Ghost Stories

by Hannah J. Tidy

Truth is stranger than fiction – and these stories would tell you why

Have you ever felt a sudden drop in temperature around you?

Have you ever experienced a strange, soft voice whispering in your ears?

Do you believe that there’s a world beyond our tangible world – things that can only be felt and not seen?

If your answer is ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, then you’re not the only one.

About 46% of Americans believe that ghosts are real, with a staggering number of them reporting to have experienced paranormal activities at some point in their lives.

Ghost stories have had a special place in many cultures throughout history. They are the portal to connect with a world that resides beyond our imagination.

We are drawn to supernatural stories and mysteries – they have the power to evoke curiosity and widen our perception.

But the stories you’re about to uncover aren’t some spiritual mumbo jumbo… each one has a compelling truth attached to it supported by convincing evidence.

In Ghost Stories, you’ll unearth a goldmine of haunting stories that will leave goosebumps from head to toe. Inside, you’ll discover:

20 bone-chilling ghost stories that will challenge your sanity and force you to question reality
The story of the ghost who testified to a murder mystery
The ghastly story of Taunton State Hospital – and what it’s infamous for
What’s really hiding in the veins of the famous Roosevelt Hotel
The frightening secret hiding in an innocent-looking doll
The mystery behind the never-ending construction of the Winchester Mystery House
The silent empire that exists beneath the streets of the ‘City of Love’
The dark chapter in the history of Cannock Chase
Does science approve of paranormal activities – and does it matter?

And so much more!

A horror movie or book may scare the soul out of your body, but you at least have the relief that it’s all fiction. What’s more terrifying is when such stories have happened in real life… and make Stephen King’s stories look like lullabies.

While these supernatural stories might seem fabricated, there's always some truth in them… and that’s what makes them more terrifying.

There are powers in the cosmos that can’t be explained, but it doesn’t change the fact that there’s always an explanation – it depends on how willing you are to explore things further...

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Horror

63 pages, ebook

Published April 17, 2016

Reviews

[Kirsty Carson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got one page in and had to stop - only thing scary about this book was the writing quality!

[Krystyn Clouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to leave such a terrible review but...

This "book" honestly reads like a 7th grader's "B" essay. Maybe there is something I'm missing, or maybe this a a bad translation from another language, but this disappointed reader will never find out. I couldn't make it past the first chapter.

[Stefanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was utterly underwhelmed by this book.

[N.V. Cefalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

*This book was given to me by the author at my request, and I provided this voluntary, unbiased review.*

3.5/5

I do love a good set of dark/ghost stories, so I couldnt pass this up. It was a little bit different than what I was expecting; this was more of a documentary-style reading of reported ghost stories from around the world. While I did appreciate the research done to bring these stories to life, I would be hard pressed to call these "plausible or likely to have happened." I realize the title is a literal figure of speech (the stories are real as spoken, but the events are probably not), but I was still a little put off by some of the language used. Examples are such as "theres no other explanation, except the supernatural," or "This is a true story/the events happened." I would be fine with an agnostic type of view of the events as presented, but the author clearly has a slant in the writing that I was rolling my eyes at by the end. Mentioning the bogus made-for-TV Ghost Hunters/Adventures and using that as a sort of "evidence" made me take off a star.

Even with those flaws, it was an alright book. I would recommend with caution, but still recommend it

[Julie Kwiat · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of all things haunting, I really enjoyed these brief looks into paranormal stories. As typical with collections like these some are well known and others are less.I was about 50/50 which means I need to brush up more on my stories. Some of the stories I actually did some research on after/ during listening to this audiobook. I had no idea about stories such as The Brown Lady, The Paris Catacombs, and the The Omni Mount Washington Hotel. The stories span a long enough time that some of the more recent stories involve places you can still go visit, prices are even offered for some of those locations.The narrator sounded a bit wooden and / or pedantic. It was like listening to a robotic/ siri voice in the form of a reporter. I believe I would have enjoyed this book reading it with a different narrator.

[Beverly Laude · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly entertaining collection of ghost and paranormal stories. If you are a fan of this type of thing, you have probably heard of at least a few of them. But, even if you have, it is always informative to get a different perspective.

