Book excerpt: Filipino Ghost Stories is crawling with spine-tingling tales of supernatural encounters and hauntings in the Philippines. Ghost stories are commonplace in traditional Filipino culture. Whether they take place at a relative's funeral or at a hacienda located deep in a remote province, virtually all families have their own personal accounts of their encounters with the supernatural. Passed on from generation to generation, these tales act as a bridge to the past, to a time lost or nearly forgotten. To write this book of ghostly encounters in the Philippines, author Alex Paman collected eerie and terrifying tales that have been told in his family for generations. Covering spooky interactions in bustling cities and in rural towns--and even a short section about hauntings on American soil--Filipino Ghost Stories offers good, old-fashioned scary stories perfect to share around the campfire or under the blankets with a flashlight. The 68 ghost stories include: Great Balls of Fire Caught in the Wake Family Ties that Bind Just Outside the Door Pitch Black Only the Wind A Brush with the Unknown Hide and Shriek Like secret family recipes, traditional ghost stories in the Philippines are valuable personal heirlooms meant to be passed forward to future generations. Complete with abundant photographs and illustrations, this book delivers terrific entertainment--and some good spine-tingling chills--for those interested in the Philippines and aficionados of the supernatural alike.