Spooky Georgia: Tales Of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, And Other Local Lore

by S.E. Schlosser, Paul G. Hoffman

Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready for creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences in the Peach State. Whether read around the campfire on a dark and stormy night or from the backseat of the family van on the way to grandma's, this is a collection to treasure.

Genres: Ghosts, Folklore

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Author S.E. Schlosser has been telling stories since she was a child, when games of "let's pretend" quickly built themselves into full-length stories. A graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature and Rutgers University, she also created and maintains the website AmericanFolklore.net, where she shares a wealth of stories from all 50 states, some dating back to the origins of America.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Mauoijenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book packed with short ghost stories from all over the Peach State. Really liked the over all feel you got while reading these, some gave me goosebumps.

[Nick Girvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very underwhelming. I admittedly bought Spooky Georgia on impulse when I was in Savannah, but instead of being creepy real life lore around the state, it was a giant compilation of very campy horror stories told mostly in the first person perspective. I recall only one of them really doing much for me. Not a bad idea but awful in execution.

[Hannah Hodgson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun ghost stories and folklore about different places in Georgia. I bought this book when I was in Savannah. Each chapter is a different story and some of these stories stuck with me and made me think a little deeper while others just missed the mark for me.

I also couldn’t tell if these were completely fiction or urban legends passed on? Then there were multiple stories which I believe to be about the author on a trip with her sister and nephew. I couldn’t quite figure out if that was true or not. I liked it, but wish there was more clarity on that. Or that the book ended with a closing chapter from that trip. I didn’t like reading each chapter in the first person either.

I wish it got a bit deeper on certain themes too. For example, the story of the tractor and the idea of residual hauntings was really interesting to me. I wish other chapters covered different types of hauntings and gave it a name.

Overall, it was a fun light read on spooky Georgia stories. It made it all the more fun reading about places I’ve been to. Finished my 10 books of 2025.

[Bridget Thomas (Cruisingthroughpages) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being from Georgia, when I came across this collection I just had to pick it up. I was assuming it would be a non fiction, detailed description of some spooky stories from the state. It ended up not being quite what I thought. It's made up of retellings from the author (which it says on the cover so that's on me lol) instead of facts and details and it's kind of poorly written and cheesy. Even if the story had the potential to be spooky, it ended up not really being. It felt very YA and more like silly little campfire stories. There were a few that weren't terrible though and I still got some enjoyment out if it being about my home state and being familiar with the locations. I now know the author has these books for most other states too and that's kinda neat. But overall, it just wasn't what I was expecting.

[Alicia Reddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. I hate rating books 1 star but the point of views were all over the place and I spent the entire book wanting more. All were in a short story form but I couldn't understand if the writer was trying to add a bit of fiction to these "legends" or if they intended to encourage a whole new story VERY loosely based on the tales that have been passed down. Either way, not for me and would not recommend to any one that truly enjoys a good ghost story.

[Megan Clubine · Rating 3 out of 5]

About what is expected from a Haunted/Spooky city book. Instead of a non fiction or historical fact presentation, the author reveals the spookiness via a first person rendition, which was a unique take. I enjoyed the illustrations.

[Ira Marigold · Rating 1 out of 5]

one or two decent stories, otherwise very elementary. was distracted by the inconsistent syntax and grammar. thought there were too many instances of culturally insensitive language and retelling.

[Alvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good retelling of some classic Georgia hauntings.

[Melissa Loucks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my 2025 Reading Challenge and the prompt was a book you got for free.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing, as I thought it would be non-fiction, giving some real-life detail about how these stories started and the history behind them. Instead it was just bland re-tellings of the stories themselves.

[123haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is basically a gathering of ghost stories, but the stories were entertaining and some what scary.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories but I enjoyed her other books better.