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Ghost Story
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
#1 New York Times bestselling author Peter Straubs classic tale of horror, secrets, and the dangerous ghosts of the past... What was the worst thing youve ever done? In the sleepy town of Milburn, New York, four old men gather to tell each other storiessome true, some made-up, all of them frightening. A simple pastime to divert themselves from their quiet lives. But one story is coming back to haunt them and their small town. A tale of something they did long ago. A wicked mistake. A horrifying accident. And they are about to learn that no one can bury the past forever... From the Trade Paperback edition.
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review
Leftcoastzen
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

I can understand the mixed reviews. A LONG gothic style read, not much like modern horror. I think Straub was very much under the influence of Hawthorne & James , the town itself turns quietly monstrous shut down with incredible levels of snow. I found it creepy & scary , but such a long way to get there not sure I would recommend to everyone. 🤔could be me being sick most of the time while reading it influenced this review?🤧

AnnCrystal 🙏💝. 1w
49 likes1 comment
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Leftcoastzen
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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#WickedWhispers #Haunt My current spooky read . Slow build, liking it so far .

LeahBergen I read that “way back when” and hardly remember a thing about it. 😆 1mo
Eggs Excellent 👌🏼 1mo
AnnCrystal 💕👻💝. 1mo
See All 6 Comments
Leftcoastzen @LeahBergen I didn‘t read it in the old days . I think the hot horror before was The Other, Rosemary‘s Baby & Exorcist. Straubs writing more gothic , influenced by Hawthorne & Henry James . King said he was a much more poetic writer than himself. 1mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love your ghost 👻 1mo
Leftcoastzen @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks thank you ! Extra special, my mom gave it to me. 1mo
53 likes6 comments
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Leftcoastzen
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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#SundayFunday Unfortunately, I seldom seasonally read . I just have too many books going to make a plan for a holiday book. But even with my reading droughts this year I‘m gonna try to get to the tagged book that‘s been around since 1979 and is considered to be top notch in the scary category! 😁😬👻

Suet624 Good luck! 2mo
BookmarkTavern Looks interesting! Thanks for answering! 2mo
37 likes2 comments
review
Twainy
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

loved the premise and call backs to horror of yore but I wasn‘t looking for a slow story so it impacted my rating. The main character gets who are dealing with an incident from their youth were a bit idiotic? I think this might be a book to read vs listen to because even at 2X speed there were times when I wanted to bump to 3X … there were plenty of great horror moments so I‘ll keep trying this author‘s books!

⭐️⭐️⭐️3/4

EDIT - #31by31 … 33/31

The_Book_Ninja The film is good. 13mo
Twainy @The_Book_Ninja I haven‘t seen it! I need to check it out. 😁 13mo
18 likes2 comments
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KT1432
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Playing catch up! These #ScarathlonDailyPrompts for #Scarathlon2022 are reminding me of many books I own that I need to read! Day 5: #Ghost #PhotoChallenge #TeamSlaughter

FortunateSon I read this one about 20 years ago but didn't really care for it. Coincidentally, I'm just finishing up a book by Straub's daughter (This Time Tomorrow). I'm enjoying her book much more. 2y
KT1432 @FortunateSon Yeah I see the rating for this one is pretty low! Adding his daughter‘s to my TBR now, thanks! 2y
18 likes2 comments
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SkeletonKey
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Currently reading.

22 likes2 stack adds
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TheLudicReader
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Sad news from the literary world. I‘ve read and enjoyed several of Straub‘s novels and in reading his obit I just discovered he is Emma Straub‘s dad. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/06/peter-straub-horror-author-death

5feet.of.fury Oh no! 2y
ShelleyBooksie I was thinking about you today!! Hope the first day of school (for your students) went well. ♡ 2y
TheLudicReader Thanks, @ShelleyBooksie. I don‘t teach grade 9, so I had a great day. 😂 2y
33 likes3 comments
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JoeMo
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Mehso-so