From haunted housed, painting, ships and hotels to paranormal events, this book has a variety of tales. The writing was to the point, without any filler. The narrator did a pretty good job, but his voice was fairly robotic. It would have been easier listening if he had shown more emotion.

[Pamela Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS A PRIME MEMBERS BOOK AWESOME TRUE SPOOK STORIES!? THEY WON'T PUT YOU TO SLEEP SNOORING WHEN YOU READ THIS PRIME BOOK

COVER VAUGHT MY EYE REASON FOR BORROWING!?! ABOUT 12 DIFFERENT SPOOK STORIES!?! READ TIME1-2HOURS 115PAGES LONG ANOTHER HUGE REASON FOR BORROWING!?! SOME PROVOCATIVE LANGUAGE AND 3 MAYBE 4 PROFANITY WORDS!?RATE BOOK EDGY NO CHILD UNDER 14 SHOULD READ PARENTAL CONTROLS!?!ASH BOORER IN A BOOK ROMANS 16:16!?!

[Swagata_potterhead · Rating 2 out of 5]

A ok read

I enjoyed the stories. It has a lot of information about the incidents. The way it has been written is so easy to follow and understand. But the accounts are very well known and had been well documented in the videos available in YouTube. People who watch the videos will be dissapointed for sure. I wanted to read some new real life incidents, not something repeatative. Overall an average read.

[Margarita Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compilation of short stories about ghosts, hauntings, poltergeist and other supernatural happenings. Spine-tingling and hair raising read. Each of these are said to be true and if nothing false is involved. Intriguing and fascinating stories that gets your heart pumping. Received ARC copy of this book and this is my honest opinion.

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read many books about real life ghost stories. Most I enjoyed. This was was ok. Most of the haunting I’ve read about in other books, so I’d heard all these before. Some weren’t even about hauntings. I’m honestly glad I read this as an arc, because I would have been disappointed if I had purchased it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jamie Brame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories but...

Editing would have helpe.d make this book more readable. There were some sentences that didn't seem to mean what they said, and occasional words were left out. The stories themselves were excellent and scary, and many were true, up to a point. That's okay. Grammar misuse is not okay; this was not a text message.

[Amanda Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok.

The book was ok. It seems like it was written for a pre-teen audience. Also, it seemed a little weird how each chapter ended with a vague reason why the reader should take these stories for fact.

[Salvador Navarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad.

As a paranormal show lover, I had seen alot of these episodes. I've read multiple books on the paranormal, books on exorcisms, this book wasn't too bad. I just wish it could have shown the pictures and allowed you to hear the evps.

[timj26 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you Believe it or not it’s still an interesting subject matter
This showcased some popular stories and some completely unknown to me
Well narrated and informative if your into hauntings
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

[प्रशांत लोटणकर · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well explained.Small stories is what i like.

Very well explained.Small stories is what i like.I feel there should have been less chapters .Rest all is fine for me.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this book. I like that the stories were based on actual real events. Definitely had me spooked!

[Luis Herrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book recommended

Good reading. Like all the content. Intrested in reading more from Hannah Tidy. Pls recommend more for the collection. Thks

[Adrian Vigil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Has all the stories you thought you knew everything about from The Entity to Annabelle and all the popular ones in between we grew up with. Read and listened many times over.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, but in switching to narration, it could have been better. Some of the writing came straight from wikipedia it seems

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book to be well written and the stories presented in an interesting manner.

[Celeste · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just a collection of crap you can find on Wikipedia, and it is so poorly written I just kept rolling my eyes. Yuck.

[emma hackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories

The stories are good, easy reading for a light spooky evening. Sadly the book is let down by poor editing and clearly no proof reading before publishing

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and the narration was rather bland.

[Victoria coy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Great easy read and very I interesting content. Enjoyed the read very much and would like to read more from this author

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best

The best book ever to learn about ghosts and still enjoy the stories and I can't stress how good the book si this is in short words.

[Roxie Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this review and more on my blog at [Roxie Writes].

