Ghostly by various authors
Forget Time Traveler's Wife. Audrey Niffenegger should be better known for her work on Her Fearful Symmetry. Her dark wit, complex characters and beautiful writing are, in my mind, not lauded enough. Bookish people tend to write off (get it?) commercial successes... but there was a reason Time Traveler's Wife did well. And I believe that Her Fearful Symmetry should have given her the same accolades.
So I was excited when I learned that the author of a fantastic story set in a cemetary had introduced and illustrated a collection of ghost stories. And this collection is amazing... Neil Gaiman, Edgar Allan Poe, PG Wodehouse. Niffenegger curated a carefully crafted collection (allliteration! yay!) that ran from the absurd to the every day to the classic. I knew it was a great compilation when I couldn't decide with story was my favorite.
So extend Halloween a little longer and pick up Ghostly! Even if you don't want to read it... add it to your library just because of the gorgeous cover.
Synopsis:
Collected and introduced by the bestselling author of "The Time Traveler's Wife "and "Her Fearful Symmetry" including her own fabulous new illustrations for each piece, and a new story by Niffenegger this is a unique and haunting anthology of some of the best ghost stories of all time.
From Edgar Allen Poe to Kelly Link, M.R. James to Neil Gaiman, H. H. Munro to Audrey Niffenegger herself, "Ghostly" reveals the evolution of the ghost story genre with tales going back to the eighteenth century and into the modern era, ranging across styles from Gothic Horror to Victorian, with a particular bent toward stories about haunting haunted children, animals, houses. Every story is introduced by Audrey Niffenegger, an acclaimed master of the craft, with some words on its background and why she chose to include it. Niffenegger's own story is, A Secret Life With Cats.
Perfect for the classic and contemporary ghost story aficionado, this is a delightful volume, beautifully illustrated. "Ghostly" showcases the best of the best in the field, including Edith Wharton, P.G. Wodehouse, A.S. Byatt, Ray Bradbury, and so many more.