2024 Halloween Treasure Hunt

It's October, and the Halloween Hunt has returned!

The object of the game is to solve our clues (in verse!) and go to the LibraryThing page each clue is talking about.

Go HERE for the hunt.

You have two weeks—until Thursday October 31st at 11.59 pm Eastern Time—to find all the ghosts hidden around the site and gather them all together into one hauntourage.

Use this thread to brag, ask for and give hints, etc.

We will be awarding profile badges to anyone who finds at least two ghosts, and anyone who finds all 12 will be entered into a drawing for a LibraryThing prize.

Helpful tips

Please, use the spoiler tag when posting hints or suggestions. Here's how:

To use the spoiler tag, type the following before whatever you'd like to hide:

<spoiler>

And this, at the end of what's hidden:

</spoiler>

Hooray for another hunt! However, it seems as if the glitch that was around last time is still there. I’m not getting banners when I get to the right page, but when I update the hunt page, the clues are checked off.

>2 PawsforThought: Is this happening for all clues, or specific ones? If the latter, which ones?

Incidentally:

There is a clue where the solution page has the same problem as one that was the same type of page in the previous hunt. If you have a situation where you're certain you have the right page but don't see the banner (even when you go back to the hunt page), try refreshing the solution page - if it's right, the banner will flash up for a second and it will register when you go back to the hunt page.

(AbigailAdams26 I can send you a message with the specifics, if you like).

>3 AbigailAdams26: I got a banner got clue #8, but not for #1, #2 or #9. Haven’t got to the others yet.

So far, I have gotten #2, #5, #8, #10, #11, and #12. I have not gotten a banner for #1. #4, or #9, though I could be wrong about those. Still working on the others.

Is it too soon to ask for help? I’m stuck on #4 and #7.

>7 Charon07: #7 I think the answer is cemetery, but I haven't gotten a banner to work for me

>7 Charon07:
#7 You need a plural despite the fact that clue reads as if it should be a singular

I'm stumped on #4, but I got all the others.

Oh, never mind, I got #4.

#4 tiny hint: This book is not just about Samhain.

>3 AbigailAdams26: I’ve found the answers to clues 1, 2, 9 and 11 and the banners popped up on all of them for me. I’m using Safari on m iPad.

I am stuck on #4 and #5

>13 paulmdh: #5 Who are the two most famous horror writers... Stephen King and..............

>14 mousegrl: Thank you - that is helpful

>14 mousegrl: Thank you. That is helpful :)

Still not finding # 4, # 6 and # 7

# 4 - I get that it is "more than" Samhain, but I'm still not finding it. Does that word even appear in the work? Or should I be looking at tags, or movies or common knowledge?

# 6 - I'm stumped

# 7 - I've tried singular and plurals of three most common names for this place. I've looked in common knowledge and in books. I've clicked on various places. Never get a banner.

>17 BookConcierge: Keep looking for #7 - there is one more place you seem to be missing in your list of places you looked in.

Finally got #7! There was a synonym for cemetery that I was overlooking.

Still stumped on #4.

Finally for #4 I got the great idea to look in the library of the smarty-pants who wrote the clue.

>19 Charon07: Hmm, I can see a likely book when I do that, but it isn't the answer.

ETA: Never mind it worked when I searched it instead of clicking through to it.

I can't get #3 to register, tried reloading it, tried approaching it from different ways - talk posts, search, the page of them.

ETA: OK, came at it from the by date page, and reloaded again and this time it worked! Got them all now.

Thanks for another fun hunt!

>18 AnnieMod: Found it!

>19 Charon07:
>20 Aquila:

Re # 4 - I've gone through the the entire library of the person who wrote the clue. And I've searched the titles individually. I've even refreshed the ones I thought were the most likely. Still no ghost

Oops ... I didn't go go through the ENTIRE library, but just the part tagged folklore, religion and magic ... off to search further.

>20 Aquila: .... THANKS for the hint to search the likely candidate rather than click through. # 4 found!

Now, I need help with # 6

Please don't just give me the answers. I'm looking for hints, or 'you're headed in the right direction,' or 'you're barking up the wrong tree completely.'

Ghost 4... Edit: Found it I searched for the book and clicked on it from the results page, and that gave me the ghost. Which seems weird, because the search brought me to the librarything.com/work/numbers page, and I specifically edited out the /book/numbers part after clicking through on Zeph's library, and it didn't give it to me then...

