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Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned about Ghosts
Star of Kindred Spirits and paranormal investigator Amy Bruni shares stories from her years of experiences with ghosts, organized around thirteen truths that guide her approach to the supernatural.
Amy Bruni, co-star of Kindred Spirits and one of the world's leading paranormal investigators, has learned a lot about ghosts over her years of research and first-hand experience. Now, in Life with the Afterlife, she shares the insight she has gleaned and how it has shaped her unique approach to interacting with the spirits of the dead and those who encounter them.
From her earliest supernatural encounters as a child, through her years appearing on Ghost Hunters and the creation of her company Strange Escapes, which offers paranormal excursions to some of America's most notoriously haunted destinations, and into her current work on The Travel Channel's Kindred Spirits, this book is full of astonishing and deeply moving stories of Amy's efforts to better understand the dead but not yet departed. With Amy's bright humor and fierce compassion for both those who are haunted and those who are haunting, Life with the Afterlife is an eye-opening look at what connects us as people, in life and beyond.
Amy Bruni, co-star of Kindred Spirits and one of the world's leading paranormal investigators, has learned a lot about ghosts over her years of research and first-hand experience. Now, in Life with the Afterlife, she shares the insight she has gleaned and how it has shaped her unique approach to interacting with the spirits of the dead and those who encounter them.
From her earliest supernatural encounters as a child, through her years appearing on Ghost Hunters and the creation of her company Strange Escapes, which offers paranormal excursions to some of America's most notoriously haunted destinations, and into her current work on The Travel Channel's Kindred Spirits, this book is full of astonishing and deeply moving stories of Amy's efforts to better understand the dead but not yet departed. With Amy's bright humor and fierce compassion for both those who are haunted and those who are haunting, Life with the Afterlife is an eye-opening look at what connects us as people, in life and beyond.
257 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
November 14, 2020
I've always loved things that go bump in the night......including ghosts.
Being drawn to the unexplainable and the supernatural, I had high hopes for Amy Bruni's Life with the Afterlife. So many of us have been long-time fans of Ghost Hunters and her own program of Kindred Spirits. But there was much to be desired here.
Amy Bruni has been fascinated with spirits since she was a child. She goes on to explain her own encounters with those of her family members. There's no denying that she's experienced some powerful things. I did enjoy her background stories involving how she originally became associated with the Ghost Hunters group and her many travels throughout the country. She leads with her heart which is very apparent in her partnering with Adam in Kindred Spirits. Her story spans quite the distance including her experiences with other groups that she works with nationwide.
But what tanked this one for me was the entire format of the book. The beginning chapters seemed to be transcribed from video interviews or recordings. Amy's "telling" was all over the place and jumped constantly from topic to topic at random. Then it settled down for a bit (possible influence from co-writer Julie Tremaine) only to run amuck once more. Nothing was categorized or grouped within chapters even though chapter titles were evident. Whatever came to mind, Amy talked about it. One story was bouncing off another with another ricocheting off of that. It was painfully apparent that Life with the Afterlife suffered from lack of sound editing.
Your experience may be quite different from mine. Perhaps Amy's high sensitivity for ghost hunting leads her in multiple directions at the same time. But it doesn't serve well as an author in grounding the storyline. I'll always be a fan, Amy. Just stickin' to the program for now.
Being drawn to the unexplainable and the supernatural, I had high hopes for Amy Bruni's Life with the Afterlife. So many of us have been long-time fans of Ghost Hunters and her own program of Kindred Spirits. But there was much to be desired here.
Amy Bruni has been fascinated with spirits since she was a child. She goes on to explain her own encounters with those of her family members. There's no denying that she's experienced some powerful things. I did enjoy her background stories involving how she originally became associated with the Ghost Hunters group and her many travels throughout the country. She leads with her heart which is very apparent in her partnering with Adam in Kindred Spirits. Her story spans quite the distance including her experiences with other groups that she works with nationwide.
But what tanked this one for me was the entire format of the book. The beginning chapters seemed to be transcribed from video interviews or recordings. Amy's "telling" was all over the place and jumped constantly from topic to topic at random. Then it settled down for a bit (possible influence from co-writer Julie Tremaine) only to run amuck once more. Nothing was categorized or grouped within chapters even though chapter titles were evident. Whatever came to mind, Amy talked about it. One story was bouncing off another with another ricocheting off of that. It was painfully apparent that Life with the Afterlife suffered from lack of sound editing.
Your experience may be quite different from mine. Perhaps Amy's high sensitivity for ghost hunting leads her in multiple directions at the same time. But it doesn't serve well as an author in grounding the storyline. I'll always be a fan, Amy. Just stickin' to the program for now.
