I like a shivery ghost story, but I prefer atmospheric spine-tinglers over the kind of terrifying tales that are bound to give me nightmares. The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly, a horror lite novel written for the middle-grade set, fits that bill quite nicely. It's creepier than your average children's book, but it never gets too dark or graphic for its intended audience. In fact, in spite of its grim subject matter, it's actually a rather upbeat and hopeful read. This is a good place to start for young readers who want to dip their toes into the supernatural/horror genre, or for wimpy adults like me who just want a touch of scary sans night terrors. 

The story stars Lila Clement, an 11-year-old Arizona girl who's often accused of being melodramatic, immature, and "too much." And, okay, a lot of the time she is making what turns out to be a big to-do about nothing. Not this time, though. When the eccentric grandfather she never knew dies, she travels with her family to Ohio. After an almost-accident on the road that leaves them all a little shaken, Lila discovers that she can now see ghosts. This is unfortunate considering that she'll be staying in the haunted inn that her Grandpa Clem owned for the forseeable future. When her newly-deceased relation appears to Lila, insisting that he did not die of a heart attack but was, in fact, murdered, she sets out to figure out who killed Grandpa Clem and why. She soon discovers that the Castle Hill Inn isn't just a spooky old hotel, Clem wasn't just an ordinary old man, and she's not just a drama queen who's being left behind by friends who think she's too babyish. In Castle Hill, Lila has an important mission to perform, a new pal to help her accomplish it, and maybe, just maybe, a place where her "too much" is exactly right.  

Lila is a fun narrator who will help kids who are labeled "extra" feel seen. She's sympathetic, sensitive, caring, and brave. Her new friend, Teddy, makes an appealing right-hand man with his compassion, curiosity, and reluctant courage. Along with Lila's younger brother, the kids make an unlikely but intrepid team who tackle a murder mystery, a host of ghosts with varying needs, and a malevolent force who doesn't want them to succeed. What unfolds is an exciting story with lots of action, suspense, and ghostly encounters. While it's predictable, it's also a quick, entertaining page-turner that's creepier than you might expect. In spite of that, it teaches some healthy, healing lessons about death that can help kids grappling to understand death or dealing with the loss of a loved one find comfort. The Last Resort may not be the right reading choice for younger middle-graders or those who are particularly sensitive; for the rest of us, though, it's an eerie, enjoyable read that will provide shivers but not nightmares.

The Last Resort is the first installment in a planned series (a trilogy, maybe?). The second book, The Claiming by Jasmine Warga, came out earlier this month. In addition to reading the books, you're supposed to be able to launch an extra "experience" using a phone app that lets readers have their own ghost-hunting fun. By scanning the books' illustrations, you're supposed to be able to "talk' to the ghosts in the stories, solve puzzles within the pictures, and encounter further mysteries. It all sounds super cool. Unfortunately, despite trying multiple times on both my phone and PC, I could not get the "Launch Experience" button to work for me. Maybe it functions better with a paper book than an e-book? I don't know, but I feel like I'm missing out...bummer.

(Readalikes: reminds me of The Inn Between by Marina Cohen)

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Last Resort from the generous folks at Scholastic via those at NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James (available January 20, 2026)—St. James is one of my favorite authors for this kind of read. I started an e-ARC of her newest novel last night, and it's already tingling my spine quite thoroughly. It's about three adult siblings, all of whom experience paranormal visions of some kind or another, who are called back to their haunted ancestral home by the spirit of their younger brother, who disappeared when he was a child. Desperate for the answers that might finally allow them all to live in peace, the trio reunite to face the horrors of their shared past.

2. The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller—After causing a scandal on two continents by leaving her abusive husband, Alva Webster is now a widow with the freedom to do as she pleases. What she wants is a fresh start, which includes renovating a neglected Hyde Park mansion. Unfortunately, the old pile is haunted and only one man—an eccentric scandal-maker in his own right—can rid it of its resident ghost. Alva has no choice but to let him into her home, her history, and, perhaps, even into her heart.

3. Murder at Blackwood Inn by Penny Warner—The first installment in a new cozy mystery series, this book features Carissa Blackwood, a ghostwriter whose life is rapidly falling apart. Needing a fresh start, she moves into the haunted home of her deceased grandfather, which her two occult-loving aunts have turned into a B&B. When a guest is poisoned, seemingly by an herb from her aunt's poison garden, Carissa finds herself investigating a murder. With the aid of a handsome reporter and her grandpa's ghost, Carissa is determined to find the killer.

4. The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand—When a deadly fire blazed through it, killing a young chambermaid, the titular hotel, once a glittering Golden Age gem, crumbled into a budget motel, then a ruined eyesore. An English billionaire is pouring massive money into restoring it to its former glory, in spite of staffing drama and the antics of the chambermaid's ghost. 

