Weird Encounters: True Tales of Haunted Places

Weird Travel Guides

by Joanne Austin (Compiler), Ryan Doan (Illustrator)

Scarier and stranger than any multiplex horror movie, Weird Encounters features more than 75 supernatural stories contributed by writers from across the country. Compiled by Joanne M. Austin, editor of the hugely successful Weird Hauntings, this chilling anthology tells of “Historic Haunts,” and “Hostel Environments” and conjures up a host of phantasms, paranormal pranksters, and devilishly destructive spirits-like the deceased owner of an Illinois inn whose ghost gets fresh with his female patrons and the bridge in Mississippi that's haunted by a serial murderer and his victims.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Horror, Travel, Ghosts

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2010

Reviews

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a skeptic, and this book did not change my mind. There was at least one story that I'm sure was just the poor narrator being duped, and many others that just weren't convincing. A few felt like exercises in fiction. Many were just urban legends. The photoshopped pictures that accompanied many of the stories were more laughable than scary, and most of the "real" ghost photos were far from convincing.

But in the end, that didn't really matter to me. I wasn't looking to be convinced about the objective reality of ghosts. I just wanted a few spooky stories to read before Halloween. Here's where Weird Encounters actually delivered. There are a lot of stories here, and they cover all sorts of hauntings. Reading it as pure entertainment, it's enjoyable.

I also have to commend the author of the Waverly Hills section. Everything else I've ever seen and read about its days as a TB facility are way more sensational. It was nice to finally read something that acknowledged that, at the time, TB was a horrible, incurable disease, and that the doctors and nurses at Waverly Hills were doing their best for their patients, while risking contracting the disease themselves. So many other, more sensational versions try to use the body count as an indicator of something being amiss. This is true of so many accounts of "haunted" hospitals, that pretend that a few hundred people dying over the course of decades is shocking. The restraint shown here is pretty refreshing.

For fervent believers, and for those who can just enjoy the stories without worrying too much about how true they are, it's an enjoyable way to spend a few late October evenings. Best read late at night.

[Gary Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many authors in this book, each having written about separate episodes. The writing is all excellent but, for me, the stories are all so basically similar that I think the book is probably best read in bits & pieces.

[Chy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of spooky stories here!

[Sheila Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to supposedly haunted places. I took off one point because I felt pictures should've been of actual places instead of adding a lot of drawings or photo-shopped pictures.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The photos were a hoot.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scarier and stranger than any multiplex horror movie, Weird Encounters features more than 75 supernatural stories contributed by writers from across the country. Compiled by Joanne M. Austin, editor of the hugely successful Weird Hauntings, this chilling anthology tells of “Historic Haunts,” and “Hostel Environments” and conjures up a host of phantasms, paranormal pranksters, and devilishly destructive spirits-like the deceased owner of an Illinois inn whose ghost gets fresh with his female patrons and the bridge in Mississippi that's haunted by a serial murderer and his victims
What did I think:
4.5
This was the first time I've ever heard of this series , and I'm glad that my sister got me this copy but I don't think I'll get the rest of the series, while I did like reading some of them , and some of them was really good, they just didn't reach out and grab me like some of the other books I've read about actual ghost haunts , some just felt like there could be more to the story but the author just didn't know how to put it in to words or they kept something out, while its still a good book to add to your ghost library , its the type of book you pick up and just pick which stories you want to read , which is what I did and will be doing when ever I pick it up to read, I did love how at the end of each story they tell you where the hunted places are at and how to get there.
Update :
Ok so as you can see I'm now given it a 4.5 stars,as I was reading some more of the stories I did find some that was a little creepy and strange but not enough to give me goose bumps or rase the hair on my arms.

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was debating whether or not to give this book three or four stars but I chose three because I didn't read the entire book. I only chose to read those stories that supposedly took place in the north east and one cemetery story that is located in California. What I liked about the book: I love a good ghost story and if it's a true story even better. There were some great locations in this book that I wrote down for a future visit! What I didn't like about this book: first of all, the fake pictures!! I would rather have this book with no pictures than these obviously fake pictures. It made the supposed real pictures questionable....are they fake or not? The author should have put in more pictures of the area around where the story took place or none at all! I also found that a few stories had so many happenings or encounters that it seemed as if the author just wanted to make his or her story more interesting and what could a few more goings on hurt? It just made it more fake. More things happened in one short story than an entire hour of Ghost Adventures tv show. Looking forward to getting to more of the real deals with author Linda Zimmermann.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of snippets about different haunted locations from a multitude of sources. Some stories were rather creepy, some really interesting, some kind of lame. Overall, a very nice selection. This book took me a long time to read, as I would just read a story or two at night before bed every once in a while. Nice thing about this sort of book, you could set it down and come back to it a year later and pick it up without missing anything.
The production of the book is absolutely top notch. The paper is nice and thick, glossy, with a heavy hardcover. Printing is high quality. All of this makes for a heavier book laying in bed, but I appreciate the quality. Most stories include a photo. Most are manipulated to match the story to show a ghostly picture. Some are kind of dumb looking, some are pretty creepy. Other photos are of the actual site mentioned, and I preferred these.
I'd probably come back to this book again in a number of years for some quick ghost stories.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not all the stories were entirely accurate, particularly concerning the character "Slag" from the Sloss Furnaces, this was an enjoyable read and very interesting. As a paranormal hobbyist, I was delighted to find addresses at the end of most of the short stories for possible road trips. I will probably end up using this as a reference in the future.

[Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really feel the need to go through and review this throughly since it is a collection of 1 -6 page stories.

Some I liked, others I didn't; But several of the tales did give me that creepy look-over-your-shoulder feeling...

So I guess I can't complain.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

really liked. every story was very detailed.

[Enka-Candler Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of ghost stories from a multitude of haunted spots. Lots of eyewitness accounts and good photos and illustrations.
--Leisa

[Jeremy Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this was more of a catalog of haunted places rather than a collection of spooky encounters.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book full of little known haunted spots throughout the United States.....if you love true ghost stories like I do then you'll love this book too!!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures freaked me out more than the stories, but both were good! A great collection and from all over the US, not just centered in New England like many ghost story books are.

[Barbara Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore ghost stories!! Keep them coming!! This is a great compilation from the people who brought us Weird Hauntings.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories legitimately creeped me out, others felt forced. Can't really complain though.

[Kryssy G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were really good. Some stories were better left untold. I struggled through some as well. There you have it.

[Elle Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mu-wah-ha-ha. This one is pretty good. Not a scary "I can't sleep with the lights off" book, but entertaining.

[Lisa Keipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of focus on the east coast, not much of anything for the rest of the country.

[Evengelina Rose]

awesome so many great stories

[Caitlynn]

Wierd encounters was a good read, it has many destinations I would love to see not for the scary ghost stories but for the history behind them, when we went through Columbus, OH, which I had read about not but 10 minutes ago, I really wanted to stop at the Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus to check it out. The book is a wonderful read and I will definitely read again and again.