Spooky Florida: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore

by S.E. Schlosser

Tales of hauntings, strange happenings and other local lore throughout the Sunshine state!

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Nonfiction, Supernatural

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

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

[Jennifer Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a great book with some of the best ghost stories from across Florida you are definitely going to want to add Spooky Florida: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore Retold by S.E. Schlosser and Illustrated by Paul G. Hoffman to your growing TBR list.
Review
Spooky Florida has some of the best stories from across the state of Florida. The book is perfect for people who like to get to the meat of the story with short chapters and perfectly curated with just the right amount of creepy to keep you up at night. Each story gives you the location of each event in case you decide to venture out for your own ghost hunt to see if you have a similar experience.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Spooky Florida! If you love the paranormal like I do, this is a must read for reference about some of the best legends, hauntings, and ghost stories the state of Florida has to offer. I was born and raised here in Florida and have grown up hearing so many of the ghost stories and local legends. Florida has more ghost stories than you can imagine. Practically every town has their own stories and legends along with some pretty incredible ghost tours.

If you love a good scare this is definitely the book for you. S.E. Schlosser takes us across the state with retelling of some of the best spine chilling accounts Florida has to offer from St.Petersburg, Coral Gables, The Everglades, Pensacola, Miami, Maitland, Sanford, Lake Wales, and more.

One of the first things that I noticed was that the book is broken down into two parts. Part One; is the Ghost Stories and Part Two; is the Powers of Darkness and Light. Part One- Ghost Stories features 15 ghost stories that will have you looking over your shoulder every time you hear a bump in the dark and sleeping with all the lights on.

This book is a terrifying good time for lovers of the paranormal genre and ghost hunters. Part Two- Powers of Darkness and Light have longer tales that have been passed down through the generations that are equally as good as the ghost stories.

This book will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions from scared, to joyous, to heartbreak and every thing in between. The stories have been retold and written in such a way that the people and places come alive from the pages of the book.

Some of the most memorable stories I enjoyed were the Antique Car , Flight 401, Little Lucy, Roses, the Floating Head, and the Choking Doberman. The Ghost Baby story was one I had not heard before and let me tell you it absolutely terrified me which is saying something since I love a good ghost story.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great little book! The stories ranged from creepy to spooky to chilling. I loved learning about the weird state that I live in and the illustrations were an added delight.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just what I needed after a trip to Florida. I bought it while I was there, but didn't get a chance to read it until I got home.

Florida is a bigger state than I realized. We had done a road trip from Texas to the Atlantic coast and Cocoa Beach. It's a full 7 1/2 hour drive from Pensacola in the panhandle to the Space Coast.

I felt like Spooky Florida helped me get a feeling for the history and culture of the state independent of some of the big tourist draws that I was visiting. I loved that the stories went all the way back into Native American folklore.

There are a number of books in this series, and some are better than others. I should go back an look at some I've got hanging around, because I don't know that I remember the last one I tried holding my interest this well.

[Andy Kristensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic collection of folklore and urban legends from around Florida. While some are actually pretty creative and mildly terrifying seeing as how they could be real (The Choking Doberman, True Love), others are like half-sketched accounts of a tall tale heard long ago (Mystic Music, Initiation), ones that would’ve benefited from being more detailed and longer. Not a bad collection overall, and it’s simpleness is best suited for younger readers.

[Gemma Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a good book to read if you don't have much time. Each chapter is set up like a little short story. The illustrations are beautiful as well. This book helps you get in the mood for Halloween.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be 4 stars, but several problematic portrayals of indigenous peoples & slavery/plantation life left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little collection of stories! Some spookier than others.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art; fun and easy to read ghost stories. I would have liked if there was a small introduction before each story clarifying who the speaker is/was, or maybe what generation the tale comes from.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky Florida is a compilation of ghost stories within Florida. They are each told by people who have experienced super natural happenings in different places throughout Florida. This book will encourage the reader to go on their own ghost hunt around Florida. It telsl the reader where each occurance took place, and what exactly happened there. Some of the stories are more believeable than others, but until the reader goes to see for themself they will never know the truth. It is an interesting book to read, and will give you goosebumps.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Florida is filled with people from all walks of life – farmers, businessmen, students, retirees, theme park managers, and artists."

Interesting, but not particularly "spooky." They're more local legends than anything else. But if you're from Florida (as I am) you're sure to find some of them pretty cool (my favorite is where Spanish moss is from).