What I'm reading

I just finished "The Little Stranger," by Sarah Waters. It's a classic haunted house story in the manner of Shirley Jackson or even Henry James. A lonely bachelor, Dr. Faraday, gets enmeshed in the lives of the residents of Hundreds Hall, a gigantic, crumbling pile of an old house in the English countryside.
It was so creepy, ao vividly cinematic, that I compulsively read the whole thing in two days. I didn't love the ending - that's all I will say - but the rest of the book was so addictive that all was forgiven.

Now I'm reading "Good Morning, Midnight" by Jean Rhys ("Wide Sargasso Sea.") Bleak but good.

A little-known book from the 60s that is really wonderful for both children and adults is "The Bat-Poet," by Randall Jarrell, with illustrations by the great Maurice Sendak. It's about a "little light brown bat, the color of coffee with cream in it," who, unlike his companions, can't sleep during the day, so he composes poems. It's slim - easily read in one sitting - but it is the most gentle, comforting, lovely book.

Comments

[Laura]

Okay, this might be a little bit weird, but I just finished your new book and discovered that you have a website (via your dad's comment to the tattoo artist). I decided to check it out. But here's the weird part -- I also just finished "The Little Stranger". I loved it, the whole thing, ending included. Oh, and I also own "The Bat-Poet" (ever since I worked at a Border's in Michigan in the early 90's. Love your writing!