'Ghost Stories' by Hannah J. Tidy
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
Finished on November 28, 2016
Read with Kindle Unlimited Subscription
FREE with Kindle Unlimited | $2.99 on Kindle | $7.97 in Paperback

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
This is an eclectic collection of ghost stories, paranormal stories, and haunted locations. There are twelve stories total. Some of them are Haunted eBay Painting, Jeffrey Dahmer -- Shapeshifting, The Cecil Hotel -- Elisa Lam Tapes and More, and The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall.

MY REVIEW:
I read this book as part of my #yearofindiewomen.

I would have really loved this book had I found it as a pre-teen but as an adult? Meh. I was already aware of every single one of these stories, and I could have gotten all of this information off of Wikipedia or other websites online, honestly. There didn't seem to be much creativity in these stories, which I suppose is fine if you're looking strictly for facts, but they were dry and not very interesting to read. It was like reading a boring Buzzfeed article or something.

What really rubbed me raw, though, was how Tidy straight up said that Elisa Lam died because ghosts caused her to kill herself. What? That's just insane and ridiculous and disrespectful to the family and those that loved her. Yes, there are lots of weird circumstances surrounding her death and the way she acted prior to her death. That's why there is so much mystery and intrigue, still, but to write something so blatant like that is just wrong. If someone has never heard of her prior to reading this book or is more impressionable than I am, they could walk away from this book with the wrong impression.

I'm still giving this book three stars simply because I don't like to give any book less than three stars. It feels icky to me because I'm an author myself, and I know the work and passion it takes to write one. Also because this book isn't particularly badly written. It's just written more for younger readers, I think, and for those who aren't as "into" the paranormal as I am.

[Euni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally posted this review on my blog's reading challenge

It was a super short read and each chapter was devoted to a different haunting or ghost story. What I was surprised to see was that I was already familiar with a lot of the hauntings covered in this book…I really don’t know what that says about me. Obviously, I cannot judge each of the hauntings because those were just facts that the author was stating, but I can review how she went about inserting her own views into the stories. It seemed, to me anyway, that she was trying to write as if she were presenting it in a haunted tv show. You know, where they are all like “so was it truly a nightmare or was it really a soul sucking demon chewing on her toes” type of thing. No, that was not a quote from the book but it definitely had that type of feel. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Star Rating: 3 out of 5                   Author:  Hannah J. Tidy   Pages: 221

Pros:

Each chapter was its own story, so if you didn’t want to read it all in one sitting you would always have a good spot to stop.
There was a variety of stories from haunted to locations to haunted toys, so it really gave you a nice range.
Cons:

A lot of the stories were already well known such as Amityville, Annabelle, Robert the doll. I mean these actually have movies based on them so I was not excited about those.
This kind of goes with the con before…the book actually had 2 stories that were on Ghost Adventures. There are so many historical “hauntings” that are out there but we got 2 that were on TV. I was just disappointed that they weren’t more obscure stories.
Overall:

Not a bad book if you have some time to kill. The book is not scary or creepy but does give you the stories behind some hauntings. Would I say that this was the best book of this type? No, but it was still interesting. Would I read other books that the author wrote within this same genre? Maybe. I mean, I would much rather just listen to the Lore podcast to get these kinds of stories, but it was not bad to read on a dark, cold, and stormy night.

[Tricia Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction Ghost stories have always been a part of human culture. They take shape in different forms throughout the world and even play key roles in the legends of many ancient civilizations. They have long been the subject of famous pieces of literature and appear in great literary works such as Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But are these stories merely fiction? As with most myths, there is generally a seed of truth to be found. Take the legend of Dracula, for example. It is based on a real person called Vlad Tepes, a Romanian ruler in the 16th century who was infamously known for impaling his beaten enemies and prisoners of war with giant stakes. If you dare to read on, you may be amazed to find that real live ghost stories and paranormal activity have been proven as fact for many centuries.

[Jason Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always good to read about real ghost stories and hauntings. Well, at least, I think so, since I am a paranormal investigator. This book was well written and made the places and stories seem interesting to me. I was never bored, while reading it. My only complaint is I would have left out the last stories about paranormal shows, since some of them are faked for ratings. Still, I give the book 5 stars. Nice job, Hannah. I might have to check out one of your other books.

[Ina Carebaer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting.

This book was very interesting. I heard about two of the stories before, but learned more from reading this book.