March 23, 2024
La vida con el más allá es un libro lleno de historias paranormales que nos va narrando la vida de la autora Amy Bruni como investigación de lo desconocido, desde sus inicios hasta la vida actual con base a experiencias asombrosas, conmovedoras y hasta espeluznantes sobre los espíritus que ha conocido y eventos que ha presenciado, así como la manera de comunicarse con nosotros y cómo, aun después de la muerte, buscan lo que muchos anhelamos en vida: ser escuchados.
Cuando vi este audiolibro en mis recomendaciones me súper llamó la atención pero ya una vez escuchándolo, no fue lo que imaginaba. Entre esperando un libro de terror dramatizado por experiencias y encontré a una persona que realmente ha dedicado su vida a aquellas personas que no vemos y tomamos como mitos o leyendas, los fantasmas, a aquellas personas que una vez muertas nunca más son escuchadas o vistas salvo por quienes tiene una habilidad especial.
Nos narra lo que es ser una investigadora en este mundo y vivencias que no necesariamente son de terror, sino al contrario, tiene un enfoque muy cozy que me reconforto bastante, me gustó mucho y lo recomiendo bastantes para aquellas personas que les interesa todo el tema de lo paranormal o incluso si comienzan a dedicarse a eso.
Cuando vi este audiolibro en mis recomendaciones me súper llamó la atención pero ya una vez escuchándolo, no fue lo que imaginaba. Entre esperando un libro de terror dramatizado por experiencias y encontré a una persona que realmente ha dedicado su vida a aquellas personas que no vemos y tomamos como mitos o leyendas, los fantasmas, a aquellas personas que una vez muertas nunca más son escuchadas o vistas salvo por quienes tiene una habilidad especial.
Nos narra lo que es ser una investigadora en este mundo y vivencias que no necesariamente son de terror, sino al contrario, tiene un enfoque muy cozy que me reconforto bastante, me gustó mucho y lo recomiendo bastantes para aquellas personas que les interesa todo el tema de lo paranormal o incluso si comienzan a dedicarse a eso.
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December 31, 2021It was on sale and I read it? Mostly because I needed to read something different? IDK. It was entertaining though!
February 16, 2021
Have you ever looked at the title of a book and decided for yourself what it's going to be about? This happened to me when I saw Life With the Afterlife - 13 Truths I Learned About Ghosts by Amy Bruni, host of Kindred Spirits. I began a happy little assumption that being the host of a ghost hunter show like Kindred Spirits, Amy would be a medium or psychic of some sort, and here in her book she'd be sharing the 13 truths she learned from ghosts. Sound reasonable enough? Well, that's the book I wanted to read so I requested it from the publisher.
I've never watched an episode of Kindred Spirits, although from what Amy shares with the reader in her book, it's different from other ghost hunter books in that the hosts try to help those they come into contact with. Home owners are often disappointed to find their house isn't haunted and a lot of research takes place to determine the history of a house and who might be disturbing the peace.
You certainly don't need to be a Kindred Spirits fan or have watched the show in order to understand the contents of this book, however I do think the book is better suited to viewers of the program.
Amy Bruni saw her first ghost when she was a kid, but her skills as a paranormal investigator are what she draws on to do her work. She's not a medium or psychic and instead invites people like Chip Coffey on to her show when she needs a little additional insight.
Amy Bruni isn't like Debbie Malone, Belinda Davidson, Lisa Williams, and more whose books I've read and reviewed on Carpe Librum over the years. If I'd read the blurb of this book properly and paid more attention to the actual title - not the title I wanted to see - this would have been clear to me from the get go.
Now that we've established my faults as a reader going into this, there were a few problems I encountered with the writing. Amy Bruni has written Life With the Afterlife with the help of Julie Tremaine, presumably because writing a book isn't her forte. However even with this expert assistance, the content of the book is disorganised, a little all over the place and repetitive in parts. Here's an example.
"The building, erected in 1892, had been a bank until it was converted into a restaurant in the late 1970s. Mike the owner of the Twisted Vine, had given us some items associated with the bank. Later on that day, when we used a banknote as a trigger object, Sam told us that he recognized the paperwork. From there, we were able to find a Samuel Lesseey, a longtime employee of what used to be Birmingham National Bank, who took his life in the building in November 1913. Lesseey had been tied to a theft there: A customer had modified a twenty-five-dollar check to pay out $2,500. The shame of the mistake and the ensuing scandal are believed to have led him to commit suicide. He walked to a local cemetary, laid down in a coffin box in a mausoleum, and shot himself in the head. The story spread as far as the West Coast, showing up in the Los Angeles Herald, albeit with his name spelled as "Lessep" and "Lessey" in the story." Page 226
This is the sort of investigation I enjoy reading about, but did Lessey take his life in the bank or at a cemetary? The story is either poorly written allowing for two interpretations or contains conflicting accounts of what happened to Lesseey.
