Customer Reviews

I Never Believed In Ghosts Until . . .

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I finally decided to try this book out after months of passing it up. I'm disappointed in myself for doing so, it turned out better than expected.

So I expected some really bad "not-scary" ghost stories. Okay, so a lot of 'em aren't scary, but they're still good.

USA Weekend's editor's had readers write in with their personal experiences with ghosts. After receiving over five hundred stories, and publishing only six for their Halloween Special, they came up with this book, including the top one hundred stories.

Stories range from throughout many types of ghosts. A lot of the stories are one-time encounters, while a few lasted as long as a family was in a home. There are the scary, midnight stories with entity attacks, but then there are the sad, heartfelt stories of entities who can't find their way out because they are looking for something.

This did turn out to be better than expected. Just a lot of "real" ghost stories for you to read while going to sleep, having a slumber party, or working that third shift in a huge building all by yourself (like me!).

~Natalie Kilpatrick

If you are looking for ghost investigations, haunted sites to inspect, stories with a lot of depth, or just some really frightening ghost stories, this is not the book for you. These are stories submitted to USA Today by its readers and they have crammed 100 stories into a little over 200 pages so it is obvious that most of these stories are less than two pages long. For the most part these are "When I was a little girl..." or, "One night when I was alone in the house..." stories. In other words, the stories are short and sweet and straight to the point. A few of these writers had indeed done some research and found out just why the ghost might have been there or who it might have been, but not many.

On the other hand this is a fun book and I enjoyed it immensely. The stories generally come straight from the eyewitnesses and have the definite sound of truth. Most of the stories try to be scary, but aren't really, except for the story of the secret door. That one was indeed rather eerie and the best chapter by far is the one titled Hauntings, which contained the secret door story. Some of the stories never tried to be scary but were quite touching. They say love never dies and some of these stories bring that to mind. You really won't learn much from this book but you will have a blast reading it. For the serious student of the paranormal this book will be a let down but for the rest of us who like good ghost stories it's a winner.

This is a wonderful book. Very easy to read. The stories are scary because they really happened to ordinary people. IMO these stories are much spookier than anything you'll find by Stephen King, etc. When you're reading King, you kind of know it would never happen in real life, but the incidents in this book could happen to //you// ... or me or anyone walking down the street.

I don't buy that many books, but this is well worth the money. Wish they'd publish a sequel.

The editors at USA Weekend have collected what they feel to be the best "true" ghost stories from their dedicated Sunday readers.The results range from the unsettling (spectres who make their presence known only at night in frightening form) to the overly sentimental (loved ones sending sweet help from beyond). But thanks to those who share the more unpleasant asepcts of sharing a living space with the unhappily deceased,the book proves to be a mostly enjoyable read for those with an interest in the subject.Reading the collection alone at night will provide enough chills to keep you looking over your shoulder.So order this title and you are likely to find quite a few stories to tell after "lights out".

WOW! What a fantastic book! If you like real life ghost stories, then this is the book for you. I have read several book of real life ghost stories, and this is by far the best one I have read. The storeies are sad, funny, and a lot of them are down right scary! It book made such an impact on me, that I couldn't read it at night. I highly suggest this book if you like these stories. You won't be sorry, I promise. Just beware of the dark.....

I bought this book 10 years ago in '94 and to this day, still pick it up from time to time and re-read any one of the great stories inside.

From the creepy and spine-chilling to the sweet and sentimental, these ghost stories from real life people are the kind you hear from friends sitting around after a good dinner. Whichever kind of story, your hair will stand on end more often than you expect, guaranteed.

My only complaint is that USA Weekend hasn't come up with a sequel already.

Hi ... I'm one of the 100 whose story was included in this great little book. I can assure you all, that what I wrote was true, "The Three-Legged Table".

This is the only time in my life so far, I'm 68 now, that I ever had a ghost experience. I feel bad about that ...

Enjoy the book, and who knows, perhaps one day you'll be able to write about your own encounter too.

Jim Williams

This is my all time favorite ghost book, #1 on my list. I've even read it more than once, and it never fails to inspire goosebumps. It's full of terrifying tales that will leave you on edge and have you listening for every bump in the night. What's more, all of the tales are refreshingly new, not the old stories that have been rehashed a million times. Each is a unique, never before told story from real people, like me and you, who tell their tale in their own words. Presented from their eyes and from their personal experiences, the authenticity of each case shines through--and so does the terror.

My only complaint is that a second book hasn't followed the first. I would certainly like to see USA Weekend put out another.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the supernatural.

This is my wife's all-time favorite ghost story book so far. I keep telling her that reading this stuff isn't good for her, but she keeps at it anyhow!

The stories don't have the feel of legend or fireside yarn; they read like accounts from real people of not-so-long-ago which gives the whole book an immediacy that is compelling. The stories are also short enough for a chilling (or touching, as the case may be) quick read at bedtime.

(One of these midnights after she's been reading her stories, I'm going to put on a sheet and scary mask and stand beside the bed until she wakes up - that'll learn her! <grin>)

This is a Great book of, what seems to be, true encounters with the supernatural. Some of the stories have you jumping at the sound of your own telephone ringing, while some seem to have a bit of a "love story" behind them. I'm normally not one to read a full book without jumping from story to story, but this book I just couldn't put down! I read it in full quite quickly and to be honest, was a little devistated that the book was finished. I could have read more! Just buy the book. See for yourself!