Ghost 10 I thought this was Kiki's Delivery Service, but that didn't ping for me either, so... Is this an early review book? Or is it in the library of the clue writer? There are just so many picture books that are Halloween themed, I don't know where to start... If it's in Abigail's library, could someone link me to that library? I'm not sure I know which staff profile is hers.

Ghost 11 This has got to be something from the Teach Yourself series, right? But what language are vampires supposed to speak? I tried Romanian, but that didn't work, so I tried several general language books from that series, with no luck there, either. I've never known of any stereotypical 'vampire language,' am I missing something here?

Consolidated hints for clues 4, 5, 7 & 11 are now in the Treasure Hunts group

>25 GraceCollection: Ghost 11; try that again. Try refreshing and see if you get your ghost.

>27 humouress: Thank you I actually found out there are multiple books with the same title. I clicked the book I first tried from a series page for Teach Yourself, but site search had a different top result than the one I had clicked on. Ghost found!

I've clicked through every title in the October ER books , but have come up with nothing for clue number 2. Any hints ?

>29 vancouverdeb: Make sure you don't have any filters on - it was a book that isn't available in my country. Biggest clue is that it's a book you do something other than read

>30 Aquila: Thanks for the hint. But I have no filters on and clicked through every book and stuff on the sidebars, and no luck. No luck with number 2 as yet. And several others.

>24 BookConcierge: I also struggled with 6--there are two important words in the clue. Try a tagmash.

>25 GraceCollection:: For Ghost 10, I did a tagmash on a word in the poem and a word implied by the poem. The first result was the answer.

>25 GraceCollection: #10 It's not that one.
I resorted to Google for this but got many false leads before settling on the right one.
Think about a large store that people on brooms might visit for their weekly shop

Question on #6: I tried Prometheus, thinking of Frankenstein> and used a tag mash Pandora, Aura but no luck; am I looking for a book, author, any other suggestions?
Question on #11: I used several versions of Vald and Dracula Is this a book? or is it in a certain section of LibraryThing?

Up to 10 now, stuck on #5 and #7.

I think #7 is related to a famous quote from Andrew Marvell, but I'm not getting it.

#5 is rather trickier as I don't read horror as a rule, so apart from the obvious author and his sprog, I'm stumped. The clue almost suggests a children's book series but that's not it... Apart from Roger Zelazny & Doranna Durgin, I have little dog-related fiction, and what I have isn't exactly thematic for this hunt.

>36 Maddz: Messages from 18 and 19 helped me figure out question #7 synonyms seems to be the key

>35 closer: For#6: You are looking for a book, try switching out the second word in your tagmash.

>4 lorax: Yes, please do send me more information via PM, especially if this is something you've noted before.

>5 PawsforThought: It seems that there is inconsistency regarding the banner, as others reports getting those banners (as did I), but not others. I'll mention this to one of the devs.

>25 GraceCollection: My catalog can be found here: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/AbigailAdams26

>36 Maddz: For #5 The author in question is not really noted for books about a dog (though he did write one) and is more recognised for a series of books about a more Peculiar character. I hope this clue helps but I am quite sceptical and am Doubting it will.

Struggling with 5 6 and 10. Thanks

>41 AHS-Wolfy: You're quite right to be doubtful; I'm still drawing a blank...

>43 Maddz: I was hoping the clues would lead to a series by the author. They break down like this: 1st bold word you need a synonym for and add this to the name you would be called if you're sceptical about something and for whose origin lies with not believing in the resurrection.

>44 AHS-Wolfy: That got it! Thank you!

Only #7 to go now... Wonder where my thesaurus ended up in the last reorganisation...

And pop! Got them all!

Lots of googling and now just 5 left. I've tried every horror writer I can think of. Help please

Got them all now. Great treasure hunt as always

hint for #11. there is more than one. you want to get the whole effect, though.

>5 PawsforThought: i did not get the ghost banner at the top of the page for #3, but i did get it crossed off.

I'm still stuck at #4 and #5, even with all the hints. Help?

>31 vancouverdeb: If you are having trouble with 2, make sure you haven't excluded genres.

>50 Ennas: Me too. Stuck on #4 and #5. Is there any way to find #4 without looking at the library of the person who wrote the clue? I did that and it didn't help.

Hint for #11: Not a children's book. Not related to a certain Count from a children's tv show. Guess where I was stuck for quite some time? :) Instead think what region is known for being the origin of vampires, follow to what country it is in, and then what language they speak.