The structure of the book around the 13 truths also made for a disjointed reading experience and allowed for repetition of places visited and cases worked.
The best part of the book came in the final few pages as Bruni shared her thoughts on the ways in which the current COVID pandemic might impact the world. She points out that major global events have resulted in a surge of spiritualism in the past, and I've been interested in that topic before, reviewing Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone by Richard Lloyd Parry in 2017. The author goes on to mention that people have been spending more time in their homes and are perhaps becoming aware of activity they were too busy to take notice of before. She also comments that some of the activity might be spiking as a result of the increased levels of fear and anxiety many of us are experiencing, not to mention the grief at losing loved ones.
Bruni is absolutely right that people have suffered and died alone of the Coronavirus. Loved ones haven't been able to say goodbye and we haven't been able to come together and grieve the way we used to. All of this has to have some kind of impact on us; whether this is an increase in death awareness, or a surge in spiritualism, I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *
I've never watched an episode of Kindred Spirits, although from what Amy shares with the reader in her book, it's different from other ghost hunter books in that the hosts try to help those they come into contact with. Home owners are often disappointed to find their house isn't haunted and a lot of research takes place to determine the history of a house and who might be disturbing the peace.
You certainly don't need to be a Kindred Spirits fan or have watched the show in order to understand the contents of this book, however I do think the book is better suited to viewers of the program.
Amy Bruni saw her first ghost when she was a kid, but her skills as a paranormal investigator are what she draws on to do her work. She's not a medium or psychic and instead invites people like Chip Coffey on to her show when she needs a little additional insight.
Amy Bruni isn't like Debbie Malone, Belinda Davidson, Lisa Williams, and more whose books I've read and reviewed on Carpe Librum over the years. If I'd read the blurb of this book properly and paid more attention to the actual title - not the title I wanted to see - this would have been clear to me from the get go.
Now that we've established my faults as a reader going into this, there were a few problems I encountered with the writing. Amy Bruni has written Life With the Afterlife with the help of Julie Tremaine, presumably because writing a book isn't her forte. However even with this expert assistance, the content of the book is disorganised, a little all over the place and repetitive in parts. Here's an example.
"The building, erected in 1892, had been a bank until it was converted into a restaurant in the late 1970s. Mike the owner of the Twisted Vine, had given us some items associated with the bank. Later on that day, when we used a banknote as a trigger object, Sam told us that he recognized the paperwork. From there, we were able to find a Samuel Lesseey, a longtime employee of what used to be Birmingham National Bank, who took his life in the building in November 1913. Lesseey had been tied to a theft there: A customer had modified a twenty-five-dollar check to pay out $2,500. The shame of the mistake and the ensuing scandal are believed to have led him to commit suicide. He walked to a local cemetary, laid down in a coffin box in a mausoleum, and shot himself in the head. The story spread as far as the West Coast, showing up in the Los Angeles Herald, albeit with his name spelled as "Lessep" and "Lessey" in the story." Page 226
This is the sort of investigation I enjoy reading about, but did Lessey take his life in the bank or at a cemetary? The story is either poorly written allowing for two interpretations or contains conflicting accounts of what happened to Lesseey.
The structure of the book around the 13 truths also made for a disjointed reading experience and allowed for repetition of places visited and cases worked.
The best part of the book came in the final few pages as Bruni shared her thoughts on the ways in which the current COVID pandemic might impact the world. She points out that major global events have resulted in a surge of spiritualism in the past, and I've been interested in that topic before, reviewing Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone by Richard Lloyd Parry in 2017. The author goes on to mention that people have been spending more time in their homes and are perhaps becoming aware of activity they were too busy to take notice of before. She also comments that some of the activity might be spiking as a result of the increased levels of fear and anxiety many of us are experiencing, not to mention the grief at losing loved ones.
Bruni is absolutely right that people have suffered and died alone of the Coronavirus. Loved ones haven't been able to say goodbye and we haven't been able to come together and grieve the way we used to. All of this has to have some kind of impact on us; whether this is an increase in death awareness, or a surge in spiritualism, I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
* Copy courtesy of Hachette Australia *
June 9, 2021
I really enjoyed this book! I had no idea what I was getting into, having not ever watched Ghost Hunters. She painted the paranormal in a whole new light! Very honest portrayal of the investigative world of the paranormal.
