Your sister thinks you’re a little weird. Mom dislikes your hair. Dad complains incessantly about your music. And your clothes? Pfft, don’t even go there. But the thing is, all that stuff makes you who you are. You are unparalleled,
Your sister thinks you’re a little weird.
Mom dislikes your hair. Dad complains incessantly about your music. And your clothes? Pfft, don’t even go there.
But the thing is, all that stuff makes you who you are. You are unparalleled, an individual with singular thoughts and a style all your own. So why not read about other unique, unusual, iconoclastic people, places, and things? Grab “Beyond Bizarre” by Varla Ventura and have a seat.
Starting at the bottom (of the sea), author Ventura takes readers on a tour of the strange side of… well, everything. In the first chapter, for instance, you’ll learn about the Devil Sea Creature of Orkney, Scotland, a creature that was supposedly scaly and scary and waddled ashore when it wanted to torment villagers. You’ll also read about pirates, Krakens and Captains.
If you’re feeling adventuresome, check out the scariest and saddest amusement parks and read about some real-life sideshow performers. And while you’re there, finish the whole chapter because, with the title of “It’s Enough to Make You Hurl,” you know you’re in for a great ride.
Love the movies? Then you’ll love learning about Haunted Hollywood, including an actor “killed” by teenagers, the first movie to feature a flushing toilet, superstitions in theater, and some famous films that may have cursed the people in them.
Do you know which country boasts the most serial killers? Find out in this book, and read about some of them. You’ll also learn the story of a ghostly nurse who revealed her own killer, a premonitory dream that won a war, and a Canadian crime case in which mischief is a-foot, literally.
Read this book, then head to your computer because you’ll crave more information. There are a lot of things that are Google-worthy here: the creepy statue of Prince René de Chalon; the truth about a man who was buried alive three times; an intriguing tale of a blogger who may be visiting from the future; the location of the National Museum of Funeral History; stone children and dirt for dinner; and the silly story of the Butt Bandit of Nebraska.
Who could resist a book like that?
Not you, especially if you’re the curious sort because “Beyond Bizarre” will satisfy your inquiring mind in all kinds of ways. With a huge variety of the offbeat, there are few stones left unturned in this book.
The articles here are short-short: just enough for when you’ve got a minute to kill, but long enough to pique your interest. Subjects are loosely grouped but author Ventura wanders a lot, which makes for a wonderful hodgepodge of weird, odd, and strangely interesting read-bytes. Ventura’s entries will, in fact, have readers practically begging for more information and to help with that, she includes a nice bibliography and website list at the end of the book.
If you embrace your personal differences and you love to read about people and things that are far from run-of-the-mill, here’s your book. For you, “Beyond Bizarre” is perfectly weird.
• The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. She has been reading since she was 3 and never goes anywhere without a book.
