Book picks similar to
The Virago Book of Ghost Stories: The Twentieth Century by Richard Dalby


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The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts


Matthew M. Bartlett - 2015
    Bartlett, author of Gateways to Abomination, is back with The Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts. A cross between Roberto Bolaño’s Nazi Literature in the Americas and Gardinel’s Real Estate by Orrin Grey and M.S. Corley, this slender volume consists of 13 bite-sized fictional biographies, each accompanied by a chilling illustration by the masterful Alex Fienemann. Meet Stanley Malanson, who had a curious rapport with felines. Meet Abrecan Geist, who endeavored to take revenge on a capricious God. Meet Minerva LaBrie, who abandoned Wicca in favor of a dark and blasphemous alternative. Meet Jebediah Blackstye, who crossed a line with his beloved familiar, a toad with revolting powers. These are but four of the practitioners of black magic who have made their homes in the cities and towns of Western Massachusetts. Read of sumptuous feasts gone to rot, of a corrupted priest who dared unleash his venomous platitudes over the common airwaves, of a powerful sorcerer born at the intersection of Blood and Stone. Open your hearts to the Witch-Cult in Western Massachusetts.

Black Gate Tales


Paul Draper - 2020
    A disused London Underground lift goes way beyond the bottom floor.A psychic boy discovers what terrors are buried in the fallow field.A handshake seals a midnight fate in an old farming dispute.A corpse must be buried by dawn.BLACK GATE TALES: Fourteen short stories of dread, hope, death and wonder.

Gothic Short Stories


David BlairMary E. Wilkins Freeman - 2002
    Some of these stories are lost masterpieces and several have never been anthologised before.

The Collected Ghost Stories of E.F. Benson


E.F. Benson - 2001
    Tilly's seance --Mrs. Amworth --In the tube --Roderick's story --Reconciliation --Face --Spinach --Bagnell terrace --A tale of an empty house --Naboth's vineyard --Expiation --Home sweet home --"And no bird sings" --Corner house --Corstophine --Temple --Step --Bed by the window --James Lamp --Dance --Hanging of Alfred Wadham --Pirates --Wishing-well --Bath-chair --Monkeys --Christopher comes back --Sanctuary --Thursday evenings --Psychical mallards --Clonmel witch burning.

Ghosts: Recent Hauntings


Paula GuranMargo Lanagan - 2012
    Ghostly visitations, hauntings, unquiet souls seeking the living, vengeful wraiths, the possibility of life beyond the grave that can somehow reach out and touch us…these are some of literature’s most enduring icons. Now, in the twenty-first century, we are no less fascinated with phantoms than our cave-dwelling ancestors or our Victorian-age forebears. Thirty modern masters of fright and fantasy fill this anthology with shivers, chills, and spooky explorations of both sides of the veil. Be prepared to keep a light on all night!Peter Atkins: “Between the Cold Moon and the Earth”Rick Bowes: “There’s a Hole in the City”Laird Barron: “The Lagerstatte”Steve Duffy: “The Rag-and-Bone Men”Jeffrey Ford: “The Trentino Kid”Karen Joy Fowler: “Booth’s Ghost”Neil Gaiman: “October in the Chair”Stephen Gallagher: “The Box”Elizabeth Hand: “Wonderwall”Glen Hirshberg: “The Muldoon”Alaya Dawn Johnson: “The Score”Stephen Graham Jones: “Uncle” (original)Caitlin R. Kiernan: “Apokatastasis”Marc Laidlaw: “Cell Call”Margo Lanagan: “The Proving of Smollett Standforth”John Langan: “The Third Always Beside You”Joe R. Lansdale: “The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler”Maureen F. McHugh: “Ancestor Money”Sarah Monette: “The Watcher in the Corners”Reggie Oliver: “Mrs Midnight”Richard Parks: “The Plum Blossom Lantern”James van Pelt: “Savannah is Six”Tim Powers: “A Soul in a Bottle”Barbara Roden: “The Palace”Ekaterina Sedia: “Tin Cans”Nisi Shawl: “Cruel Sistah”John Shirley: “Faces in Walls”Peter Straub: “Mr Aikman’s Air Rifle”Melanie Tem: “Dhost”Steve Rasnic Tem: “The Ex”

