Ghosts
Whether it's ghosts as an enemy or friendly ghosts, I love a good ghost book. Ghosts as enemies are sure to scare me and leave me turning on every light in the house. But, I also have an extra weakness for ghost romances. Maybe it's the forbidden love aspect? Whatever the reason, I'm a complete sucker for them.
Release Date: September 21, 2005
Publisher: Graphia
Pages: 282
Goodreads Page
Helen has been a ghost for 130 years, but she cannot remember how she died or why she is stuck in ghostly limbo. For all of her 130 years, she has never been able to make a connection with a human or affect their world...until now. A boy in the class she is haunting sees her and brings life, love, and adventure to her for the first time in 130 years.
This book was emotionally beautiful. About halfway through it does veer off into subjects that are a little unexpected and pushes the bounds of morality, but I was fascinated. The ghostly romance is to die for (is that too corny?), but there is a lot more to the story than that. This works as a standalone book, but there is a sequel coming out soon that will provide resolution to the one point that left me a little uncomfortable.
Release Date: October 1, 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 312
Goodreads Page
The Graveyard Book starts out with a bang as infant Nobody Owens' entire family is murdered. Nobody wanders into a nearby graveyard where the local ghosts decide to adopt him. Though unconventional, Nobody's childhood is filled with love from his adoptive ghost family. But Nobody can't stay in the graveyard forever and the man who murdered his family is still looking for him to finish the job...
This was my first exposure to Neil Gaiman and so far it is my favorite (I also read Coraline and Stardust). While the overarching story with the murderer was good, what really grabbed my interest was Nobody's relationship with his ghost family. Tender, touching, and sweet, they were the type of characters who didn't even need to do anything all that exciting to still command my attention. If you like that heartwarming "family feel" in your books, then I recommend checking out The Graveyard Book.
Release Date: August 24, 2009
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Pages: 272
Goodreads Page
New to town and trying to impress the in-crowd, Jamie takes a dare to spend the night in the local cemetary. While there, she meets a handsome boy named Paul who takes her on a tour of the graveyard and its residents. Jamie soon realizes that the "actors" she meets are actually ghosts, and some of them do not intend to let her leave.
Though a little thin overall, I enjoyed Tombstone Tea. The best part for me were the flashbacks to the ghosts lives leading up to their deaths. The villain is creepy!
First book: Shadowland
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Page for the series
Suze is a mediator, which means she can see ghosts and must help them cross over after they've died. She grudgingly accepts her "job" while trying to be as much of a normal teenager as she can. The series follows Suze as she assists friendly ghosts, battles angry ghosts, and gapples with her romantic feelings for the super sexy ghost Jesse who just happens to haunt her bedroom.
I adore this series! Suze is a wonderful main character. She's snarky, light, fun, and totally relatable (except for the whole ghost thing). You'd think with a hot ghost living in her bedroom this would be an insta-love book, but it isn't at all. It's almost excrutiating how long it takes for those two to finally get together, but it's excrutiating in the best possible way. If you're looking for a slow burn romance, kick butt main character (Suze is a must-have on my sleepover party invitee list), and exciting ghost adventures then be sure to check out this series. It's one of my favorites ever.
First book: Deception
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Goodreads Page fir the series
After throwing a party that went badly, Emma is shipped off to stay with her new guardian, a hot but mysterious college guy named Bennett. Enrolled in her new private school, Emma can't help but feel like she's been here before, in another life. Visions of the past and ghostly images begin to appear leading Emma to wonder whether she's losing her mind...or seeing ghosts.
Emma is another character with a permanent invite to my sleepover party. She's spunky, sweet, and snarky and totally relatable (again, except for the ghost thing). The secondary characters are just as lovable and the villain is CREEPY! I also really like the world Lee Nichols has created with all of the little details that help flesh out the story and make the premise seem real.
What are some of your favorite ghost books? Have you read any of these books?
Do you prefer your ghosts scary or friendly?
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You might also like Spotlight List: Gothic Fiction
Do you prefer your ghosts scary or friendly?
Want to see more Spotlight Lists?
Click HERE to see more of my lists
You might also like Spotlight List: Gothic Fiction
