Reading Encounters of the arresting Kind & SEASON BEST WISHES

This time of year usually brings out a reviewing spirit. I have included a montage of some of the reading material that particularly preoccupied me during 2005, some of which will no doubt continue to preoccupy me.

This selection consists of:

1. DK Eyewitness travel Guide CHINA - these DK guides for any country are rich sources of information and great reads in their own right, but I found this one a fantastic reference point during my trip to China in September 2005.

2. The Journal of UFO Research from China made accessibles without a grasp of Mandarin via good translators. I found an excellent one in Beijing who is now a regular contact.

3. My own book Hair of the Alien of course occupied a lot of my time! Fortunately it has been well received despite its controversial content.

4. Hunt for the Skinwalker - Science confronts the unexplained at a remote ranch in Utah by Colm Kelleher, Ph.D., & George Knapp gets into a area of particular interest for me - highly localised UFO flap areas and their potential for scientific investigation.
See also "UFO Flaps - a context for scientific study" at www.theozfiles.com/editorial_comments.html

5. Abducted - How people come to believe they were kidnapped by Aliens by Susan Clancy. This slim title perhaps should be better subtitled How to convince people of Clancy's own preconceived opinions without real confirmation from solid research. The "research" Clancy recklessly extrapolates from is anchored in questionable protocols, poor assumptions, dubious sample groups, dubious criteria and a whole lot of "froth & bubble" from Clancy of "The Overflow" (see my post of August 14, 2005: Clancy, of "The Overflow" - Harvard exorcising it's UFO demons?).

6. Merit and the Millennium - Routine and Crisis in the Ritual lives of the Lahu people - the result of a 35 year study by social anthropologist Dr. Anthony Walker, which in conjunction with other works such as his Mvuh Hpa Mi Hpa: Creating Heaven and Earth - An Epic Myth of the Lahu People in Yunnan, provides a fascinating insight into a remarkable people.

7. Mad about the Mekong - Exploration and Empire in South-East Asia by John Keay, a striking evocation of the mid 1860s expedition along the wild Mekong and 'Heart of Darkness' image the area inspired.

8. Keeping the Wanjinas fresh by Valda Blundell & Donny Woolagoodja. See my post of May 29, 2005: Wanjinas, Visitors & UFOs.

9, 10 & 11. Parallel Worlds - A journey through creation, higher dimensions, and the future of the cosmos by Michio Kaku, Hiding in the Mirror - the mysterious allure of Extra-Dimensions, from Plato to String Theory and Beyond by Lawrence Krauss, and Warped Passages - Unravelling the mysteries of the Universe's hidden dimensions by Lisa Randall - each in their own way and somewhat synergistically enlighten the controversy of the dimensional realms of reality - a controversy that might have some bearing on topics that get discussed here and in my research a lot.

12. Unearthing the Dragon - the great feathered dinosaur discovery by Mark Norell - a wonderful journey through a striking enigma, an intriguing controversy, and the world of modern China, focused in Liaoning province, which was also the locality of the Chinese UFO conference I attended in September.

13. Supernatural - Meetings with the Ancient teachers of mankind by Graham Hancock - spirits (via shamanism), fairies (in part via "The Secret Commonwealth" & Vallee's "Passport to Magonia") and aliens (via a visionary take on alien abductions) collide in an exposition on the contact experience and what made us human. See my post John Fowles, "A Maggot", Graham Hancock's "Supernatural" and alien contact, November 8, 2005.

Some of this material may be of interest to you as well. I hope to post further details on each as time permits.

In the meantime I wish all my friends, fellow researchers and associates, and readers of this web log the very best wishes for a great Christmas and happy new year.

Bill Chalker