The Blood Beast Mutations


Carl John Lee - 2020
    A deadly pandemic throttles the globe. Democracy has crumbled. Armed gangs of militant protestors stalk the streets. Amidst this waking nightmare, a new horror develops. The virus is mutating.Dan Lewis's wife is sick. When he receives a call from the hospital, he's prepared for the worst. Or so he thought. Because that call plunges Dan into an unending spiral of insanity and depravity. Now, he must fight his way through the battle-scarred streets of New York City to find his wife, unprepared for what awaits him out there...in the shadows.Grim and terrifying, but laced with gallows humor and surprising heart, THE BLOOD BEAST MUTATIONS is an all-too-relatable story of courage and gruesome horror.

Afternoon of an Autocrat


Norah Lofts - 1956
    He ruled his village with a firm but kindly hand--instructing his tenants on their crops, their children and their love affairs. And when he died and the new Squire came, the village stirred uneasily. For the new Squire had strange ideas-and even stranger friends-friends like Mr. Mundford who never seemed to grow any older and whose name was linked with the terrible Hell Fire Club. And Mr. Mundford was interested in too many things that should not have concerned him... like the ruins of the old Roman temple... and what happened in the village on All-Hallow's Night...and in the silent, amber-eyed young woman called Damask Greenaway.

Amish Neighbors: Stories From The Heart Collection


Tattie Maggard - 2019
    10 Stories of Love, Faith, and Family "Like Amish soup for the soul."From the author of the bestselling Amish romance series Forbidden Amish Love comes Amish Neighbors, a short story romance collection from the heart.Ten stories under one cover.

Amish Romance: Tessa's Baby (Tessa's Story Book 2)


Brenda Maxfield - 2018
    She had to do it-she could no longer live with herself. But how is she going to explain the sudden appearance of a baby in Hollybrook? How will she answer the probing questions sure to come? Tessa is tired of lies. Tired of deception. But her mother refuses to destroy their chance for a new life, a new beginning. So, the sham continues. When Tessa's affection for Levi Riehl grows into something unexpected, she knows it will never work. She struggles to stifle their growing love, but Levi isn't so easily deterred. But how can Tessa hold any hope for a relationship when she can't reveal the truth? And even worse, how can she hold any hope for peace or a normal life when she can't forgive herself? "In the tradition of the works of Beverly Lewis, Cindy Woodsmall, and Wanda Brunstetter, Brenda Maxfield continues to bring you gripping Amish tales of love, struggle, and restoration." Enjoy this inspirational Christian romance today!

True Ghost Stories: Frightening Accounts of Haunted Houses, Paranormal Mysteries, and Unexplained Phenomenon


Salinda Hart - 2015
    Each story is unique in its own personal experience and has been told to the author, Selinda Hart. Having worked as an investigator and as a researcher for the paranormal radio show “Tia Maria” she has brought together some of the best hauntings, accounts of paranormal mysteries, and true ghost stories in this collection. The sixteen stories in this book include diverse paranormal phenomenon and unexplained mysteries set in different locations in the United States, and one compelling frightening story from Spain. As one former skeptic reports from his scary experience, “I was never a believer in the paranormal and I thought ghosts were simply a figment of someone's overactive imagination. I no longer scoff at people who claim to see ghosts. I never found out who or what was haunting that house. But I wasn't going to stay and find out.” “The House off Greenville,” “Red Balloon,” “Ghost in the Bedroom,” and “Who’s been playing with my kids?” are real stories about events and paranormal activity that took place in the Dallas house where the author lived in as a single mom for over five years. Her children are grown now, but to this day they do not like talking about the strange activity and events that took place in that house. If you like reading scary stories, paranormal mysteries, and unexplained phenomenon, then “True Ghost Stories” will leave you with chills. So snuggle up, get under the covers and get ready for some serious goose bumps!

