librarianmillie's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. Interesting but lacking the cloying eeriness that make other folklore collections, like the Lore podcast and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark more entertaining. All of the haunted house stories lack soul, and the book feels like a skeptic masquerading as a believer. If you’re interested in the history of haunted places this book is for you, but if you’re looking for something spooky look elsewhere.
daveyjames's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Sometimes you have to start a book in January but finish it in August. Not because it’s bad, but because you can only read a nonfiction book about ghosts, abandonment, and how folklore evolves out of tragedy when the mood hits just right.
Ratings for 2023:
1 Star: DNF and will be a hater.
2 Stars: Finished but I was annoyed.
3 Stars: It was good!
4 Stars: Loved it — you should check it out.
5 Stars: Amazing! Read this book!
Ratings for 2023:
1 Star: DNF and will be a hater.
2 Stars: Finished but I was annoyed.
3 Stars: It was good!
4 Stars: Loved it — you should check it out.
5 Stars: Amazing! Read this book!
veronica_ep's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
5.0
carmenere's review against another edition
4.0
Well, this collection of stories certainly delivers. The author takes the reader across the United States to historically haunted venues and tells of the often gruesome circumstances which made them so. The stories are well told and contain historical background which set the tone and times. What's lacking are photos, maps and illustrations which I would have liked to refer to as I read. Still, I really enjoyed the effort.
lordcheez's review against another edition
5.0
Holy cow, what a good book. It tells the ghost stories, gives a spooky, feeling, followed by a sociologists/historical analysis of why we tell ghost stories. I flew through this one. Enjoy.
littleprefect's review against another edition
3.0
Educational but also eh. Sorry I wasted an audible credit on it.
annakim's review against another edition
3.0
I like how Colin makes the connections between famous haunted places and the historical contexts that birthed them. However, I didn't realize that this was going to be an explanation and I thought I was just going to get be reading about ghosts and haunted houses, so I was a little confused at first. The transitions were a kind of clumsy and jarring, but I appreciated the historical callouts.