[rating:2/5]

I’m not even sure why I bought this book; perhaps because it was so cheap at the bookstore (I bought it from the bargain books section). Maybe because it mentioned several local “haunted places” that I’m familiar with (Queen Mary, the Whaley House, and the Hotel del Coronado)? Frankly, I still don’t know why, but I did read it. Overall, the “World’s Most Haunted Places” is one of those books that makes for good reading for the “little room” – short blurbs on a variety of allegedly “haunted” places located in English speaking countries (with one exception – the catacombs of Paris, France).The book did nothing for me except to help put me to sleep at night. Sure, it was “fun” but really did not have much substance. The writing was stilted and the “cute” little comments that concluded each story grew weary very, very quickly.

On another note, I found that the use of “BCE” (before “common” era) and “CE” (“common” era) in place of the traditional BC and AD to be very annoying. I don’t know why people who are trying to pretend that they’re “scholars” need to use such politically correct (but, to me offensive) terminology. The author’s writing style was quite stilted and was often a chore to get through.Would I recommend this book to others? Probably not unless they are seeking a temporary respite from insomnia: oh well.