>52 atozgrl: Try searching the key word plus a time period greater than one season.

>52 atozgrl: Also, you won’t get the ghost if you just click on the book in that person’s library. You need to either delete the “/book/####” at the end of the URL so that you’re looking at the whole main work page, rather than the specific person’s instance of the book or search again on the title to get to the main page of the work.

>38 Watry: Got it, thanks

Got all twelve . I really enjoyed this hunt.

>55 Charon07: I haven't found the book in the person's library. That's the problem.

Never mind, I finally found it by using Talpa.

>Am I the only one not able to figure out #3? I love horror literature and have tried every monster anthology series I can think of.

>59 malinablue: It's not an anthology.

>59 malinablue: Think of what might be community-curated, themed collections on LibraryThing, of which there are 12 a year. . . It's not a book at all, but a place to find (and vote on) many books.

>I am completely stumped by #3 as well.

I am absolutely lost on #7 (only one I haven't managed to figure out, with clues); I've searched cemeteries and synonyms I can think of in books, common knowledge, groups. . . I feel like I must be missing something obvious at this point, looking at hints people have offered here, but I can't figure it out!

With a little (a lot) of help from the hints above, I found all 12 ghosts. Fun!

>61 Kalira: Thanks. I'm still a bit clueless on this one. Going to have to explore the site more.

>63 Kalira: Have you searched in tags?

>66 Charon07: Found it! I actually went to google and typed in "librarything vote" and finally discovered the lists page and the categories. Excellent! Glad to know this, too.

>63 Kalira: Me too. I have tried every synonym I can think of. Tried books, tags, places, common knowledge. Stumped.

Down to just two more ghosts now. #7 (which seems to have stumped many) and #6. I read #6 and I'm just flummoxed.

>66 Charon07: I have (that's what I went to do after making my post) and apparently somewhere in there I got the ghost without getting the banner, so I still actually have no idea what it was. Yay?

>65 malinablue: Check somewhere around the main page! ;) Good luck!

>69 malinablue: #6: I was too, but I took some hint advice to tagmash and chose a couple likely-looking keywords from the hint, and found it!

>71 Kalira: Thanks that helped. Now I'm just down to #7

I'll be honest, tho. I clicked on a dozen book under a tagmash and I have no idea which one was the winner because I never saw the ghost.

I have 11 of the 12 ghosts. Anyone have a hint on #9. I have tried the obvious? and both historical and fictional names/titles and I must be off track somewhere.

>73 CaiReads: I had trouble with #9 too. It's not a book, but the "Character."

>32 Watry:
>71 Kalira:
I've tried every combination of words I could think of, even reversing the order in the tag mash.

I did get one promising list of works, but after clicking on each one (and refreshing, just in case), still no ghost.

>68 malinablue: There were at least a couple of clues where I found the right page but I had to reload the page before the banner with the ghost showed up. If you think you might be on the right one, try reloading it.

>59 malinablue:
No you are not. I am
Still stuck on #3 and #4

>14 mousegrl: I'm still stuck on #5. Since the clue says "nearby on the shelf", I tried Lovecraft, but no luck. Am I on the right track, or completely off base?

Only one I have left is #7. I have tried every synonym that exists for that place - both singular and plural. Tried books, tags, places, common knowledge, lists. I feel like if I don't get this one soon, I'm gonna end up there.

>78 atozgrl: On the right track.

Try a more recent writer between that one and "the other scary writer"

>74 bookofsecrets: Fantastic hint, thank you so much. 12/12 ghosts

>80 malinablue: Thank you. That led me to the right author. I don't read horror books, and my knowledge of that author goes back to when I was young. I thought of him as a science fiction writer.

Based on >41 AHS-Wolfy: and >44 AHS-Wolfy:, I tried a series by that author. Clicked on titles. Never saw a ghost banner, but I must have found the right page somewhere because I've got 12 ghosts now.

I am halfway there. I cannot get these, please help
1, 3, 4, 8, 9, and 10

Having problems with 1 and 4. Any hints?

>83 NeensMahSheens: >84 vangogan: What have you tried?

>83 NeensMahSheens: & >84 vangogan: For #1 it's a new game to play on LT. You just have to look More.

>4 lorax: et al, >39 AbigailAdams26: I had this problem with Ghost No. 3. I've tried it repeatedly throughout the day, feeling absolutely sure I had the correct solution, but getting no banner. Just now, I tried Lorax's suggestion, and sure enough, it worked.

