Books that will haunt you…

Sanyat Sattar

Some of us enjoy watching scary movies and reading ghost stories. But those who really want to feel the thrill, try reading these books late at night!

Ghosts
Ed Okonowicz
Myst & Lace Publications; September 2001

Ed Okonowicz has written more than a dozen books about ghosts and the paranormal, including his two volume set on Possessed Possessions. More than 15 true ghost stories and fictional tales about the paranormal are featured in this book by the award winning ghost author. Many of the chapters are based on interviews with people who have shared their experiences. Read about ghosts on a Georgia plantation, haunted college housing, spirits near the site of a revolutionary war massacre, haunted barns, a ghost dog, haunted supermarket, ghostly guardian angels with messages to deliver and more. Take a tour to the land of the unknown!

Book of Ghost Stories
Roald Dahl
Noonday Press; October 1984

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a prickly, colourful character who wrote maliciously funny short stories for adults as well as better-known works for children. As he relates in the introduction, he started the research for this book by making a call to the celebrated ghost-story anthologist/writer, Lady Cynthia Asquith. He then went to the British Museum Library, and read a total of 749 tales before selecting 14 for this anthology. His criterion: "Spookiness is, after all, the real purpose of the ghost story. It should give you the creeps and disturb your thoughts." Included here are not only acknowledged classics by Robert Aickman, Edith Wharton, J. S. Le Fanu, and F. Marion Crawford, but also tales by lesser-known writers such as L. P. Hartley, Rosemary Timperley, Jonas Lie, Mary Treadgold, and A. M. Burrage. The Washington Post writes, "Dahl's taste, it will surprise no one, is impeccable."

The Ghost Next Door
Mark Alan Morris
Universe Inc.; February 2003

Mark Alan Morris has studied paranormal phenomena for a number of years, and has documented many cases of ghostly activity. Most people think of ghosts as rare, elusive creatures that are more or less inaccessible to the average Joe. Sure, we read about them, watch TV shows about them and tell stories about them, but we'll probably never run into one right? Don't be so sure! Even if you've never personally encountered a ghost, chances are you know someone who has. This book takes a revealing look into the lives of who've had experiences in the realm of the unexplained. Whether you're a true believer in ghosts or a hard-nosed skeptic, you're sure to get a chill or two when you read these genuinely spooky stories. And you'll probably find that ghostly encounters are a lot more common than you had imagined. Could there be a "haunted house" in your town? Perhaps on your very street? Maybe even right next door?