It was a dark and stormy night.

Since our return to "the swamp" (Washington, D.C.), the city really has been working overtime to earn it's nickname.  Days of blazing sun and scorching temps remind Georgie of her summer vacation at Grandma's and Grandpa's in Kansas.  Then sudden showers make one think things will cool off, but they go as fast as they come, leaving behind the wafting stench of D.C. sewer, or maybe the feeling like you've stepped inside the steamy White House restrooms after Obama's 50th Birthday B.B.Q. bash.

But you know where all that hot air has been coming from, right?  No, not just Obama's mouth.  (More to come on the 50th Hip-Hop Birthday Bash in Georgie's August Birthdays Blog...)

It's coming from global warming.  Al Gore and Matt Damon both told us.  So we've been thinking of activities to occupy our time that require little-to-no electricity so as to minimize our carbon footprint.  And the first thing to come to both of our minds was, naturally, ghost stories!

Did you know that telling ghost stories used to be the tradition on Christmas Eve?  I've personally been reading them since elementary school.  Ghost stories have always been my favorite, be they in written or film form.  And Georgie has taken a liking to them, too.  Particularly on a dark and stormy night, such as tonight.

So we've been going on a summer reading ghost story binge.  Georgie was so excited (and spooked) about these awesome stories we've been reading that she wanted me to post them for you to read, as well.  Below are the links to some (online) and some that you can probably get at the library without having to wait on the stupid wait-list.

The Turn of the Screw, Henry James, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/209/209-h/209-h.htm
(Our favorite and ultimate ghost story.  If you've seen "The Others" and was spooked, then you have to read this one, the father of the modern ghost story; we've all seen or read some version, but this is the original and most chilling.)

The Upper Berth, F Marion Crawford, http://www.horrormasters.com/Text/a0469.pdf
(A tale on the high seas.  Truly frightening. This one's short!)

The Demon Lover, Elizabeth Bown, http://teachers.olatheschools.com/~lwuttkeoe/world%20lit/sept%2028-oct%202/DemonLover.pdf
(We just recently read this one and the ending was . . . well, we won't spoil it for you.  A must read.)

The Pomegranate Seed, Edith Wharton, http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Stories-Edith-Wharton/dp/0684842572
(Think about how truly creepy the ending is. Definitely a great.  And it's just one in a collection of a lot of great stories, including The Lady's Maid's Bell and Kerfol.)

The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allen Poe, http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/tell-tale-heart.html
(You've probably read this one, but I just recently cracked it open at Aunt Judy's and Uncle Dave's one night this summer.  Maybe it's not quite a ghost story, but Poe is just plain creepy stuff.  A good one for things that go bump in the night.)

And if you think you don't have time, remember, these are STORIES.  Not novels.  It doesn't take long to read six pages before you go to sleep.  Of course, it may keep you up longer than you expected. . . but that's the point!

Summer recap to come.  What have you been reading this summer?