Stuck on #s 4 and 12. I didn't know you could visit other's libraries so have no clue as to how to get there for #4. For #12, not entirely sure what I'm looking for; the clue says dangling from a limb, is that tree or arm? Haven't seen anything to meet either criteria so far. Grateful for any help. Thanks a bunch.

>88 kathieintheburg: #12 I think it is a trick question. I looked for the book from the result and got the ghost.

>78 atozgrl: Think of a more current author… hint Odd Thomas Author

>89 mousegrl: I finally figured out what I was doing wrong and got the ghost. Thank you for your help, anyway. I appreciate it.

I am truly struggling with #6. I've tried a myriad of tagmashes and nothing seems to take.

>87 laytonwoman3rd: I am still stuck on that one is it a list but I am not getting a ghost.

>92 KateBaxter: A few hints for #6 :

1. It's a novel by a prolific comic book writer.

2. The title is the literal meaning of the name Pandora.

3. Glenn Close and Gemma Arterton were in the movie.

>94 amanda4242: Thank you Amanda. You have saved my day.

>93 mousegrl: Try reloading the page.

>93 mousegrl: See >96 atozgrl: I refreshed the page yes, it is a list and then went to my hunt page and refreshed that--voila! the banner appeared.

>8 mousegrl: Close Charon07......think of a book written by Neil Gaiman.....

I'm doing pretty well, the hints have been helpful. Still lost on 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10.

>29 vancouverdeb: coloring

Hint for 1 please

>101 rithram: The best place to find out about new things is your home page.

>97 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks so much. Turns out I was refreshing the wrong page.

>98 NurseBob: thanks I got it.

Hints for clues 1-7, 9-12 are consolidated by clue number in the LibraryThing Treasure Hunt group.

Still working on #10 and #12, but I think I need to go to bed for now.

>100 DKnight0918: Thanks! It turned out that I had a filter turned to romance, so no wonder I couldn't find it! Your clue made me realize that something more was wrong. Thanks!

Just missing 4 and 12. Any clues appreciated !

>82 atozgrl: atozgrl Yes, same. I was a fan in the 70s. He also wrote a lot of *other* genre fiction in younger years, and his (paperback) erotica can be quite valuable, but very few of the pen names he used are known. In my days as a bookseller, I once sold a book he wrote about how to write genre fiction. As well as the genres I already knew he wrote, it included a chapter on Westerns and one each on various erotica (M/F, M/M, F/F) and more.

Thank you for all the clues. Hauntorage of 12 ghosts achieved!

Thanks indeed to everyone for the help. For #1, my last difficult riddle, I also needed the clue from the top of this thread about refreshing the page. Clicking through to the page from Home or navigating within the overarching section or checking the pages in that section with similar topics did not work at all (either for the banner or for registering as found) but clicking through and refreshing got it instantly.

I needed extra hints for #5 and #10 but I managed to find 12/12 ghosts! Thank you everyone for the helpful clues!

>94 amanda4242: YAY ... thank you so much for those hints. I finally got that 12th ghost!

I'm stuck on #3. I've tried every horror genre collection and recommendation list. Can anyone point me to the right direction?

>114 Headinherbooks_27: you might be refreshing the wrong page. When you think you found the answer refresh the page. That is what I did and got it.

>114 Headinherbooks_27: #3 Think homepage & monthly "best" lists. I had to refresh the page to make the ghost show up.

Thank you for another fun hunt. I learned a new feature today. (well, it was here for months but I’ve never used it.) Learn something new everyday!

I am having trouble with numbers 4, 6, 10, 11, & 12. I need a LOT of help with those!

Edit: I just found 6, 10, & 11! I just need 4 & 12 now.

Edit: I just found 12! I just need number 4 now.

>118 Kreid0126: For number 4 I used Talpa (which I discovered for the first time thanks to #12 haha)I assumed the book was about history and found a book that stuck out and fit the riddle perfectly

>116 bookofsecrets: I got it. Thank you !

>115 mousegrl: Thanks!

Another great Halloween Treasure Hunt. Thanks!

>119 shimmermarie: can you give me a little more info? Like do I type in Samhain, Sun, or both?

>123 Kreid0126: I did Samhain, history and then looked for sun among the results. you don't have to scroll far

Another great treasure hunt. Also thank you to everyone for your help.

Thanks, staff and "hinters" for another great hunt!

