Thanks for playing and I appreciate the feedback. I will add it to my list of possible updates in the future.
Having to use the item list in the manual was part of my intent but you're right in that it can be a lot of back-n-fourth which can slow things down.
Talking to the Old Man in the village will show you your current stats but I understand that doesn't give you stats for things in your inventory. Burying items from your inventory will give you some more control over your stats but that comes with the added risk of unearthing more ghosts.