Ghost stories (for adults)

[Jewelanemone]

I'm after recommendations for good ghost stories. Ideally a collection of short stories but a single story is fine too.

It's for me - I've got the M R James collection and I always re-read it at this time of year. Anyone got any other spooky suggestions?

Thank you! 👻🙂

Dead Relatives, by Lucie McKnight Hardy.
Steve Duffy did a Jamesian book of short stories that are quite effective and not too pastiche-y. The Night Comes On.
The Haunting Season is a deliciously spooky collection of tales for winter nights.
Have a look at Black Shuck Books too. They have themed collections, not all Ghost stories, there are some Horror in there. Their Great British Horror series is excellent.

One single story that always sticks in my mind is Smee, by AM Burrage. It’s why I’d never play hide and seek in a big old house
And of course, The Monkey’s Paw, if you haven’t come across that one.

Ooh, lovely, thank you both! I'll have a look now on Amazon 😊

Roald Dahl's collections. 'The Landlady' (if you read it, you can't un-read it!)

And although not a ghost story, this is new and was interesting: www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-premonitions-bureau-a-true-story-main/sam-knight/hardback/9780571357567.html?gclid=824338c57dd51c041b505b5897c3dba3&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=824338c57dd51c041b505b5897c3dba3

Borrowed it on my library's app, so worth a look if you have something similar.

Oh the Lost Ones by Anita Frank is brilliant, and the Whistling by Rebecca Netley. Both single stories

I've bought 'Smee and other stories' and 'The Haunting Season'. The rest, including Ormally's suggestions, are on my Amazon list.

Thank you all again!

I'll add these too! Thank you.

Following for the horror

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. Well written, perfect for icy nights and subtly scary. I’ve read it about 5 times now!

Yes! The Monkey's paw - scared the living daylights out of me! Good choice.

Best channel on youtube is Tony Walker telling all the creepy ghost stories you could ever want to hear: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ghost+stories+tony+walker

Here's him reading The Monkey's Paw:

Another spooky You Tube channel is Encrypted Horror.. there's a few ghost stories on there. https://youtube.com/@EnCryptedClassicHorror

I liked The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones - Edwardian country house story, but by a modern writer so with some modern sensibility.

The Monkey’s Paw is just perfect, isn’t it @Witchofthedales ? Not just the visceral horror of it, but the reality of what exactly is knocking on the door. I find it so sad.

Lost Places, by Simon Kurt Unsworth has been rereleased. There is a story in there that had me Googling to see if it was, in fact, real. I’m still not entirely sure

So many suggestions! I'm a fast reader so all these will keep me going over new year as well. 🥰 Can't wait to go to bed tonight and start reading them with a cup of tea and a packet of Lebkuchen.

When I was younger I read all my gran's collection of the Pan horror story paperbacks. I'm quite tempted to revisit them as there were some brilliant stories, including The Monkey's Paw.

OP, if you like the Pan books you should definitely check out Black Shuck books and also Sinister Press. They both publish loads of amazing horror and ghost stories!

Another recent thread you might find useful

As night closes in .... Favourite ghost stories www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4654703-as-night-closes-in-favourite-ghost-stories

I'll take a look, thank you!

How did I miss this? Thank you 🙂

Chill Tidings
The Travelling Bag
Fireside Gothic

I just bought Chill Tidings based on a review that spat “woke” and “feminist” as a negative

It really is! And absolutely! It's heartbrreaking really the reality of it 😢 so creepy but so sad at the same time.

If it’s short ones you’re after then Virago book of Victorian ghost stories (there are others) Richard Dalby edited one book, I think I had 3 in this series and they’re all great.

Nightmares and Dreamscapes (not sure if I’ve read them all but think I have), Stephen King’s book of modern day ghost stories is great ‘You Know They’ve Got One Hell of a Band’ is one of my faves and another I think it’s called ‘Sneakers’, anyway it’s about seeing a trainer/sneaker in a work washroom/bathroom toilet cubicle. He really knows how to pace his stories though…

EF Benson.. marvellous!