Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

During the Victorian era, it became traditional for publishers of newspapers and magazines to print ghost stories during the Christmas season for chilling winter reading by the fireside or candlelight. Now for the first time thirteen of these tales are collected here, including a wide range of stories from a diverse group of authors, some well-known, others anonymous or forgotten. Readers whose only previous experience with Victorian Christmas ghost stories has been Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" will be surprised and delighted at the astonishing variety of ghostly tales in this volume.

"In the sickly light I saw it lying on the bed, with its grim head on the pillow. A man? Or a corpse arisen from its unhallowed grave, and awaiting the demon that animated it?" - John Berwick Harwood, "Horror: A True Tale"

"Suddenly I aroused with a start and as ghostly a thrill of horror as ever I remember to have felt in my life. Something - what, I knew not - seemed near, something nameless, but unutterably awful." - Ada Buisson, "The Ghost's Summons"

This book sounds good. I hope I get a chance to read at least one story.

If I wasnt so scared to read Horror, I agree sounds like it would be good.

Has anyone have this on their list for December?

I have not read this one nor is it on my list but I have these:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

and

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

which are creepy. The MR James book contains the very first story to feature a ghost that became animate by using a bed sheet to provide itself with a physical form.

I like to read them every winter. I am overdue to re-read this, too:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

I hope you all enjoy your ghost stories. Merry Christmas!

I hope you enjoy Dracula!!
Thanks Gary!

My library ebook arrived. I will start reading one of the stories soon.

I hope you get a chance to share Rosemarie!

I'll do my best!

I thought I had this as an ebook, but find I do not. I've found The Tapestried Chamber; Or, the Lady in the Sacque by Walter Scott elsewhere so I'll start with that.

I just finished reading The Tapestried Chamber; Or, the Lady in the Sacque and enjoyed it. Scott is good at creating atmosphere.

That was a good one, Rosemarie. I agree about the atmosphere.

Wasn't sure if I could cram this in before the end of the year but I'll try. I've only read The Tapestried Chamber so far and part of The Old Nurse's Tale.

I've been trying to knock my stack of library books down and somehow forgot this one. If I don't get to it soon, I'll definitely come back to the discussion when I do. A good spooky Christmas story is right up my alley, but I prefer spooky stories during cold weather... Which we haven't had much of this holiday season.

I hope you both get to these Christmas Ghost Stories!

I've just finished "Bring Me a Light" A Ghost Story, which has one of the most evil characters that I have encountered in ghost stories, but fortunately also a good protagonist.

Horror: A True Tale isn't really true, but it is horrific.

It's a little melodramatic that it ruined her whole life.

I think so too.

I've read three more, Old Hooker's Ghost; or, Christmas Gambols at Huntingfield Hall, "The Ghost's Summons" and "How Peter Parley Laid a Ghost: A Story of Owls' Abbey". They were all entertaining, but the first story stands out,

A Mysterious Visitor was really annoying with the constant misunderstandings but I enjoyed this book overall. The stories weren't terrifying but they were probably pretty creepy to Victorians.

I didn't read all of the stories this year, so maybe I will read a few more next Christmas season.

Book Nerd, I haven't had time to read this book for the month, but from what I know of literature horror books and spooky stories are on a much higher level for us than they were for readers of the Victorian Era. I think we require more umph to be scared or spooked these days than they did.