Exceptional Books discussion

Hi Everyone, this section is for books on Ghosts / haunted houses and all things spooky! Lisa is the moderator of this section.

Hi everyone. My idea is for this not to become a "horror" section, as I think there's already a category for that. Here we're going to concentrate on Ghost stories, tales of hauntings, creepiness etc. To start off, these are the types of books we'll be working with:

-a TRUE story that happened in Key West. I've seen Elena's hearse in the East Martello Museum with my own eyes, & this is documented.

-another true tale, told by the head of the family it happened to.

-written by Stephen King, this departs from his usual "horror", & is written in diary style, very much enhancing the creepiness factor, complete with ghosts, etc.

-This plantation has been documented as being haunted, & is absolutely awesome in the telling.

The Amityville Horror-although proven later to be a hoax, this has been an enduring & horrific story of a haunting.



Undying Love: The True Story Of A Passion That Defied Death-another version of the Von Cosel/Elena story. I have not yet read this version, but those who have tell me it's just as chilling as the one I own, which is the first one :)

The Bell Witch: An American Haunting-I personally have not read this version, but the story has been documented on TV shows such as Weird Travels, etc. This one is on my TBR list.

Lisa wrote: "The Amityville Horror-although proven later to be a hoax, this has been an enduring & horrific story of a haunting.



[book:Undying Love: The True Story Of A Passion That Defied Deat..."LOL, Just checked my bookshelf & I have read BOTH books, LOL, I just own the first one! OOPS

Another stack of ghostly tales I just pulled off my own shelves :)

Civil War Ghosts
Ghosts, Spirits and Hauntings
Ghosts of Key West
Ghosts on the Battleship North Carolina
ISPR Investigates The Ghosts of New Orleans
Haunting SunshineAncient City Hauntings: More Ghosts of St. AugustineHaunt Hunter's Guide to FloridaReal Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places

The Journals of Eleanor Druse: My Investigation of the Kingdom Hospital Incident-another one written by Stephen King, in the same style as Red Rose, dealing with a haunted hospital. Included here because it's less a horror story than a ghost story.

the classic haunted house story.

TY Lena :) I wasn't sure if The Shining belonged here or over in the horror/supernatural/paranormal novel section, so I left it out. I think you can make an equal case for OR against. Given that TAPS actually DID investigate the hotel, & came up with documented activity in the building(I watched that episode), I think you can make the case for inclusion.

I didnt know if this included fiction, but I thought so. The Shining--hm, i wouldnt call it horror. It's one of king's suspense, but there's not much horror to it IMO. Plus, he was greatly influenced by Haunting of Hill House, so I figured i could include it.

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Mike, I haven't read this one. Is it a story of a haunting?

Hands down The Shining is my favorite ghost story. It scared me so much that I had to read The Shining with th TV on to dull the impact.

Is anyone familiar with HP Lovecraft's work. If so, which novel would be a good one to start with?

I've never read anything by him, but I've heard that his At the Mountains of Madness is good.

Tayyab/Killer of Mockingbirds wrote: "I've never read anything by him, but I've heard that his At the Mountains of Madness is good."

Thanks Tayyab

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is my favorite Lovecraft, Colleen.

Dorothy wrote: "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is my favorite Lovecraft, Colleen."

Thanks so much, I'll put it on my self.

Ghost Story says it all!

I always love reading Anne Rice's vampire books around Halloween time. They are fun and fit the theme. I remember reading Dracula in a cottage in Ireland, hearing the wind whipping down through the chimney, and being scared to death. That book is freaky!
If you want something YA that is spooky, then Felinian is really good. Set in Sleepy Hollow, creepy cat lady, girl with 9 lives who can control the minds of men....

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red
Is my favorite haunted house story. I believe a professor and a group of students did the bulk of the research and actually stayed in the house; therefore, it's different from the usual hauntings penned by Stephen King

Ellen wrote: "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red
Is my favorite haunted house story. I believe a professor and a group of students did the bulk of the research and actually stayed in the house; th..."

I read the diary of Ellen Rimbauer, it was pretty good and spooky!

Ghost Story by Peter Straub is the scariest book I have ever read. I lived alone when I read it, and didn't sleep for weeks. Definitely an exceptional book! Recently read Houdini Heart, creepy as all hell, very exceptional, and highly recommended.

The Shining scared me senseless too!