August 10, 2025
Disappointing. The mystique of her show does not translate to paper.
October 26, 2020
Read my full review: https://bit.ly/2ToHlQy
My opinion: This book captured my attention IMMEDIATELY. I enjoyed the format of weaving in paranormal research, show accounts and personal experience. In my humble opinion, it gave the book a bit more personality rather than straight research or straight personal account, which comes off to me as more "one man syndrome" vs. a respectable scientific source. To me, it made the book very warm, approachable and readable.
I have to say, personally, I enjoyed the "behind the scenes" of Ghost Hunters most. I absolutely loved the show Ghost Hunters and was obsessed with being at my television to watch it faithfully until the departure of Grant Wilson. I continued to watch it until about season 9 as I could, but really enjoyed Amy's involvement with the team as highly professional. Each year, Ghost Hunters Live achieved the same level of celebration as Chicago Bears Sofa Tailgating Sunday.
What I loved most of this book was Ms. Bruni's skepticism and criticism of the field, including some major names such as the Warrens (whom I have my own issues with) and not accepting findings as gospel. Her final chapter even addresses the topic of question everything and embrace skepticism, even from her. There was a sense of humility in that for me.
One criticism I would have for the book is that I would have enjoyed photos included in the book. Now, I was given an egalley to review, so these may be included in the published book, but I did not see them in my galley.
My opinion: This book captured my attention IMMEDIATELY. I enjoyed the format of weaving in paranormal research, show accounts and personal experience. In my humble opinion, it gave the book a bit more personality rather than straight research or straight personal account, which comes off to me as more "one man syndrome" vs. a respectable scientific source. To me, it made the book very warm, approachable and readable.
I have to say, personally, I enjoyed the "behind the scenes" of Ghost Hunters most. I absolutely loved the show Ghost Hunters and was obsessed with being at my television to watch it faithfully until the departure of Grant Wilson. I continued to watch it until about season 9 as I could, but really enjoyed Amy's involvement with the team as highly professional. Each year, Ghost Hunters Live achieved the same level of celebration as Chicago Bears Sofa Tailgating Sunday.
What I loved most of this book was Ms. Bruni's skepticism and criticism of the field, including some major names such as the Warrens (whom I have my own issues with) and not accepting findings as gospel. Her final chapter even addresses the topic of question everything and embrace skepticism, even from her. There was a sense of humility in that for me.
One criticism I would have for the book is that I would have enjoyed photos included in the book. Now, I was given an egalley to review, so these may be included in the published book, but I did not see them in my galley.
February 5, 2021
I've been a fan of Amy's since she joined Ghost Hunters back in the day. And I especially love her current show Kindred Spirits. Her and Adam's approach is so refreshing. They go into haunted locations with empathy and the intent to help both the living and the spirits. They put in hours of research each location to determine who may be there and why they could be sticking around. Ghosts are people too, and sometimes they just need to be heard. This book talks about Amy's introduction to ghosts as a child and the path that led her to a career doing paranormal investigations. She includes quotes from a lot of people in the paranormal field to demonstrate the wide range of beliefs and theories that are out there. I love that she encourages people to find what they believe and without letting others influence them. And what she says about setting the intention going into investigations is so true. There are so many locations she talks about in this that I really want to visit. And I think it would be so much fun to do one of her Strange Escapes events.
January 7, 2024
I love books about paranormal cases . And it's written in so understable way. I recommend it from all my heart
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April 30, 2022I wanted to read this book as it was written by one of my favourite, and to me, most genuine paranormal investigators (investigator from the show ‘Kindred Spirits’ and former show, ‘Ghost Hunters’). It was great to read her paranormal experiences throughout her early childhood and how she turned a hobby into a career. Amy is big on helping others and it’s refreshing to read that and the ways and reasons why she thinks it’s important to use this field to help people. I love how she referred to and quoted others throughout, showing the different perspectives in the field and the different people she has worked with over the years. I love the paranormal, and it’s great to read about different experiences, perspectives and how things are not as they seem and that a lot of experiences actually can be explained. Overall, if you��re big on the paranormal (like myself) give this a read! It’s very informative and helps to really open up your mind to different ideas.
November 10, 2021
3.5 ⭐️ the audiobook version of this was highly entertaining (including reinactments of real EVPs captured). This was an interesting take on the paranormal, life, and beyond though slightly repetitive at times and it lacked some flow to the story.
September 15, 2023
This book is full of interesting spooky things, but it felt extremely disorganized. It does make me want to give the show Kindred Spirits a try.