Alone On the Beach


Cathryn Grant - 2015
     Corrine Dunning loves living by the ocean, and her life is getting even better now that she’s falling in love with Andy Johnson. When Corrine meets a blind old woman who insists the concrete ship in Monterey Bay is haunted, she doesn’t believe it. Although Mary Carmichael is blind now, she’s seen a lot of love affairs bloom and die near Seacliff Beach. She was a child when the concrete SS Palo Alto was pulled up to the pier at Seacliff — she’s always known it was haunted, and she knows the ghost will weave itself into Corrine’s life, taking over her thoughts. While Corrine and Mary begin a tentative friendship, Corrine’s relationship with Andy takes an unsettling turn. Is it possible Corrine’s mistrust began when she saw the ghostly woman on the ship? Now, Corrine must battle a spirit that’s made a home inside her mind.

No Place Like Oz


Danielle Paige - 2013
    No Place Like Oz is a prequel to the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature’s most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

The Vinyl Cafe Celebrates


Stuart McLean - 2021
    His charming, humane, and side-splitting stories brought the trials and triumphs of Dave, Morley, Sam, and Stephanie to life, and made their memorable circle of friends, family, and neighbours as real as our own.This collection is both timely and timeless, a rich celebration of Stuart McLean's inimitable voice, and of the importance of love, community, kindness, and the healing power of laughter.

Worse Than Myself


Adam Golaski - 2008
    These are stories to be savored late at night in bed, read by the light of a single lamp in an empty, dark house.

Edgar Allan Poe: The Strange Man Standing Deep in the Shadows


Charlotte Montague - 2015
    Poe is viewed as the ultimate doomed romantic whose last days are shrouded in sordid mystery. His life was a disaster, but his achievements in writing are amazing. He is widely recognized as father of the modern short story, inventor of the detective story and the master of horror. A Boston born writer, editor, and literary critic, he's best known for his creepy and macabre tales as well as being one of the central figures in the Romanticism movement in the United States.  Accurately being dubbed as the ultimate doomed romantic, Poe was a drunk, his last days are shrouded in mystery akin to that of his short stories.  During his lifetime, Edgar Allan Poe didn't make a dime out of writing, but his legacy to the world is one of never-ending riches.  He left behind seventy-three wonderfully gruesome stories and a novel filled with suspense and brilliantly twisted plots.  Hist stories and poems are now read and revered globally.  As another master of horror, Stephen King, has said, we are all "the children of Poe." Abraham Lincoln, Josef Stalin, Michael Jackson, and Bart Simpson all have one thing in common; they are fans of the nineteenth century American writer and poet, Edgar Allan Poe.  The writer of "The Raven" has legions of such devotees across the globe.  The list of authors inspired by Poe is long and varied, but his profound influence reaches much further-into music, film, and art just as much as modern day literature.  There have been more than a dozen film adaptations of his story "The Fall of the House of Usher," and his works have inspired composers ranging from Claude Debussy to Lou Reed.  More than 160 years after his death, Charlotte Montague has written a fascinating account of Poe's life and times, in which she uncovers a strange man, standing deep in the shadows, who's unique imagination and macabre writing have changed popular culture forevermore.  n the process, she uncovers a strange man, standing deep in the shadows, whose macabre stories and twisted plots changed literature forever. The Oxford People series offers deep dives into the most influential people, subjects, and cultures from history. From horror-fiction legends like H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, to historical heavyweights like Houdini and JFK, to the supernatural world of vampires, werewolves, and ghosts—Oxford People encompasses it all. Other titles in this series include: Angels, Che, Creating Sherlock Holmes, Extreme Science, Gettysburg, Ghosts, Gunfighters, Houdini, HP Lovecraft, John F. Kennedy, Myths and Legends, Privates and Privateers, Roosevelt and Churchill, Royal Weddings, Skies of WWII, Tesla, Tesla vs. Edison, Vampires, Vikings, Werewolves, Women of Invention, Zombies.