Rating: 
Summary: Good, scary fun!
Review: I ordered this book after a friend recommended it. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed it very much. The book just happened to arrive on a day when it was raining, cold and windy outside. I curled up in front of a roaring fire and read most of this book in one evening. Very eerie reading, indeed! It had me glancing around the room as I was reading.I've read a lot of true ghost story books, but I've never read about the particular hauntings in this book, which is great. New, original stories are always a welcome find. I also love the way this author writes. Very easy to read, and very atmospheric. He sets the mood quite well. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ghosts or likes to be creeped out. I give it five stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat Disappointed
Review: I purchased this book because of its plethora of five-star reviews, and I was somewhat disappointed. Sylvia Browne's Visits From The Afterlife has set the standard for a five-star book on hauntings and paranormal experiences, and this book fell far short of that standard. The author did a nice job of interviewing people who had experienced paranormal activities, and then printed up those stories. There was no research or any attempt to explain or understand. He never took the paranormal activities beyond the storytelling of his contacts. For example, visits from recently departed loved ones are very different than earthbound spirits; "imprinting" is even different, still. Yet the author just kind of bunched them all up without differentiating them in his collection of paranormal experiences. Haunted, by Dorah L. Williams, provides a wonderful contrast, where she researched her paranormal experiences extensively, and then actually helped to resolve the hauntings by sending the earthbound spirits "into the light." Mark Alan Morris has a nice collection of stories to start with, but he could have done so much more with it.
Rating:
Summary: No false advertising here...
Review: I somewhat agree with Glen Huntsberger's review in that this book could potentially have been better, but then that can be said of most books. The subtitle of this book is "True Stories of Paranormal Experiences from Everyday People", and that's exactly what it is. Had the subtitle been "Investigations into the Paranormal Experiences of Everyday People", I might be more inclined to agree with Glen's review. What Morris presents here are fascinating stories of ghostly visitations from everyday people like you and me, which I found to be quite satisfying. If you want investigations, perhaps you should, as Glen suggested, stick with Sylvia Brown or Dorah L. Williams. As for not differentiating between different types of paranormal experiences, I'll have to disagree with Glen. In his introduction, Morris does, in fact, go into these differences. This book, for the most part, is not about getting to the bottom of these hauntings; if that's what you're looking for, you probably will be disappointed. But if, like me, you're looking for fresh, new stories--true stories--of ghostly happenings that will satisfy your need to be thrilled and chilled, this book is just the ticket.
Rating:
Summary: No false advertising here...
Review: I somewhat agree with Glen Huntsberger's review in that this book could potentially have been better, but then that can be said of most books. The subtitle of this book is "True Stories of Paranormal Experiences from Everyday People", and that's exactly what it is. Had the subtitle been "Investigations into the Paranormal Experiences of Everyday People", I might be more inclined to agree with Glen's review. What Morris presents here are fascinating stories of ghostly visitations from everyday people like you and me, which I found to be quite satisfying. If you want investigations, perhaps you should, as Glen suggested, stick with Sylvia Brown or Dorah L. Williams. As for not differentiating between different types of paranormal experiences, I'll have to disagree with Glen. In his introduction, Morris does, in fact, go into these differences. This book, for the most part, is not about getting to the bottom of these hauntings; if that's what you're looking for, you probably will be disappointed. But if, like me, you're looking for fresh, new stories--true stories--of ghostly happenings that will satisfy your need to be thrilled and chilled, this book is just the ticket.
Rating:
Summary: No false advertising here...
