Reader reviews

• veronica.sparrow

  (3/5)

  I have to admit that I am a sucker for ghost stories; the more historic the better which is why I requested to read this book. This must have been a huge undertaking for the author. While some of the history is very blunt and short; others have a lot of historical background to them which I enjoyed immensely. I just googled for more information on the others that intrigued me. I was a little taken aback by the format of writing at first. I had thought it would be like another book I had read about haunted sites in England where it had a paragraph or more for each site and actual directions to and from one site to another. Once I got into the style of writing, I was drawn in quickly. The format reminds me of sitting next to someone near a fire while they tell ghost stories. I liked the style very much.
  Another welcome change for me was the fact that often the author would take a "breather" and discuss different areas of ghosts and hauntings such as spiritual photography, the history of the entire genre, and also a comprehensive discussion on some of the literary masters of horror fiction (I took many notes). All in all, I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it to anyone who loves learning about not only haunted places in America but also some of the history surrounding the genre.
  I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
• jennifer35k

  (5/5)

  I had to read this one when it came out. I love horror and Halloween. This book was very entertaining and it did not let me down. Normally the books seem to rehash most of the ghost stories, but a good majority of them were new, so that was nice. I am happy to see some more recent information and I like the way it was presented. There was just enough story telling and then some small listing of locations and a brief description. I thought this was a brilliant layout and very well planned. I'm not sure if I have seen this before, but I am going to say no. Not very many pictures, but that is ok. There is a lot of information to be given, so it is well spread out. Overall I think it is my favorite ghost book of this date. I do not say that lightly either, since Halloween is Christmas to me. My kids get Christmas and I get Halloween! LOL! Anyways, for those that are looking for a great read I highly recommend this book!
• stewartry

  (4/5)

  I did not expect that! I think what I assumed this would be was a sort of travel guide, just a listing of locations reputed to be spooky and maybe a squib as to why. And there was that aspect – just not as organized as I expected – but there were also alternating chapters which explored hauntings by theme: haunted ships, haunted inns, haunted hospitals, etc. The negatives: it's a bit scattershot. Instead of a kind of easily referenced listing, the states are broken up into alphabetical groups of two or three, each state yielding a handful of locations, along with a sentence or two on the type of haunting each location is known for. Those alternating chapters addressing types of hauntings It's not very user-friendly as a guide to where one should go to have the best chance of encountering a ghost; nor is it a comprehensive survey of what kind of ghosts are where and why or anything like that. (All of which would be very interesting, by the way.)The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.