>124 shimmermarie: Thank you shimmermarie! I found it!

In the words of Frodo Baggins: It's done!

All finished!

>128 Kreid0126: Yay! Congratulations!

>119 shimmermarie: Thank you so much for this hint! This was the only ghost I didn't have, so now I have completed the treasure hunt.

>4 lorax: Thank you was driving me nuts.

Made a LibraryThing account today and this was such a fun way to learn the site layout. Thanks to everyone who put it together, my partner and I found all 12! (with lots of help from these threads)

>19 Charon07: I did not see any books in that library?

>133 waynet_az: Have you got your library filtered to a collection that he doesn't have any books in?

>133 waynet_az: Just to check, are you looking at Zeph (another, unrelated user) or ZephCraven, who is the LibraryThing team member? (I made that mistake and was very confused until I found the blog post introducing Zeph as part of the LibraryThing team. >.>)

Always loves me a good hunt!
With appropriate nudges from this discussion forum,
I easily got all twelve. Thanks as always to all.

Thanks everyone for another fun hunt! I got them all, but needed help with several. Some I had the right answer, but it wouldn't give me the ghost. Several refreshes later...

Thank you for an exciting hunt, and for all the tips. This one was a real challenge!

>86 AHS-Wolfy: I have over and over. I must be in the wrong place.
I need help on #1. Thanks.

>139 mnleona: #1 Once on the new game page, you need to pick the right category.

>140 SandraArdnas: Thank you so much.I got it right away.

Thanks again for a great challenge. I always find books of interest. Wonderful drawing again. Everyone is so helpful and so appreciated.

A hint for any who are still having trouble with #2:
In the past, I believe it's been necessary to click the "LibraryThing Work Page" link for books in the Early Reviewers category. This time, that is NOT the particular link you are looking for, even when you have found the correct work. I'll admit, this tripped me up for quite a bit.

OMG, #10 almost made me lose my mind! The clue is very strict, haha. When you search, make sure that the "customers" are plural.

>66 Charon07: omg thank you!!

Yay! Finally got them all:) #4 was a beast, thanks for the hints! And thanks again to LT for another fun treasure hunt:).

>40 AbigailAdams26: Thank you! Ghost found.

I’m a newbie and this is my first hunt…I’m tragically stuck on one ghost, #7 even with the clues provided. Anything to possibly assist me would be greatly appreciated.

Please don't just give me the answers. I'm looking for hints, or 'you're headed in the right direction,' or 'you're barking up the wrong tree completely.'

When clue 5 says 'nearby on the shelf,' what exactly is it 'nearby'? Is it 'nearby' alphabetically to the author of the answer to clue 4? Or is this just a phrase contrived for the rhyme? Please don't tell me the answer to the riddle, but can anyone tell me what exactly the author for this clue is 'nearby on the shelf' to?

>149 GraceCollection: The author is near Stephen King on the shelf.

>148 BirdieMama: The answer for this clue is a tag. When you think you know the answer, search it using the 'search LibraryThing' box in the top right corner, and on the left, click the button that says 'tags.' Then, you have to click on that word on the list that comes up.

Hint: There are synonyms for this word, so once you're on the 'tag page' for your first guess, if it isn't right, try looking at related tags on that page. This is how I found the ghost.

>151 GraceCollection: much appreciated, I am back on the hunt! I’m still trying to figure out the layout and all the workings of the site. Thank you 😊

***Woohoo, I got it! I nearly went insane yesterday lol. I got it in under a minute after your help.

>150 amanda4242: Thank you! My final ghost has been found.

>152 BirdieMama: You're welcome! :)

>58 atozgrl: I went through the same process with no luck; can you give me a hint how how to use Talpa to get this one?

Need help on 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11

>155 waynet_az: From the More tab choose Talpa Search, pick cover search and enter the key words. You will see the book you want, you then need to go to the book page.

Edit sorry thought you were looking for the one that asked for Talpa Search

For that one just enter the text into book search you need to scroll down the page a bit to find the right book

Got all but # 6 Stuck!

>158 hredwards: It's in my catalogue tagged read in 2017 and given 5 stars

Duplicate post

>135 Kalira: I was indeed looking at the wrong one when I wrote that, but I still have not found the one within ZephCraven's library; I have checked all the one topic appropriate by deleting the "Book/######" suffix to get to the work, but with no luck :(

>161 waynet_az: That happened to me as well. As weird as it was, that didn't work for me, but when I search for the same book and clicked on it from the search results, it did work then.