January 23, 2024
I’ve never seen her show so I enjoyed her stories, but it was very surface level and I imagine if you know her well already you wouldn’t learn anything new.
But for me it was interesting and I would definitely check out her show now.
I think the title is a little misleading I’m not sure what the 13 truths were but again if you are new to her you will find her stories and methods interesting.
But for me it was interesting and I would definitely check out her show now.
I think the title is a little misleading I’m not sure what the 13 truths were but again if you are new to her you will find her stories and methods interesting.
February 12, 2025
Loved this from start to finish as a medium and spirit guide I highly recommend this book if you are new to paranormal activity
April 6, 2022
I think the other reviews on here are too harsh. I enjoyed reading Amy's point of view.
January 25, 2021
The memoir of Amy Bruni- a paranormal investigator known for her work on the shows Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits.
4/5⭐️s (I listened to this on audio and really wish the author had read it. That’s partly why I choose to listen to most memoirs - to hear the author tell it.)
1. I totally would have been a groupie during the Victorian spiritualism movement because I LOVE these ghost shows. 2. In this book Amy recounts some paranormal experiences but what I found most interesting were her reasons for moving away from Ghost Hunters and eventually starting Kindred Spirits. The distinction between finding and helping was very interesting to me.
3. This is a book that presupposes very little and multiple times Amy makes it clear that she’s speaking from her experience and understanding. She doesn’t need you or me or anyone else to agree with her.
4. Yes, I believe in ghosts and hauntings and spirits.
5. No, I don’t believe most of what I see on these ghost shows...but I sure do enjoy them. Reality tv is reality tv is reality tv. Whether you’re watching someone pretend to choose the love of their life, marry a stranger from the other side of the globe, betray each other while locked in a house, or try unsuccessfully to debunk the black shadow that ran down the hallway...there’s enough truth to draw you in and enough script to keep you there. It doesn’t mean people don’t fall in love, marry strangers, betray each other or see shadows run down hallways.
4/5⭐️s (I listened to this on audio and really wish the author had read it. That’s partly why I choose to listen to most memoirs - to hear the author tell it.)
1. I totally would have been a groupie during the Victorian spiritualism movement because I LOVE these ghost shows. 2. In this book Amy recounts some paranormal experiences but what I found most interesting were her reasons for moving away from Ghost Hunters and eventually starting Kindred Spirits. The distinction between finding and helping was very interesting to me.
3. This is a book that presupposes very little and multiple times Amy makes it clear that she’s speaking from her experience and understanding. She doesn’t need you or me or anyone else to agree with her.
4. Yes, I believe in ghosts and hauntings and spirits.
5. No, I don’t believe most of what I see on these ghost shows...but I sure do enjoy them. Reality tv is reality tv is reality tv. Whether you’re watching someone pretend to choose the love of their life, marry a stranger from the other side of the globe, betray each other while locked in a house, or try unsuccessfully to debunk the black shadow that ran down the hallway...there’s enough truth to draw you in and enough script to keep you there. It doesn’t mean people don’t fall in love, marry strangers, betray each other or see shadows run down hallways.
June 12, 2021
As a fan of the original Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits (as well as others), I really loved the behind the scenes stories and Amy’s discussion of what she learned over the years. A lot of examples I felt were reused which would be confusing to those who haven’t watched the show, but otherwise is easy to follow. Can’t wait to see what new places they go to next!
February 9, 2022
Very badly written. Not fun or spooky. Picked this up on a whim (why do I do this) because the library books I wanted were unavailable.
January 13, 2021
I bought Amy Bruni's book after reading an intriguing review of it in the New York Times. I had not heard of Bruni or her wildly popular Travel Network show "Kindred Spirits" before reading the book. Bruni also has a paranormal travel business called Strange Escapes, which sounds fascinating. The NYT review concluded that the book could be fascinating to those who do not believe or are on the fence as well as those who do believe. Like Bruni's ideal audience, and Bruni herself, I believe that there are things in the world that defy explanation. Some of them have happened to me. Bruni's book is most valuable for defending ghosts and spirits (they are different entities) against stereotypes about them. They do not necessarily need to "move on." Investigators need to figure out what they want and need, a bit like social workers or family therapists. Entities may not be harmful, although they can sometimes be annoyed or annoying. They are likely to manifest more frequently once we pay attention to them. They can be created by those who crowd haunted locales looking for them--the mere presence of this amount of energy can create an entity called an "aggregator." A ghost investigation can be crowdsourced through a television audience.
