The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts

 

The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts - 242 pages

In the summer of 1994, psychologist Daniel Hill buys a rustic farmhouse nestled in the rolling hills of West Virginia.

Along with his wife, Nora, and their teenage daughter, Alice, the family uproots their lives in Ohio and moves south. At first, they are seduced by the natural beauty of the farm and enjoy the bonding experience of fixing the old house, but that all changes when they discover a hidden room in the basement with a well, boarded shut and adorned with crucifixes.

Local legends about the previous owner’s predilection for performing exorcisms come to light, but by then, all Hell has broken loose.

Normally I stay away from exorcism books but I had heard this one was pretty good so I gave it a whirl.  I have to say, this one was pretty good; it was spooky in all the right ways.  For lovers of horror I would definitely recommend this.

West Virginia Glass: Between the World Wars

West Virginia Glass: Between the World Wars

By Dean Six

160 pages

West Virginia has been long known for its glass industry. Although glass has been produced in the state before the Civil War, the industry took off around the turn of the century in the early 1900s. The number of factories increased and peaked in the mid-1920s.

This publication provides a short summary of each glass company between World War I and World War II. The histories of twenty three companies are given. Plus wonderful photographs of collectible glassware and price guide for each company. 

The author also mentions that there is a West Virginia Museum of American Glass located in Weston, West Virginia. 

Lewis County

Lewis County

By Joy Gilchrist-Stalnaker & Bradley R. Oldaker

127 pages

I found this book extremely interesting since my ancestors lived in Lewis County for over seventy years. A photograph of the founders of the glass industry in Weston is included in the pages, which contains my great grandfather, Rudolph Bauer.

Lewis County is an area in central West Virginia. This book provides a short history of the county mostly through photographs and accompanying text. The earliest photo was of the general store in Weston dated c. 1865. The largest town and county seat of Lewis County is Weston. Thus a large section of this publication is dedicated to the town and its history. However, other small towns such as Jane Lew, Jackson’s Mill, Roanoke, Crawford, Walkersville, Copley, Gaston, and Vandalia are pictured.  

Important commerce of the area was the glass industry, oil and gas extraction and timber. 

Miss Julia to the Rescue by Ann B. Ross

Miss Julia to the Rescue by Ann B. Ross --- 305 pages

In this thirteenth installment of the popular series, Miss Julia is coping with empty nest syndrome. Young Lloyd will be moving out at the end of the school year to join his mother, baby sisters, and Mr. Pickens in their new home. Miss Julia's husband Sam is leaving on a church-sponsored tour of the Holy Land. Miss Julia needs something to distract her mind, so she decides this is the perfect time to embark on a home remodeling project. Of course what starts out as a small project rapidly grows larger: a new Williamsburg style "library" downstairs complete with fireplace and chimney, a new master bedroom and bath for herself and Sam, and a new office workspace for Sam.

However the remodeling project must be hastily set aside when Mr. Pickens goes missing on his latest private investigation job. Then an injured "John Doe" turns up in the backwoods of West Virginia who matches Mr. Pickens' description. Miss Julia enlists the aid of Etta Mae to help her ID Hazel Marie's husband and bring him home. But when the sheriff in West Virginia proves uncooperative, Miss Julia must don a disguise to infiltrate the hospital and smuggle Mr. Pickens out.

Back home again with Mr. Pickens reunited with Hazel Marie, Miss Julia turns her attention back to her remodeling project. But once again she is diverted by the rumors buzzing around Abbottsville, about the strange doings of wealthy eccentric Agnes Whitman and her "spiritual followers." Good church-going woman that she is, Miss Julia is not about to see the young people of Abbottsville enticed into some weird cult. Then Agnes has the effrontery to try to lure away Adam, the young contractor working on Miss Julia's remodeling job!  When Miss Julia receives an incoherent call for help from Adam, she and Etta Mae once more ride to the rescue.