Ghost man - Roger Hobbs
344432
One of those books you can't put down~!  NOt my usual kind of reading, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book!
193120
Lucas Macenzie tries from the beginning of this novel to figure out who he is - but you quickly find out what he is - dead, but at 10 years old he already had a stage management job.  Lucas wrestles with what he wants to be as he travels around the 1950s USA with a menagerie of real ghosts who act in wonderful performances as fake ghosts.  Pursued by Dr Hull from the Paranormal studies department, thrilling audiences and meeting other ghosts in surreal locations this is a great read and I only wish it was longer.
1270923
The south is full of ghost, and this book contains very well written accounts of the stories about ghost. I believe in them, so it made very good reading for me. The author is very laid back and writes the stories where I could understand, and enjoy the true accounts of ghost stories.
3090994
I have read many ghost story books, seen many if not all the documentaries on ghosts, poltergiests, demons, etc. . . But I have never read a book with such a refreshing perspective on ghosts than the one that Will Storr has wrote. This book is very well done, it makes you believe and question the reality of ghosts. Will plays both sides of the fence skeptic and believer. He takes you through the lives of ghost hunters, demon chasers and exorcist priests. Will shows both sides of the coin, laying the facts in front of you to let you decide what is real and what is not. If you are a believer in ghosts you will question your belief and if you do not believe you will suspect that ghosts exist. You have to get this book especially if you are not a believer in the paranormal, you will be amazed and quite entertatined by the notion of ghostly beings. I hope Will will write a sequel to his awesome ending. Write on Will!
3911835
The Ghostman is no one and everyone. He does his job (robbery of some sort) and then he disappears so thoroughly that most people who ever thought they knew him think he's dead. He doesn't stay in the same place very long before moving to another. He had a name once - but no one knows what it is. It can be a boring life, punctuated by moments of extreme excitement when doing a job. He's one of the best. But when he gets an email from someone he worked with in the past, someone the Ghostman owes big, things change. Suddenly he's on the FBI's radar, being hunted by one of the biggest (and scariest) drug lords around, and trying to find the money stolen in a huge heist that went badly. So, really - what could go wrong?

I wasn't sure what to expect - a debut book can be a risk, and often is far from living up to the hype. I was curious though, since the author is from Portland, and a few parts of the book are set here. Even though this is not my preferred genre, I was in for a terrific ride. Once the book starts, there is little pause - it's like riding a roller coaster while sitting on the couch. I ended up reading the entire book through in one sitting, even when I knew darn good and well I should be heading to bed.

I like the way the past is interspersed with the present - it's never confusing, and yet the back story goes a long way to explain what is going on in the present. It's very well done. There is some slightly graphic violence, and the comparison to Pulp Fiction is, in some ways, fairly apt. But it never crosses the line between advancing the story line and gratuitous. The knowledge base demonstrated in this novel is absolutely incredible and fascinating to an extreme.

I'm glad I decided to give this novel a shot. I'm certain that my husband will enjoy it as well, so it's destined for his nightstand next. I hope that Hobbs continues to write, and more stories of the Ghostman would be destined to end up on MY nightstand first!
3437715
Originally published in Great Britain in 2012, Ghosts: A Natural History (2015) by Roger Clarke is an exploration of the subject framed by a taxonomy of eight varieties of ghosts. Each chapter is a micro history of one or two prominent ghosts and trends in ghost hunting, from the seventeenth century Tedworth House and eighteenth century Hinton House, to the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall and the Borley Rectory in the twentieth.

Through these locations and events, Clarke traces a history of not just ghosts but the people fascinated by them. With the exception of the haunted German U-boat, U65, all of the discussed locations are in Great Britain. Clarke describes the British Isles as being particularly overrun with spooks and specters.

Ghosts: A Natural History is a wonderful book, rich with fascinating places and characters. Clarke brings to life the people involved in these events, some of whom may surprise you. For instance, I knew Royal Society member Joseph Glanville was convinced of the reality of witchcraft, but I didn't know he felt the same about ghosts. Likewise, I was amused to read that his contemporary, Robert Boyle, father of modern experimental science, joined Glanville in investigating poltergeist activity at the Tedworth House and what became known as the Devil of Mcon.

Religion is another interesting aspect of this book. According to Clarke, much of Englands ghost belief springs from latent Catholicism or former Catholic sites. When Catholicism was suppressed in England and the Churchs property confiscated, many rectories, graveyards, and monasteries were left to decayattracting a reputation for being haunted. With one notable exception, Protestant ministers tried to stamp out ghost belief, since ghosts were supposedly souls trapped in purgatorya thoroughly Catholic notion. However, John Wesley, founder of Methodism, not only believed in ghosts, but poltergeist activity plagued his family home at Epworth as a child.