Although entertaining and informative, "Life with the Afterlife" was a bit media-intense for me and structured around the various television shows and personalities the author has been involved with. Bruni name-checks many other illuminati of the paranormal world that I have never heard of. I guess that is on me. Bruni's writing is very informal, conversational, and a bit disorganized. An editor would have been helpful. "Definitely" is definitely overused, sometimes several times on a single page. Bruni professes several times to love Disney. Ugh.
Bruni mentions how much research she does in advance of and during her investigations and it is clear from many of her passing comments that this is indeed true. She spent her childhood haunting libraries for books by Hans Holzer and other classics of the paranormal. I wish she had gone into that more, but it might have been a bit much for her television fans. I would have liked to know what she thinks about Ouija boards, seances, ley lines, and fairies. I would like to know what she thinks about ghosts in other cultures and in different times in history. I would like to borrow her brain for a few years.
The good things: I absolutely believe Bruni. I believe that she grew up believing that "sometimes there are ghosts and sometimes they are in our house." She has a gift that I wish I had. Bruni does not go looking for ghosts. She goes looking for the cause of what has disturbed the family that has contacted her. Perhaps it is the plumbing. She is not afraid to disappoint the family by identifying a leaky pipe instead of Aunt Gladys. In one case, an entity warned a family about mold in the house--a combination of both a spiritual and bricks-and-mortar solution. When she does identify an entity, it may not be the most famous, disturbed, suicidal, homicidal occupant in the history of the house. Sometimes it is someone distressed about an error on his tombstone. Sometimes the disturbance is due to an emotional or physical disorder and not an entity at all. Bruni's first question, when responding to a person who has contacted her about a child bothered by a ghost is, "Have you spoken with your pediatrician?"
Bruni's view of the supernatural and paranormal is comprehensive. She addresses space aliens and cryptozoology as well as ghosts. She embraces the big picture of our mysterious world. Bruni's final chapter is about the spike in reports of paranormal activity during the pandemic and resulting quarantines. Ghosts do not like to be cooped up with us anymore than we like being cooped up with each other. Bruni discusses synchronicity, which has always been my intersection with the paranormal. (Thank you, Amy Bruni! You read Jung! I want to hear more about that!). Her bottom line is the importance of an open mind, and I absolutely agree with that!
Although entertaining and informative, "Life with the Afterlife" was a bit media-intense for me and structured around the various television shows and personalities the author has been involved with. Bruni name-checks many other illuminati of the paranormal world that I have never heard of. I guess that is on me. Bruni's writing is very informal, conversational, and a bit disorganized. An editor would have been helpful. "Definitely" is definitely overused, sometimes several times on a single page. Bruni professes several times to love Disney. Ugh.
Bruni mentions how much research she does in advance of and during her investigations and it is clear from many of her passing comments that this is indeed true. She spent her childhood haunting libraries for books by Hans Holzer and other classics of the paranormal. I wish she had gone into that more, but it might have been a bit much for her television fans. I would have liked to know what she thinks about Ouija boards, seances, ley lines, and fairies. I would like to know what she thinks about ghosts in other cultures and in different times in history. I would like to borrow her brain for a few years.
The good things: I absolutely believe Bruni. I believe that she grew up believing that "sometimes there are ghosts and sometimes they are in our house." She has a gift that I wish I had. Bruni does not go looking for ghosts. She goes looking for the cause of what has disturbed the family that has contacted her. Perhaps it is the plumbing. She is not afraid to disappoint the family by identifying a leaky pipe instead of Aunt Gladys. In one case, an entity warned a family about mold in the house--a combination of both a spiritual and bricks-and-mortar solution. When she does identify an entity, it may not be the most famous, disturbed, suicidal, homicidal occupant in the history of the house. Sometimes it is someone distressed about an error on his tombstone. Sometimes the disturbance is due to an emotional or physical disorder and not an entity at all. Bruni's first question, when responding to a person who has contacted her about a child bothered by a ghost is, "Have you spoken with your pediatrician?"
Bruni's view of the supernatural and paranormal is comprehensive. She addresses space aliens and cryptozoology as well as ghosts. She embraces the big picture of our mysterious world. Bruni's final chapter is about the spike in reports of paranormal activity during the pandemic and resulting quarantines. Ghosts do not like to be cooped up with us anymore than we like being cooped up with each other. Bruni discusses synchronicity, which has always been my intersection with the paranormal. (Thank you, Amy Bruni! You read Jung! I want to hear more about that!). Her bottom line is the importance of an open mind, and I absolutely agree with that!
January 8, 2021
Truly, my review is biased because of my own knowledge, research, and opinions about the paranormal.
