Hey there, bookworms! Happy-almost-Halloween! I know I’ve been posting like a mad woman to try to catch up on some overdo work, but I wanted to pop in here to do another bookish outing for you guys. I got to check out a really cool place yesterday while enjoying the weekend with one of my closest friends, and I just had to tell you guys about it in the spirit of the season! Not only does this post fit the spooky time of year, but today is actually the six year anniversary of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, which hit my home turf hard. I suppose I should show some state pride, explore a literary spot I never got to explore before, and tall you guys about a local haunt you must check out if and when you’re in the area!
To kick it off, Asbury is a pretty cool little hang out with such an eclectic vibe. I kind of can’t believe I’ve only been here one other time in my life.
We’re lucky to have residents like The Boss.
Just some Jersey Pride.
Anyway, after some brunch and wandering, my friend and I decided to shop a bit before hitting up the main attraction of the day. 
In some of the shops, I found really cute literary set ups, and also a mug and some socks I’d like for Christmas, so if anyone would like to grab them for me, I’ll love you forever.
Once we were done browsing, we made our way to the reason we took an afternoon drive in the first place. It was time to take a ghost tour at Paranormal Books & Curiosities.
Now, since I’ve never been, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I saw a brief video about the place on Facebook a few weeks back, but other than that, went into this thing completely blind.
This bookshop is super cute. Of course they specialize in books about the haunted history of the area, paranormal experiences, wicca, divination, spirituality, angels, and a little bit of fiction (i.e. they have Twilight on the shelves). After exploring the little bookshop on the first floor, it was time to gear up to meet some ghosts and do some haunted activities.
We kicked things off with one of our most famous residents, the Jersey Devil. If you’d like to learn more about the lore of that rascal, head here.
Heading upstairs to the paranormal museum where they keep all sorts of haunted artifacts is where things got… interesting.
Doctor mask worn in Italy during times of disease and outbreaks.
A letter from a London paper done on linen and featuring the Salem Witch Trials here in the states.
A table of artifacts and an original rubbing of the grave of Mercy Brown, the last vampire in America. She was said to be the inspiration for Lucy in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
The wall of Ouija boards that were all used in a ritual of some kind.
Casts of the face of Abraham Lincoln, who I found out through ancestry research is actually a cousin of mine.
Meet another cousin of mine…. the infamous Lizzie Borden. Lizzie Borden took an ax, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done.. gave her father forty-one.
A photo that didn’t turn out quite right….
A witch cauldron that was found in the woods and is said to contain the soul of an unnamed woman.
One of many haunted dolls. It’s said that this was a mourning doll because her hair is actually human hair.
Now, let me just say that not only was the place really fun, but it was also my first actual encounter with something… unknown. I’ve been on numerous ghost tours in my life, and make it a habit to do at least one haunted event every season, but yesterday, in this little bookshop, things got strange.
Located on the first floor is the bookshop, floor two is the paranormal museum, and floor three is the owner’s office that contains a small bedroom and kitchen if she ever got jammed up at work. Also, she was not in yesterday, so the stairs to go up to her office were blocked by a metal gate and locked, and all the lights were off (which we weren’t aware of). ANYWAY!
As our tour (a group of 7 or 8 of us) were by the case of haunted dolls and learning their stories with our guide, we heard someone walking around above us. Our guide stopped talking, as did our whole group, and we listened for a minute. When it stopped, she went back to telling us more before we were interrupted again about a minute later. That’s when she laughed and let us know that the owner wasn’t in and that there was no one upstairs. I kid you not, they were very distinct footsteps, like an adult wearing boots was walking around above our heads. After the tour, I peeked through the gate and listened for movement upstairs and heard nothing but dead silence, so needless to say, I left that place just slightly uneasy. If it wasn’t one of the spirits of the haunted artifacts visiting us during our tour, it could’ve been the ghost of the young girl who was murdered in the building in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever know… unless someone (or something) decided to follow me home.
If you’re into the spiritual, paranormal, or you’re visiting the garden state for the Halloween season in the future, you must go check out this bookstore and museum. You won’t regret it!
For more information, or ghostly evidence from other visitors, check them out on Facebook.
Happy reading and happy haunting!
Boo!
