Did You Hear That?
October 7, 2022
Who doesn’t like a good ghost story? The possibility of restless spirits and haunted places has fascinated and frightened humans throughout the centuries. You’ll want to keep a nightlight on after reading these stories and wondering—do the dead remain with us?
Inland by Téa Obreht
Arizona 1893. While her husband goes seeking water and her two older sons go seeking him, Nora Lark remains behind, dealing with her youngest son who fears a monster lurking in the desert, her husband’s teen cousin who communes with spirits, and her elderly, frail mother-in-law. Nora takes comfort in conversing with her daughter Evelyn, who died of heatstroke as a baby. Former outlaw Lurie Mattie has traveled west to seek reprieve from the childhood ghosts he sees who seem to want something from him. Nora and Lurie’s stories intertwine in a harsh and unforgiving landscape with surprise and suspense in this most unusual Western tale.
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
As well as being a talented short-order cook in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, Odd Thomas sees ghosts. Although they never speak, he tries to help them resolve the issues that keep them earth-bound. He can also see spirits he calls bodachs, harbingers of death and destruction. When a large number of bodachs suddenly appear in Pico Mundo, Odd knows something catastrophic is going to happen. Will he be able to prevent it?
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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Dr. Montagu, a parapsychologist, arranges to spend some time at the notorious Hill House, seeking to obtain some hard evidence of a haunting. He is accompanied by three others: Theodora, his assistant; Eleanor, a fragile, friendless young woman; and Luke, the heir of Hill House. It eventually becomes clear they are not wanted there—but will they be allowed to leave?
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Dr. Montagu, a parapsychologist, arranges to spend some time at the notorious Hill House, seeking to obtain some hard evidence of a haunting. He is accompanied by three others: Theodora, his assistant; Eleanor, a fragile, friendless young woman; and Luke, the heir of Hill House. It eventually becomes clear they are not wanted there—but will they be allowed to leave?
The Phantom Coach, ed. by Michael Sims
Death was a familiar visitor in the Victorian period, and ghost stories of that era are particularly atmospheric and intriguing. This collection of chilling tales includes the works of such authors as Charles Dickens, Henry James, Elizabeth Gaskell, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, and other writers of the period.
The Summoning by Heather Graham
Kristi Stewart knows the McLane House, a bed-and-breakfast estate she inherited from her uncle, has a reputation of being haunted. She doesn’t believe in ghosts—until she meets one. Dallas Wicker is investigating some suspicious deaths and disappearances in the area. There doesn’t seem to be a connection, but as strange things keep happening, the answers seem to lie in the history of the McLane House.
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Home before Dark by Riley Sager
Maggie Holt remembers nothing about the terrifying night her family fled Baneberry Hall, an experience her father wrote about it his best-selling book, House of Horrors—a tale Maggie thinks he made up. Twenty-five years later, she has inherited the rambling Victorian mansion, planning to sell it after making some repairs. When strange and frightening things start happening, Maggie realizes her father’s book may be more fact than fiction.
Watch over Me by Nina LaCour
After 4 years in the foster care system, Mila is eager to accept an internship on a California farm run by a couple who offer education and housing to teens and children. Though isolated and beautiful, the place is also haunted, and Mila sees her first ghost shortly after she arrives. As she tutors a troubled boy named Lee, she must also confront the “ghosts” of her own traumatic past.
The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr
When famed poet Hugh de Bonne dies, his last wish is to be buried next to his wife in the stained-glass folly he built for her. Robert Highstead, a post-mortem photographer and Hugh’s cousin, is tasked with transporting the body to its final resting place. But a bargain he must make with Hugh’s grief-stricken niece Isabella in order to complete his task will summon ghosts-both figurative and literal—from his past.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
When a young governess is engaged to care for two young children, Miles and Flora, at an isolated country house, something seems wrong from the start. There seems to be a dark presence in the house that may be stalking the children—or is it something even more foreboding?
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