5. Pearls and Poison by Erin Lindsey (available December 2, 2025)—This is the fourth installment in the always entertaining Rose Gallagher mystery series. It's about a housemaid turned paranormal investigator in Gilded Age New York City. In this outing, Rose is on her own to recover stolen jewels and solve a murder. Meanwhile, her closest friends and family members are being threatened. Can she succeed in spite of everything standing in her way?

6. The Last Resort by Erin Estrada Kelly—In this middle-grade novel, 12-year-old Lila gets into a car accident on the way to her grandpa's funeral in Ohio. She's fine, except that now she can see ghosts. Her grandpa uses her new ability to inform her that he was murdered and he wants Lila to find out whodunit. He suspects the killer wanted access to his old Victorian home, which is not just a mansion-turned-inn, but a portal between the lands of the living and the dead. 

7. When We Spoke to the Dead: How Ghosts Gave American Women Their Voice by Ilise S. Carter—The Spiritualist movement swept through the Victorian world, capturing everyone from nobodies to noblewomen in its wake. This non-fiction book explores how the movement helped women who lived in a repressed society find their voices and their power. Sounds fascinating!

8. The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy—Pete and Loretta Davenport live a picture perfect, God-fearing life in 1955 Missouri. Then, a girl is murdered in their hometown. When Loretta begins receiving messages from the Beyond, Pete blames them on her overactive imagination. She finds support from a male parapsychologist, even as her husband becomes more incensed, believing she's been possessed by a devil. Torn between a strange new purpose and her husband's demand for conformity, Loretta must decide who she really is and what she really wants.

9. A Grave Gift by Christy Carlyle (available December 23, 2025—In this first book of a new historical mystery series, Electra Poole quietly plies her trade as a psychic in Spiritualist-obsessed London. When she's summoned by a noblewoman, Electra foresees the woman's impending death but chooses to say nothing. Her client's subsequent murder fills the psychic with so much guilt that she seeks the help of a Scotland Yard policeman to help her find the woman's killer. As the pair edge ever closer to the truth, Electra finds her own life in peril.

10. The Spite House by Johnny Compton—This horror novel might be a little too terrifying for me, but the premise is intriguing. Fleeing his past with his two daughters in tow, Eric Ross is desperate to find a safe place to land. Without any references, his job prospects are few. When he sees an ad seeking a caretaker for a supposedly haunted house, he's intrigued. If he can prove to the owner that the home is indeed bespirited (without going crazy in the process), he'll receive a large paycheck and maybe, just maybe, answers to some big questions about the strange power that seems to cling to his family.

There you go, ten ghostly tales that are haunting my TBR list. Have you read any of them? What other spooky (but not super scary) ghost stories would you recommend? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Everyone knows the story of the "unsinkable" but doomed Titanic, but have you ever considered what really caused its demise?  Was it truly just an iceberg or something decidedly more ... ominous?  

Atmospheric and eerie, Alma Katsu's newest historical novel, The Deep, explores the idea of something both sinister and supernatural haunting Titanic.  It's told (mostly) from the viewpoint of Annie Hebbley, a 22-year-old Irish woman who takes a job as a stewardess on the great ship.  The voyage is barely underway before strange things start happening all over the vessel; Annie's not the only one who thinks something otherworldly might be afoot.  She tries to concentrate on her job, but she soon becomes obsessed with the wealthy couple to whom she's been assigned.  As Titanic moves toward its inevitable fate, Annie becomes more and more distressed by everything that's going on.

Although Annie survives Titanic's sinking, she's so traumatized by the experience that she's hospitalized for mental health issues.  A few years later, when an old colleague encourages her to apply for a nursing position aboard Titanic's sister ship, Britannic—which has been repurposed as a hospital ship for injured soldiers—she's hesitant to go back to sea.  Her psychiatrist, however, thinks confronting her fears might be the healthiest thing she can do.  Once aboard, however, Annie encounters a figure from her Titanic days.  As past and present collide, she senses once again that something not quite of this world is sailing alongside Britannic.  What does the malevolent presence want?  Will Britannic and her passengers survive whatever happens next?

I'm not a believer in the supernatural, but I still find The Deep's premise fascinating.  Katsu succeeds in creating the perfect setting for a spooky novel by utilizing two doomed ships as backdrops, then infusing them with a creepy, unearthly vibe that makes the whole tale uniquely chilling.  Although the story is peopled with interesting characters, none of them are very likable.  All are flawed and some of them are revealed as unrelentingly self-centered, snobbish, and greedy.  This made it tough to really connect with any of them.  Plotwise, The Deep plods along like, well, a large ship at sea.  The action picks up toward the end, heading toward a finale I found disappointing.  While the novel is definitely interesting with a haunting tone I enjoyed, it's also sad, depressing, and executed in a way I didn't love, which stinks because I really, really wanted to adore this one.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other novels about Titanic, although I haven't encountered any others with a supernatural element.  You?)