Class is another theme Clarke returns to throughout the book. The chapter On the Vulgarity of Ghosts explicitly tackles this topic, but among the middle class, ghost belief has long been seen as a province of the boorish and uneducated. The educated gentry and aristocracy, however, has always been fascinated with ghosts. Until recently, formal ghost hunting has been a pastime of the wealthy.

In his chapter on mediums and seances in Victorian London, Clarke shows how the upper class thrilled at supernatural performances. Seances during this time period often took on an explicitly sexual tone. Mediums were usually young, working class women, and the university-educated men who investigated them took full advantage. This also went the other wayClarke tells of the wealthy older woman who tried to buy her way into marriage with medium Daniel Dunglas Home, who was almost certainly gay.

The chapter on ghosts and technology is the weakest of the book. This is the second attempt to tackle this topic Ive read and although better than the first, it still falls short. Unlike his other meticulously-researched topics, this felt rushedalmost an afterthought. Perhaps ghosts and technology are just such unlikely bedfellows its difficult to effectively discuss their relationship. The information Clarke presents is interesting, however disjointed.

Documented sources are also lacking. Ghosts contains notes elaborating on topics in the text, with a few sources, but it is not formally sourced the way a work of history should be. Its a shamethe reader is left to just take the authors word for it, hurting what would otherwise be solid academic value.

Overall, I would rank this with Ghost Hunters by Deborah Blum as among the best histories of ghosts and ghost belief available today. Academic bias has relegated the topic of ghosts to the realm of folklore, but ghost belief has been a notable part of Western culture since the days of Socrates and Plato. Ghosts: A Natural History by Roger Clarke helps illuminate this often-neglected side of history.
1751448
This is the second book I've read by this author...one thing's for sure. He knows how to tell a good ghost story..
2734405
Excellent book.  Need to read more of this new writer.  A great story with a ghosts, evil and love of family.  Well worth the time and looking forward of reading more of his work
20307
A good read.  I liked the ghost turning on lights and stereo.  Not my favorite genre, but interesting.
4878220
I was routing around looking for a good horror story to read and this was a refreshing old fashioned ghost story. This is my first time leaving a review on a book I have read on my Kindle and felt compelled to do so because I really enjoyed this book.  Thank you.
3362304
In this story I have some things to point out. The setting was mostly at Phantom Limb Park,which was the place for the Dodgers team's baseball practices and games. Most players did not like playing at Phantom Limb Park becase it was to spooky for them, and they thought there was a ghost living there. In this story the main characters are-Mr. Conger, Andy Kirk, Gannon, Mike Nelson, Nelson's father,and the rest of the Dodgers Little League Baseball team. In this book the theme is baseball,and working together. The conflict is improving the team so they get into the playoffs. When they get through the playoffs and get to the championship,Nelson's father gets to see him play for the first time that year. After they win the championship,Nelson's dad decides to take another job so that he can spend more time with his son.

  The character I liked the most in this story would have to be Andy Kirk. He was the ghost writing secret ways of winning to the Dodgers Little League Baseball team.

  The most evil and sinister character would have to be Mr. Conger. He worked his son Gannon, and the dodgers team to no end. He would make his son run miles and miles. If he didn't live up to Mr. Conger's expectations, he would have to walk back home. After Mr Conger got kicked off the dodgers team,taking his son with him,there was relief with the new Coach Michelle (AKA Mike)(Nelsons Cousin).

  I enjoyed this story "Haunting At Home Plate". It was action packed and a little spooky on every page. This story was very simple to read. People that know about baseball will think this story is great because they can understand it better. At the end of the story it was the most interesting. Nelson,the main character,find one hundred year old coins used by the ghost in this story.(Andy Kirk)  Another interesting point in this story is how the ghost writes secret messages to the team in the orange clay near home plate. Andy Kirk gave them tactics on where to place the players on the Dodgers team. Also he gives the team tips on what the upcoming team has,that they don't.

 This story did have emotion mainly about Andy Kirk's accident. The legend is told that Andy Kirk had fallen out of a twenty feet high cedar tree,while watching his brother's baseball game at Phantom Limb Park. Andy Kirk still stays in that same stop watching all the baseball games at the park mainly because he loves baseball. On the anniversary of Andy Kirk's death, the Dodgers team honors Andy, standing over the place he died, saying thank you for all of the help he had gave them.

