So much of our history is told through the objects we leave behind — and sometimes, those objects are super, SUPER weird, which means the history they tell, too, is super, SUPER weird. It's this particular brand of historical weirdness that you'll find detailed throughout Cursed Objects with a keen eye and, perhaps incongruously, warmth and humor. Divided into six sections — one on (allegedly) cursed objects kept under glass, one on those found in graveyards, one on those found or secured in attics, and one on those cursed literally in stone, along with sections on the business of cursed objects and one exploring why some objects that seem like they should be cursed, aren't — J.W. Ocker will take you not only around the world, but into its darkest, dustiest corners to explore what these strange and mysterious objects can tell us about ourselves. It's tons of fun!

This was a perfectly spooky read with lots of tantalising facts. Some of these were notorious enough that I'd heard of them but there were plenty I hadn't heard of! A fab collection.

This is the kind of book that feels like a journey. There’s a lot of information here, about a variety of different objects, their curses, the people ‘affected’ and the kind of places that house them. Whether you believe in cursed objects or not, this is a fascinating book, and well worth picking up for anyone interested in the paranormal.

This book touches on some of the most infamous objects in the world. There are entries here for Annabelle, Robert the Doll, the Hope Diamond, the Crying Boy paintings, and many others. Ocker goes into the objects and their stories, the people who ended up in possession of them and why they tried to get rid of them. I received an e-book ARC, but I definitely want to get a physical copy – the book looks beautiful, and one that looks great to actually hold in your hands.

I’m always fascinated by ‘curses’, whether it’s objects, people, places, or even things like cursed films. Less because of the paranormal aspect to them, and more the reactions of people, the stories surrounding them, how they come to be perceived. And, of course, the lengths people will go to either to acquire said object or get rid of it. This book dives into all that, while also giving some information about the author’s own journey while researching.

After reading Cursed Objects, my list of places to visit has definitely increased. Though maybe I’ll avoid the most evil objects of all, because whether cursed or not, I promise you there is something not right about china dolls and ventriloquist dummies and I don’t want to risk either Annabelle or Robert’s wrath and vengeance. I do, however, want to see many of the museums and collections mentioned in this book – will just have to close my eyes in the doll section.

A fascinating, intriguing read, with plenty of information told in an accessible, fun way.

Thank you to Quirk Books for providing me a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Really good fun - I love a quick list book like this, and I'm interested in weird haunted ephemera so this was a perfect book for me.

The author has a great sense of humour, and I really liked the simple explanations for the objects/historical context. I spent a lot of time googling further information and pictures of the objects and I've got loads more research to do now. Perfect for spooky October evenings!

Cursed Objects was a fun read. It was a nice walk through what exactly is a cursed object, and a deeper look into those in the world. You get to see the stories behind the objects, and ultimately judge for yourself whether you believe in the curse. The book is broken into sections, and set up like encyclopedia entries. It also points towards other entries in the book if they connect to the one you are reading. This gives a greater sense of context, and highlights how the cursed objects in the world might be vastly different, but are yet still similar. The artwork throughout the book is lovely, and really adds to one's enjoyment. Ultimately Cursed Objects is the perfect read to start off the spooky season.

This was fuuuun. Okay so I had no idea that that necklace in Titanic was supposedly cursed. This makes things a lot more understandable.

This book is basically an encyclopedia/guide of various cursed items around the world. I knew about a few of them but most were new to me. You get background stories of how the cursed came to be...becursed and how exactly you die horribly from said curse.

Fun :) Just in time for Halloween month.'
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Thanks so much for the ARC.

Huge fan a paranormal and oddity tales and this fits that bill to a T. Loved stories about these cursed objects. The author adds a touch of humor which is great. The illustrations are a little cartoonish. Since many of these are actual items that are still around, I feel photos would have been better than illustrations, but that's probably just me. If you are at all interested in this type of thing, I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quirk books for allowing me the opportunity to review this title.

The author compiled a great collection of supposedly cursed objects and explored how they came to be regarded as cursed. I enjoyed reading about the history of some of these, as I knew about some objects, but not their backstory. This is an interesting read.

Although an interesting read of historical artifacts I found myself asking if these items were really cursed or just coincidental within Ocker's descriptive tellings. There wasn't any documented evidence to authenticate these so called cursed objects. To be fair, if you are going to write a book on cursed objects etc, then the evidence needs to be backed up with a timeline. Writing 'such & such had this cursed item & died, then later the item was given to such & such and they later died' doesn't suggest the item is cursed in anyway, otherwise just about everyone could clearly have a cursed item!

Thankyou to Quirk books and Netgalley for my proof copy of Cursed Objects in exchange for an honest review.

You might have heard of Annabelle the Doll. Or Robert the Doll? How about the Dybbuk Box? Do you even watch horror movies? No? What are you doing here?

If you do know of those random objects, you’ll know that they’re infamously cursed items. Yep, real life cursed stuff. And that’s the subject of this new book by J.W. Ocker. Not only will you be regaled with stories of popular cursed items but also updated on their current locations and owners. You’ll be introduced to unheard of items from faraway lands and even stranger tales.