>86 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks--that helped!

>155 waynet_az: >161 waynet_az: I did use the Talpa search. I think I just copied the entire clue and pasted it into the book search. As I recall, the correct one showed up a few books down; trying it again today it's a little lower in the list, but still there.

Consolidated hints from this thread updated in the LT Treasure Hunts group.

Have a look in the General Strategies thread there, too, if you're stuck.

>19 Charon07: Sadly, that library shows me NO books at all (it's like if it were empty) :(

>166 glosada: Ok, so i was looking in the wrong library (it's not Zeph but zephyrstorm ) and I'm pretty sure I have the correct one... but the ghost resists itself. Tried getting it through the user library, deleting the book part, searching and arriving at it again... Either is broken, or I'm completely confused and it's not the one I think (it has the keyword, timeperiod of of more than a seaon... anyaway... any hint would be appreciated

Neverming again, read ONE other hint that told me that it wasn't zephyrstorm either... Do what it said there, got the library, got the book (not the one that I thought) and voilà.

Thanks Kyler_Marie

>165 humouress: Not said enough but thanks for keeping these updated.

>169 AHS-Wolfy: You’re welcome :0)

>159 calm: Thank you!! Got it. I never would have found that!

wow am I the only one who thinks this is very confusing and only have two #7 and #9 . It really has me stumped to where im getting serious and it is not fun . Im not much on clues and stuff like that , not my wheelhouse really .

#3 is threatening my sanity. I've gone through all the hints...and I'm missing something somewhere.

>173 justreign: Look again at post # 67 above, and follow that clue. It's what did it for me. You have to actually click on the correct "BEST" list.

>173 justreign: You are looking for a LibraryThing feature which runs monthly where people build a collective "anthology/omnibus" based on a topic"

>172 phonelady61: Two is enough to get the badge. As for fun factor, I generally have a lot of fun with them, but some are more difficult then others depending how acquainted I am with the genre or specific books. This one I probably did about a half on my own, so fairly difficult. I try on my own until it becomes less fun and more frustration, at which point I look for clues others kindly provide. But if you don't feel like hunting them down with clues from others, just do the part where it's still entertaining figuring them on your own. Aside from puzzles, it's good for figuring out or remembering all the different things available on LT and how to use them.

>171 hredwards: Happy to help. Fortunately it was a book I had read:) So one of the first I got.

>173 justreign: This was so frustrating. I was certain I was on the right page. Then I idly clicked on the top book of the list—more in desperation than anything else; that didn't help; clicked the back button to return to the page ... and it said I'd found the ghost!

>1 AbigailAdams26: Are these ghost suppose to be hiding in the book pages or on the list of books...i type 'Dracula' and it's on the strew if Dracula books? Or I have to find the correct Dracula book and the ghost is on the whole separate page?

>179 TopazSanFelipe: There's some good help with how the treasure hunts work at https://www.librarything.com/topic/353338

>179 TopazSanFelipe: It is a specific page on the site - can be a work page, can be an author page, can be a series page, can be a link in the store or almost anywhere else. Part of the game is figuring out what you are looking for exactly with each clue -- and part of the point of the game is to get better acquainted with what LT has - pages and features you may not even know exist :)

Have fun!

>181 AnnieMod: Ooh; could you post that again in the 'General Strategies' thread please? (Link in >180 Aquila:)

>172 phonelady61: I was about to say what 176 said. You have a badge and that is an accomplishment. Do what you can. People are very helpful with the hints. Good luck.

>179 TopazSanFelipe: It looks like Aquila has posted a link to a great resource explaining how the hunts work, and that AnnieMod has some good guidance as well. Not every clue points to a book's work page, they can be all kinds of different pages, from tags to lists. Good luck on the hunt!

>1 AbigailAdams26: Thank you! I really love solving the treasure hunts. Please keep creating them! Barbara

how the heck do I do any of this I'm new on library thing and I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer so help would be greatly appreciated because I don't even know what I'm supposed to do or what to be looking for!

>25 GraceCollection: im not completely backgrounded in vampire lore but I know for clue number 11 ( I haven't solved anything either) Some vampires were Transylvanians who spoke Romanian and Hungarian so maybe try Hungarian?????????? I really don't know sorry :(

I clicked on ALL the lists which is why I was so befuddled.

