From my earliest memories, I remember the special thrill of holding a new book in my hands, turning it over, investigating the front and back covers before carefully cracking it open and exploring inside. (I should add that by “new book” I mean a book that was new to me – it could be a library book, borrowed from a friend, passed on from a relative or purchased at a local garage sale.

Each of the places I have called home in Ontario are near and dear to my heart, filled with fond memories, and happen to be haunted -- not just with my vivid memories of them, but with spirits, ghosts and other unexplainable phenomenon.

It was during a ghost walk in Ottawa that I realized history could indeed come alive with ghostly tales. From the haunted downtown hostel on Nicholas Street that used to be the Carleton County jail to the Museum of Nature whose ghosts have a direct effect on the high turnover of security guards, Ottawa has its fair share of both ghosts and history.