Spooky New England by S E Schlosser

I love the cover of this book of New England ghost and folk tales; there are illustrations in the same style throughout by Paul G. Hoffman. The book is published by The Globe Pequot Press, ISBN: 978-0-7627-2827-5.
It is unusual for a book of regional ghost stories in that it is portrayed as fiction rather than a series of experiences. Occasionally I felt I would have liked some of the stories to have been in a more reportage style, hearing genuine people's experiences, but I suspect the stories are ones that have passed into New England lore, and tracking down someone who claimed to have had the actual experiences would be difficult.
The stories vary but a number are around the sea such as one where a couple of girls sheltering in a strange house from a storm are woken by a figure of a man in the room and then in the morning find a piece of seaweed where the man stood - the ghost of a drowned sailor. There are stories of strange dogs that foretell tragedy and ghostly figures that relive it.
One of my favourite stories was from Connecticut, about Elvira Blood, a woman who flew into a rage when her husband went out to a sumptuous meal, with plenty of drink naturally, with his friends at a local tavern leaving her and her children to scrape by on a pittance. She goes to the tavern and upsets the table with all the food and drink laid out on it causing quite a scandal. Sam Blood takes her with him on his next voyage, the town's opinion being against him, but mysteriously returns a widower. However, it appears that despite being dead Elvira returned anyway, and whenever the group of friends have a get-together in the tavern, the food and drink laid out in the private room for them is thrown around again. And she is still at it; if any food is laid out in the room it is tipped onto the floor, despite her husband having died long before.
Another tale that I liked a lot was a magical one, about Uncle Kaler who lived in Maine and could make the weather. He creates a storm to help a young couple who are trying to elope escape her pursuing family. It is a sweet little story.
It was a good read, and a lovely souvenir of our trip to New England.