>178 alaudacorax: This. THIS. Thank you so much. I wasn't going crazy. I had been on the right page since the beginning, but the ghost was stubborn. But THIS did the trick.

Thank you for saving my sanity.

>186 Leahbear71920116508: It’s a kind of scavenger hunt, where you try to find specific pages on LibraryThing that answer the clues. See the post >180 Aquila: linked for more details and strategies.

No idea what number 4 was, but apparently I got it, just never saw the banner (even after refreshing each page I went to).

Phew! I finally got my last ghost. Number 4 was tough!

Thanks for the hunt (I think - I'm still recovering from that last one) and for the hints. I love the trick-or-treating flamingo/ ghost.

>10 tardis: me too, can't find #4

>10 tardis:, >193 mbernardi:

#4 surprised me by being a 20th-century book on a historical topic characterized in the clue, written by a scholar I'm sort of a fan of. But this is a case where knowing the clue-writer can help. Take a look at the Talk thread where Zeph was introduced, and you can get another hint.

I got all 12! Thank you to everyone with their hints.

>193 mbernardi: >194 paradoxosalpha: If the hints about Zeph prove as useless to you as they were to me, see >58 atozgrl: for an alternative approach.

Consolidated hints from this thread updated in the LT Treasure Hunts group.

(I've also upgraded the clues in the first posts of those threads 🤫)

For everyone having trouble with #4 I found it using Google but there are other ways given in this thread. Here are some tips on how to find the answer

Hint one - find Zeph's library, narrow down by searching with a key word from the clue ... "Follow the SUN " . You will need to go to the main page for the book to get the ghost.
Hint two - use Talpa Search and enter the whole clue. There are a number of results and you need to scroll down to find the right book. Just click the L to the right of the result to get to the answer

Thanks for another enjoyable hunt. I think I found some by accident!

>199 mr.philistine: Me too. I found the skull book by accident, while looking for books connected to one of the other clues!

This is a long post, but I’ve never posted on a TH before. Hope I've used the spoiler settings correctly.

RE: #4 and #12

When I found Ghost #12, I was looking for—and thought I’d found when I got the banner—#4. It kind of works! subject-wise…history of Samhain! When the puzzle/riddle wasn’t crossed out, I simply thought it was a glitch.

It was only later, when I saw that I’d found #12 without “looking,” that I realized I had NOT found #4. Now it was the last ghost I needed, and I used all of the hints, including looking at Zeph’s library, to find it. I specifically saw #4 in the “similar to” part of the home page for another book by the same author.

RE: #4 and #5
I also thought that #5 referred to the author of #4, thus I was looking for authors that wrote scary stories, but started with the letter R.

This was one of the trickier Treasure Hunts I’ve done, but lots of fun, and I learned about Talpa. (Not a place that celebrates Day of the Dead…another “red herring” so-to-speak, for me). Thank you for these engaging and revealing puzzles!

Sorry to say, but this was the first LT Hunt that I found absolutely frustrating and a waste of my time.
I usually can solve most of the clues with my own knowledge and LT search with only a few clues needing help from the talk thread. This Hunt seemed to be a sales pitch for TALPA Search . . . :(
And for some clues that one could get using knowledge of LT, the clue really didn't match the answer all that well, so just added frustration.
Got them all but wish I had spent my time doing other things.
Sorry folks, but hope this isn't a trend of Hunts to come.

>202 LucindaLibri: What? It was just one clue out of 12 that was a Talpa clue. All the others were the same kind of clue as in previous hunts. And I’d really like to know which clues you think didn’t match the answer.

I still haven’t been able to get #12. This is a confusing and frustrating clue for me. Tried multiple ways of using Talpa and it’s NOT a favorite page.

>204 CatsandCherryPie: Put the first line of the clue into cover search to get the title of the book and then go to the work page to get the ghost.

I have to put my hand up and confess I got at least two answers by accident—might have been three, can't remember now ... finding myself on a wrong page but which gave the ghost for a different question ...

>206 alaudacorax:

Found it all rather fun though ...

Thank you! I got it when I used the parentheses.

wheewww what a hunt! whoever said #4 was a beast was right, maybe the hardest hunt for me so far. See y'all for the next one!

Wow I did not think I would be so stumped. I got #2 and am struggling! Any one have any tips or tricks to help my exploding mind?

