Some personalities simply won’t accept that final curtain call. Best-selling Ghost Stories author Barbara Smith has conjured up an entertaining collection of tales about spirits and unexplained phenomena that sometimes steal the spotlight in North America’s theaters.

I have picked up a few books in this series of books about hauntings and some of them I have really enjoyed, but some of them like this one, have been a bit hard to get through. The stories and history included in this book were really interesting, especially considering it covered not only theaters in the U.S. but also in the U.K. and Canada, but the writing style was a bit dry and dense. It took me a while to finish this one just because it was so slow for me. There was nothing wrong with it, just the way it was written really made it slow.

Happy reading!

Explore the dark and mysterious past of New Orleans with this riveting collection of tales that devle into the most haunted city in America.

New Orleans–the Big Easy, the birthplace of jazz, home of Cafe du Monde and what some call the most haunted city in America. Beneath the indulgence and revelry of the Crescent City lies a long history of the dark and mysterious. From the famous “Queen of Voodoo,” Marie Laveau, who is said to haunt the site of her grave, to the wicked LaLauries, whose true natures were hidden behind elegance and the trappings of high society, New Orleans is filled with spirits of all kinds. Some of the ghosts in these stories have sordid and scandalous histories, while others are friendly specters who simply can’t leave their beloved city behind. Join supernatural historian Troy Taylor as he takes readers beyond the French Quarter and shows a side of New Orleans never seen.

This was another great entry in the Haunted America series, but I think my experience was lowered a bit since I listen to the author’s podcast and had already listened to the season on New Orleans – so I was familiar with a number of the stories included in this book. The stories are still extremely well researched and written in a way that they flow well. With Troy Taylor’s books you get a lot of history as well as information about the specific hauntings reported. I liked that there were some chapters that included smaller snippets about multiple locations, but also chapters that are devoted to a single location that has more gruesome and more in depth historical information.

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As one of America’s most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, has a long list of stories of the supernatural, such as the story of the first two people hanged in colonial Savannah for the murder of their abusive master. Or James Stark, a tempestuous planter, and Dr. Philip Minis, who settled their dispute with a duel and still hang around the old building at Moon River Brewing Co. Or the terrifying “boy-giant,” Rene Rhondolia, who preys on young girls and
animals. Join authors Michael Harris and Linda Sickler as they navigate the chilling world of those who refuse to leave their Savannah homes.

Savannah is one of those places I haven’t yet visited, but definitely wanted to – so I was excited to pick this title up. I did enjoy the way the authors imagined how the stories leading to the ghost stories went and that they got versions of the legends from people in Savannah – but felt there may have been a little too much fiction. The researching of different aspects of each story and examining how possible it was that they transpired the way the stories are told was really interesting. I also really liked the talk about how life was at the time each of these stories happened, but because so much of it was this examination of history – there was very little description of what people are actually experiencing in these locations, which is something I always appreciate. Since there was so little about that it felt more like an examination of history rather than ghost stories – that being said it was still a pretty quick read and I did enjoy it.

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On the historic streets of Charleston, where true life is stranger than fiction, narrators Ed Macy and Geordie Buxton leave embellishment by the wayside to let these stories–in ghastly and sometimes dreadful detail–tell themselves. Combing through the oft-forgotten enclaves of the Holy City, Macy and Buxton bring readers face to face with a group of orphans who haunt a College of Charleston dorm, a Citadel cadet who haunts a local hotel and the specter of William Drayton at Drayton Hall Plantation, to name just a few. Based on historic events and specific details that are often lost in most ghost stories, this collection of haunting tales sparks curiosity about what figure might still be lurking in the alleyways of Charleston’s storied streets.

I love a good collection about ghost stories, especially when they center on a certain location or region. I’ve been to Charleston and loved the time I spent in it, so I was especially excited to see stories about the original Citadel, since I’ve stayed in the hotel it’s become. The stories were well researched and I felt there was a good balance of history with the experiences that people have had. The writing style was really easy to read and flew by with each story. I also really liked how focused on a few specific locations the book was as it was able to dive fully into their history.

Happy reading!

Seattle may not be as old as some would expect from a haunted city. But it has a large number of haunted sites and stories. Spooked in Seattle will lead readers on a journey through Seattle’s neighborhoods and reveal the city’s public locations, history, and tales of strange encounters. For those who love to venture off into corners in search of ghosts and the unknown, this book will set readers forth in the right direction.

