Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories; Audrey Niffenegger

Ghostly; Audrey Niffenegger

2015- Scribner

Ghostly, was a pleasant surprise, an awesome collection of short ghost stories. Each story can be completed in a short sitting, preferably by a nice warm fire or glowing candle with something warm to drink. 

Each story begins with a small intro and illustrations, and each selection has a specific theme as well: loss, cats, houses, children and unrequited love -- things and places that are often thought of as being haunted.  All are about death in some way.

I enjoyed almost every story in this collection. My absolute favorite was one written by the author: "Secret Life With Cats", which I found to be very personal and moving as well. The story of a lonely marriage, volunteer time at a cat shelter, an elderly woman who disappears and a new life. Other stories that I thought were great were: "A Black Cat," Edgar Allan Poe: a creepy mean man and a cat who get's revenge on him. Edith Whaton's, "Pomaganate Seed," was very good, as was "Tiny Ghosts"; Amy Giacalone, which was a ghost story that made me laugh, and "The Pink House"; Rebecca Curtis, which was deliciously creepy. "Honeysuckle Cottage" by P.D. Wodehouse was also very good as was "Click Clack the Rattlebag "by Neil Gaiman. One story felt seriously date, "They"; Rudyard Kipling.

It doesn't matter if you believe in ghosts or not to enjoy this collection, and I doubt that reading any of these stories will cause you to wake from sleep screaming either. The illustrations are lovely, and honestly, this may be a book that I'll have to buy and reread each October, I enjoyed it that much.

4.5/5 stars

(eGalley)