Thanks in advance! :)

Hi there, I'm still missing 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 10

One thing I'm struggling with is a lot of these clues and hints reference parts of the site I do not know because I'm relatively new. Like finding Zeph's book list I have the ghost now but where would I look for that??? I'd like to know for future reference. Where is the magical place where people work on this collab list of books ? Or the "ER" page? Or the "new feature" ? Any hints for the others would be so helpful. And thank you for all the hints so far! It helped me get the others!

>211 Squeeakers: For the first one you are literally looking for something called Lists, try going to your Home page , for ER that's short for something, check at the very bottom of the page and for new features there's a panel on the right hand side of your Home page (or the bottom on mobile) that has recent announcement.

>210 uncorkedthriller: >211 Squeeakers:

Check the consolidated hints per >197 humouress:

>212 Aquila: Thanks so much! I'm down to 6, 7, 9, and 10 now! That helped immensely, both with the hunt and with understanding how to navigate around!

>213 mr.philistine: Oh that's going to help with the rest, thanks so much!

Ha! Finally finished (at nearly the last minute) #4 was the last hold out, but Talpa was my friend.

>216 mbernardi: #4 gave me a problem too! I did find it before the hunt ended too!

>203 PawsforThought: My point was that the normal searches in LT weren't finding many of the correct solutions. I had to use Talpa search . . . which I wasn't happy about. This is not my first Hunt. I usually love them. This one seemed to be very frustrating to many of the people who posted above.
I've forgotten many of the problematic clues but here are a few:
*The answer to the List clue wasn't really the best answer from the previous October Lists (i.e. the clue didn't really match the answer)
*Clues pointing to a singular shouldn't require a plural.
*Several of the banners weren't appearing on a reliable basis.

Just hoping future Hunts are more similar to those I enjoyed in the past than to this one.

>218 LucindaLibri: Regarding your last point that has been an issues for many hunts (at least the last year) and LT staff are aware of the issue.

>218 LucindaLibri:*The answer to the List clue wasn't really the best answer from the previous October Lists (i.e. the clue didn't really match the answer)
I disagree. It wasn't the most obvious answer, but I think it certainly a good enough match.

*Clues pointing to a singular shouldn't require a plural.
Absolutely true. And this problem has been recurrent in clue writing. I think I've encountered it in at least one out of four hunts.

*Several of the banners weren't appearing on a reliable basis.
I didn't have any problems like that this time, and it's been a long while since I had anything like that sort of technical dysfunction in a hunt (although it definitely has happened in the past). But I do see others complaining. Tech issues that present inconsistently are deucedly hard to address, and when the problem is compounded by reporters possibly trying for the wrong solution of a clue, it must be so daunting to diagnose, I could sympathize with an unwillingness to even start--especially in an entertainment peripheral to the site's main functions.

>218 LucindaLibri: The only clue I used Talpa search for was the one that said to.

It's all over and I missed it. I haven't missed a hunt in years. I'm so disappointed. Was there a banner that I missed?

ETA: Generally if I miss the banner, I see it in the "State of the Thing" email newsletter. I realized I hadn't seen on in a while. Sure enough... in my junk mail, which I apparently haven't checked in a few weeks:'(

>222 LibraryCin: I am sorry to hear this. I see your name all the time and you are very active.

>222 LibraryCin: I too am sorry to hear you missed it! There was indeed a banner, although it may not have been showing for you? It was also in SOTT, but it sounds like that didn't help.

Hi All! The 2024 Halloween Treasure Hunt has now ended. Thank you to all who participated!

We had 1,601 players for this hunt, and 775 players finding at least five clues. The average number of clues found was six.

Our randomly selected winners for the hunt are:

scribe77
CatsandCherryPie
gilroy
historywhiz
simon_carr

Winners: I will be messaging you about your mailing addresses, so we can get your prizes sent out to you!

Participants who found at least two ghosts: Please be aware that badges are awarded manually, and may not appear in your badges for some time.

Regarding the banner: the developers are still aware of the ongoing problems with the banner's appearance, and the fact that dismissing it once sometimes seems to dismiss it forever, despite the member's wishes/preferences. The issue is on the list of things to be looked at, although I have no timeline to give on a resolution.

>224 AbigailAdams26: I know - there are multiple ways to catch it. There's always the little "feed" on the right side of the home page, too. But it's just not a place I look very often. I usually pop over and head to Talk (or to add a book or write a review). And there's been a Halloween hunt for years - it just didn't even cross my mind this year!

This badge was awarded fast!

Thanks for the badges.