Spooked in Seattle features more than 150 haunted locations, historic and contemporary photos, top ten questions about ghosts, Seattle’s top ten most haunted places, location maps and addresses, Seattle history and haunted facts, Seattle cemeteries and tombstone symbols, and more.

Spooked in Seattle presents many locations throughout the city that are believed to be haunted, claim to have ghosts, or have undergone investigation. All of these stories are broken down into sections based on the city’s neighborhoods with corresponding addresses to make finding them easier for the ghost enthusiasts. Maps and photos help bring to life the locations, making the Seattle ghosthunting experience easy and enjoyable.

As someone who loves reading ghost story collections, I was really excited to dive into this one. Some things that I really enjoyed about it were how in depth some of the history was, there were some really great passages about the city’s beginnings and some of the historical figures associated with the city. The haunted facts sections at the end of chapters, with information on hauntings in general, were fun to read.

That being said this book was in dire of one thing – a proofreader. There were so many instances where the author clearly meant a different word, but the word in place of it was spelled correctly, so it wasn’t something spell check would catch. Some examples were “foots steps” instead of footsteps or “leather jack” instead of leather jacket. This is something that happened many many times throughout the book that always took me out of my reading enjoyment. A second pair of eyes looking over the book before it went to publication could have fixed it – and honestly could have bumped it up to 3-4 stars for me (yes, the history and stories were that interesting). I had a really hard time though because these errors stood out to me and would slow down my reading.

If you’re looking for a book with a lot of great background information on Seattle, this is a solid pick, but be aware of the errors.

Happy reading!

Nestled on the rocky coast of Massachusetts, Salem is a city steeped in history and legend. Famous for its witch trials, the storied North Shore seaport also has a dark history of smugglers and deadly fires. It is considered one of New England’s most haunted destinations. Inside Howard Street Cemetery, the ghost of accused witch Giles Corey wanders among the gravestones. Outside the Ropes Mansion, the ghost of Abigail Ropes can be seen peeking out of the windows. The Gardner-Pingree House on Essex Street is host to the spirit of sea captain Joseph White, a man whose murder in 1830 inspired literary giants like Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Join author and paranormal journalist Sam Baltrusis on a chilling journey through the streets of Salem as he chronicles the historic haunts of the Witch City.

Well, first things first – anyone who uses Ghost Adventures as a source gets a little side eye from me… That being said, I didn’t have an issue with any of the actual quotes from Nick (of Ghost Adventures).

Now on to what I really thought – I really enjoyed this compilation of locations/stories from Salem. I felt the writing style was solid – with any book that deals with history and legends you are going to get some dryness and dense sections, but I felt it was balanced really well between history and story telling. There were some instances where things were repeated which threw me a little, but the author did usually have a note that the subjects were referenced elsewhere in the book. The pictures that went along with the different sections were interesting and definitely added an element to the book as it was helpful to see named locations. Also, most of the sources sounded really interesting (besides Ghost Adventures) so I now have a list of other books I’d like to track down and pick up.

Happy reading!

As part of the America’s Haunted Road Trip series, Ghosthunting Oregon takes readers along on a guided tour of some of the Beaver State’s most haunted historic locations. Local author Donna Stewart researched each location thoroughly before visiting, digging up clues for the paranormal aspect of each site.

In Ghosthunting Oregon, Stewart takes readers to some of the spookiest haunts across the state including: Oaks Park in Portland, where visitors have reported a ghostly apparition of a child in a 1920s or 1930s style dress; the O’Kane Building in central Oregon, where people have reported seeing “ghostly smoke” and strange lights; and Pioneer Park in Pendleton, where some have reported apparitions and hearing voices.

With a copy of Ghosthunting Oregon in hand, readers can visit some of the spookiest haunts across the state and compare their experiences.

I did really enjoy the unique spin that this book and books in the series have in that they focus specifically on places that are open to the public or able to be visited. Most of them allow tours or have options of staying. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but the writing style became more dry and didn’t flow as well in the last few sections, which made it really hard for me to read. I liked that the author talked about the history of each place and looked at the lore with an objective eye. I also really liked that there are resources in the back if you want to visit these places, but I’m sure as time goes on some of these resources may become outdated. All in all I did enjoy learning about the different places, but as it went on the writing did let me down a bit.

Happy reading!