The book had such a creepy, promising start. What followed was a long, rambling story that failed to justify the huge time investment. It had some interesting characters and ideas, but needed to be trimmed down by 150 pages or so.
#scarathlon #teamhendrix #screamathon #spookoween #spookoweenreadathon #bookspinbingo #littensdressedinblood #wickedathon

wildwoodreads Oh that‘s so disappointing! It‘s on my tbr for this month. 3y
JoeMo I would still give it a try. This is one of those books that people seem to love or hate. For me, the issue is that it didn‘t live up to the tone of the disturbing prologue. Also, it moved very slowly…to the point that at times I forgot I was reading a horror novel. If you like King‘s earlier style and works like Salem‘s Lot and The Shining, I think you‘ll like or even love this! 3y
TheSpineView Great job! 👍📖 3y
See All 7 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3y
bthegood the 1981 movie version of this is a good watch - book and a movie for #screamathon (I think) 😊 3y
Reggie I‘ve read a couple by him and liked them but I feel like I have to work when I read him. 3y
MidnightBookGirl I read this a looooooong time ago and didn't remember it, but I listened to the audio a few years back, and I think that helped me get through the slow pacing better, bc I just sped it up. 3y
25 likes7 comments
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wildwoodreads
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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It‘s October and I‘m so excited! I can‘t wait to dive in to my spooky tbr. What are you reading this month?

Full tbr post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/10/01/spooky-october-2021-tbr/

Twainy Hee hee I want to read Ghost Story too! 3y
wildwoodreads @Twainy Yay! Can‘t wait to hear your thoughts! 3y
Twainy I heard it was scary 🎉 I love October 😁 3y
See All 6 Comments
Ephemera I read Ghost Story years ago. It‘s okay. But Straub drives me nuts, it takes too long for him to make a point. Pages and pages where two or three paragraphs would suffice. 3y
wildwoodreads @Ephemera I‘ve heard that about him. I‘m afraid that I‘m going to feel the same way! 3y
Ephemera He‘s just too wordy for me. It gets in the way of the story. 3y
63 likes6 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1. Sometimes... it depends mostly by the book itself
2. The vampire chronicles
3. Vampires, mistery, LGBTQ+ characters, war, United Kingdom, myth,...
4. My wonderful friends ❤

Thanks @Eggs and @Mavey for the tag ❤

mavey UK😍 3y
Eggs Thanks for playing ❤️🥰❤️ 3y
Ast_Arslan @Eggs you're welcome 😊❤ 3y
persephone1408 Hey I'm finally back reading the vampire chronicles! I'm halfway thru tale of the body thief. 3y
Ast_Arslan @persephone1408 ohh 😍😍 that's beautiful! I planned to do a re-read soon 😍😍 3y
22 likes5 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Here's my goals for #AnyWayYouReadathon by @kimmypete1 @Eggbeater @MidnightBookGirl

I already started the tagged book for #awesomeAugust #readathon, but I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it tomorrow 😅

Eggbeater Thanks for joining! 3y
Ast_Arslan @Eggbeater 😉😊❤ 3y
kimmypete1 Thanks for joining! 3y
27 likes3 comments
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TH3F4LC0N
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Mehso-so

Finished this thing yesterday. Ehh... 😒 It was reasonably well-written, and it had some definite intrigue, and Straub took things in an interesting direction, but overall I wasn‘t that impressed. Stephen King says this book is terrifying, and now I think Stephen King is just easily scared, because it was most decidedly NOT scary. So yeah, kind of underwhelming.

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Sherlockmarie
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
Pickpick

Not finished yet but enjoying the writing style immensely. I also love how Mr Straub is intertwining all of these characters‘ stories.

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MaleficentBookDragon
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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I couldn‘t resist another round. As a countdown to Halloween, how about some ghost stories to tell around the campfire?
#GroupW #LMPBC Check out @suvata ‘s post to sign up.

Reggie I just signed up for groupW! Ghost specific or any kind of horror story? 3y
BookwormAHN I'm in 👻 3y
See All 6 Comments
MaleficentBookDragon @Reggie yay! How about any supernatural horror? 3y
Avanders Perfect idea! 3y
45 likes6 comments
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Ast_Arslan
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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I will stay few days by my sister in Milan and these babies will come with me.
I hope to have chose well 😂

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Ast_Arslan
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it. Some will be old, some will be new - don't judge me, I have a lot of books.

Day 25th

Join the fun if you want!

#tbrpile

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wildwoodreads
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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We went to an awesome antique store a couple of weekends back. Of course I couldn‘t walk away without getting a few things.

Full Vintage Book Haul: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/05/05/vintage-book-haul/

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Great haul! 4y
wildwoodreads Thanks! 💕 4y
73 likes1 stack add2 comments
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LisaLovesToRead
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

I couldn‘t find this as an e-book, but my library saved the day! This book reminded me of reading Nancy Drew as a kid, maybe because of the use of words and the font as well. It is scary and suspenseful. It kept me hooked.