Here's what I loved about 13 Truths:
Amy does something that I've been really wanting from the TAPS/Ghost Hunters ensemble. I've been itching to hear them talk more extensively and detailed about theories and the process of investigating for years, and she's really delved into some interesting topics in this book. I actually dog earred (don't come for me, it's my copy) because I want to research more. I also really respect the amount of effort Amy puts into research, and I totally agree with her outlook on investigating with empathy. Like I felt an actual sense of relief to see that she had noticed a shift in what people were wanting from the paranormal field mid-Ghost Hunters run, because I had noticed it too on my amateur level.
Here's what I didn't love:
Personally, I was eating up the information so much that I did not want ghost stories or recounts from episodes of Kindred Spirits. I know other readers may love that, but it just wasn't for me and felt like an advertisement for her products (which is fine, she's totally allowed to do that and she should be really proud of it) instead of lessons about the paranormal.
Overall, I did enjoy it and felt like I can be a better, well informed, and educated paranormal investigator. This is a good stepping stone for me. I sincerely hope to see more stuff like this come from ghost hunters I've admired for decades, as I feel like I can learn a lot from them.
Here's what I loved about 13 Truths:
Amy does something that I've been really wanting from the TAPS/Ghost Hunters ensemble. I've been itching to hear them talk more extensively and detailed about theories and the process of investigating for years, and she's really delved into some interesting topics in this book. I actually dog earred (don't come for me, it's my copy) because I want to research more. I also really respect the amount of effort Amy puts into research, and I totally agree with her outlook on investigating with empathy. Like I felt an actual sense of relief to see that she had noticed a shift in what people were wanting from the paranormal field mid-Ghost Hunters run, because I had noticed it too on my amateur level.
Here's what I didn't love:
Personally, I was eating up the information so much that I did not want ghost stories or recounts from episodes of Kindred Spirits. I know other readers may love that, but it just wasn't for me and felt like an advertisement for her products (which is fine, she's totally allowed to do that and she should be really proud of it) instead of lessons about the paranormal.
Overall, I did enjoy it and felt like I can be a better, well informed, and educated paranormal investigator. This is a good stepping stone for me. I sincerely hope to see more stuff like this come from ghost hunters I've admired for decades, as I feel like I can learn a lot from them.
June 26, 2023
Amy Bruni, the co-star of Kindred Spirits and one of the world's most prolific public-facing paranormal investigators, has learned a lot about ghosts throughout her time as a researcher. In this memoir she revisits thirteen of these truths that she has learned. These truths range from "It's Not Always a Ghost" to "If Ghosts Are Real, Bigfoot is Probably Real Too" and "Don't Believe Everything You Read".
At first I was a little put off by the tone of this book. It felt like it was going to just be an approximately two hundred and fifty page advertisement for a TV show I haven't watched. After reminding myself that this is Bruni's memoir I was settled and less put off by the number of times she, for no particular reason, references having a daughter for (did you know she has a daughter named Charlotte? lol).
Settling into the fact that these are her remembrances and actually oddly skeptical view points, which are coming from a believer, you're left with a fairly well articulated book. While Bruni herself is a believer (having seen countless bits of evidence) she still approaches her investigations with an open mind and thoroughly researches. Debunking the debunkable and trying to explain the unexplainable. Seeing someone who is a believer still willing to debunk obviously normal events is a breath of fresh air that you don't always get to experience.
While I wish there had been more written about the actual experiences and "ghost stories", for a memoir it does what it sets out to do and explains the thirteen little facts that Bruni wants to bring forward after her long career of ghost hunting.
I'd really like a book filled with her ghost stories now, please.
At first I was a little put off by the tone of this book. It felt like it was going to just be an approximately two hundred and fifty page advertisement for a TV show I haven't watched. After reminding myself that this is Bruni's memoir I was settled and less put off by the number of times she, for no particular reason, references having a daughter for (did you know she has a daughter named Charlotte? lol).
Settling into the fact that these are her remembrances and actually oddly skeptical view points, which are coming from a believer, you're left with a fairly well articulated book. While Bruni herself is a believer (having seen countless bits of evidence) she still approaches her investigations with an open mind and thoroughly researches. Debunking the debunkable and trying to explain the unexplainable. Seeing someone who is a believer still willing to debunk obviously normal events is a breath of fresh air that you don't always get to experience.
While I wish there had been more written about the actual experiences and "ghost stories", for a memoir it does what it sets out to do and explains the thirteen little facts that Bruni wants to bring forward after her long career of ghost hunting.
I'd really like a book filled with her ghost stories now, please.
