For a ghost story anthology, this is not a bad collection. A few stories are a bit shiver-inducing, but not nightmare-causing, a few are classics, and a few are just sweet. Almost all are well-written. My nine-year-old son wants to read some ghost stories. I'll let him start with this book.
Thieves' Picnic, by Leslie Charteris, 1937.
This book isn't the best or the brightest of the Saint series. In fact, if I had read this book first and didn't know anything else about the Saint, I wouldn't like him very much. Nor would I like the author very much. So, if you are new to the series, don't start with this book.
Why a Son Needs a Mom, by Gregory Lang, Cumberlane Press, 2007.This book is a sweet -- although at times TOO sweet -- reminder of what is important in life. It is also a good book to read on the day your third-grade son has a meltdown and screams that he doesn't like you anymore.
The Saint in New York, by Leslie Charteris, 1934.
The Saint is a pretty durable character, in every sense of the phrase. This book feels like a slice of history where organized crime in New York City controls the city and most of the government. Oh, wait... Maybe not so 'historical' after all.
The Adventures of Baron Munchause, by Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown.
This book is a rather uninspired version of a delightful movie. Very rarely can I say the movie is better, but, in this case, the movie is better.
Birthday Letters, by Ted Hughes, Farrar, Straus and Girouox, 1998.
If you want to feel some sympathy for Ted Hughes, this would be exactly the right book to read. All I got out of it was that Hughes was acutely aware of his own emotions, and yet vaguely, or not at all aware, of the emotions of others.
The Winged Cat, by Deborah Nourse Lattimore, HarperCollins, 1992.
This book is perfect for any child who loves cats, beautiful artwork, history, and different cultures -- in other words, my child. My son LOVED this book because he always wants to know not only 'why', but 'when', 'what', 'where', and 'how'.
