Your Next Great Read

Since William Penn presided over the state's only official witch trial in 1684, witchcraft and folk magic have been a part of the history of the Keystone State.

English and German settlers brought their beliefs in magic with them from the Old World--sometimes with dangerous consequences. In 1802, an Allegheny County judge helped an accused witch escape an angry mob. Susan Mummey was not so fortunate. In 1934, she was shot and killed in her home by a young Schuylkill County man who was convinced that she had cursed him. In other regions of the state, views on folk magic were more complex. While hex doctors were feared in the Pennsylvania German tradition, powwowers were and are revered for their abilities to heal, lift curses and find lost objects. Folklorist Thomas White traces the history and lore of witchcraft and the occult that quietly live on in Pennsylvania even today.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, especially in Alabama. Celebrate the spirit of the season with these tales of Christmases past from the heart of Dixie. There is the story of Helen Keller's first Christmas memories in Tuscumbia, the tale of how Birmingham native Hugh Martin penned the classic tune "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," visions of all the impressive Christmas light displays throughout the state and much more. In a collection of tales that range from the heartwarming to the heartbreaking, Alabama author Kelly Kazek culls from over two hundred years of Christmas celebrations in the state and offers up a gift that no one will want to be without come Christmas morning.

One hundred years ago, the White Mountains were America's favorite resort. Presidents, writers, artists, industrialists, and prominent individuals of all types came to stay in the grand hotels and enjoy the recreation and scenery. Bethlehem, New Hampshire, was in the center of all this activity. With more than thirty hotels and lodging places, the town became synonymous with summer leisure and relaxation. Visitors enjoyed golf, tennis, riding, scenic drives, balls and gala events, and lots of rocking chair time on the wide verandahs. Fresh, pollen-free air gave relief to those suffering from asthma and hay fever. P.T. Barnum called the annual coaching parades "the second greatest show on earth." By the 1920s, the automobile and expanded travel opportunities to the West and to Europe were forcing the grand hotels into decline. Fortunately for Bethlehem, the New York Jewish community discovered the town. Bethlehem became an almost entirely Jewish resort and prospered as such until the 1970s. Even today, several hotels cater to a small Hassidic population, and the Bethlehem Hebrew congregation is a small but active year-round Jewish community. In recent years Bethlehem has undergone a rebirth of sorts, with the renovation of historical buildings, the formation of a heritage society, and the renewal of interest and pride in Bethlehem's rich and colorful history.