January 10, 2021
This is a fun book for people who are interested in the paranormal and are fans of ghost hunting shows. I am both. I consider myself a skeptical believer who is a ghost hunting show junkie. The author of this book, Amy Bruni, was originally part of Ghost Hunters, a show I watched religiously in the early 2000s. This book contains her insights and lessons learned from years of investigating the paranormal. It’s infused with her warm personality and humor, which makes it very readable. My favorite part of the book was the excerpts at the end of each chapter recounting a different ghost hunting experience. Some of them made me laugh out loud. If you’re not interested in ghost hunting, this is not the book for you. However, if you’ve ever experienced something you just can’t explain that makes you want to know more, this book is a great place to start.
December 16, 2022
A lot of paranormal study information. What technology used, associates she contacts, and studies she’s found are detailed. She gives a little of her life and how she got started.
It didn’t give any dirt on the other ghost hunters. There are rumors on the web but she doesn't address that.
She needed a better editor. I get she was going for a conversational tone, but “Oh, did I tell you” shouldn’t be in a book that you the author can review!
I liked that she is serious and takes on healthy skeptics, things that didn’t go as expected and when she has questions that can’t be answered.
Helpful book if you want to get knowledge of being a ghostthunter.
It didn’t give any dirt on the other ghost hunters. There are rumors on the web but she doesn't address that.
She needed a better editor. I get she was going for a conversational tone, but “Oh, did I tell you” shouldn’t be in a book that you the author can review!
I liked that she is serious and takes on healthy skeptics, things that didn’t go as expected and when she has questions that can’t be answered.
Helpful book if you want to get knowledge of being a ghostthunter.
November 15, 2020
Amy Bruni does a wonderful job in her down to earth way of describing life as a seeker of the unearthly. She takes you behind the scenes of her show, Kindred Spirits, explaining what goes into making the show a hit. Amy describes her life long experiences with the unexplained. She does an amazing job of breaking down the various aspects of investigating an alleged haunting, from the gear to the mindset needed to when wandering through darkened rooms. There are numerous anecdotes of her experiences on and off the show as well as insights from costars and others that work in the paranormal field. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
May 15, 2022
I've been a fan of Amy's TV personality for years, and her podcast more recently. Whether you're a believer in the paranormal or not, Amy's respectful and humanizing approach towards ghost hunting is much different than the scads of people creating reality media based on provocation and fear. Most of the places people consider haunted held real people, often with real trauma and pain. Amy also provides history and research about her investigations, which is the part I find most interesting and why I keep coming back to her programs and podcasts. You don't need to believe in the paranormal to enjoy reading about her thoughts and experiences with the subject.
October 30, 2022
I love Amy Bruni. She was one of my favorite people on Ghost Hunters, and I really enjoy her new show Kindred Spirits with Adam. I remember a lot of these episodes that she mentions in the book, so that was a fun walk down memory lane. I also enjoyed reading about other personal experiences of hers and how many changes have occured in the world of paranormal investigation. I'm glad I picked this book up.
December 27, 2022
Fascinating! I grew up in a house that had shadows you could see out of the corner of your eye and unexplained objects being moved by someone other than my family so this book answered some questions for me. There is so much information packed into this book from Amy Bruni's previous investigations that keep you reading (or listening - added bonus) and learning until the very end. The stories are told in an easy to follow, very engaging manner, and I love their dedication to making sure to debunk anything they can so that any evidence they find should be taken seriously. Highly recommended for those who are interested in the things that go bump in the night.
January 14, 2021
Challenge: Brighter Winter Jan 2021 - Memoir (14). An up-to-date overview of current trends in paranormal investigation. Bruni's thirteen truths are filled with respect for believers and non-believers as well as those who have had paranormal experiences and skeptics who have not. The main point of her book is that an open mind and historical research is necessary to understand what is happening so that both the living and the dead can be helped to cope with their circumstances. Having followed Bruni's appearances on Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits, it is with great appreciation that she has written a book that addresses the various approaches to paranormal phenomenon and the need for collaboration in the field. A terrific read.
November 19, 2022
Oh my lord, this was adorable and exactly what I expected and I loved it. Did she sell her businesses a little? YES, because shit's expensive and mama's got money to make. BUT! I don't hate that. I watched every season of Kindred Spirits. I remember when both she and Adam joined the GH cast. And yeah, if I could afford it, I would absolutely go on a Strange Escape. 😆
I did enjoy learning about the exact experience (among the many) that really fueled her paranormal fascination.
This was a delight.
I did enjoy learning about the exact experience (among the many) that really fueled her paranormal fascination.
This was a delight.
March 31, 2021
Fast read, even by the standards of these kind of books. A lot of interesting ideas that gave me some things to think about.
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