STRANGE MAINE: TRUE TALES FROM THE PINE TREE STATE, by Michelle Souliere; The History Press; paperback, 128 pages; $17.99.
Michelle Souliere’s popular blog Strange Maine (strangemaine.blogspot.com) documents the eccentric and spooky parts of Maine. Her book of the same name gathers some of the most interesting topics from the blog and much more into one neatly designed package. Everything from ghastly murders in the early part of the last century to some favorite gravesites and ghost stories all over the state is included. The passages on the actual piracy on the Maine coast that occurred centuries ago, witchcraft and the bizarre people who have made their home here are of particular interest. Souliere also runs the Green Hand Bookshop in Portland, a used-book store that specializes in sci-fi, horror and the occult, so she knows whence she speaks. And as if that weren’t enough, the Green Hand shares the same space as the International Cryptozoology Museum, run by renowned cryptozoologist Loren Coleman. It’s one-stop shopping for all your weirdo needs.
THE NEW ENGLAND GRIMPENDIUM: A GUIDE TO MACABRE AND GHASTLY SITES, by J.W. Ocker; Countryman Press; paperback, 303 pages; $18.95.
This well-researched compendium compiles more than 100 places to see in New England that are connected in some way to the macabre, the supernatural or the just plain weird. It details places associated with actual historical events, such as the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River, Mass., and the Salem Village Witch-craft Memorial (actually in the town of Danvers, Mass.). It also describes locales related to horror and supernatural fiction, such as what happens in stories by Providence, R.I., native H.P. Lovecraft or Bangor’s own Stephen King. The book covers New Hampshire and Massachusetts more than it does Maine, but there are a handful of gems from the Pine Tree State: the Grave of the Witch in York is a highlight, as is the inclusion of the Mexican Tomb Figure Collection at the University of Maine’s Hudson Museum. Imagine putting together a road trip based on some of the sites in the book — now that’s an ultimate Halloween adventure.
HALLOWILLOWEEN: NEFARIOUS SILLINESS FROM CALEF BROWN, written and illustrated by Calef Brown; Houghton Mifflin; hardcover, 40 pages; $16.99.
Calef Brown, the Brunswick-based author and illustrator of such New York Times best-selling books as “Flamingos on the Roof” and “Soup for Breakfast,” returns with another beautifully illustrated story, the brand new “Hallowilloween,” geared toward kids ages 7-10. The playfully spooky Halloween-themed poems, such as “Oompachupa Loompacabra” and “Vumpire,” bring to mind author Shel Silverstein. Brown’s grotesquely silly rhymes are very fun to read aloud. The colorful illustrations pop from each page, vividly depicting witches, werewolves and, yes, the dreaded “vumpire” — all scary creatures made accessible by Brown’s clever drawings and words. As a small author bio points out, Brown is actually a “blue phantom elephant” who lives in a “moldy mausoleum on the coast of Maine.” That’s a ringing endorsement if ever there was one.