Depending on your knowledge, this can either be an excellent beginner’s guide to cursed objects or it’s a great supplemental read to enhance your reach on famously (and not so famously) cursed items. The majority of the “items” covered in here were pleasantly unknown to me. There are, as stated in the beginning, a few classics that everyone should know by now. I say items loosely, for there are non-physical cursed things to add some spice. There was also one or two just randomly creepy and not necessarily cursed objects included in the book that I appreciated nonetheless. Oh and there’s illustrations!

Each entry is quip and book ended with Ocker’s trademark asides and punny humor. Admittedly, some of the entries were slim and left you wanting to know more. However, information on these types of things tend to be limited and/or completely lacking conceivable evidence. The overall formatting of the book is straightforward and leaves for minimal fluff. The sections of discussion (i.e. haunted vs. cursed, museums, etc.) made for a better reading experience.

Ocker’s work tends to emphasis the morbid side of life. His personal website OTIS (Odd Things I’ve Seen) is a rich resource for anyone who is also obsessed with the macabre, the eerie, & the haunted. His other works include a guide to creepy New England, Poe’s Baltimore, & a personal accounting of his time in Salem, MA. His fiction novel, Twelve Nights at Rotter House, is a fantastic read for any stormy October evening. What I’m trying to say is somebody give this man a TV deal already. He’s basically a walking encyclopedia of creepy shit. And if you, dear reader, want to add to your fortress of eerie fun facts, pick up Cursed Objects.

If you are a fan of the dark, morbid, and bizarre then this book is for you. I enjoyed it a lot. It's great for casually reading a chapter or two at a time.

I was fortunate enough to be gifted both an eBook and audiobook for review. This is a work of non-fiction but written in the narrative style I have grown to absolutely adore. J. W. gives us a wide range of objects and tells us the creepy origins to current location of each. I heard some of my old favorite trivia tidbits in there and enjoyed learning new ones.

Narration was well done. It felt like I was listening to a podcast like Lore and I didn't want to stop once it started. Beautiful book and I look forward to indexing it for future awkward conversations with strangers at parties. If the world ever has parties again...

Ocker gives a brief history of a number of objects that come with a curse - maybe real, maybe made up. Belief is up to those who encounter these objects. Some of the items will be familiar, but I guarantee you'll learn something new!

I found myself a bit bored by the short sections, and a lot of the information seemed repetitive. It did have some good info in the book, but just not enough to fully grab my attention. Thank you for the arc though!

I appreciated the author's clear distinction between cursed and haunted objects, as they're often conflated. That being said, I really didn't enjoy the weird, casual tone of the writing. It felt almost like this was a j-fic introduction to cursed objects? But the research and info was valuable.

I loved this! The writing was engaging and each section kept the conversation going. Loved the design of the book as well. The graphics were great.

Bravo!

Thank you Netgallery for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was clever and fun to read. I enjoyed it was not just the typical stories of famous cursed objects, but really researched an offered a lot more. The stories were fun to read and it turned out to be a much faster read than expected.

Sorry but this just didn't grab my attention. I enjoyed the beginning but then became bored by the repetition of short sections that were pretty shallow. I'd hoped for more depth on each of the objects. I didn't want to DNF but I admit I skimmed through most of it.

I own Mr. Ocker's book, Poeland, and I really enjoy his humor and his deep research into his subject. (Poe, if you weren't able to guess.) Although I still liked his humor, I felt he was having to stretch to have enough cursed items to fill a book. At one point, he says there aren't that many cursed items out there. (Haunted items and cursed items are two different things.) There is a chapter on things that ought to be cursed, but aren't. Even the chapter on cursed items sold on ebay didn't garner too many examples.

Maybe he should have put out a nationwide notice. "Who out there has cursed stuff?" A friend of mine's great-great grandmother survived the Chicago fire as a little girl, but her family lost everything. A lady, who also lost her house, gave her a ceramic dog to play with. The dog was pockmarked and blistered from the fire, but the child kept it and handed it down from generation to generation. Everybody in the family who owned that dog through the years had their house catch on fire. Cursed? I'd say so!

There's probably a gazillion things out there in families that are believed to be cursed. Mr. Ocher should make a general shout-out for cursed stuff, then use his humor to make a book. Maybe call it Cursed America. I'd buy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quirk Books for this digital ARC.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was definitely interesting to read up and learn about so many cursed objects from around the world and all from different time periods. I'll admit that for me it's not a book I could read for a good while, after 2-3 chapters I had to put it down and do something else before I could get back to reading it.

Definitely recommended for anyone interested in history and/or the supernatural/paranormal. One downside for me is that I wished they provided actual pictures of the objects (where they're able to) instead of the illustrations because although they were well-drawn I would have loved to view the actual image.

As I read my copy through the kindle app I noticed at times that some of the pictures were not coming through and there were one or two moments where it felt like I was missing paragraphs between one page and the next. This definitely threw off my interest slightly and had me confused and going back several times to see if my thoughts were correct.