a collection of short stories about Canadian ghosts, author Sheila Hervey often intersperses general information, making this book extremely disjointed and dull;
2. none of the stories and/or theories have been proven, but Hervey's delivery comes across like she's an expert in the paranormal (according to the author's bio, no mention is made that she is);
3. Hervey's Bibliography only contains a list of newspaper and periodical articles of where she found the anecdotal stories, many often lacking detail and depth. No reputable sources are cited;
4. there is absolutely no credible research or even basic information to back up Hervey's stories and/or claims, yet her statements about the paranormal are stated as fact. Her theories about organ transplant recipients are irresponsible and could be detrimental to the uninformed!
5. Hervey's personal thoughts are often confusing! She writes a book about ghosts but is upset that younger people are taking a bigger interest in the supernatural and the "dark arts"; and,
6. of the few ghost stories included in this book, some sound like urban legends, most sound invented and/or questionable, and a couple don't even occur in Canada!

Overall Thoughts:
Published in 1973, Hervey's writing technique could easily influence the gullible. Be warned - it is very unprofessional, especially in regards to her personal thoughts and lack of reputable research.

Recalling it from my childhood, I was eager to read this book; however, I don't care if this book's focus is on Canada or that it's even written by a Canadian author. This particular Canadian would not recommend it!

[Linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me a while to get into, and compared to other ghost books I have read, its no different. The writing is very old styled, but the stories are interesting.

[Scott Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hoped this would be an entertaining collection of stories but instead of trying to entertain, the author is trying to write a serious, non-fiction volume that proves the existence of ghosts. She is so deadly earnest that the entire book is rather dull. It's full of pseudo-science and 1970s pop-psychology. The stories are disorganized. There is no real flow or structure. Overall, rather disappointing. The only thing this book has in its favor is that it is truly Canadian and several high profile Canadian hauntings are mentioned.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

1st Read: June 18, 1998 - September 16, 1998 (*** Rating)

I) INTRODUCTION

II) "A MOVEABLE GHOST" - (June 18)
- Interesting. A few times I'd attempted to take a drag from my smoke, I had to stop midway and continue reading. To me, that is a sign you are in tune to a story or movie.

III) "WEST COAST SPIRITS" - (July 2)
- There were some really cool stories in this section. I'd someday like to visit some of these locations.

IV) "DEMON DOGS AND GIGGLING GIRLS" - (July 2)
- Once more, another interesting one. Visualization and audioization are both awesome! If I thought hard enough about it, I could actually hear the ghosts as I read.

V) "ONTARIO GHOSTS" - (July 3 - 4)
- I don't recall any of the stories???

VI) "HOW TO TALK TO A GHOST" - (July 9 - 26)
- Some of the short stories have been erased from my memory, although I didn't mind a couple of them.

VII) "SPIRITS OF QUEBEC" - (August 5)
- Had its moments, but there were wasn't anything really good aside from the cat story and the last one.

VIII) "POLTERGEISTS" - (September 6)
- Nothing here that I haven't heard before.

IX) "MORE ONTARIO GHOSTS" - (September 12 - 13)
- The same sentiments as #7 comment.

X) "GHOSTS ON GUARD" - (September 13)
- Same sentiments....

XI) "GHOSTS OF THE NORTH" - (September 14)
- It's been awhile, but this section of the book was pretty good!

XII) "SEEING THE FUTURE" - (September 15)
- This one wasn't too bad at times. So much that a smile appeared on my face as I read.

XIII) "MARITIME GHOSTS" - (September 15)
- Had its moments.

XIV) "BEYOND THE BEYOND" - (September 16)
- Yes! This is more on a psychological level and the most of what I am intrigued by.

XV) "PRAIRIE PHENOMENA" - (September 16)
- It was alright.

2nd Read: November 3, 2017 - November 7, 2017 (** Rating)

My review of these stories would be similar to the previous reviews of each chapter. Some were good and didn't stretch beyond good, while others were just okay. There was nothing really remarkable in these stories that would leave a lasting impression in the book as a whole. For me anyway.