As much as I could I would pick up "Haunting At Home Plate" and read it for a long period of time. Every page in this book is so detailed and makes you want to keep reading it. Overall I would give "Haunting At Home Plate" at ten out of ten.
3371842
This was written I believe during WWII by the authorI believe when was an English POW in Germany. He was a master of this genre, you know, subtle, yet chillingly good stories of the supernatural.  I loved them all  Highly recommended for those who love ghost stories and stories of the supernatural  which are fiction, yet strangely real. These are in the essential style of MR James, and others of this level and style of suberb writing.
2091522
Good story certainly worth a readers time. I found it to be very interesting, and one anybody who enjoys ghosts would like
3548903
This was one of the first cartoons that stimulated my imagination. The hero lived in space and called himself a ghost! He lived on Ghost Planet and travelled around in the Phantom Cruiser. He had two kids, Jan, Jayce and Blip the monkey who shaded his adventures. He was a man, yet his mysterious identity pulled me in relentlessly. I had no idea about what life was like in space much less how wrong the  physics were. I was fascinated by the eeriness of this super heroes galaxy. Oh, and then there are the villains that are truly original and scary. Zorak, Brak, Metallus and the Council of Doom are formidable and forgotten today.

Dino Boy is a forgotten gem and fun for kids who love dinosaurs. The Lost Valley is intriguing. Ugg and Bronty are like Fred and Dino as playmates. The situations they find themselves in are exciting and fun.

Finally there is a nice documentary of Alex Toth, the creator of Hanna Barbera's best characters from the 1960s-Space Ghost and Johnny Quest are his greatest work. Being an artist, I can totally relate to this man's vision. His temperament is captured in these classics and will live forever.
2278125
This is an early review as I received an e-ARC for review purposes. I tend to like the genre, but I don't have a commercial relationship with the publisher. With this out of the way:

A new collection by Reggie Oliver is a treat for those who like their ghost stories well crafted and elegant yet menacing. Thanks to ebook editions, the man's previous books are now much more easily available, interested readers don't have to run down the original expensive and rare small press editions. For this new collection, the Tartarus hardback will likely be marvelously produced, and the ebook edition is very affordable, in reach of curious readers. Most of the stories were previously published in various anthologies. I barely read anthologies these days (I tend to skip too many stories in them), hence I was pleased to see the stories collected in this single author volume.
I am not going to give detailed descriptions of each story here. Really, it is much better to come cold to the stories. It is safe to say that if you like the classic ghost stories of M.R. James, then you will love this collection which offers a modern approach, and often a modern setting as well. Speaking of MRJ, one of the stories is in fact a kind of prequel to one of James's stories, but you can enjoy it without knowledge of the original story.
But don't expect tired MRJ pastiches. There may be a number of traditional ghostly scenarios, yet some others -such as the titles story Flowers of the Sea- are prime examples of the modern supernatural genre. Common with the classic grandmaster's work, the focus is not at all on gory details, rather on atmosphere, usually a mounting sense of dread.
A few observations:
- Some stories have that detective approach which works so well in the ghostly genre. Think about the story progress in the Ringu movie. Here also in a few stories the main character will gradually unravel an appalling mystery...
- When you read Reggie's collections, you're bound to find at least one story set in a theatre. That is no coincidence. The author is a playwright as well.
- Reggie has a fantastic command of older dialogue and prose style, something you will appreciate in all his collections. In this case the stand-out story is for me Lord of the Fleas, written as a series of letters and articles in wonderful period idiom ("he accepted my ministrations with a very ill grace", etc). Amusingly, this story has a few gentle echoes of Lovecraft's famous Charles Dexter Ward novella, and it even mentions the "essential saltes" - yet it is not a tired Lovecraftian pastiche at all.
The book has a perceptive introduction by Michael Dirda. I tend to skip introductions, this one was worth reading: how many small press authors dabbling in the ghostly genre get an introduction from a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist? The author also provided brief story notes at the end.
As a conclusion, if you have read Reggie Oliver before, then you probably bought the new collection without reading my humble little review. If the man's work is new to you, by all means give him a try. The ebook is affordable and any reader of supernatural tales will surely appreciate most of the stories. The BBC has regularly adapted a classic MRJ story for TV, for broadcasting around Christmas, it would be good to see them adapt Reggie Oliver next time around.
2256821
Ive read all of the Perry Mason mysteries by Gardner.  Im so excited to have found that there are audio books.  The narrator was very good.
1444380
A ghost story with strange sad ghosts. If felt a bit an old good noir story with the detective and the crime mystery, and also a bit like a spooky midnight song. Charming story with a very effective art.