5 likes1 stack add
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DavidDiamond
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Panpan

Unpopular opinion:
Much like a corpse dragged out of a car submersed in water, this story was bloated and it stank.
Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I'm annoyed that I actually bought the book. I almost gave up on it but figured it would get better.
It really didn't.
Not very scary...too many irrelevant characters...and endless prose that made me question if he got paid by the word.
And the ending? Really?

TheLudicReader I remember loving this book back when I first read it a million years ago. 4y
DavidDiamond @TheLudicReader Well I am in the minority on this one! 4y
35 likes2 comments
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teebe
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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1. In books, pretty much anything ghostly or demonic. In movies, I still think Freddy Krueger was a terrifying premise even though the movies no longer scare me.

2. Probably The Exorcist, at a ridiculously young age. If not A Nightmare on Elm Street. Hard to tell, I‘ve been watching them almost all my life.

3. I think this one has been on it the longest.

#spookysaturday

TheNeverendingTBR Me too, I've still to read Ghost Story. I've actually not read any of Straub's books, only The Talisman and Black House that he did with Stephen King 😬 4y
TheNeverendingTBR Thanks for playing along! 💀 4y
18 likes2 comments
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NicoleCeBallos
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

I read this for book club and really liked it. I've seen this book on multiple "scariest books I've ever read" lists, but just now picked it up. I didn't find it to be scary at all, but it held my attention to the end.

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BookDragonNotWorm
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

This one is what I would call a very slow burner. It‘s long, and for a while it‘s dry, and then it slowly picks up the pace until all of a sudden, wham! Scary good times! It tends to meander in a most circuitous way – although all threads are tied together by the end. The paragraphs are long and dense, and I didn‘t like any of the characters - but – I must say that when I finally got to the good parts, they were enjoyable.

DGRachel I find that‘s true for Peter Straub in general. I remember reading Koko in high school and it was a very slooooow burn, but really good. 4y
BookDragonNotWorm @DGRachel I hadn't read him since high school either, but I remember really liking the book, which is the only reason I stuck with this one despite being over 500 pages - do glad it paid off! 4y
38 likes2 comments
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aperfectmjk
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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So I picked this one back up the other day. I'm determined to finish this one once and for all. I'm not really sure why I never finished it. #bookspinbingo #Scarlathon2020 #TeamHarkness

26 likes1 stack add
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Buchbeeg
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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I need to add to my scary book list! I've read books that creep me out, but only a few have actually scared me. Ghost Story made me literally jump a few times which has never happened before or since 👻

BookwormAHN Check out Bentley Little especially 4y
Buchbeeg @BookwormAHN Added it to my list! 4y
Victoriahoperose Both of these gave me nightmares 4y
15 likes1 stack add5 comments
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johncadams
Ghost Story | Peter Straub

“The dream had been extraordinarily vivid, with the detail and texture of wakefulness.“

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johncadams
Ghost Story | Peter Straub

“Good magic lay only in human effort, but mad magic could come from around any corner.“

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johncadams
Ghost Story | Peter Straub

“Nobody can protect anybody else from vileness. Or from pain. All you can do is not let it break you in half and keep on going until you get to the other side.“

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johncadams
Ghost Story | Peter Straub

“And if we want to frighten you it is to frighten you to death.“

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RamsFan1963
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description or reason for wanting to read the book. Some are old and some will be new. Don't judge me - I have a lot of books.
Day 6
#tbrpile

RainyDayReading Love that cover! Looks so much better than the one I‘ve got haha 4y
43 likes1 comment
review
night_shift
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
Bailedbailed

The last time I read a single page of this was Monday night at work and I've had no desire to go back. It's just so incredibly boring! I could not get into it at all and if other people's reviews are true, I'm not going to slog through over half the book to get to anything good. So nope #1stbailoftheyear 🤷‍♀️

Reagan I did not enjoy this when I read it a few years back. Bail now, it doesn‘t pick up enough to make it worth it (in my opinion.) 5y
BookNAround Never read it but the movie (watched at a sleepover when I was a teenager) scared the snot out of me. 5y
night_shift @Reagan this is what I've heard! I've already set it aside lol @BookNAround I'll have to see if I can find the movie! 5y
48 likes3 comments
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night_shift
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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I'm having the hardest time getting into this one. It's teetering on bail. Has anyone read it? Did you like it?

