Some books

• How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers - They're stories, some of them are quite short, one's rather long. I liked the longer stories better. Some stories I read without feeling too invested in them; some I got more into. Overall, not bad. This Eggers kid--he's gonna make a name for himself, someday.


• The Ghost Writer by John Harwood - It's a ghost story, in a gothic/Victorian sort of manner, with a modern twist; it's also epistolary; it's also got stories within the story. It's sort of a glorious mess, a compulsive page-turner to the point where I realized I'd failed to pay attention to things I'd needed to pay attention to and was focusing too much on things I'd need not have. The book does have one of the most wicked murders I've ever read. And the short story (within the story!) "The Gift of Flight" was probably, by itself, worth the price of admission. I'm not one to get creeped out by horror or scary stories, but, uh, well, let's just say I could easily see how some people who might have a certain aversion to dolls might not quite make it through that thirty-page chunk. Overall on the book--not what I'd expected, and maybe not as good as I'd hoped. But that's just me. And, y'know. Halloween is coming up. Just sayin'.