Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories

The classic and the contemporary mingle in this collection of 16 ghost stories chosen, introduced, and illustrated by Niffenegger (The Time Traveler's Wife). Among the classics is Edgar Allan Poe's very grim "The Black Cat"; P.G. Wodehouse's comic "Honeysuckle Cottage," about a surly author who gets more than he bargained for when he inherits a special home; and Ray Bradbury's "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains," an eerie futuristic piece about an empty, automated home left standing after the apocalypse, still catering to its absent owners. Among the modern shorts is Niffenegger's bittersweet "A Secret Life with Cats," about an unhappily married woman who inherits a house and its resident spirits; and Amy Giacolone's quite funny "Tiny Ghosts," featuring a young couple who must share their home with annoying specters. Other highlights include stories by M.R. James, Neal Gaiman, and Kelly Link. There's nary a dud in the bunch.