BookwormAHN I've heard that it's fantastic but I only managed to read about a quarter of it before I quit reading it. 5y
Reggie I want to read this one so bad because Stephen Graham Jones has a book coming out that‘s being compared to this book, but I‘ve read 2 of Straub‘s books and they‘re great and I haven‘t forgotten them but I they took work. Like a lot of work. 5y
night_shift @BookwormAHN this is what I've heard. That either you love it or it's a slog and you bail. 5y
night_shift @Reggie I don't know if I want something that's a lot of work to read lol 5y
night_shift But honestly, I'm getting gay vibes from two of the characters and it's probably not true but I'm trucking on out of curiosity. 5y
60 likes5 comments
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Mistreeus
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
Pickpick

It took quite a while to get going, but when it did I couldn‘t put it down. A generational mystery of supernatural origins, cleverly connects seemingly random incidents in the disparate characters‘ lives. Fascinating, engaging, and super creepy!

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IamIamIam
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

Starting 2020 off under the weather but not as badly off as The Chowder Society! This was a very intricate and slow moving story but beautifully crafted and eerie. Lots of characters and moving parts involved in the recounting of the worst thing that's happened to a group of friends and how sometimes the dead don't lie quietly.
#BBRC #YeahBaby #SnowedIn @LibrarianRyan

41 likes1 comment
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BookwormOfTheDamned
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

My new video is up! In this episode, I review "Ghost Story" by Peter Straub, I cover the history of shapeshifters, and I receive an unwanted gift.

https://youtu.be/gpAEkEZerm8

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Billypar
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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When a #beautifulstranger comes to Millburn, the place becomes a literal #ghosttown as a once dormant horror terrorizes the imaginations of its residents, with special ire directed towards a group of old friends who form a club of sorts to trade stories of the supernatural (some of which might be true).
Not Madonna pictured here, but I was listening to this old favorite and it seemed to fit. 😱😨
@Cinfhen

Cinfhen Definitely getting Madonna vibes 👍🏻🎶🥰 5y
twohectobooks I‘ve been wanting to read this book for years but keep not getting around to it 😳 5y
Kimbono Ooooh, listening to Down by the Water and reading Ghost Story makes for a creepy pairing. I like it! 5y
See All 6 Comments
Billypar @Cinfhen Right? Seemed like this album cover worked for both performer and book. 5y
Billypar @twohectobooks I liked it: I picked it up for last year's Halloween season and it was exactly what I was looking for in a horror novel. 5y
Billypar @Kimbono That would be a great pairing! Last night I was listening to it while reading E.M. Forster's Howards End, which doesn't work quite as well 😁 5y
35 likes6 comments
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FantasyChick
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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If you're like me and not into the whole "Hallmark Holiday" reads, nothing says Christmas like a little #horror ?
Get your blood pumping and still earn some #themeread points with some twisted tales and ghostly stories

#wintergames #holidayhorror @Clwojick @StayCurious

39 likes12 comments
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IamIamIam
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Sat down to read and got totally distracted by an equally perfect ghost story!!! I'm beyond upset that I didn't sign up for the #Scarathalon and that is definitely a mistake I'll never make again!!! 😂👻

zezeki This movie is fantastic! 5y
32 likes1 comment
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AmandaEve
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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📚Ghost Story by Peter Straub
🎬Ghostbusters
🎶Ghosts ‘n‘ Stuff by deadmau5
#manicmonday @JoScho

JoScho Thanks for playing 💕👻 5y
10 likes1 comment
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TheSpineView
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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OriginalCyn620 👌🏻📚🖤👻 5y
IamIamIam Working my way through this one! 5y
47 likes2 comments
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JoScho
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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I love a good ghost story and this one has been on my TBR for quite a while.
#ghoststory #fallisbooked

Linda_Bloodworth_Author Such a good author 5y
Alfrazier21 I read this one a few years back, but I enjoyed it! 5y
AmyG I read this when I was much younger...and loved it. 5y
OriginalCyn620 👌🏻🖤👻 5y
67 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Kshakal
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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OriginalCyn620 Creepy photo! 🖤👻 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 😵😵😵 5y
31 likes2 comments
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Kshakal
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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IamIamIam
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Desperately trying to read at the doctor's office but it's SO FLIPPING LOUD!!! Everyone's phones are blaring, the tv is blasting and the office staff is unusually loud, considering they're throwing around PHI! 😖 #grumpyoldlady