Review: I somewhat agree with Glen Huntsberger's review in that this book could potentially have been better, but then that can be said of most books. The subtitle of this book is "True Stories of Paranormal Experiences from Everyday People", and that's exactly what it is. Had the subtitle been "Investigations into the Paranormal Experiences of Everyday People", I might be more inclined to agree with Glen's review. What Morris presents here are fascinating stories of ghostly visitations from everyday people like you and me, which I found to be quite satisfying. If you want investigations, perhaps you should, as Glen suggested, stick with Sylvia Brown or Dorah L. Williams. As for not differentiating between different types of paranormal experiences, I'll have to disagree with Glen. In his introduction, Morris does, in fact, go into these differences. This book, for the most part, is not about getting to the bottom of these hauntings; if that's what you're looking for, you probably will be disappointed. But if, like me, you're looking for fresh, new stories--true stories--of ghostly happenings that will satisfy your need to be thrilled and chilled, this book is just the ticket.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling
Review: I was hooked from the first story to the last story! At lunch I like to read, after a recommendation from a friend, I picked up this book and began to read. I got so involved that when the lunch hour was over I hated to put it down. All afternoon I thought about some of the stories I read, and just couldn't wait til I got home that night to finish it. Needless to say as soon as I got home I picked it up and finished. I can't tell you how enjoyable it was. I especially liked the insights by the author and to think that the experience he retells are from just ordinary people. Whether you are a beliver or not, the stories certianly make you think. Excellent book. Highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Well Worth the Price
Review: I'm a ghost story nut. My bookshelf is chock full of books about ghosts. Lately, I've been disappointed with some of the ghost story titles I've purchased. They seem to have been either written in a hurry, poorly written, poorly edited, poorly packaged, or all of the above. "The Ghost Next Door," however, is an outstanding example of overall quality. The writing is great, the editing is great, the packaging is great. And, of course, the stories are great. The only fault I can find with this book is that I wish it were thicker. But then I suppose we all feel that way about a good book, no matter what size it is. And that's the true mark of a good book--it leaves you wanting more. On that note, if you're out there, Mr. Morris, I hope you're working on "The Ghost Next Door: Part 2"!
Rating:
Summary: A Clever Little Book of Ghost Tales
Review: If you enjoy an easy read but want something that makes you think ... The Ghost Next Door is for you. It's short tales don't require that you invest a lot of time in each, or you can sit and read all of them at once. Either way, many of the stories are bound to give you a chill or two, especially since they are told by everyday folks about everyday ghost experiences. If you didn't believe before, you might change your mind. Even if you don't, this is a good one to cuddle up with on a cold, rainy night for a good fright!
Rating:
Summary: The Season of Spooks is Upon Us!
Review: It's that time of year again, when the chilly Autumn winds bring the ghosts and goblins of years past to thrill us and chill us once more! This is the perfect time of year to enjoy a little solitude with a cup of coffee and a volume of ghost stories. TRUE ghost stories. This book is one of my favorites. I bought it around this time last year, and enjoyed it very much. My favorite story was about the ghostly maid in the old hotel. That one still gives me chills! This year, I'm giving this book to several of my friends as Halloween gifts. It's really one of my favorites, and I want to share the enjoyment. Apparently, I'm not the only one who loves this book--judging from the other reviews on this page. Great book, folks. Interesting stories, great writing and spooky subject matter. What more could any ghost story lover want?
Rating:
Summary: Solidly Spooky, Ultimately Disappointing
Review: Mark Alan Morris writes capably about the ghostly experiences of family, co-workers, and the inevitable friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend. Despite never having seen a ghost himself, Morris avoids the skeptic's sneer, treating his eye-witnesses with respect and their stories with interest. Yet.... This slender paperback barely breaks 100 pages, and if one were to subtract the author's unnecessary postscripts, the book's length would shrink noticeably. Morris misses golden opportunities to make a solid read a spectacular one. Why he never investigated any of the stories himself "on-the-ground" is puzzling. For example, he might easily have booked the cabin in Joseph, Oregon, himself and related to us what the place was like. His personal description would give "The Thing in the Cabin" more authenticity. And why not include the ghostly snapshot the couple took on their honeymoon in Savannah or provide a photo of the screaming bridge? Failure to do so makes the reader wonder if these stories are all they're cracked up to be. One last quibble. In the implausible story "A Gettysburg Ghost," Morris gives the misleading impression that the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg and Antietam are right next to each other and that the Bloody Lane is in "the Gettysburg area." Antietam (in Maryland) and Gettysburg (in Pennsylvania) are roughly 50 miles apart. Now, had Morris paired Antietam and Harper's Ferry (a nearby and wildly haunted Civil War site), then the word "area" would work. Still, this book is well-written and well-paced. On the whole, I'm glad I purchased it.
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