Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck

3.5 stars
JF
Sequel to The Ghost Belonged to Me

Soapbox moment:  When you are going to write the summary that goes on the back cover (or the front flap) of a book, do us all a favor and READ THE FREAKING BOOK FIRST.

Since this book takes place AFTER the Titanic sank, clearly Blossom is not seeing the Titanic sink in the FUTURE.  Idiots.

Second soapbox moment:  Can we PLEASE just declare the device where "the hero gets the girl in book one, but they've fallen out of love/drifted apart/whatever in between and have to come together again in book two" DEAD?  Please???

Okay, technically this wasn't a love story situation, but oh my freaking heck, people.  Alexander (who narrated the first book) has become an utter idiot.

And apparently, the same thing happens between books 2 and 3.  LAME.

Sorry, grumpy today.

Anyway-- not a bad story, not as good as the first.

The Seer of Shadows by Avi

5 stars

Where Something Upstairs was a mildly creepy time-travel ghost story, this is a TOTALLY creepy historical ghost story.

With a healthy dose of cool old "technology" thrown in.

Anyone who likes a good ghost story, historical fiction or photography should totally read this book.

You just might not want to read it alone in the dark.... just saying.

Something Upstairs by Avi

4 stars

Interesting.... mildly creepy... and kind of weird.

And apparently based on a story Avi was told by a kid he met.... so it's a "true" story... maybe.

Boy meets ghost, ghost takes boy back in time, boy must solve ghost's murder.

Probably would appeal to late elem./middle school boys, I would think.  Especially ones that like mystery and history.

Set in Rhode Island, so New Englanders might get more out of it than us Westerners, lol.

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

3 stars
R- 1

So, somehow I missed that this was a ghost story.  Really not sure how, but hey.  (You'd think the slightly creepy cover would have given it away.)

But, yeah, if you're looking for a creepy read this week, this could be right up your alley. 

The first half or so-- totally creeped me out.  SPOOOOOOOKY.

And interesting.  And compelling.

The second half... not as much.

I can't decide if it was because it was daytime when I read the second half or if it was what I had already figured out or what.  Maybe it was the migraine medicine. ;)

Anyway, the story was compelling, but the ending felt anticlimactic to me.  Probably just me, though.  Combine that with the fact that it's not really my style, genre-wise, and this one ended up being just okay for me.\

What creepy things are YOU reading this spooky week?

Counts for the Reader's Choice and Support Your Local Library challenges.