BeansPage I am so jealous! I want to read that book so bad but I don't have a copy of it 😍 5y
IamIamIam @TheReadingMermaid I got it on ThriftBooks earlier in the year but I bet it's tough to find at this time of year! Lol, a friend has been suggesting this to me for years! I decided to finally jump in! 5y
BeansPage Enjoy sweetie! Let me know how it is! 5y
See All 12 Comments
IamIamIam @TheReadingMermaid 👍🤗😘👻 5y
eri.reads I'm about to leave for a dr. appt. too and Insure hope it's quiet!!! 5y
IamIamIam @eri.reads Fingers crossed!! Hope all is well!! 5y
eri.reads Thanks! Struggling with a cold and cough for almost 2 weeks. It wouldn't be a big deal if I didn't have RA as well, but since I do, to the doctor I do go. Lol 5y
IamIamIam @eri.reads Ugh, lingering coughs are the worst! How has your RA been? No flare ups, I hope! 5y
eri.reads @IamIamIam It's been tolerable lately, thankfully!! Still have up and down days of feeling crummy for no reason, but no major flare ups in a few weeks so yay!!! 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hope you feel better soon ❤️ 5y
IamIamIam @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you!! 😘🤗 Just a routine check up, thankfully! 5y
38 likes12 comments
review
JessClark78
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

‘What is the worst thing you‘ve ever done?‘

I read this one over a couple months last year. It is a very detailed, well written small town horror story that has some slight Salem‘s Lot vibes to it. This is a long read so I would only recommend it to those who like a lot of detail in their stories. Overall I enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

58 likes1 stack add
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AngieWade
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Peter Straub is another author I enjoy very much.

1 like1 stack add
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London_St_J
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
Bailedbailed

An incredible disappointment. I saw this book featured prominently on “best” lists of contemporary horror, but found it to be as dull and plodding as the old men who feature as the novel‘s protagonists. There is much better, more creative, and more thoughtful horror to be found - this isn‘t worth the time.

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JoScho
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Hey ladies! Here are some options for our little #lmpbc horror edition. I added a couple of classics that I have yet to read. Let me know if you have read any of these or if there are any you would be excited to read. I will tag the titles below so you can read the summaries. #groupH

See All 13 Comments
suvata Ohhhh! So scary. I love it. 👻 5y
wellreadredhead I haven‘t read any of these but Ghost Story and Wilder Girls are on my TBR! 5y
LauraJ I‘ve read The Exorcist, but everything else sounds great! I‘ll put up my stack of options this weekend. 5y
JoScho @LauraJ @collegecatlady @Marmie7 - also this is my first time doing this-have any of you done it before? Do we just write our thoughts and such in the book as we read? 5y
LauraJ @JoScho Yeah, this will be my 3rd time. Write in the book, draw pictures, add whatever you like. The best groups are the ones who have no rules (aside from the schedule) and aren‘t shy. 5y
JoScho @LauraJ awesome! Thanks lady! 5y
JoScho @LauraJ one more question-do we send to the same person each time or a different person? 5y
Marmie7 This is my 3rd round too! It's taken me awhile to get used to writing in the books but it really helps me to put more thought into what I'm reading now. I've read Ghost Story, Exorcist, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Yes, you send to same person each time. 5y
66 likes13 comments
review
Dre43
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

Good book, very good with lots of really great stories in one book. really held my attention. Get a drink on a rainy days sit by the window and read.

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Readingismyescape
Ghost Story | Peter Straub
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Pickpick

I love the way the tension builds slowly - we know something bad happened in the past, but what? We also know that something even more terrible is coming. The claustrophobia builds as the blizzard traps the characters and closes the town off from the outside world.
I had to go back and re-read the prologue because it didn‘t make much sense until I understood more of the story.
Highly recommended to fans of the supernatural.

sixgun I read his collaboration with Stephen King, The Talisman, when it first came out and I struggled a bit with it. I'd like to see if something he wrote solely would flow more smoothly. 6y
Readingismyescape @sixgun I didn‘t have a problem with the flow here, but then again The Talisman is one of my favorites. 😊🤷🏻‍♀️ 6y
sixgun @Readingismyescape well I'll give it a shot! :-) 6y
39 likes4 stack adds3 comments